A Marine for Christmas (Hearts Ablaze: Men in Uniform) (4 page)

“So he came over
with
his new girlfriend?” Amy’s friend Beth asked the next evening.  The girls were out at a local restaurant and bar, waiting for Melissa and their friend Kara to arrive.  Melissa had already texted them to say that she’d be running late.  She’d spent the afternoon with Michael, presumably sorting through all that needed to be cancelled for the wedding that would never be. Amy was certain she’d be heaping mad by the time she arrived, and this was probably her only chance to vent to Beth about her own ex.  Their friend Kara was married and the mother of twin baby girls.  It was a given that she’d be late on the rare occasion that she joined the rest of the girls for dinner or drinks.

“Yep,” Amy replied.  She took a swig of her beer and glanced aroun
d the crowded bar area.  It wasn’t likely that she’d see any of her students’ parents while out, but she tried to be careful when in public.  Not that she was really one to go wild anyway. 
That was more Melissa’s forte
, she thought with a smirk.

“What’s so funny?” Beth asked, catching her expression.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“So what’d you say?”

‘To who?”

“Ben,” Beth said, looking a little frustrated.

“Oh, I didn’t.  I snuck out the back door.”

Beth choked on the margarita she was sipping. 
“You’re kidding!”

“Nope,” Amy said with a grin.

“What’d you do out back?”

“I went for a run,” Amy recalled with a laugh. 
“Cut across the neighbor’s yard and headed out to the main road before eventually looping back.  I was feeling pretty good, too.  Then I ran into my neighbor of all things.  Melissa has the hots for him,” she added confidentially.

“Melissa?  But Michael just broke up with her like two seconds ago!”

“Oh, I know.  I’m just teasing.”

“So you ran away from your ex to go jogging with another man instead.”

“Well, we didn’t really run together.  We jogged by about five houses.  We were both headed back home.  Oh, and get this….”  Amy proceeded to tell her friend about the TV on her front porch and Jason carrying it inside.  They had moved on to other topics and their second drink each by the time Kara and eventually Melissa arrived.

***

“Aaaaand we’re through,” Melissa announced, slamming her shot glass down on the counter.  She’d arrived moments ago and insisted on ordering them all a round of shots before telling them about her afternoon with Michael.  Only Beth had joined her as Kara was still breastfeeding and Amy didn’t do shots.

“You really don’t want yours?” she asked Amy, fingers winding round the glass.

“Have at it.”

Melissa downed it in one gulp.  “Ah, I really needed that this afternoon.  What a massive headache I have from even attempting to have a conversation with that man.”

“So it’s definitely over?” Kara asked, attempting to be the voice of reason.

“Absolutely.
  Michael offered to reimburse me for some of the wedding costs I’d paid for.  I mean, my God, it’s the LEAST he could do.  The very LEAST.  Who calls off their wedding with only two months to go?  I am over men.  OVER them.  And if I see that bastard out here tonight with another woman, I swear I will—”

“
Shhh, calm down!” Amy chastised.

“Trust me,” Melissa said, rolling her eyes.  “If the same thing happened to any of you, you would be pissed off as well.”

“Touché,” said Beth.

“So he wasn’t sorry at all?” Amy asked, looking doubtful.

“He was sorry he came over, that’s for sure.”

The girls all laughed.  Melissa was known for her melodrama, but there was no doubt that she would have given Michael hell now that she’d had a few days to stew over their cancelled wedding. 
What had been a sob-fest at Amy’s house a few days ago was no doubt a shit storm today, Amy thought with a smirk.  She imagined the burly Marine quaking in his boots at Melissa’s wrath.  Ha.  As the day drew closer, Melissa was no doubt going to be feeling upset all over again.  They were probably all in for a long couple months, at least until the holidays were over.  A new year would mean a fresh start.  At this point she was looking forward to a fresh start as well.

Jason walked out of the restaurant, a paper bag full of carry-out food gripped in his hand.  Man, he would have to start finding some guys to hang out with on Saturday night.  It was almost depressing seeing all the fun-loving groups of friends and happy couples inside.  You knew you were getting old when you wished you were home with your wife and kid on Saturday night, not picking up carry-out alone.  Not that he and Kristin had been happily spending Saturday nights together in a long, long time.  The deployments made sure to kill any real shot their relationship ever had.  But even a night in with his son would be a million times better than spending the weekend alone.

