The Dating Intervention: Book 1 in the Intervention Series (31 page)

“I’m intrigued.”
 

“You should be. When I was little, my parents loved snow days. They’d even take off work when school was canceled so they could take us sledding. To this day, I can’t pass up a good snow day.”
 

“Should I be scared?”
 

“No, but you should dress warmly. Lots of layers. I’ll clean up. Get movin’.”
 

Delaney’s hopes of seeing Jake’s bare back and arms in her bed had just risen exponentially, and now they plummeted again. Only slightly disappointed that he’d instructed her to put more clothes on instead of taking them off, she pulled her gloves, hat and snow boots out of the closet. As she added layers, she realized she was more relieved than disappointed. This was the first time in forever that a guy had planned a fun activity just to show her a good time … and not just between the sheets. Summer and Josie would be pleased, too. No sex for … what was it? A lifetime?
 

Forcing thoughts of prohibited activity out of her mind, Delaney added warm barrier after warm barrier to her now sensitive skin. When she walked outside and saw Jake’s Jeep loaded up with a couple of big sleds, she was thrilled. A folded blanket sat on the passenger seat and a packet of foot warmers sat on top of it.
 

***

Snow-covered downtown Juniper looked so quaint and cheerful. Turn-of-the-century buildings, painted bright pastel colors, flanked the snowy streets and everything shone and sparkled in the sunlight. Delaney envisioned people driving horse-drawn sleds through town on snowy mornings. That was one thing she loved about Juniper: the second-story balconies overlooking the streets and the false-fronted buildings had barely changed since they were first built. Today’s people walked down the concrete sidewalk instead of a boarded walkway, and they wore designer suits instead of chaps, but it still felt cozy, and life felt simple. Warm in her blanket, Delaney looked over at Jake.

If it wasn’t romantic enough that he’d shown up at her door, saving her morning by bringing steaming coffee and food, he had also planned what promised to be a delightful outing. She couldn’t remember the last time she went sledding. During the past couple of years, Summer had invited her to go when the kids had a snow day, but she’d always turned her down, in some misguided attempt to prove how much of an adult she was.
 

The idea of breathing the freezing air, careening down the slope of a giant hill past huge, fragrant trees, and rushing back to the top to do it again – all with Jake – sounded exhilarating.

“Warm enough?” Jake asked.
 

“Yep! Just right.“
 

He rubbed her leg briskly and then pointed to Conifer Mountain, which boasted the highest peak in the Juniper area.
 

“Can you take it?” he said.
 

“Oh, yeah. I can take it. Can you?”
 

“Seeing that fierce look in your eye scares me a little,” he said. “But I think I can knock you down a few pegs.”
 

Finally, they reached Devil’s Slide, a popular sledding spot where Delaney had come in high school. A few hardy souls (shouting, rowdy teenagers barreling down the hillside face-first) had already begun, and Jake and Delaney followed the trail their footprints left from the parking area to the top of the hill.
 

“Good thing we got up here early,” Jake said. “I’ll bet it’s packed by eleven.”
 

For the next hour, they flew, side by side, down the hill. They collected their sleds and raced back to the top, over and over. They raced sitting up, lying on their backs, flat on their stomachs, the snow spraying up around them each time they skidded to a stop. By the time several more families and groups of teenagers showed up to sled, snowboard and build snowmen, Delaney and Jake were exhausted.
 

“I’m gonna be sore tomorrow,” she said as they loaded the sleds into the back of the Jeep.
 

“Worth it, though, right?”
 

“Every minute.”
 

Jake wrapped his arms around her and she felt the now familiar surge of energy at the very center of her body as he kissed her.
 

He squeezed her hands, swatted her bottom and said, “Let’s hit it. It’s freezing out here.”
 

As the Jeep wound its way back down the mountainside, Delaney admired Jake out of the corner of her eye. She wondered whether he noticed her taking in his chiseled features, his rough hands, the muscles in his thighs when he downshifted.
 

The yearning hit her hard.
 

