Jamie
Allan insisted on doing the dishes, even though that mostly meant just putting them in the dishwasher. When they were kids, it was an actual chore, and Allan was all too willing to shed that one as soon as Jamie could be trusted with it. “Walk her home,” Allan told Jamie with that intense look that meant there should be more than walking. “Take your time.” He was so solemn he didn’t even wink.
Before he knelt to tie his shoes, Jamie moved Jo’s backpack over so she wouldn’t pick it up. It wasn’t super heavy today, since she’d walked up after dropping any papers and things off at her apartment, but he still wanted to carry it for her. She didn’t like leaving without it, but she was willing to let him take it, at least on a trial basis, like she was testing to see if he was just humoring her or if he respected her needs and wanted to help. Hey, she saw his tender spots, and he saw hers.
Jo sighed indulgently, but she let him shoulder the backpack as she told Allan goodnight. He offered a handshake, not a hug, and at this point Jamie couldn’t figure out where that fell between friendliness and respect. Jo shook it, and then slipped her hand into Jamie’s as they went out the door. He wanted to say something, maybe to ask what she thought of Allan, but there was a certain tilt to her head that made him hold his tongue.
July in Marquette meant that it was barely even dusk at 8 p.m. The sun wouldn’t set for another hour and a half, and then it would be back before 6:30. Winters were dark, but summers were wonderful, and he could certainly appreciate walking along with Jo in silence, her hand in his, her bag on his back because she trusted him to carry the things that made her feel safe. All she had to do was tilt her head and he knew she wanted to get down to the water directly, taking the steepest slope and working against gravity so they wouldn’t get there too quickly. It just emphasized the difference in the length of their strides, and he grinned at the way their hands jostled, but neither of them let go. Jo just caught his eye, laughing, and tugged him across the road.
They were almost all the way back to her apartment when Jo sighed happily. “Yeah, see, as fun as Ricky and Allan are, I like that I don’t have to fill all the silences with you.”
He stopped walking and used her hand and her momentum to pull her in, catching her face with his free hand so he could kiss her. Maybe it was more of a collision, but his lips landed on hers. She didn’t tense or pull back—God, was that really what he was expecting?—but he’d probably shocked her, because it was a moment before Jo’s hand went to the back of his head and she returned the kiss. He let go of her hand to pull her closer, shifting his weight so they could meld together, and he couldn’t tell if he was thinking too much or just the right amount, but at least this time he hadn’t let all those thoughts freeze him before he’d even started. He was kissing Jo, really kissing her, and it was another confusing new step, but it was Jo, and he could make a fool of himself in front of her and it would be okay, but maybe they should go inside first. He pulled back enough to catch her smile, but then her eyes flickered to the side and she started. “Dad?”
Wait, what?
There was a car by the garden apartment, which was the Airbnb, so there was nearly always a car there. The man standing by it gave a little wave before coming to join them. “Your mom was going to call you tomorrow, but I figured hey, why not make it as awkward as possible.” He shrugged and held out a hand to Jamie. “Kent Lewis.”
“Oh my God, Dad,” Jo groaned, but she hadn’t pulled out of Jamie’s arms and she dropped her red face to his chest.
Jamie cleared his throat and shook. “Jamie Whittaker.” At least Kent had started off by saying it was awkward, but seriously? He couldn’t have realized this was their first kiss, which meant this man figured Jamie had been kissing his daughter for a while now.
Kent grinned. He was more backlit by the sunset than anything, so at least the light didn’t flash across his glasses and hide his eyes. “I assumed. Kiddo?”
Jo sighed, but she gave Jamie a squeeze to let him know she was pulling back and he should let her go before she hugged her dad. He wasn’t that much taller than she was, and he was thinner, but it looked like a solid hug all the same. “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, clearly resigned.
Her dad laughed and kissed her hair. “Amanda had a last-minute cancellation. We weren’t sure what time we’d get up, but we’re here through Monday. And we know tomorrow’s game night,” Kent added, holding both hands up as he turned to Jamie, “so we’ve already got plans for dinner with Amanda and Brent, but really, uh.” He turned a fond and apologetic smile on Jo. “Your mom just needs to see you.”
Jamie reached for Jo before he could think of whether it was okay, comforting her when her dad was right there, but of course Jo leaned into him and Kent even smiled and shrugged as if to say Yeah, like that.
“Kent, what …?” A woman came out of the garden apartment and looked around.
He winced and, Jamie thought, winked at them. “Caught now. Over here, honey.” He raised a hand to wave to Mary-Beth, but Jo tilted her head to suggest the three of them go meet her and she could shake Jamie’s hand and give her daughter a hug.
“I was going to call you tomorrow,” Mary-Beth explained, rocking Jo a little in her arms. “We didn’t want to crash date night.”
Jamie caught how Kent suddenly looked away and pretended to whistle innocently and yeah, fine, Jo’s dad seemed okay. He was absolutely not cool, but he embraced his quirkiness, and it wasn’t exactly an everyday sort of situation for him, either. They’d arrived, knowing where Jo’s apartment was but not meaning to cross paths with her tonight, and then he’d come out to get another load of luggage and seen Jo and Jamie across the way …
“Tomorrow,” Mary-Beth declared, both hands on Jo’s shoulders. “We don’t have to do breakfast if that’s too early, but something tomorrow.”
Jo looked over at Jamie, almost smirking. “Would your Mom and Allan do breakfast? His brother just showed up tonight, too.”
Kent’s eyebrows did some acrobatics as he worked through what they might have been up to when Allan walked in on them, but Mary-Beth just shrugged. “Text us, honey. And it’s so nice to meet you,” she added to Jamie, offering him a wide smile. “But we’re not crashing, so.” She made little shooing gestures.
“See you tomorrow,” Kent told them as Jo took Jamie’s hand and pulled him toward her apartment.
Chapter Thirty-Three – coming November 2