He clicked the remote to his car and was just opening the door when he spotted Amy across the parking lot.
  She was wearing tight jeans, those high-heeled boots all the women seemed to have nowadays, and a longish red sweater.  He wasn’t sure what it was—maybe the loose way her hair cascaded over her shoulders, or the way those jeans made her legs look a mile long—but the overall look was sexy as hell.  She was standing in front of her SUV, digging through her purse.  As he glanced around, it didn’t seem like she was with anyone.  He watched as she flipped her brown hair back off her face.  He assumed she must be looking for her keys—why else would she be standing there alone in the parking lot at this time of night?

Setting his bag of food down on the floor, Jason shut his car door and clicked the remote once again to lock it.  By the time he had walked across the lot, she was stepping back from the SUV as her eyes swept the ground.

“Amy.”

She looked up, surprised, a slightly distracted look on her face.
  Her cheeks were a little flushed from the cool night air, but her sapphire blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

“Jason, hi.”
  She glanced toward the ground again and then back at him.  “I was just trying to find my keys.  I swear I had them a second ago.”

“Need some help?”

“Yes,” she said gratefully.  “I just had dinner with my friends, and they all left.  Would you believe
all
of them parked in the other lot?  Now I’m standing out here alone in the cold.”

He watched her rosy lips as she spoke, imagining what it might be like to kiss them someday.  Would she taste as sweet as she smelled?  Whatever perfume she had on right now was simply intoxicating.  He’d lean closer to take a whiff if that wouldn’t have been entirely inappropriate.  As it were, she shivered in the cool
night air, and he felt like a jerk for just letting her stand there.  “Here, take my jacket,” he said, shrugging out of the brown leather one that he was wearing.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t.  You’ll be cold.”

“I’ll be fine.  I insist.”

Amy hesitantly took it from him and put it on.
  “Well, if you’re sure.”  The temperature had dropped dramatically from yesterday afternoon when they’d been out jogging. 
Typical for this time of year
, Jason thought.  It was practically summer-like one minute and then winter the next.  Amy did look happier now that she was warm, even if she was still locked out of her vehicle.  Not to mention pretty damn cute wearing his leather jacket.  It engulfed her, covering her feminine shape, but somehow the look still worked for her.

They both stepped farther out from
her SUV at exactly the same time, accidentally bumping into one another.

“I’m sorry,” Amy said,
colliding into his chest.  He reached out to steady her, and she flushed as she met his gaze. Jason had to resist the urge to pull her into his arms right then.  She was the perfect height for him, her head just beneath his chin.  It would be so easy to bend down right now for a kiss—not that he’d be doing that here in the parking lot.  Hell, it’s not like they even knew each other.  Not really.  The attraction between them felt almost palpable though, with her gaze locked with his, and the two of them standing mere inches away from one another.  He worked to keep his face neutral, wondering if the heat in his eyes might give him away.

“
It was my fault,” he disagreed, feeling somewhat chagrined now that she was backing away.

“Maybe I left them inside,” she said, seeming uncertain
as to what to do next.

“I’ll come with you. 
If they’re not out here, I’m sure someone already found them and turned them in.  But I’m happy to give you a lift home if you need it.”

“Okay, thanks,” she said, looking slightly relieved.
  Had she really thought he’d just leave her stranded here alone in the parking lot late at night?  Man, he’d have to work harder at being a friendlier neighbor if that’s how little she thought of him.  Then again, her own friends had left—not knowing she was locked out, of course.  But that would leave a person feeling rattled.  And they didn’t know each other that well—maybe she’d thought he’d just continue on his way.

“Come on,” he said, gesturing toward the front of the restaurant.  “Let’s go check for those keys.”

***

“I really hope they turn up,” Amy said, shaking her head
disbelievingly as she climbed into Jason’s car.  “Oh, you were picking up food!” she said with a frown as she spotted the forgotten paper bag on the floor of the car.  “I’m sorry—it’s totally cold by now.”

“What?  Oh, no problem,” Jason said as he climbed in the driver’s seat.  “That’s what they invented microwave ovens for.”

She laughed and enjoyed the brief flash of a smile that he gave her before starting the engine.  His blue eyes were sparkling, alert.  Amy wondered what he was so happy about.  Maybe he had a hot date later on tonight or something. 
Yeah right. 
It was already 9:30 p.m.  And she’d never seen him with anyone before, come to think of it.  “Well, I am sorry.  But thanks again for the ride.”

“So do you have your house keys?  Or do we need to call a locksmith?”

“I think one of the neighbors has a spare key.  I hope so at least.  I can’t imagine what a locksmith would charge at this hour of night.”

“So you’ve got some
great neighbors, huh?” Jason asked, his voice deep.  He didn’t look over at her, but Amy thought she detected the hint of a smile in his profile as he stared ahead while driving.

