Jude: Just kidding, my friend. Or actually testing. She’s a sweet girl. You should go for it.
I sent him the middle finger emoji then got back to work, only to realize that was the first time in who-knew-how-long someone suggested I ask a woman out and I didn’t want to murder them. Even the Tarringtons, with their completely innocuous mentions of their daughter’s saintliness, managed to annoy me.
So what was different?
I huffed a laugh. The answer to that question was easy.
Amelia was different.
And I liked it.
After work, I stopped by Sweet Stuff to grab some surprises for the kids. They’d been so good lately, I wanted to do anything I could to encourage the behavior. Grabbing their favorite candy for dessert seemed like an easy way to show them I’d noticed.
“Hey Iz,” I said as I pushed through the doors. The pastel neon lighting and happy emojis on the wall lightened my already light mood. “How goes it?”
“It goes pretty darn well. Saw your kids today.”
That was news to me. I drew up short. “Oh really?”
“Yep.” Izzy nodded. “Amelia brought them in after lunch as a reward for their behavior lately.”
The woman was too good to be true and it was time to make sure she knew I realized it. What other babysitter would take someone else’s kids out and buy them stuff with her own money?
“Did she grab anything for herself?”
“Nope. Just kept a watchful eye like some kind of child charmer while they calmly walked around the store. They seem so much better. You do too, if you don’t mind me saying.”
I beamed. “I don’t mind at all. Things are definitely improving with Amelia in the picture.” I walked over to a display of fancy soda bottles. “This is the stuff she dropped at my feet that first day, isn’t it?”
“Sure is.” Izzy gave me a knowing smile. “I think she particularly enjoyed the elderflower and rose.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Aren’t those flowers? Who drinks flower flavored soda?”
“Apparently the woman you can’t stop flirting with. At least according to your kids. Well, and the rest of the town—if you care what they’re all saying. You two have really stirred things up. They haven’t had this much to say on a topic since the whole Norma Jean debacle.”
“That’s what Jude said.”
The mention of his name had Izzy sighing dreamily. Those two either needed to fuck or fight to get all this unrequited attraction out of her system. There’d been a couple months in high school where I thought they were gonna end up a thing. It drove Alex crazy, his best friend and his little sister—especially considering Jude was a ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em’ kinda guy. As far as I knew, nothing ever came of it.
I grabbed several bottles of elderflower and rose off the table, as well as a few other flavors I thought sounded good and brought them to the counter. “Why do people care so much about what I’m doing and who I’m doing it with?”
Izzy scanned the first few items. “I think you should skip worrying about that and go straight to asking Amelia out for drinks.”
My eyebrows raised. “Do you now?”
“I mean, you’re happy. The kids are happy. She sure seems happy. Why not enjoy an adult night out?”
“I can think of three why nots waiting for me at home. I think Amelia’s the only person still willing to watch them.”
“I’ll do it.” Izzy shrugged. “We’ll watch movies and I’ll spoon-feed them sugar so they’re good and wound up just in time for you to get home and try and put them to bed. It’ll be fun.”
“Fun?” I arched an eyebrow. “You’ve seen what my kids are capable of.”
“I have. And lately they’ve been capable of acting like perfectly reasonable little people who love the lady who sells them candy. Besides. I can’t wait to see what Greta says about you and Amelia out for a romantic night on the town. I’ve run out of good shows to watch and the gossip will keep me entertained for hours.”
Chapter Twelve
Amelia
The front door cracked open, and a shiver of anticipation zipped down my spine just like it did whenever Jack came home from work. Or when I arrived at his house in the morning. Or when I thought about him…
Basically, anything to do with Jack Cooper had me almost giddy. It was a great way to live. All the good things compounded, making more good things. I was happy when I left my house in the morning, so the sky looked extra blue, and the traffic didn’t bother me. Listening to my favorite music deepened my good mood, making my day with the kids even better. It was a rolling snowball of happiness, and we were all caught up in it.
“Hey there!” I called as I met Jack in the foyer.
A large box filled his arms and I held open the door as he navigated his way into the house, then closed it behind him.
“I stopped at Sweet Stuff to get the kids some treats, but Izzy said you beat me to it.” He hefted the box. “So I went on a little Amelia shopping spree instead.”
I peered into the container and found rows of my new favorite sodas lined up like little soldiers, with a small brown paper bag shoved into the corner. A smile worked its way up from my feet and I met Jack’s eyes. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“And you didn’t have to do any of the things you’ve done since we’ve met, but you did them anyway. So now we’re even. Well, not really, but it’s a start. I’m pretty much in your debt for eternity considering all you’ve done for the kids and me.” He put the box down on a table by the door and plucked out the bag. “I saw this in the window of Mimi’s Boutique as I was walking to my car. It’s just a little thing, probably silly…” His cheeks blushed as he gave me the package and then ran a hand across the back of his neck with a sheepish smile.
I reached inside and pulled out a simple silver bangle and turned it over in my hands. Etched on the inside of the bracelet were the words Stronger Than the Storm.
“I know you already are the storm, which is why this is a little silly…” Jack’s eyes glittered with humor and…
…something sweeter.
Something deeper.
Something I wanted more of.
“What are you talking about? This isn’t silly in the least. I love it. Thank you.” My instinct was to kiss him on the cheek, but I decided against it. Instead, I slipped the bangle onto my wrist then peered into the box at the soda, lifting several to read the label. “And you picked my favorite flavors. How’d you know?”
“Izzy told me about the elderflower and rose.” He wrinkled his nose in distaste. “The rest?” He lifted a bottle of pineapple pop. “This one is my favorite. The others I just thought sounded good, except the sweet blossom and lavender. I bought that just for you.”
The day we met for lunch at RedBrick Pizza, I’d been pretty sure Jack wanted to kiss me. He’d swiped a bit of frosting off my neck, his hand lingering on my jawline for just a little too long. His eyes had hooded and the intensity of the air around us felt like those moments just before a storm, when everything seemed calm on the surface, but energy writhed just underneath.