Chapter Thirteen
Natalie
Ispent the rest ofthe evening curled up withJane Eyre, one of my favorite classics. I was dazed from the kiss. It had been so unexpected. Up until yesterday, I’d thought I annoyed the hell out of Jake—or, at the very least, that I was a thorn in his side. But he’d wanted to kiss me all along? Talk about reading the room—or my chronic inability to do so. Then again, many things would be different in my life if I were able to interpret people's intentions just by analyzing situations correctly.
The next day, I visited one more party location. When I came home in the evening, I wanted to call Jeannie but forgot all about it when I saw a message from Vince.
Vince: Did you get my letter?
Natalie: I threw it away.
Vince: Come on, Nat. Don’t be like this.
I breathed in and out, trying to stay calm. I didn’t want to give Vince any more power over me.
Natalie: I’m blocking your number. Don’t contact me again.
I blocked it before he had a chance to reply. I couldn’t believe he was still trying to get a hold of me. He’d done enough damage in my life.
I took in a few more breaths, bringing up Jeannie’s number. Then I had another idea. I texted pictures to Jake instead. I’d tried very hard not to think about him today—and failed spectacularly.
Natalie: Okay, what do you think about this location versus the last one? This one has more space for dancing.
After what he shared about his grandmother, the party started taking shape in my head.
Jake: Looks good to me.
Natalie: Can I get a more detailed opinion?
Jake: Only if you promise me two dances.
A vision of us dancing popped into my head, him putting one of those strong arms around my waist. And oh, damn it, I really wanted to dance with him. What harm could it do? Besides, I wanted to test how good his skills were.
Natalie: Deal.
He replied right away.
Jake: I think she'd prefer the other location more because the garden is bigger. She really likes nature.
Natalie: Okay, thanks. I'll call her tonight.
Jake: What are you doing right now?
Natalie: Heading to Gelateria Di Venezzia :-)) You?
Jake: Reading reports.
My jaw dropped.
Natalie: It’s eight o’clock. Don’t you do anything fun in the evenings?