Cake: A Love Story (4 page)

Jake stared at me a second before he started laughing. Oh thank God. The tightness in my chest immediately eased. Jake was smiling. He actually thought it was funny and seemed to visibly relax in front of me. This was the same Jake who laughed with his brothers. I could handle this Jake.

“God damn,” he exclaimed, grabbing his chest with his hands like he was having a heart attack. “I totally thought you were serious. I’m so relieved right now, you have no idea.”

“I can see that,” I smiled at him. “You really don’t like dancing, do you?”

“Well there is dancing…and then there is that,” Jake gestured to me, “I don’t even know what to call it…that monstrosity that you just performed.”

I burst out laughing. “Hey, I didn’t have time to prepare. I was improvising.”

“Yeah, okay but what was that thing you did with your arm? It was like it had been nearly severed and was dangling on its last tendon, or something.”

I laughed some more at his word imagery. “What? Do you mean this?” I performed my severed-arm dance again. Jake laughed uproariously. From the corner of my eye I saw Sarah staring at me with a look of utter horror and disbelief…like she couldn’t believe I could be so moronic in front of a guy like Jake. I froze, stopping my dance abruptly. Oh God. Had I just made a total fool of myself in front of Jake McKallister? Was he laughing at me or with me? Because there was a big difference! I almost didn’t want to look up at him. But when I turned to face him, his eyes twinkled with enjoyment.

“That was frickin’ hysterical,” he exclaimed. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.” And once I understood that he was laughing with me and not at me, I completely relaxed. Fuck you, Sarah!

“Oh well, your welcome then,” I smiled and did a little curtsy.

Jake looked closer at me now like he was really seeing me for the first time. “Sorry, what was your name again?”

“Casey…Caldwell,” I said holding my hand out to shake his then added jokingly, “I didn’t catch your name either?”

Jake took my hand then grinned and said, “Hi, I’m Jake McKallister.”

“Nice to meet you Jake McKallister. You know there is a cure for that?”

“For what?”

“Not remembering someone’s name.”

Jake smiled, looking interested. “Oh yeah, what’s the cure?”

“Pay attention the first time,” I smiled deviously.

Jake gave me that killer stare and he smiled. “Yeah…I definitely should have paid better attention. Sorry. It won’t happen again, Casey Caldwell.”

I smiled.

“So what do you do Casey?”

“I’m a student at Arizona State.”

“Really? That’s cool,” Jake replied.

“Not as cool as being a rockstar but, yeah, it’s right up there on the list,” I joked. “Rockstar, astronaut, brain surgeon…student at ASU.”

“Yeah that is how the list goes,” Jake laughed.

“I might have left out a few professions,” I teased.

“Yeah, maybe just a few,” Jake smiled then raised an eyebrow and asked mischievously, “So Casey…isn’t ASU the #1 party school in the nation or something like that?”

“I think it might actually be in the world, but go ahead and minimize our accomplishments…whatever,” I joked in mock annoyance.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to sell your school short.”

“It’s okay. It’s a common error,” I teased.

Jake grinned and his eyes twinkled with mischief, “So?”

“So, what?” I demanded, with just the right amount of flirt back.

“Are you a party girl?”

I laughed out loud. “Seriously? Way to stereotype, rockstar.”

Then it was Jake’s turn to laugh out loud. He seemed impressed with my retort. “Yeah, who am I to talk, right?”

I nodded laughing. “And to answer your question…I know I seem super cool and everything but I’m actually kind of a nerd.”

Jake looked me up and down appreciatively and said, “You don’t look like any nerd I’ve ever seen.”

Ahh…swoon.

“Well, this might sway you…I’m an accounting major.”

“Shut up!” He exclaimed in surprise. “Accounting?”

I nodded, smiling.

“Damn, you are a nerd!” He joked.

“I told you,” I exclaimed and touched his arm spontaneously. The conversation was so effortless that I wasn’t thinking. Recalling his reaction to Sarah’s touch, I immediately removed my hand and tried to play it off like it was no big deal, “Oh sorry, I got overly excited…like a puppy.” Please don’t be mad.

Jake grinned. “It’s okay. My arm didn’t mind.”

And truly he seemed fine with it…totally unaffected. Huh. Okay.

“So how did you end up at ASU, the world’s biggest party school?” Jake teased, while emphasizing ‘world’.

“My family lives six blocks from the school. It was the cheapest alternative.”

“Ah…okay.”

“And before you assume I’m totally boring I’ll say that I may have dabbled a bit in the party scene from time to time.”

“You being boring was the furthest thing from my mind,” Jake answered, smiling.

I grinned. Another compliment? He seemed to be enjoying my company. What were the chances? Jake stared down at me with a charming smile. Damn…he was so beautiful to look at that I almost felt like apologizing for gazing upon him.

“Did you ever watch the movie Ted 2?” Jake asked.

I knew exactly where he was going with his question. Ted 2 had bashed ASU for it’s party reputation and for it’s students being dumb. Jake was teasing me. I loved it. I smiled coyly and said, “I did.”

Jake grinned.

“What?” I demanded, jokingly.

“Nothing.”

“Go ahead, Jake, I’ve heard every joke there is about ASU.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Jake smirked.

“How many ASU freshmen does it take to change a light bulb?”

Jake smiled. “I don’t know.”

“None, it’s a sophomore course.”

Jake laughed out loud.

“Why are rectal thermometers banned at ASU?”

Jake shrugged.

“They cause brain damage.”

Jake laughed again.

“And finally…why aren’t ASU cheerleaders allowed to do the splits?”

“I have no idea,” Jake replied, grinning.

“Because they stick to the ground.”

“Oh God,” Jake winced as he laughed. “Never mind about Ted 2.”

