Right Place, Right Time (Second Chances Book 2) (13 page)

Jay

The bright sun shining through the cracks in the blinds eventually wakes me up, and I’m so glad it does. Lying beside me is the most beautiful girl in the world, and I don’t want to miss a minute of this. The way the sunlight reflects off her golden hair makes it look like she’s got a halo hovering perfectly over her head. She’s so gorgeous. Her soft skin is almost completely bare, save for the tiny pajamas she’s wearing. I’m starting to like her sleepwear.

As much as I’d like to stay in bed with her all morning—again—I know she hasn’t eaten since our late lunch yesterday, so I’m going to make her breakfast. After I dropped her off yesterday, I’d gone to the grocery store to get milk, eggs, sausage, and some other stuff. In fact, I’d just finished unloading the groceries when I got her phone call.

I shake my head. I can’t believe that was only yesterday. I feel like the entire evening aged me. I’m not sure I’d ever been so scared and freaked out in my life. I didn’t know what to do with Kate in that state, and I’m so glad she seemed to start to come back as the evening wore on. When we were in bed last night, she was almost completely back to her old self. Almost. But I’d noticed how the light in her eyes was still a bit dim before we finally succumbed to sleep.

Not that I can blame her. I’ll give her all the time she needs to cope with what went down yesterday, though I’m hoping she’ll confide in me about what she and Casey talked about when I’d left the room. I thought Casey waking up would have brought Kate back to life, but it didn’t. In fact, it seemed to have made her sadder.

I’m not sure I’ll ever understand women.

I’ve just cracked eggs into the frying pan when I feel her hands slide around my middle. I drop the cracked shells on the now empty sausage tray and put my hands on top of hers. I could get used to this.

“Good morning,” she says, her voice still husky with sleep…and so incredibly sexy that I’m glad she’s behind me and not in front of me, or she’d know just how sexy I think she is.

“Good morning.”

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” she asks. “It smells so good.”

“Who says it’s for you?” I ask, releasing her hands to grab the spatula.

She gives my abs a hard pat. “Not funny. I’m starved.” On cue, her stomach growls, and I laugh. “That’s so embarrassing,” she says, releasing me.

“I was making you breakfast in bed,” I tell her, looking over my shoulder. Damn. She’s sexy as hell with bed head and sleep hooded eyes. 

“Well, then…I’d better get back in bed,” she winks.

I groan, then turn back to the stove, subtly adjusting myself as I hear her settling back in. I finish up the eggs and sausage, then set them all on one plate. I pour a tall glass of milk, grab a fork, and balance it all as I walk to the bed.

“I could have helped,” she offers as she takes the plate from me. I set the milk down on the nightstand and get in bed beside her. “What are you eating?” she asks with a smirk.

“We’re sharing,” I tell her as I fork up some eggs and feed them to her.

“Mmm, this is so good.”

“They’re just eggs.”

“They’re not
just
eggs. They’re eggs that
you
made for
me
.”

Her smile undoes me, and I feel something deep in my chest. Is it love? I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m capable of that kind of emotion. It’s not like I’ve got the best role models in that department. Then again, Kate doesn’t exactly have the best role models for love either.

Maybe we can learn together.

“What do you want to do today?” I ask her once we clear the plate.

“You don’t have to work?”

“Nah, I’m off.” I don’t tell her that I’d called Leroy yesterday and taken today off so I could be with her. Leroy had been a little pissed off, but since I’m a good employee and never miss work, he let me have the day.

She swallows a sip of milk and looks at me with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes and Cheshire cat grin on her face. “I want to get a tattoo!”

I almost choke on my own sip of milk. “What?”

“I want to get a tattoo,” she repeats.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I tell her.

“Why not?” she frowns.

“They’re permanent, Kate.”

Her frown deepens along with the crease in between her eyebrows. “Duh.”

“I just don’t think it’s something you should jump into.”

“Who says I’m jumping into anything?” she asks defiantly, crossing her arms over her ample breasts.

“You’ve never mentioned a tattoo before, Sunshine. I just think you should take some time to think about it.”

She groans and throws herself back on the bed. “I’m so sick of
thinking
about things. I just want to
do
things!”

