Blue Twilight (6 page)

Chapter 14

Once he’d asked Lisa how she was feeling, Jake took Debra up on her offer and grabbed some lunch. His eyes sparkled as he held out the bag containing their food. “Go for a ride with me?”

“Okay,” Lisa agreed as they walked to his truck. “Where are we going?”

“Ah, now that would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?”

Lisa grumbled as he helped her inside.

Jake smiled and climbed in the truck. “It’s not far. I promise.”

Obviously still disgruntled, Lisa muttered what sounded like “fine”. She turned to stare out the window as they pulled away from the bakery.

Fiddling with the radio, he paused on a station he liked. “You like country music?”

Lisa turned to face him. Sighing dramatically, she said, “I guess now that I live in the south, I sort of have to, don’t I?”

Jake felt his breath leave in a giant whoosh.
Shit. Now what?

She must have notice him tense as she quickly added, “Wow, you guys are really serious about your country music down here, huh? Well, you can rest easy. I actually do enjoy it. My mom listened to it all the time, so I grew up loving it.”

Relaxing, Jake released his death grip on the steering wheel. After that awkward exchange, he was comfortable to drive in silence for a while. He replayed his conversation with Debra, and heaviness settled into his heart. How could he ever make Lisa understand? Letting her go wasn’t an option. But he couldn’t predict how she would react, and it scared the hell out of him.

Jake heard a small sound and turned to look at Lisa. Her head had fallen to the side and her mouth hung open a little at the corner. He should be offended that five minutes with his company and she was already asleep, but all he could do was smile. He thought about what he’d worked on all morning after dropping her off at work. It still needed some fine tuning, but overall, he was pretty happy with it. He wondered what Lisa would think of it, and suddenly had an idea. Glancing over his shoulder, he quickly changed lanes and took the exit for the interstate.

A half hour later they were sitting in front of a store. Stroking a finger down her cheek, he tried to wake her. “Lisa?” He noticed a small line of drool trailing from her mouth to her chin and chuckled. Leaning closer, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead. “Time to wake up, angel.”

***

Blinking her eyes, Lisa saw Jake and gave him a sleepy smile. After a small stretch, she touched her drool-covered face.
Way to be classy
she thought as Jake laughed. “Sorry,” she mumbled as she wiped the spit away. “So, are we here?” Looking around, she noticed they were parked at a strip mall in front of a store called
The Music Note
.

“Slight change of plans,” said Jake opening his door. “I needed to run a quick errand before we have lunch. I hope that’s okay?”

“Sure,” said Lisa stretching again. “But where are we?”

Running around to open her door, he held out a hand. “Come and see,” he said simply as he helped her down.

A small bell announced their presence as they entered the small shop. “Be right with y’all,” a voice called from somewhere in back.

“Take your time, Charlie,” Jake shouted back.

Letting go of Jake’s hand, Lisa wandered around the store. It seemed to carry a vast array of musical items. Everything from second-hand instruments to music boxes. She found herself enchanted by one of the music boxes. A crescent moon sat on a cloud with a crystal star hanging from it. After cranking the small handle,
When You Wish Upon a Star
played softly. Running her finger over the delicate star, Lisa smiled as she hummed along.

“Jake, is that you?” asked an older man as he emerged from the back room.

Crossing the shop, Jake grabbed the man’s hand. “Hey, Charlie, how are you doing?”

“Getting by,” Charlie said smiling. “Hey I finished your—” he started. Jake quickly shook his head. “I finished that project for you,” he amended. “I got it in back.”

“I’ll pull around when we leave,” Jake said.

“That’ll be fine. Now, why don’t you introduce me to this pretty, young lady over here?”

Lisa watched their exchange in fascination. Why did it seem like they were speaking in code? She didn’t have time to consider it any further as Jake grabbed her hand and pulled her over to meet the shop owner.

“Charlie Wilkins, meet Lisa James. Lisa, this is Charlie.”

“Well now,” said Charlie shaking Lisa’s hand “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” said Lisa. “You have a beautiful store.”

Lisa chatted with him for a while and learned that Charlie had opened the shop fifteen years ago after his wife passed away. She was surprised to learn that Layla was a frequent visitor to
The Music Note
, but didn’t have a chance to ask any more about it.

Jake clapped Charlie on the back. “Hey, Charlie, I don’t mean to cut this short, but we’ve got lunch waiting out in the car.”

Charlie smiled and walked behind the register. “Not a problem, can’t keep this young lady waiting, after all,” he said with a wink in Lisa’s direction.

Lisa noticed the star music box she’d been admiring sitting on the counter. “What are you doing, Jake?”

“It’s called a gift. How much do I owe you, Charlie?” he asked as he pulled his wallet out.

“Now you put that away,” he said waving one hand at Jake as he grabbed some paper to wrap the music box with the other. “You paid me more than enough for your…project, and I’ll not have you pay me for this.” He finished wrapping Lisa’s music box and put it into a small bag before handing it to her. “For you, young lady. Now you come back and see me, alright?”

“Absolutely,” she said accepting the small bag with a smile. Leaning across the counter, she gave Charlie’s cheek a kiss. “Thank you.”

“I like this one,” Charlie said in Jake’s direction.

“So do I,” said Jake quietly.

Lisa pretended not to hear even as her heart did somersaults. Waving at Charlie a final time, she followed Jake outside.

After placing her bag in the car, Jake quickly pulled Lisa into the next store.

A few minutes later, Lisa emerged with a new pair of sunglasses. “Jake, I could have bought these myself,” she fussed.

“I know that,” he said kissing her nose, “But I wanted to.”

Stopping on the sidewalk, Lisa grabbed his hand. “You don’t need to spoil me. First the music box, and now this…”

“Now hold on,” he said. “Charlie, as I recall, gave you the music box. I had nothing to do with it.”

