Jake
*
The Wrong Girl Chapter 9 Part 3
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After rushing home to change into jeans and a t-shirt, I picked up Ethan and Olivia from after school and delivered them to my parents for the weekend.
Guilt swamped my chest when I considered I was dumping my kids off in order to hang out at a bar. I tried to remind myself that they were ecstatic to spend another weekend with their grandparents, and my folks were hardly less enthused. Ethan barely shouted out ‘goodbye’ before he ran straight into the garage to see what his grandpa was up to at his workbench.
Olivia, as always, was a bit more perceptive. “Are you okay, Daddy?” She peered up at me as I walked her to the front door.
You’re acting weird. Why’d you change clothes?”
“Because I have a work thing tonight.”
“With Ellie?”
“Maybe.”
She grinned. We’d reached the steps, and she bounded up to the top and spun around to face me. “Ask her about the horses.”
My answering smile came easily. “You got it, kiddo.”
I held her tightly and breathed her in. She smelled like apple shampoo, and my heart swelled, sudden emotion rising like a wave in my chest.
“I love you, Livvie. And I’m so proud of you. Did you know that?”
She pulled back and nodded. “I know.”
Just then, Ethan raced out of the garage and charged up the porch steps. Not to be outdone, he dove into my chest for a hug, too.
I squeezed both of them together, my eyes flooding with emotion that also inexplicably blocked my throat. I rubbed their little backs and dropped my cheek on top of their heads for just a moment. As much as I wished I could make this last forever, I knew I had to let them go. I seared it into my memory, then leaned back and dropped a kiss on both of their foreheads.
“I love you guys. Have fun with Gramma and Grandpa, and listen to them! I’ll see you Sunday.”
“Love you, Daddy.” Olivia turned and headed for the entrance.
“Love you more!” Ethan shouted before tearing off into the house, cutting Livvie off at the doorway.
A fond chuckle rose in my chest, and I pulled in a deep breath, tilting my head back to draw the threatening tears back into my eyes. These little moments proved I was doing the right thing. Every day they seemed to shine a little brighter, to open up to me a little more, and each time felt like a massive win.
I knew I should pop in and say hi to my folks, but a glance at my watch sent me back to my car at double time—I was running dangerously close to being late.
Fortunately, I made it through town to Peak 9 in record time and walked in to Seasons exactly at seven.
“My my, you are punctual, I’ll give you that.” Ellie was at the end of a gleaming mahogany bar, connecting her laptop to the projector wiring. The device itself was suspended from the ceiling in the center of the room, and already playing a mirror image of her desktop on the screen on the far wall.
Ellie had changed clothes as well, and just the sight of her sent my pulse racing. She wore a black tank top and a pair of worn-in jeans that hugged her figure in a sinful way for such a casual outfit. My mouth watered, and I swallowed down the nerves.
Oblivious to my ogling, she asked, “Have you always been like that, or is it a military thing?”
It took me a second to realize she was talking about the punctuality. I shoved my hands in my pockets, walking slowly to her position in what I hoped was a casual stroll. “Truthfully? I was always late for everything in high school. So I can definitely say it’s the military that made me this way. They kind of instill an automatic panic response at the idea of being late that just never goes away.”
She laughed. “Well, I’m glad I never joined. I don’t think I’d be well-suited to that life. Do you have the thumb drive?”
“Yes, right here, sorry.” I pulled the small cylinder from my pocket and handed it to her.
She removed the cap and installed the device on her laptop, tapping open the slideshow.
Eighties synth pop music poured from invisible speakers, and the animation I’d spent the week programming zoomed forward to present the first question.
“Wow, Jake, this is outstanding! I was expecting some white slides with black text, maybe an occasional image. I’ve never seen a slideshow like this.”
A small blossom of gratification unfurled in my chest, but I tried not to look too pleased with myself. “Hey, I told you I’m a PowerPoint Ranger. It’s a skill.”
“It definitely is.” She clicked through several slides, watching the images and text zoom around as the sound cycled through several tracks. “Is it all like this? All hundred questions?”
“You bet. I don’t do anything by half-measures.”
“Well, I have to admit, I’m impressed. This will certainly be the fanciest trivia night we’ve ever had.” She grinned up at me and my chest squeeze.
“Thanks, I’ll make sure and let my CO know that certification translated to the civilian world.”
“CO?”
I cringed; I still hadn’t figured out how to stop using the military lingo. “Sorry, Commanding Officer. And there aren’t actually certificates for this stuff. It’s just a common joke that we get awards for strange things and that the skills don’t translate over to civilian life.”
