Crashing Into Love (30 page)

“I love you for your intelligence as much as the rest of you, Fi. I knew you were a brainiac when we were kids. How many teenage girls spent their lunch periods in a science lab? I’m an engineer, remember? We’re made for each other. We can work hard, play hard, or, I’m realizing, thanks to you, we can just chill and enjoy each other. Have a little faith in me, babe.”

“Sometimes I forget that you know the
real
me.” She smoothed nonexistent wrinkles out of her dress, then pushed open the doors.

A blond receptionist with a pixie haircut and big blue eyes looked up from behind a computer and smiled. “Fiona. I didn’t expect to see you for a couple weeks, but I’m glad you’re here. Did Paul get ahold of you this morning?”

Fiona shook her head. “No. Deirdre, this is Jake Braden. Jake, this is Deirdre, our office manager.”

“Nice to meet you, Deirdre.”

“Hi, Jake.” She turned her attention back to Fiona without as much as a second glance at Jake, which Jake wasn’t used to. He was surprised to find that he was thankful for the lack of attention. Fiona was the star in here, and he loved seeing her as such. “Your article on the validity of fossil records was accepted to
Science Daily
. Paul’s really excited.”

Fiona’s eyes widened in surprise. “It was accepted? Are you kidding me? Oh my God. This is huge.”

“Definitely not kidding.” Deirdre spoke in a calm, even tone, as opposed to Fiona, who looked as though she might burst, with wide eyes and excitement coming off of her in waves.

“Congratulations, babe.”

She threw her arms around his neck and laughed. So much for keeping a lid on public displays of affection.

“This is huge,” she said as she led him through a set of double doors and into a large laboratory.

Jake had expected to see a bunch of nerdy people sitting around in lab coats looking through microscopes, which was ridiculous given that Fiona was anything but nerdy. Instead, the laboratory was filled with computer monitors, cumbersome equipment that looked like microscopes on steroids, elemental tables hanging on the walls, and shelves of resource materials.

They passed a large spectrometer, rounded a corner, and went through another set of doors. Three men turned as they walked in. A tall, dark-haired man’s eyes locked on Fiona.

“Fiona. Did you hear?” He closed the distance between them, holding his hands out. Fiona took his hands in hers.

“Yes, Paul. I can hardly believe it.” Her smile hadn’t faltered since she heard the news.

“Believe it.” Paul nodded. “As always, you hit your mark. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you.” Fiona looked over her shoulder at Jake. “Paul, this is Jake Braden. Jake, this is my supervisor, Paul Marx.”

Paul looked to be in his mid to late thirties, with a shock of dark hair and hazel eyes. He had the build of a runner, thick-legged and lean, and a firm handshake. This didn’t look like a guy who dug up rocks for a living. He looked like a guy who dug up rocks and then carried them two miles.

“Jake. You grew up with Fiona, right?”

“Yes, sir.”
And now I’m her boyfriend, so how about you let go of her hands?

Paul pulled Fiona against his side. “You’ve got a great girl here. She’s brilliant, and she’s about to become a household name.”

Fiona’s cheeks flushed. “Among scientists maybe.” She eased out of his arms and went to Jake’s side. “Our studies showed that geological factors such as counts of fossil collections and geological formations are not independent measures of bias in the fossil record and that only the area of preserved rock drives biodiversity.” She shrugged as if she hadn’t spoken in a foreign language.

A blond-haired twentysomething guy came around a big desk where he’d been talking with another man who could only be Clark Kent, because his dark hair, black frames, and chiseled features had Jake doing a double take.

“Hi, I’m Joe.” The blond man shook Jake’s hand and nodded to the dark-haired man. “That’s Clark. Fiona had suspected that the number of fossils wasn’t dictated by the amount of accessible rock, but rather that the similar patterns displayed by rock and fossil records were due to external factors.” He shook his head. “She was like a dinosaur with a bone. Well done, Fiona.”

“When are you coming back?” Clark asked. “We wanted to discuss follow-up articles. Jackson and I have a few theories that feed off of what you’ve found.”

“I’d love to hear them.” Fiona turned to Jake. “Do you mind if I stay and talk for just a minute?”

“No. Take your time.”

