Christmas could have been better.
“I heard the prince turned out to be a prick,” Jacob said, watching her keenly now and zeroing in on the source of her misery. “Rick told me. Sorry.”
“Oh.” The knife in her chest gave another twist. For a little while, she’d been able to put Mitch out of her mind. “Yeah.”
“His loss,” Jacob added.
She huffed out a laugh and smiled because she knew he wanted her to. “Damn right.”
“Mine did, too.”
Not really following him, Melinda raised an eyebrow. “You had a prince?”
“— cess ,” he corrected, pointing a stern finger at her. “Princess. Nicole. Whatever. More of a toad-ess, as it turns out.”
“Oh. Really?” Sitting on the edge of the bed, Melinda ran her fingers through the dark, burnished brown hair falling over his forehead, then took his free hand in both of hers. “I’m sorry.”
“Sucks much, right? Christmas and everything. She was kind enough to wait until after I gave her her present. That’s fifty bucks I’ll never get back.”
Presents.
Jacob didn’t seem all that upset about splitting with Nicole, really. In fact, he seemed oddly cheerful. But the mention of presents sent another pang winging through Melinda’s heart.
She’d spent so much time and effort planning out the perfect presents for Mitch. Gifts that had sat, prettily wrapped and alone, underneath the tree all Christmas Day. Her mother had finally packed them away somewhere. She supposed she’d return them when they got back from Utah.
If she could stand the humiliation.
“You gave her a present?” she asked now, shutting Mitch away again. “I didn’t think you guys were that serious.”
She played idly with Jacob’s fingers. He had such big hands.
Jacob shrugged. “We weren’t. We had some laughs, you know, and she told me she was giving me something, so... Turns out a Starbuck’s gift card and one of those stupid troll things she collects wasn’t enough.”
Melinda grimaced and squeezed his fingers.
Though she never tired of teasing him over the way girls fell at his feet these days—much to his still-astonished delight—sometimes she spied the sad, lonely teenager lurking behind his confident grin, the boy he’d successfully hidden from most people during their high-school days.
It hurt her heart.
After going through high school mostly dateless, then a couple months of pure wildness their first semester of college, Jacob was, in some ways, still learning to navigate the whole relationship thing. He wasn’t always great at picking girls who wouldn’t use him, ones he could trust and be himself with. He’d been screwed over more than once.
She’d never liked Nicole, or her predatory nature.
But then, what did she know? She’d had plenty of dates in high school once she came out of her shell, and look who she’d picked. Mitch. She and Jacob really were two peas in a pod.
Jacob mostly blew those experiences off, but once in a while he’d get that look in his eyes, and her heart would squeeze.
Out loud, she only said, “Her loss.”
“You’re damn right,” he answered, and they both smiled.
“Still. Sorry, Jake.”
Not for the first time, she wished she and Jacob had been meant to be together. That they didn’t have such different goals. That he might see her as more than a friend. In so many ways, they were perfect for each other.
Except for the little problem of wanting totally different lives.
Jacob shrugged again. “More fish in the sea. We’ll add ‘freedom’ to the good-mood-inducing list. When I’m a famous team doctor, traveling the country with all the hotshot athletes, giving interviews on all the sports channels, I’ll have my pick.”
And there it was.
He wanted the high life. The Hollywood lifestyle of pro sports, TV personalities, constant traveling, and mingling with the professional athlete’s version of the glitterati. She wanted hearth and home in Pasodoro, a bunch of kids, her family and friends
“I heard the prince turned out to be a prick,” Jacob said, watching her keenly now and zeroing in on the source of her misery. “Rick told me. Sorry.”
“Oh.” The knife in her chest gave another twist. For a little while, she’d been able to put Mitch out of her mind. “Yeah.”
“His loss,” Jacob added.
She huffed out a laugh and smiled because she knew he wanted her to. “Damn right.”
“Mine did, too.”
Not really following him, Melinda raised an eyebrow. “You had a prince?”
“— cess ,” he corrected, pointing a stern finger at her. “Princess. Nicole. Whatever. More of a toad-ess, as it turns out.”
“Oh. Really?” Sitting on the edge of the bed, Melinda ran her fingers through the dark, burnished brown hair falling over his forehead, then took his free hand in both of hers. “I’m sorry.”
“Sucks much, right? Christmas and everything. She was kind enough to wait until after I gave her her present. That’s fifty bucks I’ll never get back.”
Presents.
Jacob didn’t seem all that upset about splitting with Nicole, really. In fact, he seemed oddly cheerful. But the mention of presents sent another pang winging through Melinda’s heart.
She’d spent so much time and effort planning out the perfect presents for Mitch. Gifts that had sat, prettily wrapped and alone, underneath the tree all Christmas Day. Her mother had finally packed them away somewhere. She supposed she’d return them when they got back from Utah.
If she could stand the humiliation.
“You gave her a present?” she asked now, shutting Mitch away again. “I didn’t think you guys were that serious.”
She played idly with Jacob’s fingers. He had such big hands.
Jacob shrugged. “We weren’t. We had some laughs, you know, and she told me she was giving me something, so... Turns out a Starbuck’s gift card and one of those stupid troll things she collects wasn’t enough.”
Melinda grimaced and squeezed his fingers.
Though she never tired of teasing him over the way girls fell at his feet these days—much to his still-astonished delight—sometimes she spied the sad, lonely teenager lurking behind his confident grin, the boy he’d successfully hidden from most people during their high-school days.
It hurt her heart.
After going through high school mostly dateless, then a couple months of pure wildness their first semester of college, Jacob was, in some ways, still learning to navigate the whole relationship thing. He wasn’t always great at picking girls who wouldn’t use him, ones he could trust and be himself with. He’d been screwed over more than once.
She’d never liked Nicole, or her predatory nature.
But then, what did she know? She’d had plenty of dates in high school once she came out of her shell, and look who she’d picked. Mitch. She and Jacob really were two peas in a pod.
Jacob mostly blew those experiences off, but once in a while he’d get that look in his eyes, and her heart would squeeze.
Out loud, she only said, “Her loss.”
“You’re damn right,” he answered, and they both smiled.
“Still. Sorry, Jake.”
Not for the first time, she wished she and Jacob had been meant to be together. That they didn’t have such different goals. That he might see her as more than a friend. In so many ways, they were perfect for each other.
Except for the little problem of wanting totally different lives.
Jacob shrugged again. “More fish in the sea. We’ll add ‘freedom’ to the good-mood-inducing list. When I’m a famous team doctor, traveling the country with all the hotshot athletes, giving interviews on all the sports channels, I’ll have my pick.”
And there it was.
He wanted the high life. The Hollywood lifestyle of pro sports, TV personalities, constant traveling, and mingling with the professional athlete’s version of the glitterati. She wanted hearth and home in Pasodoro, a bunch of kids, her family and friends
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