Where is this coming from? I admit that she and I haven’t spent a whole lot of time together, but I feel like I do know her, especially through our conversations and her letters. Kate is a very careful, calculated, thorough person. She thinks things through. She doesn’t just do them.

“What’s going on, Kate? Talk to me,” I place the cup and plate on the nightstand and lie beside her on the bed and pull her towards me.

“I feel like I haven’t really been living, Jay. I’m predictable. I go through the motions and do everything that’s expected of me. My resume is exceptional with steady employment, numerous volunteer activities, and excellent academics, but when it comes to having fun and living life to its fullest…it’s blank.”

She looks at me with those dark, sad eyes…begging me to understand. And I do. Finally, I do. The incident with Casey has rocked her world. She understands the fragility of life now more than ever before and wants to seize the day.

I let out a sigh and smile at my girl. “As long as you don’t get ‘YOLO’ tattooed on your ass, I’ll support your decision.” She laughs loudly and gives me a big, sloppy kiss on the cheek. I fight the urge to wipe off my face because I simply can’t break this moment. She finally looks happy, free. “So what are you gonna get?” I ask, nuzzling her neck.

“Well, you nixed my only idea so I’ve got to start thinking about it all over again.”

This time I laugh. “Seriously?”

“No, not seriously. But you’re right. A tattoo is permanent, so I need to think about it some more. I still want one, but maybe that’s not what we need to do today.”

I kiss her lips. She’s practical even when she tries to rebel. It’s adorable. “So what’s on the agenda then, rebel?”

She grins at that. “Well…I’ve got to call my boss. I think I need a couple days off.” I nod in agreement. I think she could use a few mental health days. Hopefully he’ll be understanding. “Then I’m all yours.”

“I like the sound of that,” I say, then I lean in to kiss her neck.

“Stop that,” she says, giggling as she slaps my back. “Jay!”

“Okay, okay,” I say, pulling away. “Go do your thing. I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

She softly smiles at me, and I hope she knows that I don’t just mean right now…that I mean I’ll always be right here waiting for her. As long as she’ll have me.

I’m starting to hope that it’s forever.

Kate

After running out to the store to get a DVD player—my treat—and then to a Red Box to get a few DVDs, Jay and I spend the rest of the morning relaxing in bed and watching movies. We order takeout from a nearby Chinese restaurant and eat lunch at Jay’s tiny kitchen table. 

I’d spoken to my boss. He was understanding of the situation and gave me an entire week off. Thankfully, I’m in between semesters so I don’t have to worry about classes; however, I did contact the tutoring center on campus and ask not to be put on the schedule. I don’t tutor often, but occasionally if there’s a student who needs assistance with a subject I’m particularly good in, they’ll schedule me.

“Do you want to go see Casey today?” Jay asks, and my entire body tenses.

I set down my chop sticks and shake my head. Hopefully, he’ll leave it alone. I know I’ll need to go see Casey again and apologize for being an emotional bitch, but I’m not ready yet. Plus, she needs to work this stuff out with Decker. They need some time alone together. And there’s always the chance she might not even want to talk to me.

“Everything okay with the two of you? Things seemed kind of tense when I walked in the room last night.”

So much for hoping he’ll leave it alone. I let out a sigh and try to decide what to tell him. I owe him some explanation after the condition he saw me in yesterday.

“Living with Casey is…a challenge. I love her; she’s my best friend, but I want to slap the shit out of her at the same time. I said some things to her last night…things I probably—no, definitely—shouldn’t have said given the circumstances, but I needed to get them off my chest, and I needed her to realize that she can’t keep doing this to herself and the people who love her.”

“What’s she doing?”

I sigh. “She’s giving up. And I hate her for it. And I hate that I hate her for it. It’s her life…I know that…but I don’t want my best friend to die.”

Jay nods sympathetically. “Tough love?” he asks.

“Something like that,” I mumble.

“I know a little bit about that. It never really seems like the right time or place when you’re on the receiving end of tough love.”

“Mac?” I ask.

“Yeah. I earned quite a few speeches from him. All necessary, too. Of course, I didn’t realize it then. At the time, I was pissed off at him. I thought he was being an asshole. But, in retrospect, I understand where he was coming from…what he was saying. Just wish I’d realized it a little sooner.”

