CHAPTER 10
JIMMY
I’d never been more confused in my whole life. Mackenna had done a 180 since the day before, and I found myself on edge from the sudden change.
What the hell just happened? She’d been friendly. Perky. Chatty, even.
She fucking giggled.
Maybe we’d made some kind of breakthrough in our friendship.
Friendship? Is that what it was? Is that what I wanted?
Immediately, I knew the answer to that question was a big hell no. Because I wanted more than that.
Over the past few days, my feelings for her had grown way faster than I thought possible.
The first thing that caught my attention was physical attraction. The second thing that kept me on the line was how mysterious she was. But the third thing that reeled me in? Those moments when she let her guard down long enough for me to catch a glimpse of who she was on the inside.
Hook, line, and sinker—I was a goner.
I could spend the rest of the summer watching her from afar, or I could man up and do something about it.
My palms started to sweat when I thought about asking her out, and now I found myself in unfamiliar territory. Girls didn’t make me nervous. My confidence level around the opposite sex had never been a problem before.
And that’s how I ended up on Grandma’s couch asking her for dating advice.
“So, what you’re saying is, you’ve got a little crush?” Grandma asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“I guess so. Sometimes I get the feeling she’s into me. Other times I think she hates my guts.” I laughed. “I don’t even know what it is about her… It’s just when she’s around, sometimes it feels like my heart’s gonna beat right out of my chest.”
“That’s a crush, alright. Pesky fucking things always seem to come around when you least expect it.”
I nodded. “That’s the thing—I didn’t plan on meeting anyone this summer. Actually, I sort of swore off women indefinitely.”
“Hell, just look at me,” Grandma said as Sweet Pea nibbled at some dried fruit in her palm. “I’ve only got a few precious years left and here I am, falling in love again.”
I ignored the comment about her limited lifespan, because that wasn’t something I wanted to think about. “Didn’t you and Ernie date before you met Grandpa?”
“We sure did.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled. “Ernie was my first love. And now he’s my last. Doesn’t mean I love your grandpa any less. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s that you’ve gotta snatch up happiness at every opportunity.”
“That’s some romantic shit, Grandma. You deserve to be happy.”
“And so do you, Jimmy. I think you and Mackenna would make a great couple. There’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned summer romance. But keep in mind that she lives here permanently and you don’t. That’s enough to make anyone wary of starting a relationship.”
Leaning my elbows on my knees, I absorbed Grandma’s words.
She had a good point.
Starting something with Mackenna could lead to a difficult situation since I didn’t plan on staying. In August, I would be going back to school—hopefully—and she would still be here, living the life of a reclusive songwriter.
“The inner workings of a woman’s mind can be complicated,” Grandma went on. “I’ve been a woman for nearly eighty years, and some days I can’t even decide what the hell I want for breakfast.” She chuckled. “But I do know one thing: the heart is always constant. The problem is when the mind and the heart can’t agree.”
A little confused, my eyebrows furrowed. “So, if I want Mack to go out with me, I have to get her mind and heart to want the same thing?”
Throwing her head back she let out a loud cackle, and Sweet Pea mimicked the noise.
“What?” I asked defensively. “What’s so funny?”
Giving me a sympathetic look, she shook her head. “Oh, good luck with that, Jimmy.”
*
For the second time today, I found myself knocking on Mackenna’s door. My plan was to thank her for helping me out, then possibly work up the courage to ask her out on a date.
To say we got off on the wrong foot was an understatement. Our first meeting hadn’t been the stuff dreams are made of, and I hadn’t been showing her the best side of myself.
I really wanted to change that.
If only she would give me a chance.
Hopping on the balls of my feet, I shook out my hands and cracked my neck the same way I did when I pepped myself up for a fight. When I heard the handle turn, I stood up straight and tried to exude an air of confidence I didn’t quite feel.
But as soon as that door swung open, my mouth watered and it had nothing to do with the beautiful girl in front of me.
My stomach growled. “What’s that smell?”
“Dinner,” she replied, her voice clipped. She handed me something and I glanced down to see my sunglasses. “There you go. Thanks for letting me borrow them. ’Bye.”
The door started to shut and I stopped it with my shoe. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now, and my purpose for coming over was temporarily forgotten. The aroma wafting through the air was sweet and a little spicy.
“What are we having?” I asked, craning my neck to look around her.
She moved in front of me, blocking my line of sight. “Honey mustard chicken.”
“You gonna invite me in?” I asked impatiently as my stomach gave another insistent rumble.
“No.” Her answer was matter of fact and honest. She wasn’t trying to be coy with me—she really had no intention of letting me into her house.
There was no trace of the cheerful girl I’d gotten a glimpse of earlier. Disappointment caused something to clench in my chest and my confidence wilted. Maybe I read her wrong when I thought the attraction was mutual. Doubt crept in, and my hope that she would agree to go out with me went up in smoke.