Fiona pointed to a wooden desk in the corner. “That’s my desk if you want to sit down for a while, or I can show you where the coffee room is.”

“I’ll take him.” Paul nodded to Jake. “It’s just down the hall.”

Jake followed Paul to the kitchen.

“Fiona’s a hell of a scientist,” Paul said as he filled a cup with coffee and handed it to Jake. “Cream and sugar’s over there if you’d like it.”

“Thanks, and yeah, she’s successful in everything she does.”

“I can see that.” Paul leaned against the counter and eyed Jake over his mug as he took a sip of coffee.

Jake mulled over his strange response, unsure what to make of it.

“I’m sure she’s told you about the promotion she’s been offered.” Paul set his coffee down beside him.

“She’s mentioned it.” It was obvious that Paul thought the world of Fiona. Jake wondered how far beyond her job that went.

Paul nodded. “It’s a hell of a position. She’d lead two teams of geologists.”

Jake leaned against the counter beside him. “She’s patient and she knows how to take control. I’m sure she’ll be a great leader.”

“Listen, Jake, we both know why Fiona took this leave of absence, and obviously the two of you have reconnected.”

“She shared that with you?” The way Fiona had played up the
scientist
relationship, it surprised him to hear she’d shared her feelings with Paul, and the green-eyed monster clawed at him again.

“Not exactly.” His thin lips curved up in a smile. “She said she was taking an unpaid leave of absence to work with her friend Trish on her movie. I wondered why a woman who was as dedicated to her work as Fiona is would take six weeks off, unpaid, when she was in the midst of some of this year’s most important research.” He shrugged and slid his hands into his pockets and crossed his legs at the ankle. “I did a little of my own research and came up with a theory.”

“And your point is?” Jake assessed Paul’s casual stance, the lack of threat in his tone, and his easy gaze and wondered what the hell he was getting at. This obviously wasn’t a pissing match between two guys fighting over a woman. This had the feel of something altogether different, but equally as important.

“Fiona’s a brilliant scientist. She’s not a groupie who’s leaving a job at a tanning salon behind.” Paul’s eyes grew serious again.

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re implying. Not that it’s any of your business, but Fiona isn’t a fling, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Paul took another sip of his coffee, meeting Jake’s stare. “I’m a scientist, Jake. Research is my thing. I’m fairly well versed in all things Jake Braden.” He stood up tall and drew his shoulders back.

Jake rose to his full height, wondering where Paul was going with this.

“She’s a good woman, Jake, as I’m sure you know. All I’m asking is that you’re sure of her before you take her away from what is probably the biggest opportunity that will ever come her way.”

Jake clenched his jaw, but really, how could he get angry? The harsh truth was that anyone who went online and typed in Jake’s name would see that he hadn’t been photographed with the same woman more than twice. Paul obviously respected Fiona as a scientist, and he wanted to protect her, but Jake couldn’t help taking it one step further, just to be sure he wasn’t misreading him.

“Just so we’re on the same page here, Paul, are you interested in Fiona’s career path or do you have other interests in her?”

Paul smiled again. “You’re a sharp man. I guess I shouldn’t have underestimated a man with an engineering degree. If I weren’t gay, she’d be just the type of woman I’d go for. I can assure you, I care about her on a platonic level, not a sexual one. I’m very fond of her. She’s a good person and an excellent scientist. I guess I’m a bit protective of her.”

Jake tried not to show his surprise, or his relief. “Fair enough.”

Paul withdrew his wallet and showed Jake a picture of a very handsome dark-haired man with a toddler on his lap. “My husband, Kane, and our son, Johnny.”

“Two handsome guys.” Jake withdrew his wallet and flashed the photograph of him and Fiona when they were teenagers.

“The love of my life, Fiona.”

FIONA AND JAKE spent the afternoon walking through Fresno. After a nice dinner in a café, they went for a walk in the park and finally pulled into Fiona’s driveway as the sun was going down. It felt good to be home. Fiona loved her 1950s bungalow. She loved the dark wood siding with the beige trim and the deep front porch with a center peaked eave. It was simple and small enough to feel cozy without feeling confining, and she got excited just thinking about Jake being there with her.

“Your house is really cute, Fi.” He looked over the house before mounting the stairs to the porch.

