“Yes, it's like tug of war.”
Reaching down to take one end of the rope, Jack lightly tugged at the rope while Primmy dug her paws into the carpet and pulled at the other end. While they played, Jack asked aboutBella’s daughters. Bella told him all about them, and they were both in transit back to their respective schools after spending time with their dad in Los Angeles.
“Jasper wasn’t their father?”
“No, Jasper was my second husband. My marriage to Peter ended shortly after Madeline was born. We were both too young, too Italian, and too hot headed to be married. But we’ve stayed friends and it’s a good relationship.” Bella then went on to explain how she and Jasper had met, reconnected and married. “But what about you Jack? I feel like you know everything about me and I know so little about you.”
“I grew up in San Francisco, my parents are both retired professors, they taught at Stanford - my dad in engineering and my mom in history. I got my master’s in engineering there as well.”
“Wow - how did you end up in the Navy?”
Jack described how he’d always had a love of flying, from when he was a little boy, and that led to attending the Naval Academy at Annapolis, and his first assignment at NAS North Island, in Coronado, a small island across the bay in San Diego.
“Is that where you met Susan?”
“Yes, she was a teacher in San Diego, she grew up there and her family is still there; the girls visit as much as they can - they are there right now in fact.”
“May I ask what happened? If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand, I know how painful it can be to discuss sometimes.”
Worn out from their game of rope toy, Primrose dropped her end of the rope and trotted over to her favorite spot in front of the fireplace and laid down, so Jack dropped his end as well,thinking he probably looked stupid holding the rope in his hand for no reason.
“No, it’s okay. We were living in Virginia - I was stationed there at the time at NAS Oceana. I was deployed, she was late leaving school to pick up the girls, so she was rushing. It was after Christmas, and it had just finished snowing. She hit a patch of black ice and lost control of the car. They say it was instant and she didn’t suffer, but that’s not much consolation, is it?”
“The Navy got me home as fast as they could, but I still feel guilty for not being there, especially for the girls in the immediate aftermath.” With a grimace, Jack downed the rest of his drink and put the glass down on the coffee table.
“Jack, I’m so sorry” said Bella, placing her hand on top of his and giving a gentle squeeze.
He stood abruptly. "I should go; it's getting late. I’ve got to get back to Houston early tomorrow, the girls are home on Sunday, so I need to get the house cleaned up after living like a bachelor the last few weeks. Let me order an Uber.”
“You’re right, it’s been a long day.”
Bella stood up, picking up their glasses and taking them into the kitchen to be rinsed out in the morning.I should never have asked about his wife, I can’t imagine the guilt he feels for not being there even though there was nothing he could have done.
She felt his presence enter the kitchen before he even spoke.
“Bella. I’m sorry if I was rude - that wasn’t my intention. Hell, I don’t know what my intentions are. I’m a single dad, preparing for the most important mission I’ll ever go on - those two things have been my only focus these last few years, and then suddenly you pop up on my radar when I least expect it, and I find myself thinking about you more than I should.”
Moving closer to her, she knew he was standing behind her, and she turned, finding herself almost instantly within reach of his arms. Their eyes locked, and the air seemed to grow heavy, and as Jack leaned in for the kiss Bella knew instinctively she’d been wanting since she met him. Jack’s lips touched Bella’s and it was like a rocket launch to the stars, his lips firm but gentle, and slightly demanding. Bella leaned into his chest, and she found her arms wrapping around his neck, her fingers finding that spot where his hair met the back of his neck, the feel of it coarse but soft.I knew it would feel like this, she thought. Deepening the kiss, a slight moan escaped her as she tasted the lingering peaty flavor of the scotch still on his lips.She wanted this as much as I did.They broke apart, staring at each other as if in wonder for a second, only to quickly come back together, neither wanting to stop. At that moment Jack’s phone beeped, signaling that his Uber was out front. Ending the kiss, they stood forehead to forehead, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders, his breath warm against her face, the space between them charged. Bella brought her finger to Jack’s mouth, tracing the outlines of his lips as though memorizing them, and Jack kissed each fingertip as they softly passed over. The phone beeped again.
Walking silently to the front door, they said nothing, neither sure of what was happening between them.
Chapter 11
Bella couldn’t believe how fast August blew by, and that it was now September. Busy with work as always, she'd helped Angela get settled back at Smith College, and from there had flown to London to do the same for Madeline. She stayed a few extra days to see friends, do some shopping, as well as check on the townhome she and Jasper had owned - she’d be selling it and purchasing a flat for Madeline - and arrived back in the states just after Labor Day. Bella Pelle was gearing up for what she hoped would be a busy holiday season, and Carrie and Jerome had held down the fort, which she appreciated. They'd managed the weekly NASA video calls and kept Luis on track with the formula adjustments. They were also knee deep in the planning of the spring launch that would be released in January.
NASA. Why did you have to think of NASA?That only reminded her that she hadn’t heard from Jack since the night of the kiss.Did I do something wrong? Did my breath smell? Am I bad kisser? It’s been so long since I’ve kissed someone I probably forgot how to do it. That’s it - I'm a bad kisser.She was due to travel to Houston the next Monday, as it was the time for her in person meeting that month. Maybe she’d get lucky and wouldn’t run into him - she wasn’t sure she could take the embarrassment.Okay, enough of THAT. Back to work.
Later that night, after she’d made a light dinner for herself, she drew a bath, and relaxed, soaking in the scented, milky water. She’d read that Cleopatra liked to bathe in donkey milk to keep her skin soft and smooth.That’s due to the lactic acid in the milk,Bella thought. She wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but it made her feel decadent and wicked.Ha! I’m so wicked I drive men away with my stink breath!After applying a generous amount of her own creation of body lotion, Bella slipped on her jammies, let Primmy out for her last bathroom break of the night, locked up, set the alarm, and settled into bed with a book, when her phone rang.Who’s calling at this time of night? Wait, it’s only 9pm - when did 9pm become late. I used to be getting ready to go out for the night at 9pm.Bella glanced at the number, didn’t recognize it, so she let it go to voicemail. Whoever it was didn’t leave a message, instead immediately calling right back.I don’t need auto insurance, or an extended warranty on my windows - these salespeople do not give up!After a few more calls that Bella didn’t answer, her phone pinged with a note, telling her she had a text message.
Hey. Are you awake?She ignored it. Her phone pinged again a few minutes later.
Bella? You up?
Who is this?Bella wrote back.
It’s Jack.
Her heart skipped a beat.
