Sweet Dreams (Sunset Dreams Series Book 1) (10 page)

I’m going to be so embarrassed if he says something.

Watching him read the book jacket, I imagine Jake in all kinds of dominant scenarios, causing me to blush even harder. He finishes reading the jacket and puts it back on the shelf. Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he turns around, moving over to my credenza and looks at the photos I have placed there.

“Is this you?”

Leaving my tea on the coffee table, I stand up and move next to him to see. “Oh yeah that’s me, my mom, dad, and step mom Nina after one of my clarinet recitals in middle school.”

“I didn’t know you play the clarinet.”

“I don’t any more, but I played for eight years. In high school I got tired of it and gave it up.”

He picks up another picture. “How about this one?”

“This is me and my best friend Anna when we were fifteen. I’ve known her forever.”

“Do you still keep in touch with her?”

“Yes, but I only see her a handful of times a year. She’s married with three kids and lives in San Francisco. Since we both have busy schedules, it’s hard to get together these days, but we talk every couple of months and it’s like no time has passed. That is how you know it’s a life-long friendship.” I point to another framed photo on the table. “That one is of me and my other best friend, Jasmine. We grew up as neighbors and she and I are alike in so many ways. We talk every few months, but rarely see each other. She moved to Colorado when we were in high school and I see her every couple years when she comes back to visit her grandmother.”

Jake puts down the picture and turns to me, asking, “Any brothers or sisters?”

“No just me, you?”

Jake walks back over to the sofa, sits down, and I follow him over, sitting on the other end turned toward him. “I have a brother, Cooper. He lives in Arizona. He’s married with two little girls. They’re so beautiful.”

My heart skips a beat when he mentions his nieces. It’s sweet and charming. “Do you see them often?”

“Actually, that’s where I spend most of my down time, with my brother and his family. Cooper and I do a lot of rock climbing together and we hike and camp with the kids.”

“Oh, Uncle Jake.” I smile as I tease him and he smiles back and nods.

Looking around with one arm casually up on the back of the sofa, Jake says, “I like your place, it’s cozy.”

“Thanks, it’s enough for me and really close to the café.” He seems at ease here and it makes me feel good.

“It suits you.” Jake points to the script on the coffee table. “Did you read it?”

Shoot. I was hoping he wouldn’t notice.

“Yes, I read it. Are you hungry?” I say to avoid the subject.

“I could eat.”

Getting up, I walk to the kitchen, Jake follows behind me. “How about I make some sandwiches?”

Jake leans against my counter looking sexy and delicious. “Cool.”

He sits at the counter on a stool while I make grilled cheese sandwiches, reminding me of when he used to come into the café.

“So what did you think of the script?” He isn’t letting me off that easy.

“I thought it was a really sweet story. Totally different from what I’ve seen you do before.” I flip the sandwiches and they sizzle.

“It is.” Jake draws circles with his finger on the counter, deep in thought when I turn around to look at him. Sometimes he’s so cocky and confident, and others he seems almost shy and unsure of himself.

“I don’t know anything about screenplays, but I like the story.”

“Do you think I should do it?” He looks up at me and I can tell he really does want my opinion.

Placing the sandwiches on plates, I take my time to answer. I hand him his plate and we take them to the table and sit down to eat.

“Oh my God, this is the best grilled cheese I have ever had!” Jake moans a little as he takes a bite and I try to concentrate on my sandwich instead of the sounds he makes.

“Yep, the secret is in the butter. You have to butter the bread on the outside before you put it in the pan.”

Jake pops some corn chips in his mouth and takes another bite. This feels so natural, him here eating in my kitchen. Like we do this all the time.

It’s nice.

“So, do you think I should do the film?”

Putting down my sandwich, I reply, “I don’t really want to say, Jake. What if it’s the wrong move for your career or the movie loses money at the box office? I don’t want to feel responsible for encouraging you.”

Jake puts his sandwich down and looks at me. “None of those things can be known ahead of time on any film. I just, I don’t know if I can pull off the character. I’m not good at romance. Give me adventure, action, high wires, catch the bad guy; that’s what I’m known for. That is what I’m good at, but lately I’ve been thinking I should try something new and this happened to come along at the right time.”

He looks so vulnerable and unsure of himself. I give him my honest opinion. “Well I can tell you that when I read it, I imagined you in the role and you were great. I can see it. Yes, if you want to, you could do it.” He looks at me from under his lashes and smiles softly. “Oh yeah, that right there. That look, definitely.”

Now I get the full smile and Jake is beaming. “Thanks, Jen.”

My heart skips a beat, and feeling my cheeks redden I go back to eating my sandwich.

“So, I thought Sundays were adventure days, why are you home doing laundry?”

I shrug. “I ran out of clean clothes.”

We finish up eating and take a couple of glasses of water over to the sofa, sitting on opposite ends facing each other.

“So tell me what it was like growing up.” Jake has a lot of questions today.

“Well, I grew up in the city. Not downtown, but in a residential area on the south side.”

“What did you do as a kid if you didn’t have any brothers or sisters?”

“Well, being an only child, you play with yourself a lot.”

Jake raises an eyebrow at me and sits up on the edge of the sofa. “Oh this is getting good. Tell me, how did you play with yourself, Jen?”

I swat at him with a pillow. “Ew, not like that. I mean, I used to make up games to entertain myself.”

Jake sits back and listens as I reminisce.