I laughed as I smiled up at him. Damn this guy was actually super cool.

“So I have to ask, Casey, do you actually want to be an accountant?”

“Yes, actually I do,” I acknowledged, nodding. “That’s how college works Jake. You study the thing that you want to be.”

“Yeah, no, I get that…it’s just…I can’t think of anything more boring to do in life,” he expressed, laughing then added, “no offense.”

“None taken…and it’s boring but I love numbers.”

“You must be good in math then.”

“Yeah, I’m good in math.”

“Like how good?”

“Decently good.”

“Decently good? What does that mean?” Jake asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to be one of those cocky nerds,” I said.

Jake grinned. “Can one really be academically cocky?”

“You have no idea how cocky the nerds are now-a-days, Jake. It really has become an epidemic,” I related with a seriously concerned face.

Jake shook his head in amusement, “Wow, where have I been?”

“I doubt you run into too many of them in your line of work but trust me, they exist.”

“I believe you,” Jake said, his eyes twinkling with enjoyment. He took my breath away. He then asked, “What year are you in?”

“Wow you have a lot of questions, don’t you?”

“I know,” Jake laughed. “I’m usually not this talkative.”

“Really? Huh? ‘Cuz right now you’re just a regular chatty pants.”

Jake stared at me in surprise then asked, “Did you just call me chatty pants?”

“I did.”

Jake shook his head laughing, “My God Casey, people have called me a lot of things in my lifetime but I’ve never ever heard that one. That’s impressive!”

“Well, thank you,” I laughed. “And to answer your question I’ll be a senior this year.”

“To tell you the truth, I forgot what question I asked you,” Jake laughed.

“That’s okay…we can’t all be as smart as me.”

Jake smiled at me in a playful way, “Uh-huh, says the ASU student.”

“Oooh…that was a low blow!” I laughed. Hot, talented, nice…and a sense of humor? Be still my wildly beating heart!

“I know. Sorry.”

“Hey, never apologize for a well-placed comeback.”

Jake smiled then looked down at me with a sexy tilt of the head. I could feel a tingling of excitement race through me. Wow. I was really crushing on this guy. He was super chill. I stared into his beautiful eyes. We didn’t speak for a second. Jake grinned. I smiled back.

“So…uh…how do you know Kate?” He asked, breaking the silence.

“We were waitresses together at Outback Steakhouse until she moved in with Mitch and quit. I’m still there serving up Bloomin’ Onions five days a week.”

Jake nodded. “Actually I’m more of an Aussie Cheese Fries kind of guy.”

“No way…so am I,” I exclaimed, probably more excited than I should have been but Jake didn’t seem to mind my enthusiasm. “…only in the girl version, of course.”

“Of course. So being an employee, do you get to eat unlimited cheese fries at work?”

“Dude, seriously?” I gave Jake the stink eye. “Do I look like I eat unlimited cheese fries?” I scowled in a teasing way. “I’m offended.”

“Oh God…I’m so sorry,” Jake proclaimed, looking genuinely embarrassed and putting his hand over his mouth. “That came out all wrong.”

“You probably ask fluffy ladies when their due dates are too, don’t you?” I jokingly criticized, not letting him off the hook too easily.

“No. I swear I don’t,” Jake argued, laughing. Just then one of his brothers came over.

“Hey, dad needs to talk to you.”

“Yeah, give me a sec. I’ll be there soon,” Jake said and his brother left.

I stared up at Jake in an amused way.

“What?” he asked, looking perplexed.

“I know the little game that you’ve got going on here,” I smiled knowingly. “Your brother just gave you an escape route. Just like with Sarah back there.”

“Oh, you caught that, huh?” Jake replied, actually seeming impressed.

“Oh yeah…I caught it.”

“Did you also catch that I sent him away?”

“I did, actually,” I smiled. “And I’m honored.”

Jake smiled at me.

“So I have to ask, Sarah is a beautiful girl…why would you need saving?”

“Well…she was…uh…getting a little handsey.”

“Handsey? Is that even a word?” I laughed.

“I don’t know. It should be,” Jake replied.

“Well, if you ask me, she was a little boobsey too,” I added.

“Yeah, well the boobsey part didn’t bother me as much,” he laughed.

“Clearly,” I teased.

Jake grinned then voiced playfully, “So then…what…were you like checking me out during my conversation with Sarah?”

“Oh please…don’t flatter yourself. It was more like observing a rock star in his natural habitat,” I blurted out. “How could I look away?”

Jake stared at me in an amused way. His beautiful eyes shimmered as he shook his head, smiling.

“You’re funny,” he said simply.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should.” Jake agreed. Our eyes met and there was something…a little spark that passed between us…something entirely unexpected. And the strangest part about it was that I was almost certain Jake felt it too.

Neither of us spoke for a moment then I broke the silence. “So I thought for awhile there that I would be dancing my way down the aisle alone, Jake McKallister.”

“Yeah, I like to show up fashionably late,” Jake replied. “Make an entrance, you know.”

“Well then…well done,” I praised him. “I especially liked the added touch of the screaming girl being pulled off you when you first arrived. It kind of gave your entrance that extra shot of attention it was so lacking.”

Jake grinned. “Right, because that’s me…always trying to draw attention to myself because I just don’t get enough of it in my everyday life.”

I nodded. “I mean why settle for three-quarters of a room staring at you when you could have 100% participation.”

“Exactly,” he grinned. “That’s just what I was going for.” His eyes were twinkling. I got the impression that he wasn’t used to being called out on stuff and I could tell that he was enjoying it. I felt such a sense of satisfaction knowing that I could make him laugh so effortlessly.

“So do you typically show up late to weddings?”