Nancy Bartholomew - Stella, Get Your Man

Jake sighed. “It’s all in how you perceive it, Stella.”

“I perceive it as freaking freezing!”

Jake wasn’t listening. His attention was caught by something lying on the ground next to the house.

“Would ya look at this,” he said. “Somebody must’ve left it behind. It’s a nice one.”

Jake inspected the rod. “Even left a nice lure on it, too. Wonder how that happened.”

He turned, holding a fishing rod in his hand. A silver bauble dangled from its tip, catching the moonlight as it twirled. Whatever agenda Jake had was forgotten as he started off at a brisk pace, walking straight toward the ocean.

“Come on,” he called over his shoulder. “It’ll warm you up to walk.”

No, snuggling down under an electric blanket would warm me up, I thought. Walking along the beach at midnight in December would only cause pneumonia.

“The doctor said you should take it easy. I think you should go back inside and rest.”

Lloyd ran back and forth, covering the distance between us like a relay racer, barking his excited pleasure in Jake’s choice of direction.

Jake paused, waiting for me to catch up, and when I did, slung one arm across my shoulders. I started to shrug him off, but he held fast.

“I’m just keeping you warm, Stella. Relax.”

“Doesn’t your side hurt?”

He smiled. “Pain is all in the perception,” he answered.

“I guess that shotgun blast was a hallucination then.”

Jake shook his head, still smiling. “You need to work on your negativity.”

“Negative? I am not negative!”

Jake chuckled and began walking at a slower pace, his arm still holding me close to his side.

“You prefer paranoid?” he asked.

I couldn’t think up a snappy comeback. It was too late and too cold. Besides, Jake was close to being right about me. I was negative, especially when it came to men and romance, but look at my track record. I had a right to be skeptical. Too bad I couldn’t cut my heart out and survive.

I walked beside Jake, feeling the strength of his arm around me and rehearsing what I’d say next. It was going to be all business, no matter how hard he tried. I was a no-nonsense woman with a job to do. The sooner we all accepted that, the better off we’d all be. Right?

I lowered my head, ducking the stiff breeze that numbed my skin. Who was I kidding? The only one who needed to quit living in a fantasy world was me. I still had feelings for a man I hadn’t known since high school. I was living in the past, fantasizing that by some small miracle Jake Carpenter had suddenly morphed into Prince Charming. When was I ever going to grow up?

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