How Times Change

“No- Kris- don’t-!” Too late. Jade heard numbers chiming as she snatched for her phone. By the time she got it from Kristen there was ringing, and just as she was about to punch the end call, a merry baritone came on the line.

“Hello?” Lucas’s voice was loud in the quiet computer lab. Jade stopped, her thumb hovering over the end button. Lucas spoke again. “Hello?” Jade flashed her best ‘when I get a hold of you’ stare at Kristen, who just smirked, and waved at her to take the call. One more second passed that seemed like an eternity.

Finally she spoke, still shooting daggers through her stare at Kristen who completely ignored them. “Hello Lucas.”

“Jade! I didn’t expect to hear from you – I know how crazy busy you are!” The warmth in his tone told her that he’d been wondering heavy on whether she’d call. He continued. “I’m on break between rounds of “market share” this and “global presence’ that. You caught me at a good time.”

She spun her chair so she could top seeing Kristen mugging at her. “Well, I’m busy too- in the middle of things. I wasn’t expecting to call.” She stopped at that, realizing how unbrilliant that sounded.

Lucas, like she knew he would, picked up on that. “No? Had thumb malfunction when you were scrolling through the man list?” His easy humor came through the airwaves and had her thinking of his touch on her shoulder and other places.

She came back, too quickly. “No! What I meant was…” She took a deep breath, and gathered herself. “ Luc, how long are you going to be in town?” Spinning her chair she met Kristen’s amused stare eye to eye.

“Two more days then I’m back to Raleigh to tie down some loose ends. Why? What’s on your mind?” She was expecting a lecherous tone to that, but the earnest interest that came through the line set her back a step. She stopped, open mouthed, only to be waved on by Kristen, who was now all eyes and ears, leaning close.

Jade took a very deep breath. Now or never JJ- “Why don’t you come by my place tonight? I know your hired giant knows the way”.  She let that hang, knowing he’d be processing the sarcasm in the tone. Then she added, softer. “We need to talk.”

Lucas agreed and the details were set. He’d be by about seven once his meetings were done and he’d bring something for dessert. Case closed. As Jade punched an end to the call her eyes met Kristen’s which were sparkling as she pantomimed ‘the crowd goes wild’.

Jade never could stay angry with her max sassed New York friend. She did frown though, and twisted a lip at her. “Get back to work party girl.” Jade blew out a breath and pulled herself back to her PC, shaking her head. “Apparently I have a date tonight. I don’t want to be late.”

Note to self- lock your damn phone!

*****

Seven O’clock came and went and right after it, seven thirty.

In Jade’s black marble kitchen, the remains of a good piece of salmon were still sitting in the pan. Cleaning up was the last thing on her mind. The mix of emotions she was dealing with, confusion, frustration, anger and somewhere underneath it all a tiny nibble of hope, made her appetite run for other places. Even Tiger wasn’t up for more as she’d given him most of what she’d had on her plate. The big tabby was sleeping off his salmon under the living room window, mottled light from the full moon making him look more like a jungle cat than ever.

Where is he? It had been a long time since Jade had waited on any man, and the strange sense of worry and angst and anger that it gave her was starting to make her restless. He has my number…

Almost in the same instant she heard the doorbell go off. Tiger lifted one eye, but made no attempt to move. She pointed a mock angry finger at him. “ Some guard dog you are.” He rolled over away from her. “Typical”.

Tiger she could forgive almost anything from. Lucas though, hadn’t earned anything but the steam she was building up as she made for the door. When the doorbell rang again, she ripped her glass front door open to the shadow standing there.

Lucas was caught in mid ring, eyes wide, and under no illusions about the frown Jade was wearing. “Jade, I’m sorry- the meeting ran later than I thought-‘

“Mhmm. An hour later.” Jade was holding the door frame in a white knuckle grip, fighting the urge to throw the heavy oak closed. She knew she was overreacting. She knew she should just let him in, but the part of her that was still spinning after Danbury lag held the door firm. “You could have called.”

Lucas stammered, taken aback by the fierceness in her tone. “Jade – I just tried to get here as fast as I could, I thought…”

“You thought wrong.”  With that she did actually slam the door, relishing the shudder of the solid frame. Across the hall from the entryway, Tiger peeked out from around the hall opening, eyes wide, and, she thought, accusingly. “What?” The burly tabby just stared, one ear back. “Oh, what do you know?” Exasperated, she spun back to the door, flinging it open again, catching Lucas getting ready to knock. “Get in here.” Leaving Lucas staring open mouthed she stalked back into the house.

Sitting in the kitchen on one of her Roman stools, Jade listened to Lucas close the door softly in the hall. Tiger, apparently judging men by the standard of how well they scratched ears, was chirruping from around the corner as well. Traitor. In a moment, Lucas rounded the corner, a small cake box in his hand.

“I- I brought dessert?” The lost boy tone made Jade even more infuriated because she could feel it tugging at her, and telling her to be reasonable, which was the last thing she wanted.  She kept her tone flat.

“I see.” She said nothing as Lucas stepped further in and set the box down on the edge of her slab marble island. She recognized the box- it was from Little Bit O’ Cheesecake, one of her favorite weekend stops and definitely high on the secret sin list. Damn you Lucas…She met his eyes, not shying away from the emerald green for once. Lucas, for a change, dropped his eyes.

“Jade, I’m sorry. I get so wrapped up in all of this business craziness. I’m not used to…”

“-Thinking about someone else besides yourself?” She instantly regretted saying it- God JJ, where did that come from? – She could see the words roll over his face and the hurt that followed it. He stiffened and drew a deep breath.

“Maybe I should go JJ. “ That fell between them, heavy. Jade let it lie there for a moment, meeting his eyes. When she spoke, she caught him off guard again.

“What’s in the box?”

At first his look said she was speaking French- Except he’d understand that now- then a tentative grin crawled out into the open. “I asked the girl for something that said, ‘I’m late, but you’ll forget it’.” He pulled the bow loop and the box sides fell away, revealing the most exquisite cherry chocolate cheesecake truffle that Jade had ever seen.

That wasn’t enough. She wanted it to be, but it wasn’t. She caught his eye again. “Why?”

Lucas stared, hand still poised in the voila over the unfolded cake box, his expression saying he was swimming in a sea of missing context. “Why…?”

Jade let go, couldn’t stop herself. “Why? Why did you have to show up now? Why the hell couldn’t you have been the same old Gnat? I didn’t ask for this.” Then almost to herself, “I didn’t want this-?” Tears were coming, she could feel the burn and she wanted them to halt, to stop on a dime and go back under the will she’d been holding them down with, but they’d been waiting too long. “Why?” Two years of asking burned its way out of her throat and then she was sobbing, shoulders heaving and hands to her face.

“Oh- oh God JJ, Shhh….” In a step, Lucas crossed the distance between them, and she felt his arms around her, her face pressed to his chest, making a mess of the blue denim shirt he’d come over with. She could hear him, mumbling soft incomprehensible things, stroking her hair. Her eyes burned, her mind was spinning. She was close, too close.