Love Like You've Never Been Hurt (5 page)

Emma almost choked on her coffee. She looked up to find him
grinning cheekily at her. She punched him on the arm and laughed.

“You are terrible, you know that, right?”

He looked at her with big sad eyes in a hurt puppy dog look that
melted her heart, even though he was only playing.

“You’re a hard woman, Emma Douglas.”

“And you really are terrible” she laughed.

“No, I’m not terrible at all, in fact I’m pretty
damn good, and if you sneak into my bed again tonight I’ll
prove to you how good I am!”

Emma couldn’t believe her ears. She looked at him closely
and found those eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Did you really say that?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

She laughed and pushed at him again. “Well, I’ll have
to take your word for that. I’m sure there are lots of lovely
ladies who will vouch for your prowess, but I have no intention of
becoming a notch on your bedpost!” Though her words were
accompanied by laughter she was deadly serious. Attractive as she
found this man, and much as she would like to find out just how
‘good’ he was, she didn’t do meaningless sex and
couldn’t risk a relationship, not that a man like him was
looking for one.

Jack was surprised by that comment, but tried to keep it light.
“Hey, now that’s not fair. You’ve accused me of
being terrible and of being a collector of bedpost notches and you
don’t even know me. I demand you take it back.”

He loved the way her eyes danced when she laughed. “I will
not take it back.” She raised her chin in defiance. He wanted
to take her face in his hands and kiss that defiance away.

“So,” he raised an eyebrow, “you are judgmental,
jump to conclusions and won’t listen to evidence that
contradicts you? Is that what you’re saying?”

“No, I’m saying I know your sort.”

“Same thing. And I demand a fair trial.”

“A fair trial?”

“Yes, I submit that I be allowed to take you to dinner next
week, to prove to you that I am a decent, upstanding human being and
not the kind of guy you have prejudged me to be.”

He clenched his jaw while she looked at him, hoping she’d be
carried along enough to say yes. She hesitated, then...

“Well, I consider myself to be a fair person, so I suppose I
should hear all of the evidence before reaching my final conclusion.
When and where might this dinner take place?”

Jack allowed himself to breathe again. “Thursday, eight
o’clock, Mario’s.”

“Okay,” she replied slowly, “Thursday it is.”

She got up and took the coffee mugs inside. Jack sat grinning to
himself on the swing. He was taking her to dinner; she’d said
yes! He heard Pete’s car approaching. Hmm, let’s see how
this goes. Maybe he’d wait to mention the dinner date until he
saw Pete’s reaction to finding out the two of them had spent
the night out here.

Pete jumped down from his truck and climbed the porch steps as
Emma emerged through the front door. He stopped and did a double
take.

“Where did you come from?” he asked, looking first at
her then over at Jack who was still smiling on the swing. Emma
decided she’d rather go on the offensive than the defensive.

“I came from LA, where, last time I saw you, you said I
could stay at the guest house if I arrived Friday night, remember?”

“Oops! Sorry, but I didn’t think you’d arrive
after midnight. So.... you two both spent the night out here?”

Emma noticed the gleeful glint in his eyes and really didn’t
want to explain the details of what had happened. Jack spoke up.

“Yes we did,” he threw her a smile and she prepared
herself to be teased about crawling naked into Jack’s bed.
“Luckily I was still watching the stars when Emma rolled in,
so, being the gentleman I am, I took the sofa.” He stood up and
rubbed his back. Looking at Pete he said, “You owe me one, Bro.
I ache all over.”

Emma was so grateful to him and shot him a smile behind Pete’s
back.

“How about that?” she thought. “He really is
considerate.”

She had fully expected to have to face the two of them ribbing her
this morning. Instead, Pete was apologizing and Jack really was
turning out to be a much more decent human being than she’d
given him credit for.

“I’m sorry guys, I messed up,” admitted Pete. He
looked put out so Emma, who knew he wasn’t used to messing up
at anything, went and gave him a hug.

“No biggie,” she smiled, “but it will be a
biggie if we’re late for breakfast. My car is round the back,
I’ll see you there.”

Pete grinned. “OK, Mouse, we’ll follow you over.”