“But you tried,” Lisa reasoned.

“That is true,” said Jake pulling her to the truck. Helping her inside, he continued. “And it’s the thought that counts, right?”

“I suppose,” she said suspiciously. “Why?”

“Well, it’s just…Charlie got a kiss…”

Laughing, she poked Jake in the chest. “You jealous?”

Jake did his best to pout. “Maybe a little.” He gave her a wink before shutting her door and climbing in.

“You big baby.” Lisa laughed. “Alright, fine.” Leaning over, she kissed his cheek. “Happy now?”

“Not quite,” he said. Pulling her close, he lowered his mouth to hers. By the time he sat back, they were both breathing hard, and Lisa’s eyes were slightly glazed. After another soft kiss he said, “Now I’m happy.” He whistled as he pulled the truck around to the back of
The Music Note
and hopped out to grab a package from Charlie.

Still reeling from the kiss, Lisa watched in the rearview mirror as Jake exchanged a few words with Charlie before shaking his hand and loading the large box into the back of the truck. He gave Charlie a final wave before climbing back in. “All set?” she asked Jake.

“Let’s go have lunch,” said Jake. He drove them back onto the interstate before taking an exit a few miles down the road.

“So, are you going to tell me,” Lisa finally asked.

Jake shot Lisa a panicked look. “Tell you what?”

“Umm, what’s in that big box in the back of your truck?” she said. Noticing the way Jake visibly relaxed, she wondered what he thought she was asking about.

“Patience,” he teased, slipping back into his easygoing self once more. He turned the radio up a bit louder and drummed his hands on the steering wheel as he drove.

Another surprise, she thought.
Oh boy
. She watched out the window as the Smoky Mountain skyline came into view. “Wow,” she breathed. Turning, she gave Jake a huge smile.

She continued to watch as they drove closer to the mountains. The deejay’s voice on the radio broke through her quiet wonder. “
And here it is, folks. The most requested song of the hour, here’s Ryder with ‘Your Man’.”

“Oh, I love this song!” Lisa exclaimed as she turned the music up a little louder. Listening to the soulful voice that poured through the speakers, she knew that this was exactly what she wanted. Not to be a singer, of course, but to have someone like him sing her songs. Shutting her eyes, she let the music and her dreams carry her away.

***

Jake waited until the song was over to start speaking again. Clearing his throat, he said, “So, a big Ryder fan, huh?”

Lisa nodded. “He’s amazing. A little strange, but his voice is awesome.”

Tensing, he glanced at her quickly. “What do you mean, strange?”

She turned to face him and rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, you’ve heard all the stories. He’s rarely photographed, if he tours, it’s only in super small venues, and no cameras are allowed. It’s like he’s a hermit, or something. It’s just not what you expect from someone who’s so popular. But I guess that’s what adds to his popularity, the mystery surrounding him. Don’t you think?”

“I suppose,” he said quietly. “But I’m sure there’s a reason for it. There’s a reason for everything.” He let her ponder that as he drove a little farther down and turned onto a dirt road that was barely visible.

“Umm, are we supposed to be driving here?” Lisa asked nervously.

“Relax,” said Jake. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “We’re almost there.”

***

Finally Jake stopped the truck. Lisa could no longer see the main road, but the Smoky Mountains were visible high above the trees that now surrounded them. The peaks seemed larger than life, and Lisa let out an awed breath.

“What do you think?” Jake asked as he grabbed their lunch from the truck.

“It’s amazing,” she breathed. “I feel like I’m in a fairy tale or something.”

Chuckling, Jake led them to a large Black Oak tree and spread a blanket he’d grabbed. “Well, don’t expect to be seeing Hansel and Gretel.”

They sat down and Lisa dug into her sandwich as she realized how hungry she was. “So how did you find this place?” she asked between bites.

“My dad used to bring me out here when I was little.” Jake took a bite of his own sandwich. “We’d hike or go fishing.” Pointing over her shoulder, he said, “There’s a stream about a mile down that path. I like to come here to think.”

“What do you think about?” Lisa asked quietly.

Jake shrugged and sipped his water. “Big decisions I have to make, work…you know… life. Did you have a place like that?”

Smiling, Lisa recalled her happy place. “The beach. When I was younger, Mom took me to Ocean City every summer. And, when I was old enough, I’d head down there for a weekend whenever I needed time to myself. I loved being there during off season. Most of the shops were closed and it was very peaceful.”

“That’s where a lot of your pictures are taken,” Jake said as he finished off his water and lay back.

Lisa nodded and lay down next to him. Reaching over, Jake took her hand as he told her some interesting facts about the area and some funny stories about his dad and their many fishing trips.

When he asked, she told him more about her mom. Blushing, she admitted, “She was actually the one who told me to give you a chance.”

Tucking her closer into his side, Jake smiled and said, “Remind me to send your mom some flowers.”

Lisa snuggled into his chest and inhaled the delicious scent that was his alone. For once, she didn’t let their silence intimidate her. It was comfortable. They sat this way for several minutes, watching the clouds drift by.

With a kiss to the top of her head, Jake broke the silence first. “I’m really glad you decided to give me a chance.”

“Me too,” she said tracing his palm with her finger.

Jake pulled her up and swallowed hard. Removing her sunglasses, he stared into her eyes. “I know it was hard for you to let your guard down.” Lisa tried to interrupt, but he placed a finger over her lips with a shaky laugh. “Please, angel, let me finish, or I may lose my nerve.”

Curiosity burned through her, but she simply nodded and motioned that she was zipping her lips.

“You gave me a chance,” he repeated as his voice trembled. “And now I’m willing to take a chance with you. Will you do something for me?”