Page 73 of Jessica's Hero
“Oh.” Some of the tightness in my chest eases. Our easy banter always seems to do that; taking my mind away from other, more stressful things. “Well, I guess in that case, driving towards danger makes sense.” After a beat, I add, “But if you’re in that situation, bring backup with you. Okay?”
“I will. I promise.” He strokes his hand down my hair. “Now. Hopefully this won’t take too long. But we caught a lead on your case. And even though I’m not technically assigned to it, the chief’s letting me sit in as an observer. So I don’t want to miss it.”
“A good lead? Or a bad one?”
“Hopefully, good. Something that’ll lead us to the person behind everything.”
The butterflies in my stomach take flight again. “But it won’t be dangerous for you, will it?”
“No, Jess.” Kane kisses me on the lips, lingering there long enough for me to taste the sweet mint on his breath. “It’s not dangerous.”
“Okay.” Time to stop being a worrywart girlfriend and start being a supportive one. Straightening my shoulders and lifting my chin, I give Kane what I hope looks like a convincing smile. “I’ll leave the pot pie in the oven on warm. And put the salad in the fridge. So we can have it when you get home. I’m sure you’ll be starving by then.”
“Jess.” Affection softens his voice. “You’re incredible. You know that, right?”
“I’m not sure about incredible. Maybe above average?”
“No.” He frames my face with his big hands, lettingtheir warmth seep into my skin. “Incredible.” After another brief kiss, he adds, “Since I’m crazy about you being alone at the house at night?—”
“Kane. There’s tons of security. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Still. I know you’ll be worrying. And it would make me feel better if someone was here. So I texted B and A. Nora’s going to come over until I get back.”
My knee-jerk reaction bred from years of relying on myself is to respond, “Oh, no. I’m sure she wants to be home with Jackson tonight. I’ll be okay by myself.”
“It’s too late.” A quirked smile lifts his lips. “She’s already on the way over. In fact, she should be here any minute. And Jess, she doesn’t mind. I keep telling you that. None of your friends mind helping. As soon as I explained what was going on, Nora volunteered to come. So don’t worry about it.”
“Okay…” As much as I like Nora, I’m still conflicted. I don’t want her feeling like I’m her client. I just want to be her friend. And having her come over after six o’clock at night to babysit me feels like it’s firmly in the client category.
Almost as if he summoned her, my phone lights up from the counter with a security alert. Kane glances at the screen before I can and says, “See? She’s already here. And it’ll be good, Jess. Don’t think of it as her doing a job. She’s just coming over to hang out.”
Brushing his hand down my hair again, he steps back with a reluctant expression clouding his face. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. And if you get hungry, don’t wait for me to eat. I can heat some up later. Alright?”
I bob my head in agreement, though I know darn well my stomach won’t allow for any food to enter ituntil he comes home and I hear about this mysterious news.
A few minutes later, I’m waving Kane off from the doorway while Nora hovers protectively beside me. My heart aches a little as he drives off down the road, like something important was just scooped out of it.
Nora shuts the door and locks it, then turns back to me. With an understanding smile, she asks, “Missing him already?”
“How can you tell?”
She brushes her long braid behind her shoulder, light catching on her engagement band and throwing sparkles from it. My eyes briefly follow to the simple wedding ring beneath it, and my mind drifts into a premature fantasy of wearing my own set of rings. Rings that Kane gave me as he declared his enduring love for me.
“The look in your eyes,” Nora says. “I’ve seen it with my other friends, too. Like a part of you is missing when they’re not here.”
“Is it too soon?” I ask before I can stop myself. “We’ve only been dating for a little over a month. I keep thinking…”
Nora grabs my hand and drags me over to the couch. “Sit,” she commands. After she takes a seat beside me, she continues, “I can tell something’s on your mind. You don’t have to tell me. But something I learned going through everything with Jack was that keeping things to myself only made it harder. I’d over-analyze everything and invariably make things worse in my head. I’d convince myself no one else would understand. Or that talking about it would make me seem weak.”
“You’re not weak. You’re the furthest thing from it. I wish I could be as brave as you.”
“Jess.” Her eyes fill with compassion. “For a long time, I didn’t think I was brave, either. But then I learned that bravery comes in all forms. It can come in small things, like opening up to the people who care, even when you’re afraid to. Or giving your heart to someone. Those count, too.”
With a sigh, I tuck my legs up pretzel-style and turn on the couch to face her. “I’ve never had a relationship like this before,” I admit. “With someone I could really see a future with. Back in my twenties, I dated this guy for a few months, but I never felt this way about him. I think I just wanted someone to care about me. Someone who didn’t see my scars and immediately write me off.”
“Jess, your scars aren’t who you are. And you’re the one who’s hardest on yourself about them. Yes, I noticed when I first met you. But it was no different from me noticing the color of someone’s eyes. Or the crook in their nose. Everyone has things that make them different. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad.”
“I guess… I’ve been working on convincing myself of that. And Kane… he doesn’t seem to care. But it’s not just the scars. It’s how people treat me in Sleepy Hollow. Like I’m poison. And?—”
