Michelle put the clean plate in the drying rack, grabbed her glass of pinot noir, and headed out of the kitchen. After setting the glass down, she made herself comfortable on her spot on the couch. With her warm snowflake throw over her lap, and the fire lighting up the living room, she reached for her book.
With her book in one hand and wine in the other, she made herself focus on the words in front of her. A useless feat. Two hours passed since she drove away from Jake, and she had a huge problem.
She couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
It didn’t matter that he hadn’t called or texted yet. She wasn’t quite at the point of freaking out, but the smiling needed to stop. If she couldn’t get it under control, Janey would interrogate her. She wasn’t ready to share her magical night with anyone.
Not Janey, not her mom, not even her sister.
She felt this need to protect and cherish those memories. Sure, eventually she would tell them. Michelle didn’t know if tonight would become more or if it was just one magical moment among a series of normal ones.
Her stomach still fluttered when she remembered the kisses Jake and her shared. They were perfect. A perfect balance of lips, tongue, and nibbles. What she couldn’t get past was the feeling of coming home. It was the strangest thing she’d experienced in the night… in her life really.
She lifted the pages and read a few more sentences before she envisioned Jake’s eyes searching her own. “Damn it, Michelle! Get it together!” she scolded herself.
She needed to relax, to come down from all the excitement. After tossing the snowflakes throw from her lap, she gathered the book and wine and headed to her bathroom. After setting them down, she turned the tub’s faucet to hot water and stripped from her clothes.
Whenever she came home wound up with stress from work, she would draw herself a bath. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she even took her dinner to the bathtub a time or two. The hot water had a way of soothing her and easing her troubles.
Not tonight…
Thirty minutes later, she poured herself another glass of wine, to the brim this time, and curled up in her comfy armchair. Her belly was warm from the alcohol, and her mind began to slow down. “Finally.” She sighed and took another gulp.
The words on the page became unfocused once more. Not from her mind’s wandering, but from her wine-induced state. Within minutes, she found herself in Jake’s arms.
His facial hair tickled her neck, making her shiver with need. Michelle ran her fingers through his too-long, short hair as he placed whisper-soft kisses along the column of her neck. Her body was on fire for this man. She wanted to feel his muscles under her hands and explore his body with her mouth. She needed his hands to meet her own skin.
The level of want and need she felt overwhelmed her senses. A hum of desire wrapped around their bodies. Their shared touches were sweet and rather innocent, quite unlike the tendrils attempting to ensnare the other.
Jake slipped an arm under her knees and swept her into his arms. He captured her lips, open with surprise, and held her close to him. Wrapping her arms around him, she tilted her head and deepened their kiss.
“More…” she begged between kisses.
Just when Jake walked her to her bed with the intent to give her what she wanted, a ringing pulled them apart.
Michelle pried her dry eyes open and stared at the glowing embers of her dying fire. A quick glance at the clock told her it was well past midnight. The firetruck sirens, that woke her from her dream and stopped her from getting to the good stuff, could barely be heard now.
Exhausted, Michelle tossed the blanket to the side in a heap, grabbed her phone, and walked to bed. She plugged her phone in and saw the missed messages when it lit up.
Jake Smith: Hey beautiful! It was great running into you today. I’d like to meet up again, this time without causing you bodily harm.
Jake Smith: Unless of course you changed your mind?
Jake Smith: ???
The three texts were spaced about thirty minutes apart. Groggy with sleep, she ignored the time and tapped in a reply.
Michelle Harper: Hi! I’m sorry, I fell asleep. What do you suggest that doesn’t involve a trip to the ER?
She set the phone down and climbed in bed. This time, sleep came slowly as she replayed her evening, memorizing details she didn’t want to forget.
When she awoke a few hours later, she sighed at the knowledge that she never finished her dream. Lifting her hand, she tested her wrist and was relieved to find it only a little tender. Michelle grabbed her phone and pushed aside the disappointment that Jake hadn’t texted her back. After looking at the time, she told herself he was still asleep.
She tossed her phone into her purse and walked outside. The snow-covered ground was beautiful, and it was perfect for Christmas shopping. Thanks to the plows, she could drive into town. She had a godson coming any day now that she needed to spoil.
Halfway into town, the Bluetooth in her car began to ring. “Hey!”
“Please tell me you’re still going shopping?” Janey’s desperate voice filled the car. “I need to get out of here.”
“I’m on my way now.” Michelle’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel and when her wrist reminded her it was still a little tender, she released the firm grip. “What’s the matter, honey?”
“Assholes… all of them are assholes,” she muttered.
Michelle swallowed her laugh. “Who?”
“All of them!”
“Honey, put Eric on the phone.”
From the sounds of it, Janey had directed her words at whoever was in the room with her. Muffled voices in the background blended with other noises.
“Chelle?” Eric’s voice came through.
“What’s going on, Eric?” Michelle asked.
“Can I bring her to you?” he asked, sounding exhausted. “I don’t want her driving.”
Michelle looked around and found a parking spot. “Of course. I’ll be at Le Boutique. She knows where it’s at.”
“Okay. We’ll be there soon,” Eric said. “Hey, Chelle?”
She was a second from hitting the end call button on her steering wheel and almost missed his last words. “Yeah?”
“Thank you!” he whispered and ended the call.
Michelle wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but she knew she needed to hurry. Her first stop was to buy Janey’s gift, and now she only had a little time to do it.
