Home is Where the Heart is (26 page)

Nick scrunched up his face. “Oh well. Whoever is looking after whom, we will both make sure Jake goes to bed on time following dinner, a bath, and his teeth being brushed. I know the drill. Have fun tonight.”

“Bye Mommy. Bye Daddy,” Jake said in his exuberant voice. He didn’t look away from the television screen, and Cassie took it as her cue to leave.

Once they got outside and made it to his old pickup truck he had used to drive when they dated in high school—he must’ve gotten it from his dad’s house—old feelings began rushing back to her, sending nervous tension throughout her body. She couldn’t remember ever being this anxious. Why was this time any different? It wasn’t like tonight was a real date. She and Jordan weren’t a couple, nor did she think they ever would be.

He was about to reach around and open the door for Cassie, as any southern boy would do for his ladylove, but something in him triggered, and he remembered tonight was not a date. He didn’t know how opening her door would go down and didn’t want Cassie to get the impression he was pressuring her. He didn’t want to scare her away.

Instead, she surprised him when she laughed the moment off, saying, “Old habits die hard, I guess. It’s nice to know you’re still a southern gentleman at heart. I hope you don’t ever change that aspect about yourself.” And she did like it—a lot.

Jordan hadn’t planned to ever change the way he’d been brought up to be respectful of the woman he loved with all his heart. He just hoped she would take the time to at least consider giving their relationship another go.

“I guess Jake is the kind of kid who doesn’t mind his parents going out for the night without him,” he said when they both got into the truck.

“Yeah, I’ve been quite fortunate; he’s been a very easy child to raise so far. I’m just hoping he doesn’t become more of a problem later on.”

The short drive to wherever there were going was quiet, and the silence in the car only made Cassie’s nerves intensify, making it feel like her heart would eventually burst out of her chest. She was soon thankful for living in a small town when Jordan turned off the road, pulling the truck into a parking lot and announcing they were here.

Cassie looked outside through the window, noticing they weren’t anywhere near Mickey’s Tavern, which was their usual hang out place. Instead, they were sitting out front of an all-night diner known for its open mic nights and musical guests.

She didn’t wonder so much about why they were here. It would be nice to chill someplace other than the watering hole.

Jordan got out of the truck, walking around to the passenger side and opening it up for Cassie, the hinge on the door making a creaking sound.

Cassie thanked him as she slowly made her way out of the car like a lady, being careful to sweep up her skirt as she did so.

Jordan held his arm out for her, and she looped her arm with his even though she knew she shouldn’t. She felt as if she was in high school all over again, despite the fact many years had passed since then. The night was bringing back memories she wasn’t planning to revisit.

You can do this. It’s not a real date; you’re just saying thank you for buying the bakery,
Cassie repeat silently in her head, but whether she said them enough to believe them was an entirely different story.

They reached the door of the diner, but before they entered, Jordan stopped and turned to face Cassie with a sheepish looking grin on his face, like he had high hopes everything would work out in his favor.

“Are you ready?”

She would allow him to lead her inside, but was she really ready for what would come next?

A
n hour into their fake date, as Jordan referred to it, and Cassie was finally admitting to having fun, despite the constant attention from fellow diners, who couldn’t stop with the prying eyes and wondering what was happening between the most infamous couple in town. She could do without the attention of those watching her every move. Couldn’t she just enjoy a night out with her ex-boyfriend-slash-baby-daddy without the continued speculations of whether she and Jordan were a couple or not?

“So this is fun.” Jordan tried his best to make a conversation happen while biting into a piece of pork chop. He wanted the night to run smoothly rather than look tongue-tied and embarrassed.

Cassie agreed with him, nodding her head slightly. She couldn’t say she was having a dreadful time, even though she was sure her face told a different story.

“Thanks for asking me out tonight.”

“Thanks for agreeing to come out with me.”

Cassie blushed. “Well, it’s not like I had a choice. You did buy the bakery. I had to repay you somehow; although I think I will be forever indebted to you.” It was how she felt right now.

“Nonsense. I did it because I can. I’m lucky enough to be financially secure and able to provide for those I want to help. I don’t expect you to pay me back. In fact, I don’t want you to. I’m just grateful for the fact you’ve been kind enough to let me back into your life so I can become a part of Jake’s.”

“Well, I don’t think words will ever do it justice, but thank you.”

“Oh, darlin’, you have no idea how much your words mean to me.” Jordan reached across the table as his hand touched the side of her face, and he was surprised when she didn’t pull away from his touch. But how could she not let him touch her? His sexy Texan accent drawled out of him the way it always had and she couldn’t help but go weak in the knees, making it a good thing she was sitting down. His fingers grazed her cheek softly, and she melted from his warm touch, forgetting all about the other people seated around them.

Oh, God! What would they be thinking right now? She could only imagine the town gossip tomorrow. They would be the talk of the town, not that she wasn’t used to being talked about anyway.

Cassie flinched back suddenly, and Jordan moved his hand back to the meal in front of him.

“Sorry,” he mumbled under his breath.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I would just prefer not to be talked about any more than I already am. Lord knows, I’ve given Yellow Valley plenty to talk about throughout the years. I don’t want to give them another reason to talk about my life if I don’t need to.”

This was why she didn’t go out very much. When you lived here, word got around very fast. Who you dated or what you did when you went out didn’t stay your secret for very long.