“I remember when I was little, lying on the blue shag carpet that would get warm from the sun shining through my window. There was a little record player I used to have that went along with story books and played songs that I could sing along with. I liked to play with my dolls, blocks, color pictures, usual kid stuff, I guess. Sometimes I would go in our backyard and pick flowers for my mom and she would put them in water glasses on the kitchen table. When I was a little older, my dad and Nina would take me biking, hiking, skate boarding, and swimming on the weekends. We played a lot of Backgammon and Chess.”

Jake puts his elbows on his knees and asks, “What happened to her, your mom, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“She died of a heart attack. It was six months after she retired and she hadn’t even received her first retirement check yet. That’s where I inherited the money to buy the café and this cottage.”

Jake gives me a sad smile, so I decide to turn the conversation back around.

“You know, when I was reading the first part of the script, when they are still kids, it reminded me of my first boyfriend. Michael McPherson, he was my first love.”

Jake smiles. “How old were you?”

“I think I had to be four or so, it was when I was in preschool.” I try to think back.

Maybe three?

“And already the boys were crazy for you,” Jake says with a flirtatious smile.

“No, but Michael was sweet.”

“So how did this little Michael win the fair Jen?”

“Well, we were really just friends at preschool, but our moms used to say we would get married someday. We played together at recess and he would push my swing. Michael used to defend me too. He would punch the other little boys that would tease me or throw sand in my eyes. He used to get in trouble for me all the time.” I smile at the faded memory. It really was sweet.

“Ah, a little knight in shining armor.”

“He was. I remember I got in trouble one time, for what I don’t remember, and I was sent to sit and face the corner. He came and asked me if I was okay and then instead of going to recess, he sat next to me until the teacher made him leave.” I laugh at a particularly funny memory. “This one time, we got caught playing doctor during nap time. It was so funny. They called our moms and made a big fuss. My mom thought it was hilarious.”

I can’t believe I can remember all this.

“So you got caught playing doctor, huh?”

“Hey, it’s normal for kids to be curious.”

“So what ever happened to him?”

“Well, we went to different schools after preschool was over and I didn’t see him again. When I was twenty-three I was working at a hotel in the city in the reservations department. Once a month I would call this service that would refer hotels to tourists, to see what conventions were coming to town or what the projected city occupancy was, and I had spoken to a Mike several times on the phone. One day we were chatting and he said he was a native to the city. I asked him where he went to school and we talked about growing up there. I didn’t realize it was him until I asked him his last name. He remembered me too. We ended up getting together for coffee. He was already married and had gone into the Army right out of high school and ended up working at this travel service. It was nice.”

“So you didn’t get married.”

“No, obviously not. My mom and I did make up a song about him, though.”

“What?”

“Yeah, my mom used to sing me to sleep every night and pet my head. At some point we made up a song about him. After that she always sang that song along with the other ones she used to sing me to sleep with.”

“This is so corny, but cute. I can totally picture a little Jen all snuggled up in bed.”

“Whatever. It was one of the best parts of my childhood. I still love to get my head petted. It’s so relaxing.”

“Really? I would have no idea. I used to wrestle with my brother before bed until my mom or dad would come in, yell at us to go to sleep and turn out the light. That was our bedtime ritual.”

“What? No way. You were deprived.”

“Well, I don’t know about that.”

“Lie down on the sofa.”

“What?” Jake looks confused and I motion him to lie down. “I won’t fit, it’s too small.”

“Dangle your legs off the end that way and put your head in my lap. I have an idea.”

Jake stands up as I scoot all the way to the far end and pat the sofa next to me. He figures out where to lie down to get in the correct position and then his head is in my lap and his legs are draped over the far side of the sofa.

“Now what?”

Ah, maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

“Close your eyes.”

Jake looks up at me with apprehension on his face. “You’re not going to draw anything on my face are you? My brother did that all the time. He pretty much traumatized me.”

“What? No! Close your eyes.” He closes his eyes and shifts to get comfortable. “Okay, relax, totally relax and imagine you are in bed.” I use my calm voice to try and create the right mood.

“This is getting good again,” Jake says, eyes closed and a teasing smile on his face.

“Will you stop? Good. Relax. So you are a little boy and you are trying to go to sleep,” I whisper as I start to stroke his hair back from his forehead.

His hair is so silky.

Watching Jake’s face I notice the moment when he actually relaxes and I feel the tension leave his body as I continue to stroke his hair.

I could do this forever.

“Mmm, this is nice,” Jake sighs, sounding sleepy.

“I know, shhh, no talking.” Jake lets out another breath and his body sinks even further down into the cushions.

Unable to resist, I start to trace the lines of his face with the tip of my finger; his eyes, eyelashes, eyebrows, down the ridge of his nose, around his entire face; his lips, top then bottom, then top again. His lips part a little and I can picture him as a little boy, black hair all messy in some super hero jammies. Moving my fingers through his hair, I return to petting his head.

He is so beautiful.

“Sing me the song, Jen,” Jake asks, eyes closed, sounding as if he’s drifting off.

“No, it’s silly and embarrassing. You’ll laugh,” I reply softly.

Jake snuggles his shoulder into my side. “No, I won’t, come on, Jen, please.” I can’t resist him when he says please.

“I can’t believe this, fine.” I start to softly sing, still petting Jake’s head. “
Green grass and blue skies, lollypops and rainbows, Michael is pushing my swing to the sky…”
I continue petting his head.

Jake opens one eye and looks up at me. “That’s it?”