If Jewel was unsure before, she at least knew in this moment that Lea wanted her in some capacity, even if it was only physical. She’d take the win where she could. “It’s your birthday. Let me spoil you.”
“Spoil me?” Lea arched a beautiful brow.
“Yes.” Jewel grinned. “So what will it be? Steak? Ribs? Please don’t say seafood. That is not my specialty.”
“What? Don’t want to try your hand at crawfish?”
Jewel groaned. “No. Thank you.”
Lea’s tongue dashed across her lips, her voice lowered. “Why don’t you just surprise me?”
“Oh, I plan on it.” Jewel chuckled low and slow before stepping away and grabbing some fresh carrots and tossing them in with her fruit. Lea cocked her head at her curiously, but Jewel grinned and sashayed toward the bell peppers and cucumbers. “Coming?”
Lea choked.
Jewel knew she had her then. Winking, she pushed her cart toward the meat department after grabbing what she needed from produce. One thing she had learned about Lea was she spent very little time in the center of the aisles. She typically walked the outside of the store and hit produce, meat, and then dairy before walking down two or three select aisles to grab seasonings and sauces and then she was done.
Jewel had never shopped that way until she met Lea. Growing up as she did, on the edges of being poor in her working class family, she’d shopped often in the middle of the store. Perhaps that was why she had hips and Lea was tall and lean. Either way, since shopping with her the first time, Jewel was curious as to why, noting Lea rarely picked up non-perishable food.
As they went through the store, Jewel planned out the meal she wanted to cook for that night, which she’d already mostly figured out in her head. She was going to surprise Lea and spoil her one way or another. She’d never gone all out for Lea’s birthday before, mostly because she’d been gone for half of them on some trip or another for spring break, but this year they were both there.
While Lea went to the check out, Jewel slipped down the baking aisle, grabbed some candles, and something sweet in a box to bake for dinner. She could do this. She could make brownies and not burn them. Sliding the dessert that would be their cake into her cart, Jewel headed for the front of the store. Lea finished before she did and waited so they could walk to the car together. As was their fashion, Jewel put her food in the back seat while Lea put all hers in the trunk.
They settled into their seats. “What do you say you drop me off at home, I’ll put this crap away, and then meet you at your place?”
“Sure.” Lea pulled out of the parking lot. “You know you don’t have to do this, right?”
“I want to.” Jewel reached over the center console and pressed her hand to Lea’s.
“Fine.” Lea sounded exasperated, as if she was giving in because Jewel was insisting.
Her plan had to work. If there was one thing she had figured out in the past week since leaving Indigo, it was that she wanted more than mere friendship from Lea. She’d toyed with the idea before, but the week had been awful without Lea to talk to her, comfort her, calm her down, and be there as back up when Brady was an asshole.
The drive back to town was relatively quiet, but each mile of the drive confirmed what Jewel had already decided. She was going to take this as far as Lea would let her. She wanted a relationship. She wanted to be girlfriends. She wanted to love Lea and be loved back by her. All she had to do was convince Lea it was going to be a good idea. They could take this risk together.
As planned, Lea dropped her off. Jewel found the brownie mix and made it up, putting it in the oven, and then put everything else away as quickly as possible. She’d cook the majority of the dinner at Lea’s so it wouldn’t get cold in transit, but she wanted to get as much of it done beforehand as she could. She didn’t want to be slaving in the kitchen when she could spend that time wooing Azalea Fuller. This was going to take patience and tenacity.
Jewel went into her bedroom and pulled out a new outfit. Stripping down, she changed into the pair of tight dark blue jeans and a V-neck shirt that plunged a little more than was appropriate. It was one of her favorite date outfits, and she was going to use it to her advantage that night. She freshened up her makeup, made sure her hair was in place and perfect, adding in a little more hairspray just to make sure. Staring herself down in the mirror, she gave herself one last pep talk before checking on the brownies. They were almost done. With her supplies gathered and in her car, Jewel drove the short distance to Lea’s. Her one chance about to begin.
* * *
Jewel left the brownies in the car when she jogged up to Lea’s front door. She knocked but walked right in. “Lea! Can I get a hand bringing it all in?”
Lea popped her head around the corner. “Sure.”
Together, they walked down the steps to her car. Jewel handed Lea the grocery bags that held their uncooked meal, and she herself grabbed the still crazy-hot pan of brownies. She’d have to find some way to keep them warm because they were just better that way.
She set up everything inside, Lea lingering in the kitchen. They talked aimlessly while she tried to focus on cooking. She kept the chant in her head that she would not burn dinner. She would not burn dinner. When she finally plated everything, Jewel made up the table and sat next to Lea, giving her a big grin.
“Happy Birthday, Lea.”
“Thank you.” Lea smiled back at her. “And thank you for dinner. You really didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to. I mean that.”
She could barely tear her gaze away from Lea. She still seemed tight, as if she was holding back. Ever since they’d gotten back from Indigo, Jewel sensed a wall between them that she couldn’t break down. Nothing she’d thrown at it so far had worked. Jewel barely tasted the dinner as she ate, trying to work through the best way to entice Lea to stop holding back.
It was clear to Jewel they both wanted this. When they’d been at Indigo, the relaxed atmosphere had been amazing, and Jewel had never felt so much like the center of someone’s world before. And while, yes, they had to come back to the reality of life, she missed that feeling. She missed knowing she could walk right up to Lea and kiss her, drag her outside for a quick make-out session in the rain, or even in the car while they parked in the grocery store parking lot.