What was I freaking out over? We’d already been together twice, in a much more intimate way than having dinner together.
I tried to calm myself down, telling myself that I was getting anxious for no good reason. Maybe I just wanted it to work out so badly that it was actually getting to me.
So much so that when Jacob texted me that he was outside my house, I squeaked, shoving my feet into a pair of my favorite boots and adjusting my bra before dashing down the steps. I must’ve looked like a total mad woman with my hair flying out behind me.
“You look very nice,” Jacob said, smiling as he opened the passenger door to his truck for me.
“Thanks,” I replied breathlessly. “You clean up pretty nicely, yourself.”
And it was true. Jacob was decked out in a black button-up shirt, with a nice pair of gray pants that fit him in all the right places. He didn’t really have to do too much to look fantastic, though. Especially when there wasn’t a stitch of clothing on him…
I slid into the cab of the truck and bit back the smile that easily formed on my face. Just being around Jacob made me feel better, it was so weird. Our unending conversation on the way to the restaurant made it seem like it barely took any time at all. Things were just that easy between us.
“I’ve never been here before. I’m assuming they have pretty good food?” he asked.
We stood outside the front of Obriccio’s and left the valet to park Jacob’s truck, Jacob’s eyes following him suspiciously until he was out of our sight.
“Well, it is one of the best restaurants around, if you ask me. But I guess that’s just a matter of opinion. My father’s always taking friends out to lunch here.”
I couldn’t help but notice the slight frown on Jacob’s face, but it was as if it had never happened when he took my hand in his. “Shall we?”
We were seated at a table near the back, thanks to my well-known last name, and had a great view of the rest of the place, overlooking the strip. Outside, the palm trees stood in stark contrast to the sun setting behind them. Even the night around us felt like it was alive.
Sort of the way I felt around Jacob.
He glanced at the menu, one dark eyebrow raised. “Does this place not believe in listing its prices?”
I laughed. “You’ll find that in a lot of places like this one. I guess they just figure you can afford the food, whatever the price, so they don’t want to distract you with numbers. It’s presumptuous, to say the least.”
Nodding, Jacob flipped to the next page. “I have to agree with you there. What are you in the mood for? I’m seeing a lot of seafood… Not really my thing. Well, this looks like it might be pretty good.” He pointed to a picture of a dish that was filled with a sampler of food.
I found it refreshing to finally be out with someone who wasn’t so concerned about the way he was perceived in public. It was something I always had to deal with with Liam, and as someone who wasn’t too concerned with what other people thought about me, I was never very pleased.
“Not a fan of seafood?” I teased. “Blasphemous! Actually, I only really like a couple different types of fish, myself. And I can’t stand shellfish, totally gross. My dad used to try and force me to try clams and oysters, and scallops too,” I said, wincing from memory. “Way too salty. And slimy.”
I just loved seeing the corner of his crooked smile quirk up. “Glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks that way.”
Once the waiter brought our drinks to us, I lifted my glass up, suddenly feeling shy as he stared back at me. “A toast. To the soon-to-be Dr. Jacob Alder. May his reputation as Dr. Jake the Snake ever precede him.”
Jacob joined in, chuckling as he raised his glass. “Here, here. And I raise my glass in toast of fun times in supply closets, as well.” He gave me a little wink as we clinked our glasses together, both of us laughing.
I wasn’t at all surprised throughout the rest of dinner, the way Jacob seemed so animated but down to earth at the same time, full of energy, but not boastful, either. It was just amazing to me how different two people could be. But then I stopped comparing him to Liam, no longer caring what Liam was or wasn’t like. He was the past. And who knew… Maybe I had some kind of future with Jacob? From what I could tell, I could only be so lucky.
The breeze rolled over the top of the hillside, catching my dress with it, and playing at the end of my hair, twirling it all around my face. It was chillier up there than I thought it would be, and I hugged my arms around myself as we looked down over the rest of the valley.
Jacob took a swig from the open wine bottle I brought, passing it to me. “I have to say, this is a pretty nice spot.”
I smiled. I found this little nook tucked away behind some overgrown dry brush a few years ago when I went hiking with a group of friends. Not too many people knew about the little areas here and there that dotted the hillsides above L.A. I liked to go up there any time I needed to think, or any time I needed to not think. I lost count of the days and nights that I had spent just sitting there, after everything happened with Liam.
“Yeah, I think so too. It’s just nice to get away from it all sometimes.”
“You know, I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve never really been up this way before,” Jacob said softly. “My mom and I, we always had it tougher, you know? And to me this whole area, and the place you’re from? I always thought that was off-limits, that I was never supposed to make it that far.”
I hated to hear that, because to me, if anyone deserved to have a nice place in the hills, free from worry, it was his mom and him. “I can’t imagine how it must’ve been, I mean how hard it must’ve been for you guys. You said your dad left when you were little, right?”
Jacob simply nodded.