Mercifully, Ellie laughed. “No, I get it. I’m sure there are lots of skills like that where there’s no civilian equivalent. But I’d say this is a useful skill. I’m glad I asked you to do it. I couldn’t have done anything like this.”
The heat crept up to the tips of my ears, and I knew I was blushing furiously, but I had no control over it. Thankfully, the pub was semi-dark. “Well, thanks. Do you need help setting anything else up?”
We set out a stack of answer sheets and pens on the bar, close to the door. But after that, there was nothing left to set up and twenty long minutes until the event started, leaving me and Ellie essentially alone in the dim pub.
As if sensing my discomfort, Ellie said, “Why don’t we get a drink? We’ll have to camp out down here for the evening anyway, since I have to stay plugged into the system.”
“Well, that’s horribly archaic,” I teased. “You don’t have Wi-Fi in here? One star for this resort, that’s completely unacceptable.”
Ellie chuckled, then flagged down the bartender so we could get a couple of beers. “You know, you’re not far off. People actually do review like that. And we do, actually, have free Wi-Fi in here. It’s just the projector isn’t Wi-Fi enabled—it’s not exactly a priority. I think I’m the only one who uses it, and only for trivia nights. In our conference rooms we have electronic white boards, USB ports, all the modern amenities.”
“I was just teasing. I think this resort is very well-appointed.”
“I know, but the reality is customers can be harsh. That’s part of why I started this whole ‘employee satisfaction’ program. The employees worked hard, and aside from a paycheck, there was little else for them to be excited about. When you add in overly critical and sometimes just downright mean guests, a lot of them would rather quit and find something easier. So I made it my mission to make Aspen Ridge a more fun place to work, and as an unexpected result, it’s actually created a better experience for the guests, too.” Our beers arrived, and she took a long swig.
I sipped my own, my brain mulling over her words for a moment before I spoke. “You know, my only work experience prior to this was the military. It’s not the same as a civilian job at all. You sign a contract, and they basically own you for the length of it. I went where they told me, when they told me, and worked as long as they told me doing whatever they ordered me to do. I couldn’t just quit because I had a lousy day—you literally go to jail for that. So my mindset is different, I guess, when it comes to work.”
Ellie nodded. “That’s reasonable, and I’d say it’s pretty clear in how you approach things. I don’t think you do half-measures.”
Pleased, I smiled and settled further into my chair.
“But that said, it’s not as bad as it sounds. There are programs on every base where they try to provide entertainment and community for everyone stationed there. We had festivals and street fairs and low-cost excursions to local attractions outside of base, too.
“So I guess what I’m saying is, I get what you’re trying to do, and I admire it. It makes a difference; a job can either be a place you go to collect pay, or it can be like a family. The military is like a family no one on the outside can really understand, and I see how you’re making that happen here.” I summed up, suddenly nervous again. I set my beer down and wiped the condensation on my jeans.
Ellie’s answering smile was breathtaking. “Thank you, Jake. That really means a lot. My dad and the VPs have kind of treated it like a pet project that keeps me busy and doesn’t do any harm, so they leave me alone. But he’s always claimed that Aspen Ridge is a family—I think he didn’t realize that we lost that feeling in all the expansion. Suddenly we had more employees than he ever met in person, and the people at the lower tiers weren’t getting the same family experience. I thought this was a good way to improve that.” She reached over and placed a palm on my knee. Heat radiated from the spot, and I went completely still for fear of doing something odd and embarrassing myself. “I’m glad you see it from my perspective.”
“Yeah, of course. I mean, I’ve witnessed how popular these events are first hand.” I grabbed my beer bottle again, trying to cool my sweaty palm. “See?” I gestured to the door, where groups of people were filing in, chatting happily and picking up their answer sheets before choosing a table. “You’re definitely making a difference for them, and they obviously appreciate it.”
Before I even knew what happened, Ellie leaned forward and kissed me. Her scent filled my nose, and I froze completely when her lips pressed lightly to mine. It was over lightning fast, so quickly I could almost convince myself it didn’t happen. But it did, and the surge of heat running through my body remained.
Ellie hopped out of her seat and started greeting people by name, then got to work running the slide show. I stayed by her side, and we chatted lightly through the evening. Ellie accepted compliments on the slides and finally announced the winning team before everyone went home. Neither of us said a word about the kiss.
But the lingering feeling of her mouth, and the taste of her lips, clung to me for the rest of the night. Ellie had kissed me, and I was so surprised I sat completely still. I didn’t even kiss her back. In fact, the night we met, she had kissed me first, too.
