Intercepted (24 page)

Chapter 34:
Jake

Even after two days the image of Natalia and her ex is still branded in
my mind. Why would she go back to that fucker. The thought that she
’
s already moved on torments me.

When I walk into Double Post, Grayson, the new manager I hired greets me
with a smile. He
’
s the epitome of a surfer: long
bleached hair, baked skin, and an easy smile. Not much gets in the way of
Grayson
’
s untroubled demeanor. The
amount of female customers has almost doubled since he started working here. I
like him. He
’
s always in a good mood and
keeps things light.

“Morning, boss. What
’
s happening?
”

“Good morning, Grayson,” I mutter. Unlike Grayson, my moods roam at sea
level. At the front counter, I scroll down the computer screen, scanning
through yesterday
’
s transactions.

“Didn
’
t tell me it was your birthday,
dude.”

I look up at him and frown. I didn
’
t tell
anyone it was my birthday today.

“I told Pete to keep his mouth shut. Do the same, Grayson.” I focus back
on the screen.

“Pete didn
’
t spill, man. The hot chick
that was here this morning gave it away.”

This gets my attention. Hot chick?
Shit
. Pete introduced me to one
of their new instructors at the club. I haven
’
t gone out with anyone since Natalia and I am not
fucking interested. I curse Pete for telling her it was my birthday.

“She left you something.” Grayson smiles and gestures to my office. I
shake my head.
Fuck
. Now I
’
m going
to have to call her.

I push away from the desk and rub my forehead as I make the short way to
my office. Grayson smiles and leaves to the back.

There is a white box on my desk. It
’
s not
wrapped. Just a plain white cardboard box with a wide silk white ribbon around
it. No card either. I pull the ribbon and when I open the box the aroma of
fresh cookies hits me. I lift up the tissue paper and my chest constricts.

The box is full of those cookies Natalia used to make for me.
Alfajores
.
I remember telling her I wanted them for my birthday. A whole box of them.
There is a small white card on top. It simply says Happy Birthday. She didn
’
t sign it. She didn
’
t have to.

I am tripping. Is she thinking of me, or was this one of those sweet
things she used to do all the time?

I have to find out.

That night Syd and Pete have me over for dinner. Syd even baked me a
chocolate cake. I don
’
t tell them
about the cookies. Since Natalia and I broke up I have respected her friendship
with Sydney by not asking questions. I didn
’
t want to fuck that up for her, too.

We finish dinner and Syd leaves to put baby Mia down. Pete opens two
beers, then plops on the couch across from me.

“Natalia stopped by Double Post today.” I keep my eyes on him as I take a
long swig of beer.

He frowns. “What for?”

“She brought me a box of cookies.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“I told her once it was what I wanted for my birthday.”

Pete nods once, eyeing me.

“Tell me, man. Is she with someone?”

He shrugs. “
I don’
t know, Jake. Why don
’
t you ask her?”

“Don
’
t be an asshole.”

He smiles. “
Syd doesn
’
t tell me anything, man.”

“Just tell me one thing. Did she get back together with that fucker? Her
ex?”

Pete frowns. “No. I told you I don
’
t know,
so stop asking.”

“You know, I keep raking my brain to figure out exactly when everything
turned south. I think it was when Dillon said he was moving down to Argentina.
Fucker.”

Pete nods. “She probably realized everyone else was moving forward except
you two,” he says matter of factly. “
You can
’
t blame
her, Jake. You had to know that was going to happen sooner or later.”

I scowl at him. “Why? We had a good thing going. No broken promises, no
plans that would
’
ve been abandoned later on.”

“
Jake. You can
’
t seriously tell me you
expected to keep it going forever. What the fuck, man? You can
’
t build anything without compromise. You have to
be willing to take a fucking risk.”

“I
’
m not like you, Pete. I
’
m not cut out that way.”

“Why? Because of what your mother did to you a million years ago? No
offense, man. But you need to stop living in the past and fucking get over it.”

I glare at him. Pete is the only person that can get away talking to me
this way. I would have beat the shit out of anyone else for even bringing up my
past, and Pete
’
s throwing it all over my face.

“It
’
s not something you can just
get over, Pete,” I mutter.

“Yes. It is. And it
’s your decision, Jake.
”

I let my head hang and blow out a deep breath. “Shit, man. It
’
s too late for an intervention. I
’
ve fucked everything up.”

“So go fix it.”

“She said she loved me. It scares the shit out of me.”

“So what? It scares all of us, Jake. You just have to go for it.”

“I don't know, man. I don
’
t know
how to give her what she wants.”

“She wanted
you
, Jake. That's all she's ever wanted. Offer Natalia
a future, man. It's the only way out of this, even for you. Until you let go of
the past you will be a fucking slave to your own demons. I know what your mom
did to you was cold as fuck, but you've got to let it go, man.”

“Why would she want me, Pete? I
’
m
nothing but a goddamn whore.”

Pete leans forward on his seat. When I look up at him his eyes are blazing.
“That
’
s not how I see you. That
’
s not how any of us see you. You
’
re a fucking gold medal Olympian, Jake. You
’
re my hero, man. Don
’
t ever say to me that you
’
re not worth it.”