Emma followed the lakeside
road that led into the resort that Ben’s family had owned for
generations. The sun sparkled on the water and the breeze blew her
hair through the open car windows. Spring was giving way to summer
and it was going to be a warm day. She was pleased that there had
been no awkwardness or teasing from Pete. Her heart beat a little
faster as she thought how Jack had stepped in to save her any
embarrassment. She thought about Thursday and the dinner she’d
agreed to. So much for avoiding him, huh? Oh well. She could have
dinner with him, it wouldn’t be a problem because she was
becoming more certain with every minute she was here that she should
come and spend the summer by the lake. She had no intention of
working on
Geraldine’s
Way
and a few months
up here would be exactly what she needed.

She slowed the car as she turned into the square at the center of
the resort. The restaurant stood at the lake’s edge with a
two-story deck over the water. She could see Missy and Ben already
seated at their usual table outside. As she got out of the car, Pete
pulled up alongside and the three of them went to join Ben and Missy
who stood to greet them with hugs. A waitress brought menus and
coffee. Emma sat next to Missy and gave her old friend another hug.

“It’s been too long, Em.”

“I know. I’m sorry, but I’m here now. There’s
no way I’d miss Scott’s party. How’s he doing?”

“Still fast asleep. I think he is naturally a nocturnal
creature, you know? Left to his own devices he’d stay up all
night writing computer programs and then sleep all day.”

“He sounds like my brother,” said Jack.

“Please tell me your brother made it through high school?”
laughed Missy. “Sometimes I think I’m fighting a losing
battle to get Scott out of bed and off to school every day.”

“It was the same with Dan, but don’t worry, he made it
through high school. He only took afternoon and evening classes in
college and now he runs his own software development company in
Silicon Valley.”

“Hey”, said Pete, “we should get the two of them
together. It would be great if Dan could mentor him.” He looked
at Missy who smiled and nodded. Looking toward Jack she said, “If
Dan would have any interest I’d be really grateful. It would be
great for him to meet someone who understands what he’s talking
about even!”

“I think Dan would enjoy that, I’ll call him later.
He’s never outgrown the nocturnal habit, so eight o’clock
on a Saturday isn’t the best time to get hold of him.”

The waitress returned to take their orders.

“So,” said Ben when she’d left, “how long
has it been since we did this.”

“I don’t even want to count,” said Emma,
“especially since it’s usually me that’s missing.”

“Ah, Em, I didn’t mean that. I’m just really
happy that we’re all here.”

Emma loved Ben. He was the quietest of their little group. Some
folks thought he was a little standoffish, but that was only because
they didn’t know him well enough. He was great fun to be around
and she’d missed him. His grandfather, Joe, was Gramps’
best friend. After college, when Emma and Pete had headed off to LA,
Ben had returned to run the family resort. His parents had never
really loved the place as his grandparents had; they spent most of
their time traveling in a ridiculously large RV that Ben hated. All
he had ever wanted was to run the resort and restore it to its former
glory. He’d done that and more since graduating college. The
lodge was now pretty much fully booked all year round instead of
summer only. He’d added more cabins, a thriving marina, and a
horseback riding operation. When he’d had the double deck built
on the Boathouse Restaurant, the resort became the place to eat on
the lake. Emma was proud of all he’d achieved here and perhaps
a little envious that he was so settled. He had only ever wanted to
be here and he loved what he did. She loved to write, but felt she
hadn’t yet found her proper path.

Jack watched Emma as she chatted happily with Ben and Missy,
catching up on each other’s news and making plans for the rest
of the weekend. He loved the way she waved her fork around as she
recounted a story of a snooty concierge in an LA hotel. He chuckled
at her description of some actresses who’d been involved in her
last screenplay; he knew the exact type she was talking about. He’d
dated quite a few of them. Her assessment of them and what she
referred to as the “fakedom” of Hollywood warmed his
heart. Having endured nearly a year in LA he could relate to her
frustrations with the place only too well. Perhaps he should
seriously consider spending his summer up here. He envied the easy
friendships and beautifully serene setting Pete had here. Maybe his
friend was right and this would be just what he needed.

