RebeccaRebecca finally pushed her way through the crowd. A live band played in the far corner of the bar, which worked to bring in the hordes of people milling about. She slipped out into the cold night air, the valet guys moving toward her to get her parking ticket from her.“No, just looking. Thank you, though,” she said quickly, moving out toward the parking lot and scanning the crowd. A large red pickup truck pulled out in front of her, the driver a male, but it was impossible to tell much more with the darkness that surrounded her. She wanted to yell out to him, but seeming needy was completely out. She backed up toward the restaurant, a set of strong hands wrapping around her shoulders and scaring her.She jerked away, turning to see Jason standing there with confusion on his handsome face.“Hey, it’s just me.” He smiled and reached for her arm, pulling her back into the warmth of the bar as she looked one more time over her shoulder.Nothing. Almost like seeing a ghost.“Sorry
RebeccaRebecca’s phone buzzed in her briefcase as she worked to unlock the door to her apartment, the loud music flowing from the apartment across the hall and grating against her last nerve. She’d lived here for several years, and though she paid top dollar for the place, there were people of every background living around her. It was an eclectic part of town, and if the individuals that lived around her didn’t have a healthy bank account, like she did, then they had parents that did. She pushed into her apartment, concern spreading across her at who would be calling at eleven on a Friday night.Rebecca dropped her stuff in the car, turned to lock her front door and then worked to dig through her briefcase to locate the buzzing phone. She’d missed the call by then, but Jason’s name appeared on the screen a few seconds later. Sighing softly, she dropped the phone on the couch and moved through the house, turning on lights as she went. She had watched far too many scary movies as a ki
Rebecca“You dress down nice.” Jason smiled as Rebecca stepped up, pulling herself into his oversized black pickup truck.She had on a cream-colored sweater, skinny jeans and designer boots. She’d thrown her hair into a ponytail and put on a little bit of makeup, but not much. She realized that she looked ten years younger this way, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing, but she had a really hard time not tempting fate.“Thanks. You dress down nice yourself.” She buckled up and sighed with contentment.Jason was in a pair of jeans and a heavy tan coat, his light brown eyes filled with warmth and rimmed from a liquored-up night before.“What time did you guys get out of the bar last night?”“Oh, I only stayed another hour or so. Once you left, it was just ehhh.” He pulled out into the street, the city seemingly asleep at seven on a Saturday morning. They should be too, but getting her house finished and ready for her to move into was at the top of her priority list.A sudden wave of gr
Rebecca“Oh man, I love this place.”Jason stood just behind Rebecca at the counter, as an elderly black woman approached them with a big smile on her face. “Hi ya, folks. You can sit anywhere you like. Nelda will be right out to getcha order.”Rebecca smiled and moved into the dining hall as Jason thanked the hostess. Rebecca slid into a small, two person table near the window, the sun streaming in but the coldness pressing against the glass just beside her. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.“You want to move over there so we’re not by the window?” Jason sat down and placed his hands on his coat as if he were going to remove it but wanted to see what she wanted to do first.“No, I’m good. I like being near the sun, but the glass is cold.” She reached up to flip over the coffee cup that sat upside down on a small saucer before her.He took off his coat and stood up, walking around her and putting it on her shoulders. She slipped her hands into the sleeves and pulled it
RebeccaThe waitress moved in beside them with their food as Rebecca was getting ready to attack Jason for his silly move. His smile was bright and wide as he thanked the waitress, calling her honey or something endearing. She giggled and moved away as he reached out his hand toward Rebecca.“I’ll pray. Give me your hand.”She wasn’t sure what to say, but extended her hand and bowed her head. Her mother would’ve been proud. Rebecca hadn’t prayed or shadowed the walk of a church in years. Too much life to live to give God any time in the midst of it. She figured she’d get back to church when she was old and seeking entrance to heaven. Why did the fact that Jason prayed warm her down to the core of her soul? This wasn’t good.He finished then squeezed her hand, pulling his back and moving his napkin into his lap.“I’m thinking after this we’ll go deal with your house situation and then I need to grab a paper from the corner store.”She reached for her silverware, her eyebrow lifting. “W
RebeccaThe drive to the house was longer than she remembered, but it was enjoyable, seeing that she and Jason spent the whole time talking about music they loved and their favorite foods. She found out that she had way more in common with him than she might have imagined.She pointed to a long dirt road that led into the middle of nowhere, trees lining the path and covering the view of the house.“Wow.”“What?” she asked, looking over at him, the mid-morning sun coming through the windows of the old truck to warm her soul.“It’s beautiful out here.” He kept his eyes on the road before them, but his expression softened a little. “My grandfather lives up near Lufkin. It looks a lot like this. The trees are big and old, spread out for coverage, and the city life fades fast as you reach his place. There’s only serenity to be found out here.”She smiled, wrapping her arms around herself as anticipation tore at her. The house that she’d helped to design was beautiful, the long wraparound p
RebeccaRebecca pulled back from the kiss. It was obvious that the look on her face alarmed Jason. She turned in his arms and did what she always did when emotions beat over her like ice water—she faked it. A warm smile spread across her face as she moved toward Kade and gave him a quick hug, which he tried to extend a little too long.“Wow. It’s a small world.” She laughed, her heart breaking into a million pieces as the one man she’d have done anything for stood in front of her, looking a little shocked. Did he think she would have waited for him? Just stayed by the front porch looking for his sorry—You basically did.Jason moved in beside her and extended his hand toward Kade. “Hi. I’m Jason, Becca’s boyfriend.”She almost corrected him, not wanting Kade to think she was with someone else, but a plan was a plan, and she certainly didn’t want to embarrass Jason. She smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist as Kade introduced himself.“Kade McMillian. Becca was my best friend in h
RebeccaRebecca snorted softly at her wayward thoughts and signed the paper, the look on Kade’s handsome face causing her to pause before she left. “What?”“How long have you been dating Junior?”She smiled, knowing that the age thing wasn’t just something she was going to have to combat within herself, but that others would sense it and see it too. She tilted her head a little, studying her lost love and thinking about how to answer.“Long enough to invite him to meet with the contractor on my house.”He flinched and nodded his head once. “That was fair.”“Damn straight.” She pulled another set of keys from her pocket and dropped them on the clipboard. “These are the contractor’s set. Use them as you will, but if my car is out front, don’t come in here without knocking. And don’t leave my house unlocked, ever.”He took the keys and slipped them in his pocket. “Got it. I’ll call you about that dinner.”“What dinner?” she asked, backing up slowly as she studied him, her blood pressure