I slump against the back of the couch and stare at the ceiling. My head
is about to explode and it is doing a damn good job at trying to override the
mammoth foot on my chest. A few silent minutes go by. Pete rubs the back of his
head and lets out a sigh.

“Jake you're like a brother to me and I love you. But if you don't go and
fix things with Natalia, you're a bigger asshole than I thought.”

“Fuck. I wouldn't even know where to start.”

“Tell her you love her.”

I glare up at him. The panic rises from my chest and I push it down.

“Say it.” Pete
’
s eyes lock
on mine, but I don't look away. I close my hands into fists to stop them from
shaking as the darkness threatens to take over.

“Jake. For fuck
’
s sake. Admit
that you love her. That's step one.

“
Say it
, man!” He snaps and I jump. I stand up and pace the room
like a caged tiger. Pete is right. I have to win against the past, or it will
swallow me. I stand by the window, squeezing the back of my neck as I stare at
the pitch black of the ocean. Pete
’
s hand
grips my shoulder and he searches my eyes. He
’
s looking at me like he thinks maybe I can't do
this. Then his expression changes and his mouth curves up at the corner.

“Think of it as a ball game.”

I narrow my eyes. Pete knows me better than anyone. If this is a game,
then I
have
to win. I swallow the boulder in my throat.

“I love her. I've loved her from the first time I saw her.” Instant
relief floods me. It
’
s a fucking
surprise that leaves me speechless. Pete pulls me into an embrace, patting my
back.

“That's right, brother. That's step one.” He smiles. “Now go get her,
man.”

“It
’
s been two months, Pete. She
may not want anything to do with me.”

Pete grins. “My money is on you, Jake. They don't give gold medals to
people that come in second.”

“You have an answer for everything, asshole. What do you suggest I do?”

“Get back in the game and fight, man. Get back in the game and fight.”

Chapter 35:
Natalia

I spend the morning running errands and picking up the rest of my things
from work before I start my new job on Monday. I pack everything into a
backpack and say goodbye to the last of the kitchen staff. The day is
beautiful, so I take my time walking home. It is almost lunchtime and I debate
whether or not to get something to eat, then decide against it. My savings are
scant and I need to be frugal until I get my first real paycheck. I tread along
thinking how much I will miss living in Coronado. My new job will mean a half
an hour commute and I need to find an apartment that is closer.

When I get home, I take the stairs two at a time, wondering what I have
in the fridge. I unlock the door, then freeze because I have somehow walked
into the wrong apartment.

I step out, then back into what until this afternoon was my living-room.

It is now filled with flowers.

Everywhere.

White roses to be precise. I look around the room in shock. It is like a
scene from a movie. There are large and small vases with flowers on every
surface of my small living room. They are stunning. And they are also my
favorite flowers.

What the hell?

“Your landlady let me in. It took some persuading, but… as it turns out,
I can be pretty persuasive.”

I whip around and Jake is standing behind me. Holy Shit. My heart has a
ninja fit inside my chest.

“Jake. What… Did you do this?”

He nods.

I look back at the white cloud of roses. “There are so many.” A knot
swells in my throat and my eyes are starting to sting from the moisture that is
pooling in them. I clutch my jacket to hold back the tears, but one escapes.
Jake walks around me, then smiles. He wipes my cheek with his thumb.

“There is one flower here for every day that I have known and loved you,
Natalia. One hundred and seventy two, to be exact.”

I stop breathing. Did he just say…?

“Yes,” he says, answering my unspoken question. I have loved you every
day since I first saw you. I was just too blind to see it. All this time, I
thought that if we kept things in the present, neither of us would ever get
hurt. But I was wrong. I
’
m sorry.” He
wipes another stray tear from my cheek. “I
’
m sorry for all the times I made you cry. And for
all the times that I left your apartment without telling you how much I was
looking forward to the next time I saw you. And for not telling you about
retiring sooner, I know now how insensitive that was on my part.”

“Jake…”

“Shhh. Let me finish.” He wraps his arms around me and I am glad because
I cannot take anymore of this. He presses his forehead to mine. “I want to be
able to tell you every day how much I love you and how great my life is because
you
’
re in it. I want your present and I also want
your future, Natalia. And I want you to be legally required to wake up in my
bed every morning. Will you marry me?” He pulls away to look into my eyes. They
are wide and I am completely speechless. He smiles.

“Don
’
t
leave me hanging.
”

I blink a few times through the shock. “Jake. That
’
s… a very generous offer and I can only imagine
how hard it was for you to say that. It means a lot, but I got a job this week.
The hotel will take care of my visa. You don
’
t need to…”

He gives me a lopsided smile. “That
’
s not
what I meant when I said ‘legally required to wake up in my bed.
’
And this isn
’
t hard for me at all. In fact. It is the easiest
decision I
’
ve ever had to make. I want to
make plans with you, Natalia. Plans for the future that we follow or we change
together. I love you, Nati. Please just… say yes.”

The tears are flowing down my cheeks on their own accord and the words
are trapped in my throat. Jake scoops me up and squeezes me in his arms.

“What do you think? He says.”

I smile and lean my forehead on his.

“Jake Harper, I think that is a very good idea.”

FIN
.