"What can I get you this afternoon?" Angela asked. It was two o'clock in the afternoon, between lunch and dinner. He couldn't believe they had skated all morning, but it was another memory to add to the many he had of Jocelyn."Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn on the cob for me," Jocelyn replied, closing her menu. Then she looked over at Caden and stage whispered, "They have the best."Caden's stomach growled at the thought. "Make it two." He closed his menu and handed it to Angela. "Will do!" Angela tucked the menu behind the other. "I'll be right back with your meals.""So, what are you doing tomorrow?" Jocelyn took a sip of her hot chocolate.He shrugged. "I'm not sure." He didn't tell her, but he knew that talking to Mallory to break things off was definitely on the list. "I might volunteer at my parents' tree lot.""That would be nice." Jocelyn wrapped her hands around her mug of hot chocolate.Caden sighed and then took a sip of his hot chocolate and swa
As they were driving, he made a mental note to take back the ring he had bought for Mallory and exchange it for another ring for her. He knew he wanted to marry Jocelyn, but he didn't know how she felt about him. But then again, when he kissed her in the limo, she had kissed him back. So, maybe-At the movie theater, Caden paid for their tickets and they walked inside. "Popcorn and soda?" he asked her."Sure. Even though we just ate, you can't watch a movie without popcorn." Jocelyn shoved her hands into her coat pockets.He placed a hand on the small of her back and walked with her up to the concession stand. "Two large Cokes--""Diet for me," Jocelyn added.Caden chuckled. "Correction: One large Coke, a large diet, and one large popcorn." In the mood for something sweet, he looked over the candy counter. "Candy?" he asked Jocelyn. She laughed. "Where do you put it all?"He shrugged, ignoring the question, and turned to the teenage boy behind the counter. "A bag of M&Ms and a
"Caden, no," Jocelyn whispered. "Let's go.""Yeah, do as your woman says and get out of here, why don't you?" Henry catcalled as Mona cringed."Jocelyn, take the popcorn and wait for me in the lobby," Caden instructed.Just then, a skinny, teenage usher with bad skin walked up the aisle and then looked back and forth between the four of them."It all started when I threw a piece of popcorn at my- friend," Jocelyn tried to explain, "and then he threw one back at me without looking. But he missed, and accidentally hit that obnoxious jerk." Suddenly, the obnoxious jerk was standing on the other side of her."Hey! Wait a minute!" Henry roared, disturbing everyone in the theater."Yes, he's drunk, and he verbally attacked my friend," Jocelyn explained."If I wanted to attack him--" Henry began, but Mona cut him off."Henry, stop!""Mona, I've got this!" He turned around and accidentally knocked her back into the seats. "Okay, mister," the skinny usher with bad acne said, his voic
Jocelyn stood to the side of the window, watching Caden, fighting the urge to go to him. But she couldn't do that to Mallory. She shook her head, knowing that she had just betrayed her sister.Her bedroom door flew open, slamming hard against the wall. "How could you?" Mallory demanded as she marched into her room. "How could you do this to me?""Mallory, drop the martyr act." Jocelyn took a step closer. "You never cared about him.""He was in love with me!""But you never loved him!" Jocelyn yelled, clenching her fists at her sides. "You never cared about anyone but yourself!""I did to!""Mallory, you broke up with Caden because he wouldn't take you with him! You wouldn't even wait for him!" Jocelyn couldn't stop herself as the years of enduring her sister's unwitting torture came flooding out. "And look at you! For the past eight years, you've talked of nothing else but leaving- but you're still here! Why?""I'm trying!" Mallory yelled back. "I'm trying to go to California to
He grabbed his coat and headed out the door. On the way over to her house, he thought of Jocelyn and how he would rather be spending the day with her. But this was his own fault. He should have talked to Mallory before now. Even if he weren't having feelings for Jocelyn, he would have broken it off with Mallory anyway. Jocelyn really had nothing to do with it.When he arrived, he pulled the car to a stop in front of the house and turned off the engine. When he looked over at the driveway, Jocelyn's car was gone. He sighed, wishing she was here. But what he needed to say to Mallory, he needed to say alone. Squaring his shoulders, he slid out of the car, but looked up at Jocelyn's bedroom window, where she had stood crying in the window the night before."What are you waiting for?" Mallory asked, standing on the porch, wrapping her cardigan sweater around herself. "Come on in. It's cold out here.""Mallory, we have to talk." He looked her square in the eye, but didn't move."Then com
"I was hoping that you could bring them down from the attic for me," she said in a flirtatious voice. "You mean, we can bring them down. I'll hand them down to you." He let out a deep breath. "Mallory, just be yourself and stop flirting."She sighed. "I don't know how.""Well- try. Or there will never be any hope for us even being friends.""Fine." She had obviously been hoping that she could just bat her eyes and get him to do all the work for her, as he did years ago. But he was a man now and was no longer a foolish boy who would fall for her flirtations."Where's the attic?" he asked, headed up the stairs."It's right this way." She stepped in front of him and stood in the center of the second floor. He had always liked their house. The upstairs must have been an apartment at one time and had a sitting room in the center, with bedrooms jetting off from it. Then toward the right had been a kitchenette and to the left, a bathroom."Where's the attic?" Caden asked, looking arou
On the way home from work that afternoon, Jocelyn wondered if Mallory was going to be waiting for her when she got home. If so, Mallory was sure to start in on her again. But Jocelyn didn't want another confrontation. She just wanted to go home, relax, and destress. Roxanne had been on a roll again, complaining that the store was a mess and that if Jocelyn wanted to keep her job as manager, then she had better start taking her job more seriously.Of course, Jocelyn had reminded her that she had told her to take the day off when Caden carried her out the door. She also reminded her that she was off the next day. Roxanne just waved her hand dismissively and went back to complaining.Jocelyn had been glad when her work day finally came to an end.As she drove along, she tried to push the thought of Caden from her mind. How was she going to survive him? She had given her heart to him long ago, but his visit this time had sealed the deal. He had texted her throughout the course of the da
Mallory sighed. "Could we just decorate the tree, please?"Jocelyn sat quietly after that, waiting for Mallory to finish stringing the lights. After all, they couldn't start decorating the tree until the lights were on. As she waited, her thoughts went to Caden. If he had something else to do, then why was he texting her off and on all day? She quickly pushed the thought aside."Done!" Mallory replied, standing by the tree. "Why don't you start decorating and I'll get some more hot cocoa. Would you like some?"Jocelyn shook her head, surprised that Mallory was actually trying to get along. "No, thank you. But you go ahead."Jocelyn started decorating the tree and Mallory walked back in, holding her hot chocolate."If you don't mind, I'm going to sit down for a bit. Then I'll help you decorate."Mallory blew across her hot chocolate. It was the first time in a long time that she remembered Mallory actually being nice to her. Usually, she spent her time running to this audition or