He looked up to find Pete studying him closely, realizing he’d
been watching Emma the whole time. Pete raised an eyebrow and Jack
returned the questioning look as if he didn’t understand. The
knowing look Pete gave him in response told him he wasn’t
fooled one bit.

“Well,” said Pete, a long while after their table had
been cleared, “I hate to be the one to break it up, but I’ve
got a lot to do before tonight.”

“Me too,” said Missy. “I need to get back before
Scott wakes up. I want to have a fun day with him and then get set up
over here for this evening.”

“I’ve got to go and see Gramps,” said Emma,
“then I’ll be over to you later, Miss. I want to give
Scott his gift this afternoon if that’s OK with you. Then I can
help you set the room up for tonight.”

“Great, come on over whenever you’re ready.”

“Mind if I hitch a ride out with you, Em?” asked Ben.
“Joe took my truck out to your Gramps’ place and I need
it.”

“Of course. What have those two been up to now?”

“Don’t even ask!”

They all headed to the parking lot where there were more hugs.
Emma let go of Missy promising to see her in a little while and then
reached up to hug... Jack! He wrapped her in those arms and held her
close for a second. With his mouth next to her ear, sending shivers
down her neck, he whispered,

“Sorry, but with free hugs all around, I couldn’t
resist getting mine.” With an innocent smile he stood back and
held her at arms’ length. Looking up at him, she had to laugh;
he was irresistible.

“I’ll see you later, Mr. Benson.” She got into
her car where Ben was waiting.

As they drove out to the western shore, Ben updated Emma on the
antics of their respective grandfathers. From what he told her, they
were having a fine old time, fishing, tinkering with cars and
drinking whiskey, mostly.

“At times,” said Ben, “I think they’re
more like teenagers than old guys. It’s so weird that now I’m
the responsible one while Joe is out running round and getting into
scrapes with his buddy. It doesn’t seem so long ago that it was
us giving them gray hair.” He ran his hand through his
shoulder-length blond hair that did indeed have some gray in it these
days.

“Well, they’ve reached their second childhood by the
sounds of it.”

“I know.” Ben turned to her now, more serious.
“Thinking about how the years have passed, how much the roles
have changed, it makes me realize that Joe’s not going to be
here forever. Your Gramps either, you know?”

Emma heaved a big sigh. “That’s been weighing on me
too, Ben. At least you’re here, you’re with Joe every
day. You’re making the most of the time you have with him. Me,
I’m down there in the fake city, not getting out here nearly
enough, and I don’t even know why anymore.”

“Come home then. Easy!”

“I’ve been thinking of doing just that.”

“Really?” Ben looked surprised. “Gramps would
love it if you did. So would I. I never really thought you would
though.”

“I never thought I would either, Ben. But I’m so sick
of city life and I’m not doing anything I really value
work-wise. So, I’ve been toying with the idea of spending the
summer up here at least.”

“Could you do it, work-wise I mean?”

“Yes, I’ve got nothing big going on at the moment and
I’d kind of like to take the time up here to write a novel.”

“That would be awesome! Say you will, Em. Stick around for
the summer, hang with Missy and me. I bet we could even get Pete up
here most weekends, he’s still rumbling about building a house
and coming up more.”

“I’m seriously considering it.” She turned into
the driveway of the house where she’d grown up and her heart
filled up when she saw her grandfather sitting on the front porch.
She turned to Ben, “Don’t say anything yet. I’d
hate to disappoint him if I can’t pull it off.”

“Of course not.”

Emma jumped from the car and ran into Gramps’ arms, as she
always had. He spun her around ‘til she was dizzy.

“Here’s my Mouse,” he beamed.

“I missed you, Gramps.”

“I missed you too, Sunshine, but you’re home now. Tell
me all about the wicked city.”

She laughed. “The wicked city is still wicked and it’s
driving me crazy!”

“Well, why don’t you come on home to your Grampy
then?”

Her eyes filled with tears, which took her by surprise. Talking to
Ben about how long she’d still have Gramps had really hit home.
She knew her decision was made. “You know Gramps,” she
beamed, “I’m going to do that. For the summer at least.”