I frowned. “Why do you hate me?”
Her eyes softened a little. “I don’t hate you.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I rocked back on my heels, trying to hide the fact that she’d hurt my feelings. “I just wanted to thank you for helping me out earlier. I really appreciate it.”
Sighing, she glanced over her shoulder, then back at me.
My eyes fell to her lips, where she was anxiously nibbling at the pink flesh.
“I wasn’t expecting company. Just give me a few minutes to pick up a little, okay?” She didn’t wait for me to answer before shutting the door. I looked around, wondering if she expected me to stand outside her door like a lost puppy.
Truth was, when it came to her I felt like a lost fucking puppy. She had me tied up and twisted like no one else ever had before, and I’d wait out here for as long as it took.
Deciding to take a seat on her porch swing, I rocked back and forth as I looked out over the streets of Tolson and soaked up the sounds of summer. The gentle wind rustled the leaves of the tall oak trees, birds chirped, and the engine of a lawn mower roared in the distance.
It was peaceful, but the moment would’ve been ten times better with Mackenna sitting next to me.
I thought about what it felt like to have her close to me earlier—so close, I could smell her skin and hair. After I’d signed up for the last class, I took the opportunity to watch her as we swayed together. With her eyes closed behind my sunglasses, I might’ve thought she was asleep if it wasn’t for the expression on her face.
Did she even realize she’d been smiling?
Mackenna’s door creaked open and her head popped out. “You can come in now.”
Grinning, I stood up. It was time for me to show her who I really was.
*
While Mackenna fixed our plates, I poked around her kitchen. Lifting a lid on the ceramic rooster cookie jar on her counter, I was disappointed to find it empty. Then I tinkered with the rooster magnets on her fridge before opening the freezer.
“Nosy much?” she said behind me.
Distracted by the four boxes of ice cream sandwiches, I didn’t answer her.
“Fuck yes,” I said to myself as I snagged one out of an open box, ripped off the wrapper, and took a bite.
“Um, sure. Help yourself.” The look she gave the dessert in my hand was territorial and possessive.
“I just thought with the 70 million you have in there, you could spare one for your friendly neighbor. You have some sort of addiction I should be worried about?” I teased, finishing the other half in one bite.
She gave me a half-hearted glare. “I stock up on things so I don’t have to make trips into town all the time. And I love ice cream sandwiches.”
“Well, yeah. Who doesn’t?”
“Exactly. Anyone who doesn’t like them can’t be trusted,” she said seriously, then added, “You might as well get one for me, too.”
I grabbed two more from the freezer—one for her and another for me—and sat down at her small round table. Like naughty kids, we smiled at each other while we ate our dessert before dinner.
After that, I tore into the honey mustard chicken. We didn’t talk for several minutes while we ate, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward. The food was just really good, and I didn’t want to talk with my mouth full.
Within two minutes, I’d wolfed most of it down.
“So, I have to ask,” I started, taking a sip from the bottled water she’d gotten for me. “What’s with all the roosters?”
I’d never seen a room take a theme quite so far. Roosters were everywhere. The wallpaper. The knobs on the cabinets. Even the salt and pepper shakers.
Mackenna shrugged. “It was already like this when I moved in. I figured I might as well run with it. It’s surprisingly popular for kitchen décor.” Her face brightened a bit. “Knock-knock.”
I grinned. “Who’s there?”
“Cock.”
“Cock who?”
“Cock-a-doodle-doo,” she said with a grin.
I snickered. “I like your jokes.”
Scooping up my last bite of chicken, I moaned when the flavors hit my tongue.
She smiled shyly and pointed at my plate with her fork. “You like it? It’s a new recipe and I wasn’t sure it would turn out.”
“This is fantastic.” My reply came out garbled. “If you keep cooking like this, I’ll be coming over every day.”
Her face fell, hurting my feelings once again. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she didn’t like the idea of having me around.
Show her you’re not a dickhead.
“Listen.” Setting my fork down, I gave Mackenna my full attention. “I’m sorry if I’ve been rude. I think I might’ve given you the wrong impression of me. I never meant to make you mad.”
“Really?” she asked dryly. “Because I’m pretty sure you made me mad on purpose.”
Laughing, I shrugged and went with the truth. “Okay, maybe it was on purpose. It’s just ’cause I think you’re pretty and I like it when you talk to me, even if you are scowling.”
“Oh.” She blushed and self-consciously glanced away.
“Oh?” I raised my eyebrows at her shy response. “Don’t you think you’re pretty?”
Tracing a design on the rooster-covered tablecloth, she lifted a shoulder. “Sure, I guess. Sometimes.”
“Not sometimes,” I said. “All the time. You’re fucking gorgeous, Mack.”
I watched the pink on her cheeks deepen until it matched the color of her lips, and it made me want to kiss the fuck out of her.
Yeah, I definitely wanted more than friendship.
Now I just needed to figure out how to get her to want that, too.