The last customer left, and Tiffany finally sat down. Her feet ached, but it felt good to have been distracted for a while. She looked at the area behind the register and smiled. She’d at least made a difference. It had been so disorganized, but now everything had its place, and it looked good, too.
She had even moved around some of the displays in front of the counter, and she had already seen results. People had bought more of those items afterward. Not only that, it was nice to be needed for a change.
The door dinged, and she jumped to her feet, ready to greet the next customer. But it wasn’t a patron.
Jake walked in. He had his hair slicked back, unwrinkled clothes, and a freshly shaved face. Tiffany’s breath caught. He looked like he could have been in one of the magazines on the rack he just passed. Actually, he looked better than those stuffy models. She had the overwhelming desire to run her fingers over his smooth face.
“Did you do all this? It looks wonderful.” He looked at the front of the counter.
Tiffany struggled to find her voice. She could stare at him all day. “I just moved some things around.” It was nothing compared to the way he looked.
“No, really. It looks so professional. Much better than before. I can’t believe it.”
“Oh, stop.” Tiffany looked away, embarrassed.
Jake moved to where she looked, and stared into her eyes. “I love it. Will you let me take you out to dinner?”
Tiffany’s heart raced. “Don’t you have to get to the hospital? What about your dad?”
Jake shook his head. “Two of my brothers are there with my parents, and they say he’s doing a lot better. I can go later since I just slept. Will you join me for a meal?”
She nodded, suddenly feeling shy. He was the only person who made her feel that way. “Can I go back to my hotel room and freshen up? I’ve been working all day.” The corners of her mouth curved upward.
“No problem. I’ll close up here, and then pick you up at the hotel in an hour?” His eyes held an eagerness that made her heart jump into her throat.
Tiffany cleared her throat. “That’s perfect. See you then.” She hurried to the door before she gave into the increasing desire to jump into his arms. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and take in his freshly-showered smell. She gave a little wave as she went through the door, hoping he didn’t notice what he did to her.
Tiffany made sure to walk past the auto shop on her way to the hotel. Her car was still in the parking lot. Did that mean it hadn’t moved? Or had it been fixed? She had gotten those super-important air fresheners for Bobby.
She went inside, finding Bobby sweeping. “Did you get to my car?” Please say no.
Bobby looked up. “Sorry, Sweets. All the cars ahead of you today had serious problems. I’m not even sure I’ll get to yours tomorrow.”
Tiffany bit her lower lip, pretending to think about it. Then she shrugged. “Well, don’t forget to call my grandpa before you do anything.” She spun around and went back to her hotel.
When she got to her room, she looked around. What was she going to wear? She only had the one suitcase, and she hadn’t packed for a date. It didn’t matter. She would make it work. With a spring in her step, she made her way to the bed, dumping her entire ‘wardrobe’ onto it. Tiffany finally settled on a cute lacy top that she could wear over a camisole and skinny jeans. The lace top was a little wrinkled, but if she hung it in the bathroom while she showered, it should lose the wrinkles.
When she was done getting ready, she noticed a light blinking on her phone. Had she missed a call? She ran to her bed and picked it up. She had a new text from Grandpa.
Some stuff came up with a friend. Sorry I haven’t returned your calls. Have fun, and let me know what’s going on.
Relief washed over her. He was okay, just busy. She looked at the time, and decided to call him back later. Jake was supposed to meet her any minute.
Tiffany went down to the lobby and saw him standing by the doors. He was looking at the elevators, but she had come down the staircase. He looked her way just as she went down the final few steps.
Jake broke into a wide smile, and then walked toward her. He wore slacks and a dress shirt, and he looked even better than before. Tiffany’s heart raced, and she gave him a nervous smile. Her body temperature rose, and the smell of her citrus perfume surrounded her from the heat.
“You look stunning.” He pulled a bright bouquet of flowers from behind his back.
She let out a small gasp. “Are those for me?”
Jake smiled wider. “Who else?”