Sure, she’d had sex with lots of men. But if she was being honest with herself (she was definitely getting good at this honesty thing!), she had to admit she didn’t usually
want
to have sex with them. Not that she protested, but it was always obligatory. She never craved it, wished for it, felt her entire body heat with the desire for it, like a pan heating up on the stove.
 

Flashes of Jake’s hands on her skin, his mouth on her body and his fingers in her hair when they got back to her house made the twenty-minute drive seem very short indeed.

They’d pull into the driveway and look at each other, the unspoken question hanging between them like a bubble. She’d ask, “Would you like to come in?” and he’d say, “Sure, for a minute.”
 

Jake had proved himself a gentleman, so he’d let her walk in ahead of him. Then, he’d follow her in, shut the door behind them and quickly pull her close for a kiss. First, he’d run his hands down the sides of her body, then slowly circle her breasts with his thumbs before peeling her clothes off her. (Never mind that she was wearing her huge, bulky jacket. She’d do away with that, at some point. Maybe she should take it off now.) Unable to wait, he’d take her right there, standing up, in the entryway.
 

Forgetting herself, Delaney almost cried out.
 

A patch of black ice patch caused the Jeep to slide, just a bit, and the movement jerked her out of her daydream. Breathing fast, she put a hand to her chest.

“Sorry, didn’t see that ice there,” Jake said. “Are you okay?”
 

She nodded but didn’t answer. Jake slowed down. A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of Delaney’s bungalow. Jake left the engine idling and leaned toward her. Although the kiss was lingering and steamy, and left Delaney practically quivering, he didn’t ask if he could come in. And something, probably the imagined looks of disapproval on Summer’s and Josie’s faces, stopped her from inviting him.
 

Thank you,” she said, instead. “That was really great.”
 

He gave her one more light kiss and hopped out of the driver’s seat. He helped her down from the Jeep, walked her to the door and kissed her cheek.
 

And then he was gone.
 

***

Back on the solid ground of reality inside her house, Delaney made herself a nest on the couch with her favorite down blanket, a cup of hot chocolate and her cat. All she could think about was Jake Rhoades stripping off her clothes. No, ripping them off. When she couldn’t even force herself to concentrate on the latest gossip magazine, she texted the girls:
When does the sex come in?
 

Summer:
All good things in life are worth waiting for, Dee. It’s too soon.

Josie:
Hold your horses, sister. Have you even had The Talk with him?
 

Delaney:
The exclusivity talk?

Josie:
The very same, yes.
 

Delaney:
Kind of.

Summer:
Kind of?
You need to REALLY have that talk before you have sex. For once.
 

Delaney:
Ouch.
 

Summer:
Just tellin’ it like it is.

Josie:
Well, what do you mean, kind of?
 

Delaney:
I told him I wasn’t seeing anyone else.

Summer:
And?
 

Delaney:
And he said he’s not looking for anyone else but he’s really busy with his art gallery and he doesn’t have much time to date and stuff. He asked me to be patient.
 

Josie:
Hmmm.

Delaney:
I know.

Summer:
No sex. Not until you’re officially a couple. Officially.

Josie:
She’s right, Dee. Keep us posted. Now stop bugging me. I’m watching my show … er, grading papers.
 

Since calling Jake and inviting him back for a session of afternoon delight was out of the question, then, Delaney decided to hit the gym and go for a run to work out some of the energy that zinged through her body like a ball in a pinball machine. She tossed the blanket aside, dumped the mug of hot chocolate and put on her gym clothes. If she couldn’t burn calories in the way she really wanted to, at least she’d justify that bagel she’d had this morning.

Monday morning passed in a blur of coffee drinking, resume refining and job applying as Delaney exercised her new sense of purpose. She applied for and inquired about jobs as far away as Phoenix and Flagstaff and in blink-and-you-miss-’em towns like Paulden and Belmont. So what if she had to commute? So what if she ended up spending most of her time in a town the size of her bathtub? She didn’t care, as long as she had a job. She was driven. Very driven.

