Page 16 of Loving Jake

“I think Daisy has had enough of the heat. I better get going” she added without a glance in his direction.

Lost in his thought, it took him several moments before he followed her lead and jumped up to help her fold the blanket.

“Thanks, Jake,” she murmured when he offered to carry the cooler and blanket home for her. “Come on, Daisy,” she cooed to the large dog. “Tell the ducks you’ll see them tomorrow.”

“I think they would rather hear her say goodbye, as in forever,” Jake joked and handed Daisy’s leash to her.

“You’re probably right,” she laughed easily, and they walked side by side, along the gravel path that led them out of the park.

They walked for several blocks in silence until Jake finally spoke up a few yards away from her house. “You know, Kim, when you told Daisy to tell the ducks that she will see them tomorrow, it reminded me of something I’ve wanted to ask you about.”

“Yes?”

“I have noticed that you never say ‘goodbye.’ I mean, maybe it’s just a coincidence, but you always say ‘see you tomorrow,’ or ‘talk to you later,’ even on the phone.” He glanced at her, and her expression was amused. “You think I’m crazy for bringing it up, don’t you? Blame it on the inquisitive habits of a journalist. We analyze and take note of everything.” He turned his head to look at her and found her smiling back at him, her dark eyes sparkling.

“No, I don’t think you’re crazy.” She laughed and pulled on Daisy’s leash to prevent her from trampling some flowers. “But you’re going to thinkI am.”

“Try me.”

“Well, it’s sort of a superstition I picked up from my grandma.”

“Grandma Lily, I presume?”

“The one and the same,” she answered. Her eyes danced with merriment, and he looked away before he became completely lost in them. There couldn’t be a repeat of last night’s performance. He couldn’t let that happen again.

“Anyway, Grandma Lily never said, ‘goodbye,’ nor did she allow anyone else to say it to her. She insisted that ‘goodbye’ was too permanent, like forever, whereas, ‘see you later,’ always promised a tomorrow, you know, like you’d see each other again. It’s crazy, but it’s always stuck with me. I don’t know if I’m superstitious or just acting out of respect for my grandma. Can you tell I adored the eccentric, old woman?” she added with a laugh.

“Yeah, I sure can.” He sighed deeply as they climbed the steps of her front porch. He was disturbed by her explanation. He sensed somehow that it was some type of foreshadowing for their relationship. He placed the blanket and cooler on the kitchen table, and then he mumbled a hasty excuse to Kimberly and retreated to his room. For the rest of the evening, he couldn’t shake off the uneasiness he had felt after their conversation.

SEVEN

Jake grabbed the brightly wrapped package from the front seat of the car and then handed the valet the keys to his car. He glanced at the large, stone building façade and recalled the awe that had overcome him on his first visit to the Oaks Country Club almost twenty years ago. Tall, ornately carved pillars proudly supported the massive structure that boasted a long, winding balcony. The wide front stair case looked as if it belonged in front of the White House, instead of a California country club. Acres of plush, green grass surrounded the building, and thousands of colorful flowers lined the sidewalks.

Laughter, mingled with the muffled sound of music, echoed around him as he climbed the steps to the front entrance. Small, intimate groups of three or four people gathered on the balcony, and their voices filled the night air. From the distance, only their silhouettes, and none of their faces, were visible to him. He clutched the package tightly in his hand. Somewhere, amongst the many guests attending various events at the country club, was Kimberly.

After he discovered the Urbane party was in the AlmondRoom, he walked with purposeful strides through one of the country club’s winding hallways. He could not deny why he was back in California so soon, not even to himself. During the entire flight from New York, he had thought of little else but seeing Kimberly this evening, eager to witness the surprise in her exquisite brown eyes when he walked through the banquet room door. He hadn’t planned on attending her brother’s birthday party and had told her this much earlier in the week. He had plans to be in New York for the weekend, and he couldn’t change them. Yet, here he was, at George’s party, back from New York less than thirty-six hours from the time he had left San Francisco.

He had convinced himself that the constant torture of wanting something he couldn’t have was the reason for his reckless actions. He had become a man possessed by an exotic creature who invaded his being so thoroughly that he had been virtually useless over the past two days.

He had packed his apartment’s meager belongings into a half a dozen boxes and a few suitcases and accomplished little else during his trip. For a day and a half, he did little more than mope around his apartment thinking about her; he even missed taking Daisy for walks.

At a local neighborhood bar with friends the night before, he had found himself unable to take an interest in any of the women who made eye contact with him. Each time his friends had commented on a particularly stunning brunette or an attractive blonde, he didn’t even bother to glance in her direction. His thoughts were occupied with Kimberly, his mind lost in visions of her scantily dressed body in a bikini top and jean shorts or in a pair of white jeans that molded themselves to her long legs. Before he could stop himself, he had decided to cut his trip to New York short and return to California.

He had tried to tell himself that he needed to get back to San Francisco for the sake of his grandfather, that the old man would be upset because he missed the visits, but Jake couldn’t even fool himself into believing it. Granted, his grandfather would probably cuss him out for his two-day absence on his next visit, but the truth was, he had returned because he missed Kimberly.

Even though their relationship was on shaky grounds, and they had barely spoken to each other since their late-night encounter in the kitchen almost a week ago, he needed to see her. He needed to smell the heady scent of her perfume lingering in a room that she had just vacated. He needed to hear her soft laughter when she played with Daisy in the backyard. He swam in dangerous waters and would likely drown any minute, but he didn’t care, not right now, not while he still had time before he left on his next assignment. He wouldn’t return to the Middle East until Zane came back, at least for another month, over thirty long days away.

She’s a temporary fascination that I need to get out of my system. That’s all, he reminded himself again. He had spent the return flight working it out in his head. Kimberly would realize it was the same for her, he reasoned. He was a crush from her childhood, and eventually she would figure it out and grow tired of him. They would each go their separate ways, and neither of them would get hurt in the process. No harm, no foul, he rationalized.

He took a deep breath as he spotted the Almond Room off to his right. Linda Urbane stood at the entrance door and was the first to greet him. “Hi Jake.” She cheerfully reached over to place a chaste kiss on his cheek.

“Hi. Sorry I’m late.” He shifted the gift to his opposite arm and ran his hand down the front of his jeans in an effort to calm his nerves. Maybe he should have given into protocol afterall and worn a suit, he debated with a grudge. Most comfortable in a sports coat and jeans, he had decided earlier to hell with social etiquette and had gone with the jeans. Of course, he could have chosen to wear something else besides a pair of black, scuffed cowboy boots, but his attire was the last thing on his mind this evening.

“Don’t worry about arriving late, Jake. I was thrilled when I received your text tonight. I hope your grandfather is well?”

Jake nodded absently. “Yes, he’s been doing much better the last few days. I finished my business in New York a little early, that’s all. Thank you for asking,” he answered sincerely. “Quite a turnout this evening.” His eyes darted around the large banquet room for the second time and still hadn’t spotted Kimberly.

“Yes, it is. I think there’s nearly a hundred people tonight and all for George’s thirty-fifth birthday. Imagine the party I’ll have to throw him when he turns forty. We’ll probably have to rent the entire club out for a week.” She laughed and smiled back at him. “Kimberly took some wonderful shots of George and his shock when he walked into the party tonight,” she added.

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