And the one time I almost made a move, I backed out. She had to think I was either too timid, or just not interested. Both of which were untrue.
I had to make sure she knew how I felt before we left, or it would congeal into a giant ball of awkward over the weekend and I’d miss my chance entirely. Sweat slicked my palms as I waited for the last few employees to leave. Ellie was wandering among the tables, picking up pens and helping the bartender clear glasses.
Resolved, I rushed over to help and Ellie beamed at me in response. I followed her to the bar with a handful of glasses, and we carried on tidying up.
Suddenly, the perfect idea popped into my head. “Hey Ellie, do you have any plans next weekend?”
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and scooped up a half-full mug. “Um, I’m not sure, but I don’t think so. Why?”
My heart sped up to double time, but I spat the words out. “I’m taking Ethan and Olivia into town for the Aspen Ridge Oktoberfest, and I was wondering if you’d like to come? They’ve been asking about you since the Fall Fest.”
She glanced up in surprise. “They have? That’s sweet. Yeah, Oktoberfest is a pretty big event around here. The town actually throws a lot of celebrations. It feels like there’s always something going on.”
“So… would you like to go with us?” I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans.
“Sure, that would be fun. My friend Tessa owns the Aspen Ridge Brewery, they always have a booth with these great bratwurst. And there’s another place that does giant soft pretzels. Ethan will love them.”
Emotion over her thinking of my kids warred for control with the gratification that she had accepted my proposal. Sure, it wasn’t a proper ‘date’ date, but she was agreeing to hang out with me, and my kids, outside of work. That meant something for sure. “Great, we can just meet you there, if you like?”
“Yeah, let’s talk about it next week. It’ll be a good time.” She carried the remaining glasses to the bar and packed up her laptop bag.
We waved goodnight to the bartender, and I followed her outside, my heart pounding. The thought that I needed to proactively kiss her, so she knew how I felt, beat like a drum in my mind. But I couldn’t figure out how to make it happen.
“Tonight was fun,” she commented as we stepped outside.
The temperature had noticeably dropped, and goosebumps rose on my bare arms in response. I felt as if my body were on fire.
“Yeah, it was,” I agreed. “And good job with the questions. I got some wrong, and I had to type all the answers for the slide show.”
She laughed, and my heart thumped again in response. I honestly had no idea why, but Ellie thought I was funny. And I loved the way she laughed, her head tilted back and her eyes sparkling in genuine amusement. Ellie never did things by half measures, she was fully in, whatever it was.
Acting on some powerful instinct I didn’t know I possessed, I reached out and cupped the back of her head, pulling her mouth to mine.
This time I didn’t freeze; my lips moved against hers with determination, and after a second, a sigh escaped Ellie’s throat and she kissed me back. Her lips were eager, as if she’d just been waiting for me to make this move, and when her tongue slid along my lower lip, I chased it enthusiastically. The memory of how right it felt to kiss Ellie that very first night—the sparks flying around us like a meteor shower—surged back in my brain. This was so right; and it had always been right.
Ellie’s body pressed against mine, and I wrapped my free hand around her waist, feeling the heat of her skin beneath her thin camisole. I don’t know how long we kissed. The taste of peppermint on her tongue, the warm amber vanilla fragrance of her filling my senses.
I was dragged back to reality when Ellie shivered violently against my body. My hand slid along her arm, finding her skin chilly and covered with goosebumps.
I pulled back slowly, rubbing my hands along her arms. “Are you cold?”
“Y-yeah,” she admitted, a slight tremor in her voice as she huddled close.
My body was an inferno from the rush of blood, so I definitely couldn’t relate, but I knew the right thing to do. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, resting my chin on her head as I pulled her in tight. “Okay, let’s get you warm. Where’d you park?”
She pointed, and it was as natural as breathing to slide my fingers between hers and guide her to her car.
Suddenly bashful, she fumbled her keys and glanced up at me shyly. I waited for her to get inside and get her Jeep running, heat blasting immediately from the vents, before I leaned in to the door frame.
“Drive safe, okay?” She nodded, and I leaned in to press one more soft kiss to her lips before I let her drive off.
When I pulled back, Ellie’s eyes were closed, a dreamy expression on her face as her lips chased mine.
Finding me gone, her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled. “Goodnight, Jake.”
“Goodnight, Ellie. If you think of it, shoot me a message and let me know you get home safe.”
“You got it, Captain Wright,” she grinned, and I stepped aside so I could close the door.
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