Chapter Ten

Dylan

 

“Yeah?” I asked.

“So you are alive,” said the voice in my cell phone.

“Oh, hey, man.”

“Dude, are you coming?” Mikey asked.

“Oh, yeah…sorry. I wasn’t watching the clock.”

“Game is about to start. You showing up or what?”

“Another time, man.”

“Is he coming or not?” I heard Aaron say in the background.

“I think he’s too hungover,” Mikey said.

Yeah, let them believe that.

At least until I was willing to tell them about Jen.

“Sorry. I’ll talk to you guys later.”

Mikey laughed. “Whatever, man. It’s your vacation.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Who was that?” she asked.

“A friend. I was supposed to go over and watch the game.” I set the phone on the nightstand and rolled to face her. “That was before I met you, though.”

“Don’t let me stop you if you have plans…”

I cupped her cheek. “Jen, it’s only a football game.”

“With your friends.”

Sweet girl. “Who have bailed on me plenty of times, too. No hard feelings, trust me. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Then you’re going to love where I have in mind.”

She pouted. “You don’t have food here?”

“Uh, no. Sorry. Are you okay with going out?”

“I guess, but I don’t have a change of clothes and my dress is a bit fancy for breakfast.”

I tugged on the shirt she wore. “Then wear this.”

“With no bottoms? Uh, no.”

She was so cute.

“Silly woman, I mean over your dress. Or take anything out of my closet. But I really don’t care what you wear and you shouldn’t, either.”

“Easy to say for a hot, young guy.”

“Baby, I’m the only one you need to think about impressing and I already think you’re beautiful. Now, I can go pick up something and bring it back, but I’d rather have your company.”

She scowled, though there was no heat in it. “You’re a hard man to say no to.”

I kissed her. “Good. I’m going to get in the shower. Feel free to join me.” Kissing her again, I left the bed and walked into the bathroom, feeling her eyes on my back.

“I do that, and we’re never getting out of here.”

I laughed.

Worst ideas in the world.

Then turned the water on.

She was right about that. Couldn’t resist a naked Jennifer. The shower had clear glass walls, so a few minutes later I saw her go to the mirror dressed with one of my shirts tied at the waist so it looked like she wore a skirt. She’d rolled the cuffs up to her elbows, too.

Damn, it was hot.

“Stop staring. It’s rude,” she said.

“I like watching you play with your hair.”

Her purse provided some doodads she currently used to twist her hair up off her neck. Julia wouldn’t let me watch her get ready to leave the house and no other woman had been around long enough to satisfy my curiosity, so watching Jen was an interesting novelty. And I loved her hair—perfectly soft and always smelling like heaven.

Satisfied with her locks, she dug into her bag again. Ah, lip gloss. That, I recognized.

It was so refreshing to be with a woman that chose a natural rosy color. Julia always wore red, which was hot—if you never wanted to kiss those lips.

“Seriously, it’s getting weird.”

“Than why are you smiling?” I asked.

Her hand went on her hip. “Because it’s hard to not look at your reflection! Have you always been so immodest?”

“Hmm…pretty much. Stopped caring in college. You know how it is. Not a lot of privacy.” And on a tour bus full of men? Yeah.

“Well, you’re wasting water during a drought, so finish up.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I grinned and saluted as she left the bathroom, and got the eye-roll I was looking for.

Couldn’t blame me for stalling, though. The “where do we go from here” conversation was coming fast and I worried. She might want an easier first relationship after her husband’s death. No strings. Closer to home. Safer.

Dried off, dressed, and groomed, I found her on the sofa. “Ready?”

“Where are we going?” She stood for me.

“For breakfast.” I opened the front door for her.

“Ha, ha. Where is breakfast?”

“On Sunset.”

She shook her head. “Oh, that narrows it down.”

“Trust me, honey. Your taste buds will die and go to Heaven.”

“Are you driving, then?” We entered the elevator.

“Unless you insist.”

“No…I’m just more comfortable in L.A. when I know where I’m going.”

“Noted.” I took her hand. “Has it been a good New Year’s?”

She leaned her head on my shoulder. “Of course. Christmas was good, too. You’re like my holiday guy.”

“Only holidays?”

Grinning up at me, she said, “I don’t know, yet. There have only been two.”

“Sure, get technical on me.”

“I write science fiction. Par for the course.”

In the parking garage, I unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her, waiting until her coat was tucked inside before shutting it. The car was nothing special. I kept it for the memories, and for the fact that people in L.A. didn’t give it a second glance because it wasn’t shiny or expensive. Not that I drove around much. No need as part of the band.

Heading for Sunset and Fairfax, I hoped the restaurant was the right choice. I preferred diners over fancy places, a good burger over filet mignon, and pancakes to quiche.

Even today, The Griddle Café had a decent crowd for lunch.

I requested their quietest table.

“Another place you come to often?” Jen asked.