Her face heated even more. Tiffany didn’t know how to take a compliment, but she would find a way. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“They’re nothing compared to you.” He pushed them closer to her.
She reached for the flowers, and her fingers brushed against his. Chills ran down her back, and not from the hotel’s air conditioning.
“Can I get a picture?” he asked.
“Of me?” Her stomach dropped to the floor. Did she dare leave photographic evidence of being in Kittle Falls?
Jake looked at her with curiosity. “Why does it surprise you?”
She looked down and shrugged. How could she explain? Would she make it through the date, or would he figure out that she was broken and run for the hills? As much as she wanted to be Elena, she was still Tiffany. There was no erasing her past, and that was the last thing she wanted to explain to him.
“Can I get a picture of us?” he asked. “Please. You look so pretty holding the flowers.”
Tiffany looked back up and held his gaze. His beautiful, kind brown eyes pleaded with her. Jake was so sweet that she didn’t want to let him down. He was trustworthy—her heart told her that much. She was going to change her appearance when she got to her new home anyway, so it probably wouldn’t do any harm to have a picture with him.
It would be nice to have a picture of the memory, also. She didn’t want to forget him, and she could imagine herself looking at the image of them with fondness years later when she was old and gray.
She nodded an okay, and then his face lit up. Her heart fluttered, and she knew she had made the right decision. He grabbed the attention of someone walking by, and then asked her to take a picture.
Before Tiffany knew what was going on, she stood next to Jake in front of a potted palm tree. He put his arm around her, seeming nervous. She felt safe, and nestled a little closer.
The lady took a few pictures with Jake’s cell phone, and then handed it back to him, smiling. “You two are so cute.”
“Thanks.” Jake took his phone and scrolled through the images, showing the picture to Tiffany. It was strange seeing a picture of her with someone other than Trent, but she liked it. Unable to keep from smiling, she realized the lady was right. She and Jake did look good together.
“Can you send those to me?” she asked.
“I could…but you’d have to give me your number.” Jake had a curious look.
Butterflies danced in her stomach. She hadn’t given it to anyone, but she realized she wanted Jake to have it. She pulled out her phone, nearly dropping it, and then called him.
A Rod Stewart song came from his phone. He turned it off fast, his face turning pink. “That was my sister’s favorite song. It’s in memory of her. I swear.”
Tiffany held back a smile. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
“I didn’t want you thinking that’s what I listen to in my free time.”
“Do you even have any free time?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t recognize a single song released in the last two years.”
“Me, neither.” Unless it was country. That was all Trent would allow when he was around. He had even stocked songs in her car to listen to when she drove. “So, where are we going?”
“Somewhere I love, but never go enough. It’s about twenty minutes away. Is that okay?”
“I don’t have any other plans.” Tiffany slid her phone back into her purse.
“Good.” He held out his hand.
Tiffany’s pulse pounded in her ears. Holding his hand didn’t seem like much, but it felt enormous.
Jake looked at her expectantly. “Are you ready?”
She took his hand and smiled, ignoring her nerves. Nothing better than pushing aside everything Trent had told her over the years to help her move away from him. “I can’t wait.” She meant it.
Jake led her to the parking lot. They went to a brown car that looked about twenty years old. “Sorry about the car,” he said. “It belongs to my parents. I really need one of my own.”
“It’s fine. How’s your dad?”
“He’s sleeping a lot, but everyone keeps saying how fast he’s improving.” He let go of her hand and unlocked the passenger side door with the key.
“Do they know what happened?”
“They thought a stroke at first, but now that he’s doing so well, they’re looking into other options. They’ll have to take another MRI tomorrow.”
“That sounds like good news. I hope I get to meet him when he gets out.” Tiffany’s eyes widened. She hadn’t meant to say that, but it came out so naturally.
Jake looked as surprised as she felt. “I’d like that.” He held the door open for her.
She sat, and he closed the door for her.
Tiffany felt like a princess.