“Gemma, just sit and listen, okay?” Jane asked.
Gemma looked from Jane to Jake. Her face turned beet red.
“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s my fault.” Jane sat on the floor. “I totally introduced you to him so that he would fall in love with you and leave me alone.”
“Ahem, I’m in the room with you.”
“No, you’re in the kitchen making dinner.” Jane tried to keep a straight face.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You were going to marry Isaac Daniels, so even if it was obvious that Jake was into you, you’d be gone eventually, and Jake and I would be great buds. It would have worked out.” Gemma’s voice was quiet. Her big, brown eyes were wet with tears.
“No, it wouldn’t have,” Jake piped in from the kitchen.
“Jake—quiet.”
Jake turned the radio up.
Jane took a deep breath. “I am seriously sorry that I created this embarrassing, hopeless situation. But please don’t kick me out of the apartment. I don’t know where I would go.”
“You could go to Arizona.”
“If they don’t catch Del and Jason fast, I’ll send you there myself,” Jake said.
“I’m not going to Arizona, Gemma. I’m staying here, and you are forgiving me and wishing me happiness, okay?”
Gemma let out a slow breath. “It is such a bad idea to jump from relationship to relationship like this. How well do you know this guy?” Her face was still sad, but a twinkle in her eye said she was willing to try.
“I’ve only known him since I was fourteen, so I can see why you are concerned.”
“You girls don’t have anything to eat. How do you live?”
“We tend to order takeout from this nice guy we know…” Gemma said. Her voice broke, but she laughed.
“You are totally the second-best girl in the world, Gem. Er, third.” Jake shrugged apologetically. “I do have a sister.”
Gemma wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and laughed. “I don’t think I’m ready to be happy third wheel yet.” She stood up. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go hide my pathetic self in my bedroom for a while.”
As soon as she was gone, Jake dove across the room for Jane. He tackled her and kissed her. “You tried so hard not to want me. That’s how I knew you’d never marry that weird Daniels kid.” He kissed her on the mouth, again. “You don’t have to try not to love people if you don’t love them in the first place.”
Jane wiggled out from under him. “Happy New Year, Jake.”
Jane smiled at her class schedule, then folded it and slid it into her pocket. She had just dropped her French classes. Isaac had been right about that one—throwing French in on top of everything else she was studying added unnecessary extra work before graduation. Business degree with a side of criminal justice. She could get that done by spring.
She sipped her Coke. Spring seemed a long, long way off.
Jake tapped his phone and frowned.
They both shivered in their winter coats. The Portland State University Park blocks with bare tree branches creating a lacework above the statuary were romantic, even in winter, but not warm. He tucked his phone in his pocket and took her hand.
“So Jane, we’ve been officially a thing for twelve days now.”
“Yikes. How did I forget that anniversary?” Jane laughed.
Jake stole a sip of her drink. “I want you to dump me. Don’t interrupt.”
“Yeah, I wanted to hear where you were going with that one.”
“I want you to dump me the minute you don’t think you would want me for your husband. I am all in on this thing, you understand that, right?”
“You’ve mentioned it.” Jane took her cup back. Her parents were still mad that she hadn’t come home for Christmas. She wasn’t sure how she was going to explain the sudden switch from probably-going-to-marry-Isaac to…She smiled. It was too soon to even think that.
“I’m not fooling around. I’m pretty sure you understand the pressure I’m under with the business right now. With the mayor of Maywood breathing down my neck and the Fro-Yo Murder thing sending all my customers scurrying to Bubble-Bubble Tea, I can’t have a flakey girlfriend thing, too. I don’t mean you have to say that you’re going to marry me this minute or anything. But if God starts talking, and he says ‘No,’ don’t try and force it. Just dump me.”
She chewed the end of her straw. Each season she seemed to be learning something else hateful about herself. She was too proud, she hadn’t actually heard God’s call to Kazakhstan, and now…she was forced to face the fact that she was really, really immature when it came to relationships. But now that she knew it, like the missions thing, she had to take it seriously. She couldn’t go when God told her to wait, and she couldn’t up and commit to Jake the same minute God had pointed out that she wasn’t any more mature about boys than she had been at thirteen.
“Well?” Jake waited, his face slowly draining of all color.
“I promise. If God says to dump your sorry self, I’ll do it.”
“Or,” Jake said, “even if it’s not God. But if you realize you don’t want me…”
Jane laced her fingers through his. “It’s been twelve whole days, and that’s not been a problem yet.”
“So I think until that day—which will never come—we need to take this seriously.”
“Sure.” Jane squeezed his hand, but didn’t make eye contact. She would agree to anything if she made eye contact, and that didn’t feel wise.
“We should start making plans—”
Jane’s phone jangled, so she answered it, relief washing over her. “Gemma?”
“Turn your radio on.”
“What station?”
“Any! This is big news.”
“I’m at school, I don’t have a radio.”
“Then hang up and find it on your phone. You won’t be sorry.” Gemma hung up.
Jane pulled up the local radio news.
“Just a second.” Jake put his hand over her phone. “This is kind of a big deal.”
Jane moved his hand. “Jake, I promise I will dump you the minute I realize I can’t marry you. Please don’t make that minute right now. I want to hear what the big deal on the radio is.”
“There has been an arrest in the Fro-Yo Murder. Two men were arrested separately today. The detective in charge says that they were led to the two unrelated men by anonymous tips. Del Willis and Jason Miter are being held until their hearing. We’ll give you the details as we learn them.”
“Hey, good job, Detective.” Jake held his hand up for a high five.
Jane stared at her phone. “Anonymous sources?” She looked at his hand, hanging in the air. “Oh, sorry.”
He ran it through his hair. “Eh, no biggie.”
“We were not anonymous sources. We were legitimate private investigators. Something tells me Detective Benedict is not going to be my inside contact with the police.”
“Something tells me I’m going to have a long wait.” Jake flopped back against the bench.
Jane smiled at him. “But it will be worth it, most likely.” She picked up his hand and kissed his fingertips. “Unless I dump you, of course.”
***
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