She grabbed her purse and hurried across the sidewalk to the store. The bell on the door announced her, and she waved at the owner’s teen daughter. Michelle found the bangles and sifted through them until she found the one she was looking for.
“Hey, Colleen,” she told the teen.
“Hi, Ms. Harper!”
Michelle chuckled. “Call me Michelle. You’re making me feel old.”
The girl laughed and grabbed the bangle. “Oh! This one is one of my favorites!”
“It’s a gift for Janey. Can you wrap it quickly? Janey is on her way, and I don’t want her to see it.” Michelle glanced out the front windows.
“Of course!”
Michelle paid for the gift and put the small box in her purse, away from prying eyes. She moved to one of the displays when her purse vibrated. Thinking of Eric and Janey, she searched for it in her large bag.
Jake Smith: Good morning, beautiful! How’s your wrist feeling today?
A smile split her face, and her stomach flipped and flopped at the simple and yet exciting text. She chewed on her lower lip as she tapped out a reply.
Michelle Harper: Morning! It’s fine, just a little sore.
Jake Smith: I’m sorry I missed your messages last night. Would you like to grab dinner tonight, say around 6?
Michelle Harper: It depends…
Jake Smith: On what?
Michelle Harper: Will it involve a trip to the ER?
Jake Smith: I don’t know. Maybe it’s your turn to tackle me?
She burst into a fit of giggles as her sex-deprived mind considered tackling him in other ways.
Michelle Harper: I make no promises Jake Smith.
Jake Smith: I can’t stop thinking of you Michelle Harper…
Joy filled her at his confession. She jumped up and down on the inside, away from prying eyes.
Michelle Harper: Where should I meet you?
Jake Smith: I can pick you up if you’d like. How does A Hoppy Place sound? They have food and it’s a local brewery?
Michelle Harper: Oh, they make a mean burger! If it’s okay with you, I will meet you there… this time.
Jake Smith: Oh, I like the way that sounds. See you at 6!
Michelle Harper: See you later!
Janey waved her hand in Michelle’s direction. “Earth to Chelle!”
Michelle felt her face flush at being caught off guard while texting Jake.
“What’s going on?” Janey squinted her eyes and waddled a few feet closer. “Did you meet someone?”
The phone in Michelle’s hand vibrated once again. Ignoring her friend, she looked down and noted the text’s preview on her lock screen.
Jake Smith: Is it 6 yet?
“Oh my God! You did meet someone! Tell me all about him!” Janey squealed, causing the couple of patrons that entered after her to turn and stare.
“No. First you need to tell me what the hell is going on. I thought you decided you would stay home and finish putting the nursery together?” Michelle asked, evading the interrogation.
Janey narrowed her eyes on her. “I was kicked out of the nursery. Now tell me who he is.”
“What do you mean, ‘I was kicked out of the nursery’?”
Janey rubbed her belly and sighed. “Remember I told you my brother was coming into town? Well, he’s here, and an old friend of ours has been hanging out with us too. All three of them keep making me sit on the couch. Going on and on about how I need to rest. It’s been twenty-four hours with them, and I’ve lost my mind. Finally, Eric conceded to letting me out of jail. I figured if I was with you, I could walk Bobby out, get my girl time, and not hear any more of their shit.”
Michelle couldn’t stop the smile. “Honey, you do need to rest.”
“Not you too!” Janey whined. “Anyway, spill the damn beans!”
She smiled. “Nope. How about I promise I won’t nag you about resting if you won’t interrogate me about this guy.”
Janey smiled triumphantly. “So there is a man?”
Michelle sighed and decided to give her a bone. “Yes, there is. I’ll tell you later all about him. I’m not ready now. I don’t even know if there will still be a man by tomorrow.”
Janey attempted to cross her arms before realizing it was nearly impossible over her large belly and mom-to-be boobs. “You. Suck.”
“Yup, I do. But… you get to shop with me today, and I won’t nag you about resting!” Michelle chuckled and linked arms with her. “Let’s shop!”
“Fine. You win this round,” Janey pouted.
They moved from store to store at Janey’s pace. A few times, Michelle noted her friend in more pain than she let on. Since she promised to let it be, she kept her observations to herself. Eric texted her a time or two to check up on Janey, and she let him know about it.
Around lunch, Janey tried persuading her to have lunch with the men and her, but Michelle managed to wiggle her way out. Her friend was hell-bent on hooking her up with Scott, Janie’s brother, but Michelle had not been interested. Especially not now that she’d met Jake.
Michelle dropped Janey off and drove home to make herself lunch. She hadn’t lied to Jake. She really did enjoy cooking and preferred it to going out. Sure, there were certain things she craved from other places, but some things tasted better at her hands than another’s.
The burger at Hoppy’s was one thing she didn’t mind eating out for. She could make a tasty burger herself, but they served a special beer sauce that she couldn’t seem to recreate. After many failed attempts, she waved her white flag and accepted defeat.
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
Michelle was about to lose her mind. Time was passing slowly. Not only did she make her lunch and eat it, but she even cleaned her bathroom and finished laundry. Two hours to go until she would get to hang out with Jake again.
“I’m not going to turn into that woman!” she scolded herself. She refused to be the woman standing by the phone or the one who arrived early for a date. With her hands on her hips, she blew out all the air in her lungs and hung her head.
When she opened her eyes, she noticed the chipped nail polish on her toes and smiled. It wasn’t warm enough to show off her feet, but she loved seeing a fresh coat shimmering back. This she could do for herself, and it would pass time.