“Don’t we all,” said Maggie with a laugh. She reached for my resume and glanced over it once more, nodding her head. “I’ll give your references a call tonight, but I have no doubt that you’ll be spoken highly of. If everything checks out, can you start tomorrow?”
“Yes,” I said, and for the first time since I’d heard my mother’s news, I felt a newfound hope cling to me. Maybe, just maybe, my life wasn’t about to fall apart. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I will be here.”
I was giddy on the way back out to my car, and even more so when my phone rang again and Jake’s name popped up on my caller ID.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, and my heart did a tiny little flip flop when I heard his voice. “Sorry it took me so long to call today. I got caught up at work.”
“Ah,” I said. Then realizing that I had no idea what he did for work, I asked, “What is it you do?”
“I own some clubs downtown,” Jake said. “Here in Denver.”
“Wow, very cool.”
“It is actually,” he said. “Keeps me young.”
“Maybe soon I’ll have to visit one of these nightclubs,” I said, unlocking my car to slide into the driver’s seat.
“Maybe soon,” Jake agreed. “But what are you doing tonight?”
I giggled, blasting the heat in my car. “Not going to Denver, that’s for sure,” I teased, and Jake chuckled.
“You don’t have to. Are you hungry?”
“I’m always hungry, Jake.”
“Perfect. Then I guess you should just meet me at the little diner on Fourth Street.”
My head jerked up and I looked around, eyes not seeing much through the darkness. “What does that mean?” I asked him. “Are you here? In Eagle River?”
“Come to the diner and find out,” Jake said, and then the line went silent. I stared at the screen on my phone for a moment before tossing it aside and shaking my head, but I was smiling. The thought of seeing Jake and having some company was too good to be true. I was thrilled to land the job I so desperately needed, and some handsome company couldn’t hurt either, could it?
Checking my face in the rear-view mirror, I pulled out of the clinic parking lot and headed to Fourth Street to the Summit Diner, a popular little place especially amongst college students on the weekends. Tonight, however, it seemed slow, and I spotted Jake through the window waiting for me in a booth before I even parked the car. Grinning like a dork, I parked and went in. Jake turned his head as I came through the front door, and a smile lit up his face. He stood to greet me, reaching out to take my hands with his, and I almost swooned.
“I didn’t think you were going to show up,” he said, helping me take off my jacket before I slid into the booth. I chuckled, folding my hands on the tabletop in front of me.
“What makes you think I wouldn’t have shown up?” I asked, picking up the menu to skim it.
“Because you wouldn’t go out with me in Denver,” said Jake with a grin. I really liked his smile; boyishly sweet, but just sexy enough to hold my attention and keep it there.
“I would have eventually, I’m sure,” I said. “I’m just—not very good, shall we say, at dating.”
“I don’t believe that,” said Jake as the server came to take our orders. I ordered my favorite items from the place, a jalapeno burger with fries and a coke. Jake ordered the western omelet with a side of mozzarella sticks.
“No, I really do suck at it,” I admitted. “I just don’t really date. I have in the past, but it always went bad. Kind of dampened it for me.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re having dinner with me.” Jake winked and reached for his soda to take a drink, his eyes traveling over my face. “Thank you.”
“Thankyou,” I said. “For coming all the way to Eagle River just to woo me.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Jake said with a chuckle. “This is actually a charming little town. I haven’t really been over here before.”
“That’s because there’s no need unless you’re a college athlete,” I said. “Just like any other Podunk town, people grow up here and then strive for something more.”
“Is that what happened to you?” he asked, and I fell silent for a moment, trying to decide exactly how far I wanted to delve into my past with this man on our first date.
“Pretty much,” I said with a shrug. “Once I graduated, I was anxious to get out.”
“To the city?”