Just like Casey hopefully will. I reach over the table and take his hand in mine, twining our fingers together. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“You always know the right things to say.”

He squeezes my hand gently. “She’ll come around.”

“I hope so.”

“She will. Who wouldn’t want to have you in their life?”

My parents briefly flash into my mind, but I quickly push them out. I don’t want them to taint this special moment with Jay. Truthfully, I don’t want them to taint any moment with him. I know if Jay and I get any more serious, he’ll eventually have to meet them, but I hope we can push that off for as long as possible. I don’t want to subject him to them and their judgmental ways.

“Where’d you go?” he asks, tearing me from my unwanted thoughts.

“Thinking about my parents,” I tell him honestly.

He scowls. “They’re crazy. You know that, right?”

I shrug. “They’re my parents, Jay.”

“I know, baby. And I think it’s pretty amazing that you still care so much about what they think and want. I’m not going to disrespect that because it’s the way you feel, but I just want you to know that regardless of what they say or do—or don’t do…you’re an amazing person. With or without them.”

I smile. He really does know all the right things to say. “Thanks, Jay.”

He smiles back. “Anytime, Sunshine.”

***

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” I ask Jay later that night. We’d just made love, and I’m lying across his body while he runs his fingers through my hair.

“I’d love to open my own repair shop.”

“Cars or bikes?”

“Either. Both. I don’t know. I love bikes, but if I did cars, too, I’d have a larger market. Sean’s got a motorcycle shop back home, and I bet he’d help me get one started somewhere.”

“You’d be so good at it,” I tell him through a yawn.

“What about you?” he asks me.

“You already know,” I tell him.

“Teaching?” he asks.

I smile, pleased he remembers the conversation. “Yeah.”

“So why not just go for it.”

“I can’t, Jay.” We’d already talked about this, too.

“Because of your parents,” he says flatly.

“They don’t support that choice for me.”

“But it’s your choice,” he argues.

I sigh. How do I make him understand? “Excelling at my studies is the only thing that’s ever seemed to please my parents. It’s the only thing that’s ever even gotten me on their radar. If I go against their wishes…then what do I have?”

The room is silent as Jay processes what I’ve said. He probably thought the only thing holding me back was the funding. Sure, the financial support from my parents plays a huge role in my life. They pay for my education, my housing, and my car. They even give me an allowance for living expenses. I don’t use all of it. Only what I need to survive. I’m not one of those college kids with the rich parents who blow through every dime their parents give them. I’m frugal. I work when I don’t have to just so I can have my own money, separate from theirs, to do things I know they wouldn’t approve of—like buying DVD players in the bad part of town or getting a tattoo.

So yeah, if I switched majors and decided to pursue a career in education, my parents would pull my funding. They wouldn’t pay for college or housing. I’d get no allowance. They may let me keep my car, or they may take it away out of disappointment and spite. It would be difficult to start over, but not impossible. I could do it without their money…I could get loans and work. I wouldn’t have to complete a full four years of college since I’ve already completed most of my gen. ed. requirements, so I wouldn’t have to fully finance a degree. Hell, with my grades I could probably even get some scholarships. The possibilities were endless.

But if I did that, I’d lose what very little connection I have left with my parents. Their occasional visits when they’re on the west coast for conferences or the rare phone call when I’ve done something to catch their attention. Even though they’re usually harping on me for something negative or irrational, it’s still attention. Without that, I wouldn’t even be a blip on their radar. I guess part of me will always be that little girl seeking her parents’ approval.

“How often do you see your mom and dad?”

“Maybe once or twice a year,” I admit sadly.

“Talk to them?”

“Every couple months.”
If that
, I think to myself.

Jay lifts my chin and looks into my eyes. “So how different would it really be?”

I roll off of him and sit up, tucking the sheet around me. “What are you saying?”

He sits up beside me and takes my hands in his. “I don’t know. Probably nothing worth paying attention to…but this is the rest of your life you’re talking about. You’re not happy in med school. Sure, you can do it. You’re a genius, you can do whatever you want to do. But if you’re not happy…God, Kate. You need to do what makes you happy, or you’re going to be miserable for the rest of your life. I don’t want you to be miserable. You’ve got this light about you. I think I’d die if it ever went out.”