When her phone rang at five minutes after noon, Delaney’s hopes shot through the roof. Was someone already responding to one of today’s applications? Summer was right. Put it out to the Universe.
 

She answered the phone.
 

“Delaney. It’s Doctor Rick. Kathryn Rick.”
 

Doctor Rick… Newcastle in a cold glass. She had turned Delaney down, hadn’t she? Lack of experience? Before Delaney could think of something halfway intelligent to say, Doctor Rick plowed ahead.
 

“I’ve reconsidered. I’d like to offer you the position. Can you start Wednesday?”

Delaney could barely contain her excitement and managed to hold it together until they hung up.
 

When they finally did, Delaney burst into tears, a multitude of emotions—relief, happiness, fear—causing her to heave out long sobs. She flung herself onto the couch and Pixie jumped up next to her, curious.

“Finally,” she said.
 

Pixie sniffed her face and Delaney managed to take a few breaths to calm herself. “I didn’t realize until now how scared I was, Pix,” she said, petting the cat. “I thought I was going to end up a cat lady living off bartending tips at age eighty. No offense.”
 

She burst into tears again, allowing herself a few moments to absorb the news. Once she cried herself dry, Delaney went into the kitchen and used a wet dishtowel to clean her face.
 

“It’s a new beginning, Pixie. Now let’s just hope I don’t mess it up.”
 

***

Carpool Tuesday had turned into a weekly interrogation.
 

“You guys are destined for the CIA or something,” Delaney told Summer’s kids, glaring at them in the rearview mirror.

“Aunt Dee, I heard my mom talking to Auntie Josie last night. They were talking about you.”
 

Nate had chosen the pop station today and the music pumped, vibrating the entire car. Delaney had to turn it down so she could hear Sarah, who held a book on her lap but whose gaze pierced Delaney’s in the mirror.

“Oh yeah?”
 

“Yeah,” Sarah said. “They were saying you’re in love.”
 

The traffic signal at Hidden Knoll turned red, giving Delaney a chance to turn around and return Sarah’s look, face to face. She closed her book.
Uh oh
.
 

“They were, were they?” Delaney said.
 

“Yes. So. Are you?”
 

“Sarah, I don’t know if you’re old enough to talk about this.”
 

“Light’s green,” Nate said. “She is, because she heard Mom on the phone, and Mom didn’t tell her to go away. But don’t change the subject, Aunt Dee. Are you in love, or not?”
 

“Nathan.” Delaney turned around and pressed the accelerator. “You are definitely too young to discuss this with.”
 

“Ooh, she called you Nathan,” Luke said. “She’s serious. Look, Aunt Dee, we’re passing the scene of the first meeting. This is a magical spot for you. So are you? In love?”
 

Unfortunately, the traffic signal at Pinecone also turned red and Delaney was forced to stop at the
magical spot
.
 

“You know, I still haven’t tried that Porky’s place,” she said. “Have you guys ever been there?”
 

They all shook their heads and Luke rolled his eyes. “You know Mom won’t take us to a place like that. They don’t have whole wheat buns. Stop changing the subject.”
 

“Since when have you guys taken such an interest in my love life?” Delaney said.
 

“Since The Dating Intervention began,” Sarah said.
 

The boys giggled.
 

“Green light,” Nate said again. “We’ve never seen Mom so mad at you, for one thing. And also, she’s been spending a lot of time with you guys. Don’t you think we deserve to know why?”
 

“You should be an attorney, Nate.”
 

“Hear it all the time,” he said.
 

When Delaney didn’t respond to Nate’s line of questioning, Luke and Sarah pressed on: “So?” they said at the same time.

“Guys, it’s not that simple,” Delaney told them. “When you’re my age, it’s not like you’re just all of a sudden in love, like you read about in Sleeping Beauty or whatever. It’s complicated.”
 

“What’s so complicated?” Sarah said. “I think you’re just
making
it complicated. I mean, you’re both adults. You both have jobs. You glow when you’re together—”