“When I can. You’re going to want to get the red velvet pancake.”

Her brow arched. “I haven’t even glanced at the menu, yet.”

“Trust me. You can order anything you want next time.”

“Next time?”

I grinned. “Of course.”

She played coy. “I do live over an hour away. This is a little far to come for breakfast even for an epic pancake.”

“If you think I’d only ask you for pancakes, you’re out of your mind. I want to keep seeing you, Jen. I’ll put it on the table now.”

She stirred the straw in her ice water. “I want that, too.”

Yet… “I sense a ‘but’.”

“But…the distance isn’t ideal.”

Dread formed in my stomach. “Only the distance?”

She shrugged. “Well, I’m a day person and you’re a night person, too.”

I sighed. “Since you bring up schedules, I go out of town a lot most years. To tour.”

“Oh. Like a bar band?”

Bite the bullet, Dylan. “Arenas and stadiums, actually.”

Her eyes widened. “I don’t understand.”

Here it was. All or nothing.

“I play bass for Jake Lindsey.”

She stared.

Blinked. Blinked again. “Who?”

I smiled. “You really don’t get out much.” Opening my wallet, I removed a backstage photo of the band and handed it to her. “Anyone look familiar?”

Eyes flitting from face-to-face, she studied the image. “So you’re famous.”

“Ish.”

“’Ish’? How—?”

“Jake and Bob get the most attention. They’re out front. The die-hard fans know me, but the general public usually doesn’t.”

“Oh. You look different here. Short hair and no beard.”

I scratched the scruff. “Yeah. Hiatus look.”

“Oh. Um. Wow. I had no clue.” She returned the photo.

I touched her hand. “I know it’s kind of a big surprise, but I like you too much to pretend I have some other life. It doesn’t change anything.”

“For you.” She pulled her hand away. “I like my privacy.”

Please don’t shut me out already. “Jen, so do I. Christmas Eve, I was coming down from my cabin in Big Bear. No one knows it’s mine but the people I trust. I eat at regular restaurants, not places stalked by paparazzi. My car, my appearance, my apartment…has any of that come across as anything but normal?”

“No…but I-I don’t know anything about your world or how to navigate it. I…I need to think about this.”

Well, hell. “Do you want to leave?”

“We don’t have to.”

“Okay.”

She was too quiet, then. Guarded.

A torturous meal.

Dammit, I didn’t want to bring it up quite yet, but there didn’t seem to be a way out of spilling the beans. Maybe I should’ve waited until the next date.

Or maybe that would’ve been even more painful.

Fuck.

“Please say something,” I said on the way back to my building. “Jen…”

“I’m sorry. You threw me for a loop. I was ready to talk about the distance, but…I do like you, too, Dylan. I just don’t know how this works from here.”

I grasped the lifeline. “Like any other long-distance thing. Phone calls, e-mails, letters, weekend trips…take it day by day. I’m not asking for you to commit. I just want a chance. Haven’t you felt like this deserves a chance?”

Or was I alone?

“I wouldn’t have called you if I didn’t. I’ve been right here with you.”

I parked in my designated spot and shut off the engine. “Then don’t borrow trouble. Enjoy what we’ve discovered. You deserve to be happy.”

She took my hand. “You’re too sweet. It’d be easier to walk away if you’d been a player.”

“Do you want to walk away?”

“No,” she whispered.

I risked leaning over for a kiss. She sighed into my mouth and tilted her head to deepen it. As long as she never refused to kiss me, all was right with the world.

“Good. Will you come inside?”

Her gaze shifted away. “I should get home.”

“For…?”

“Setting some boundaries. Let’s take this slow. See what happens. This could be a crush.”

Caressing her cheek, I said, “It doesn’t feel like a crush.”

She smiled gently. “All love at first sight is a crush. You have to get to know someone before it’s real.”

“Then I look forward to learning everything about you.”

She kissed me. “Walk me to my car?”

I nodded.

We headed toward the visitor section. “Gonna keep my shirt?”

“For a while.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Gives you incentive to retrieve it.”

“Put your info in my phone, and no fake numbers.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” After several taps, she handed the phone back. “Dylan Smith is your real name, isn’t it?”

I laughed and took her in my arms. “One-hundred-percent real. I’ll never lie to you, Jen.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“This one I can. I don’t lie to my girlfriends.”

“Is that what I am?”

“If you want to be.”

She kissed me again. “I want to.”

“Call me when you get home.”

“Okay, Dad.”

I poked her ribs. “Ha, ha. Seriously. I’ll miss you.”

“Aww. Softie. This sensitive musician thing works out for you, huh?”

“Got me you, didn’t it?”

A few more lingering kisses and I let her go.

She drove off with my heart. I couldn’t help it.

When I fell, I fell hard.

At least I was pretty sure she was right there with me.

It didn’t matter what came a month or a year from now—she was mine.