“Toacity,” I said. “Chicago, actually. That was the plan and the dream.”
The server delivered our food then, and my mouth began to salivate as I put the toppings on my burger and opened some fry sauce. I looked hungrily at the junky diner food that I’d always loved so much.
“Chicago, huh,” said Jake. “Did you go?”
I pushed a breath of air between my teeth and fell silent for a moment, munching on a French fry. “I did go,” I told him. “And it was lovely. But it didn’t work out.”
“How come?”
I shook my head and shrugged a little, hoping I hadn’t already said too much. If he really knew what had happened, he’d probably cut off our date mid-meal, bolt, and never look back. “I was supposed to go with someone,” I said. “But it didn’t work out, so it kind of made the move harder.”
“I’m sorry,” said Jake. “That must have been rough.”
“It was,” I said, forcing a smile for his benefit. “But I got over it. Chicago was just too far away from my home and family to stay there. After a year I moved to Denver and never looked back.”
“Lucky me, eh?” Jake said, with another of those charming grins that made my stomach do flips and rolls.
“Lucky you.” I pushed my half-eaten burger aside and leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table to look at Jake. “Tell me about these clubs of yours. I am, officially, intrigued.”
Jake laughed. When he laughed, his eyes twinkled. “It’s my calling,” he said with a shrug. “Long hours, late nights, and a lot of socializing. I love it.”
“Ick,” I said, making a face. “I’m not a big socializer, honestly.”
“No? But you work in healthcare.”
“Right, and I only have to socialize with my patients,” I teased, and Jake chuckled.
“Do you also have dates with all of your patients?” he asked, and I shrugged.
“Just the cute ones.”
We finished dinner easily. It was pleasant to talk to Jake, and I felt like neither of us were trying too hard. Whether this relationship went anywhere or not, I was happy to try. I hadn’t been in a relationship for a long time. But I liked this guy. So far.
“Thank you for dinner,” I said as Jake paid the bill and walked me to my car. “It was very nice of you to come here.”
“What can I say?” said Jake. “I knew that if I had to wait for you to come back to Denver, it might never happen. It was a close call, but I had to try.”
“I’m glad you did.” I stopped by the driver’s side door, lingering there for a moment in the parking lot with Jake by my side.
“Do this again soon?” he asked, and I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks.
“Maybe,” I said. “But I don’t know how often I’ll be able to make it to the city. There are some rough things going on; I might not have the time.”
“Then I’ll come to you,” he said, and before I could respond to this, Jake leaned forward and kissed me, his lips touching mine in a moment of pure and utter bliss. I closed my eyes and returned the kiss, knees feeling weak as adrenaline coursed through my veins. When we parted, Jake was smiling, and he reached a hand up to brush a stray hair from my face.
“Goodnight,” I said, my voice catching with emotion.
“Goodnight,” Jake said, and without another word he turned and went back to his car, leaving me standing awestruck next to my car door in the middle of the parking lot.
Chapter7
Korbin
It was a drab and dreary day when Hansen picked me up from the house to drive me across town for therapy. Normally I didn’t mind the rain, but today it seemed heavy, suffocating, and neither Hansen nor I could think of anything to say.
“How’s work?” I finally asked as the silence got too heavy to bear. “How are the guys?”
“Asking about you,” Hansen said, glancing over at me from the driver’s side of his truck. “They’re wondering when you’ll be back at work.”