“But, um…I like this place. It’s good to go someplace else besides Mike’s Tavern, not that I don’t like it there or anything—”

“I know what you mean,” Jordan cut her off. “It is nice here, and not as loud as it can get at the tavern. At least we’re able to hear ourselves talk here.”

Talk. Something Cassie didn’t really know how to do with her ex. She hoped to hide the fact that she had nothing to say behind her meal as she took a bite off her fork.

“Do you like your pork chops?” she asked him.

Jordan licked his lips, swallowing the mouthful of food in his mouth and nodding his head. “Mm, yes I do. I forgot how good the meals are here. Nothing beats good southern style cooking.”

“I bet Miami has some fancy restaurants though. This must be a change of pace for you.”

“They do. I love living in Miami. It has most definitely been good to me, but I love coming home too and slipping back into a slow-paced lifestyle. It’s still home to me and my favorite place to be.”

Silence fell on the table, and the only sounds came from utensils hitting the plates as Cassie and Jordan devoured their meals.

Once they were done eating, Jordan and Cassie sat back in their plush booth as they listened to the people singing and playing guitar on the small stage. Cassie gave credit to those people who chose to participate in open mic night. She didn’t think she had enough courage to show her hidden talent.

She was in awe of the petite red-haired girl singing on stage right now. She didn’t look more than sixteen years old and wondered how much she had to psych herself up to be able to play for a crowd of people.

The girl finished her song, giving a little bow as she moved from her spot on the stage.

Then Amanda, the middle-aged owner of the diner, stepped onto the stage to introduce an up-and-comer in the country music world.

“His name is Dakota Bradley, and he’s passing through town eager to showcase his new music for us, which I’m told is apparently available to download on iTunes.” The crowd laughed. Amanda’s teenage daughter Lacy had obviously filled her in on that little piece of information.

“So let’s give him a warm welcome."

The singer stepped onto stage with a guitar in hand, shaking Amanda’s hand. He perched on the edge of the stool, resting his guitar in his lap as he got ready to play. He leaned into the standing microphone. “Um…hi, how y’all doing tonight?”

The crowd responded to his question, and then the song started and the audience got into the melody. Then as the upbeat chorus began, Cassie couldn’t contain the energetic feeling inside of her. She jumped up from the booth, along with a bunch of other people, and moved to an open area of the diner where people were swaying to the music. Jordan joined her a short time after, wrapping his strong arms around her tiny waist, and for the first time in a very long time, she didn’t feel the need to push away from his tender embrace. She simply went with the mood as they swayed together, and she leaned back against his firm body.

She turned her head to the side so she was looking into his delicious brown eyes when she spoke to him. “This is nice. He’s really good. I’m actually having fun.” Her voice came out in a whisper.

“Me too,” Jordan said, a grin forming on his face. He bowed his head down to hers, and for a second, Cassie thought he would kiss her right then and there. She could have gotten lost in the moment, almost forgetting where they were, but despite the musical distraction, she couldn’t let the residents, or even Jordan, think they were getting back together.

The song ended, serving Cassie with the perfect opportunity to evade a kiss with Jordan as she and everyone else in the crowd erupted in a round of applause.

When the singer disappeared from the stage after thanking the audience for their time, Jordan watched Amanda return to the tiny stage, bringing her mouth to the microphone as she tapped it with one finger and cleared her voice to speak into it.

“As usual, anyone is more than welcome to sing a tune if you are able to belt out a half-decent note. It is Open Mic Night, and singing is what it’s all about. Eat, drink, and above all else, enjoy the rest of your night.”

Jordan lightly nudged Cassie as they made their way back to their table and sat down to finish their meals. “There you go. Maybe you should sing a song.”

At his suggestion, Cassie almost spat out the mouthful of drink she was currently swallowing. She scrunched up her nose, an expression Jordan thought looked adorable.

She set her drink down and pointed her finger in his direction. “Are you implying that I can or can’t sing?”

Jordan remained tight-lipped, his mouth forming a straight line. “I’m not quite sure I know what I just said. Maybe I had an out of body experience and I couldn’t control my actions. Or maybe I know exactly what I said, and I know for a fact that you have an angelic voice and really can sing.”

“So which one is it?” Her eyes flickered at him, anxiously waiting for his response, all the while knowing he wasn’t going to admit the truth unless she did something about it, and then she would have his answer. He was challenging her, and Cassie knew it.

“I guess we’ll never really know for sure…” Jordan winked, stretching his arms out beside him.

Cassie took another sip of her drink, toying with the long black straw in her glass then set it back down on the table, ready to make her next move.

“We’ll see about that,” she said haughtily, and then she got up from the table and walked toward the other side of the diner, stepping onto the stage and sitting down at the slim keyboard perched on the stage. Cassie couldn’t help but let her eyes wander over in Jordan’s direction. She could see a huge grin on his face. He was looking mighty pleased with himself right now. Despite her spur-of-the-moment decision to get up on stage, Cassie considered leaving it too. She had never sung in front of a crowd before and was nervous as hell, feeling butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Sure, she was having fun, but at what cost? Did she really want to risk being booed off stage? And as small of a town as Yellow Valley was, she knew if she sang and made a fool of herself, then she would get everyone talking about how much of an embarrassment she was. Everyone would know she couldn’t sing for shit.