Chapter 13

Jason

Excited didn’t even touch what I felt as I hopped out of the car and ran up to Jana’s apartment complex. I had planned the absolute perfect weekend getaway loaded with surprises and really good quality time together, something I knew she was looking forward to. On top of all of that, I was going to have a chance to show her around my old stomping grounds as a kid.

We spent so many vacations up there when I was younger that when my parents said they were selling the house, I offered to buy it from them. I went through and had the whole thing redecorated to my style and spent many nice long weekends just relaxing in the quiet. The only person that really knew I had the house was Ryan since I didn’t want people to know where I was when I went away.

I took the elevator to Jana’s floor and bounced down the hall, knocking loudly on her door. Jana answered, smiling, towing her suitcase and carry-on behind her. I laughed at the sheer amount of luggage she was bringing, thinking about my one backpack and two suits that were in a garment bag in the back of the car.

“What? I had to be prepared for anything,” she said defensively. “I’m a woman so shut up; I need choices.”

“I know, honey,” I said kissing her forehead and grabbing her suitcase. “It’s adorable.”

She shut and locked her apartment, double checking the door lock twice before turning to me and smiling. We headed down to the car where I loaded her luggage into the back and nodded to the driver. As he pulled away, I could see her looking back at the apartment. Sometimes she really was a worry wart.

“Do you have the tickets?” I faked panic and started tapping my breast pockets.

“Oh, that’s right,” I said as she looked at me wide eyed. “We don’t need tickets. Ryan let me use his company jet.”

“Lord, your friend, is insane,” she said laughing and shaking her head. “I’d never work if I had a private jet.”

“Sure you would,” I replied. “Fuel is expensive.”

When we got to the airport, the driver drove right into the hanger bay where the plane was parked. The captain came out and shook my hand, going over the itinerary and loading our luggage onto the plane. It was only an hour flight from New York to Martha’s Vineyard so by the time we hit cruising altitude, we would be starting our descent. I brought along a bottle of whiskey to calm Jana’s nerves, as I assumed she probably had some pre-vacation jitters I needed to attend to.

We took our seats inside the plane and buckled up, ready to get the show on the road. I watched as she looked around in amazement at the cabin of the airplane. It literally looked nice enough to be someone’s apartment, and I considered putting it on my list of toys for the future. Once we were in the air, I poured us both a glass of whiskey, and we sat comfortably talking about our plans for the weekend. Jana was a bit irritated that I wouldn’t give her all the details, but I smiled and teased her with it.

By the time we landed, I am pretty sure Jana was ready to punch me. We left the plane and hopped into a car that I had arranged to pick us up from the airport. Hopefully, the maid service was done by the time we got to the house since I arranged something special just for Jana. The drive wasn’t very long, and I was pleased to see no cars on the drive when we pulled up. I got out of the car and looked up at the large white house with blue shutters. From the outside, it looked just as it had growing up and I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

As we walked through the doors of the house, I heard a small gasp from Jana as she stepped into a row of rose petals scattered across the floor. I set the luggage down and followed behind, smiling at her pleasant reaction. She entered into the dining area where the table was set with lit candles and a dozen red roses. Jana turned toward me smiling, covering her cheeks with her hands.

“This is so sweet,” she said, walking forward and kissing me. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”

“I know,” I laughed. “But I wanted to really show you an amazing time. Come on, the dinner should be warming in the oven. Let’s grab it and have some food and wine.”

We grabbed the fully prepared plates from the warming rack above the oven and walked back to the table. I smiled as Jana looked around the house, in awe by the marble floors and high ceilings. I pulled a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet and popped it open, pouring us both a glass to go with our filet’s. We were both hungrier than we thought and barely talked as we devoured our meals. When we were done eating, I grabbed our plates and tossed them in the kitchen, picking out two pieces of cheesecake from the fridge. When I got back, she had switched up the wine and was pouring two glasses of white dessert wine from the fridge.

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said sheepishly. “I thought we could use something lighter with dessert.”

“What’s mine is yours beautiful,” I responded, setting cheesecake in front of her.

For hours we talked and laughed, thinking back to our childhood’s and the memories we kept from vacations like the ones I used to spend in this house. I took her on a tour of the whole place, showing her each and every room from top to bottom. I made sure to keep that northern charm when I had the place decorated, and I could tell she really loved it. Afterward, we took our wine out onto the deck and enjoyed the cold air, wrapped in the fleece throws from the cupboard in the living room. The air here was so crisp, and the leaves had started to change colors.

I pointed out all the places in the yard that I used to hide, including the one I broke my arm on as a child. She laughed loudly as I told my stories, unphased by how clumsy and ridiculous I must have sounded. Every time I started to feel like I was talking too much about myself, she would stop me and ask another question. In reality, I loved watching her listen intently to me talking about my past, showing a real interest in who I am and what I have been through. In fact, at that moment, as the breeze blew over the yard, and she stared at me with her gorgeous eyes, I knew I more than cared about this girl, I loved her.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, thinking about whether I should tell her right then and there. However, my insecurities and fears started to take over, and I pushed the thought down, unsure of how she would respond. The last thing I wanted was to blurt out I love you and have the situation get awkward.

“What’s wrong?” She could sense my thoughts had shifted, so I thought up something quickly.

“Huh? Oh, nothing,” I lied. “Just thinking about being a kid and how much I miss it.”

“I know, right? No responsibilities, everyone cooks for you, plan fun things, and all you have to do is get good grades in school and manage not to get arrested,” she said laughing. “If I could turn back time I would.”

“Ha ha, my parents had a bit more restrictions on me than not getting arrested but I agree, I’d go back to being a kid in a heartbeat,” I replied, glad that she moved on from the subject.

I looked around, realizing that night had taken over and we were out of wine. I stood up and leaned over, kissing her on the forehead. I paused momentarily as I stared deep into her eyes. I wanted to do it. I wanted to tell her right then and there but as I let my mind take over, the moment passed. I kissed her again on the head and started walking toward the door.

“I’m going to grab some more wine,” I said. “Be right back.”

I stood in the doorway for a moment watching her look out at the water bordering the property. The stars were twinkling above her, and the breeze was catching her hair just right. I felt a thump in the pit of my stomach and wondered if I had missed my chance.