“Thanks. I really like it.”

“It was nice seeing your office today and meeting the guys you work with.”

“I’m glad we went. I’d like to find a few hours to go over the ideas the guys want to explore.”

“You could have stayed today. I would have come back later. I’m a big boy, Fi. I can entertain myself.”

“I don’t mean now. I don’t want to take time away from us. I just meant sometime soon. I’ll figure it out.” She was excited about their research, and even if she decided not to take the promotion, she still wanted to hear about it.

Jake touched one of the rocking chairs on the porch.

“I can see you sitting out here.” He reached for her hand.

“I love it here.” She gazed out at the grassy lawn and the woods that surrounded the house on three sides. “There’s never any traffic since I’m so far from the main drag. Sometimes I even eat dinner on the porch.”

He slid his hands around her waist and lowered his voice. “Don’t you get lonely out here by yourself?”

She shook her head. “I like the quiet.”

He pressed his lips to hers. She loved that he was there with her, standing on the front porch she loved, and that he’d wanted to be there. She remembered thinking, when she’d first seen the house with the Realtor, that Jake would like it, and she remembered the way she’d chided herself for thinking about him.

She unlocked the door, and Jake followed her into the wide center hall that ran the length of the house, ending at the stairs that led to the second floor.

“I love the hardwood,” Jake said, peering into the living room. “Nice fireplace. I can see us sitting on your sofa with a fire blazing.”

He went into the living room and looked over her pictures on her mantel. It reminded her of when she’d done the same thing at his cabin. It was a strange feeling to see people she knew as a teenager and then to see them all grown up. She’d seen his family through the years, but she no longer knew them as intimately as she once had. She wondered what Jake was thinking as he looked over a picture of her with her four brothers, Reggie, Finn, Jesse, and Brent. Standing behind Fiona was her twin brother, Finn. His hair had been longer then, brushing over his eyes and touching his collar. She was sitting on the grass in front of them all, smiling up at the camera like she was the happiest girl in the world.

Jake smiled. “I haven’t seen Reggie or your brothers in years.”

“I know. They’re so busy. Reggie hardly ever comes back from New York, and Jesse and Brent are crazy busy at Harborside with the surf shop and restaurant. And you know Finn. We never know when we’ll see him.”

“We’ll have to make a point of getting everyone together again.” He took her hand and went through the foyer to the dining room. “This is really nice, Fi. It feels like you.”

“Thanks.” She watched him look over her antique hutch and the small dining room table. He was so tall and broad that the room felt smaller with him in it. Even so, it felt better. Fiona could picture him lounging on the couch watching football while she read beside him and sitting at the table sharing a meal.

“I really love your place, Fi. It’s very
you
, and it feels like home.”

Her heart squeezed at the way his eyes warmed when he said the word
home
.

As he lowered his lips to hers, his cell phone rang. He groaned.

“Go ahead and answer it.” She walked into the kitchen. “Would you like some wine? We can sit out back on the deck.” She glanced up as he took his phone from his pocket.

“Sounds great,” he said to her before answering the call. “What’s up, Trace?” He paused, listening, as Fiona handed him a glass of wine. “Goddamn it. Really?” He paused again. “I’m in Fresno.” He looked at his watch and sighed. “I can be there in a couple hours. Is Trish filming?”

He narrowed his eyes as he listened. “Yeah. Don’t worry about it. Okay. Thanks, Trace.”

After he ended the call, his expression fell flat.

“What’s wrong?”

“They’re changing two scenes. They want to meet about it tonight, then shoot this weekend. I’m sorry, Fi. I wanted nothing more than to live in your world for a few days, but—”

“It’s okay. Is Trish filming too?” She tried not to let her disappointment show.

“No, babe.”

He reached for her, and it dawned on her how perfect the timing was. She needed to have a serious talk with Paul about the promotion, and she wanted to go over Joe’s and Clark’s ideas.

“Why don’t you go back, have your meeting, shoot your scenes, and I’ll stick around and go over the research with the guys. I can have someone drive me back on Sunday afternoon.”

“Sunday?” His voice was laden with disappointment.

“It’s not like I want to be apart, but if I go back to LA, you’ll be shooting and I’ll be thinking about how I should be going over the research with Paul and the guys.”