“Pretty much,” Amy replied with a laugh. 
“They drive me around, haul TVs inside my house for me.  You know—all the usual neighborly stuff.”

“
The usual stuff, huh?  So I guess I fit right in.”

“Well, I don’t know if I could’ve relied on Mrs. Jones for all that heavy lifting,” Amy replied, referring to the elderly widow that lived next door to her.

“Is that the sweet little old lady that bakes pies all the time?”

“The very one,” Amy said with a smile.  Although Jason hadn’t been around much, he had made a brief appearance at the
annual end-of-summer neighborhood block party.  She’d been with Ben then, spending the evening drinking beers and snuggled under his arm.  They’d made love on her deck under the stars that night—under the town fireworks, as well.  Although they’d been much too busy creating their own fireworks to pay much attention to the town’s festivities.

“She made a killer blackberry pie for that barbeque.  Man—
that made me miss my mom’s own cooking.”

“Where are you from?”

“All over the place—military brat.”  He flashed that killer smile in her direction once more. “My parents are out in California.  So is the rest of my family, actually.”

“Ah, a west-coast guy.
  I’m from Maryland, just outside of DC.”

“Is your family still there?”

“My parents yes, my sister no.”

Jason drove down the main road she’d jogged along yesterday afternoon and swung a left back into their neighborhood. 
The cozy houses were warmly lit up in the cool night, and Amy felt a sudden pang of sadness that she was returning to her darkened house alone.  It had been a while since a man had driven her home, she realized.  She hadn’t dated anyone since Ben, and he’d practically lived at her place anyway.  Any evening they’d returned it was a given that he’d be staying the night.  Now she’d had a fun evening with her girlfriends and a surprisingly enjoyable time with Jason, despite the fact that they were searching for her missing keys.

Amy hoped her neighbor
Mrs. Jones would actually be home and awake at this hour.  It was unlikely she’d be out unless she was gone for real—out of town.  Bed was a different possibility though.  Amy hated to wake her if unnecessary, but what choice did she have?

As Jason pulled into her driveway, she was relieved to see the kitchen light on at Mrs. Jones’ house.  She also realized that Jason had parked in her driveway, even though she could easily hav
e just walked across the street from his house.

“I’ll uh, just wait here,” Jason said, leaning against the driver side door
after they’d both gotten out of the car.

“Okay, back in a sec!”  Amy jogged across the yard to her neighbor’s house to ring the bell. 
Mrs. Jones opened the door wearing her robe and nightgown.  She seemed surprised to see Amy and immediately asked what was wrong.  After Amy explained that she needed her spare key, the woman went to retrieve it and returned a moment later.  She glanced across the yard at Jason and his car in the driveway, and then handed the key to Amy with a smile.

“I won’t keep you two young people.  He’s
such a nice boy.”

Amy laughed and realized she was starting to flush slightly at the woman’s knowing gaze. 
“Oh, no.  He just gave me a ride home.  I lost my keys at a restaurant tonight when I was out with some girlfriends.”

“All right, dear.
  Well you have a nice evening anyway.”

“Thanks again Mrs. Jones. 
Goodnight!”

“Bye, dear,” she said sweetly.

Amy turned and hurried back over to Jason.  Only then did she realize she was still wearing his leather jacket.  No wonder the older woman was suspecting that the two of them were together.  “Got it,” she said, holding the spare key up for him to see.  “Thanks again for your help.”  She shrugged out of his jacket and handed it back to him.

“It was my pleasure,” Jason replied, carefully taking it back from her. 
She wondered the reason for his unhurried movements and realized that he seemed to be studying her features in the moonlight.

“Well, goodnight
,” she finally said, turning to go.

“Have a good night, ma’am
,” he replied.

“Ma’am?” she asked disbelievingly, glancing back
before she started to walk away.  “Well now I feel old.”

“Honey, if there’s one thing you’re not, it’s old,” he replied in a low voice.  He had that certain gleam in his eye again, and Amy wondered if she was somehow misreading him.  He was so polite and careful not to accidentally touch her or overstep any boundaries, but every once in a while he’d
gotten that smoldering look in his eyes tonight.  Had he looked at her like that all summer long and she’d never even noticed?  Had they ever really spent any time alone together aside from the past few days? 

Jason was still standing at his car when she reached her front door, and she turned back to give him a small wave goodbye.  He gave her a small nod as if to say,
yep, everything you’re thinking is true. 
Or maybe that last part was just her imagination and he was simply saying goodnight.