Rebound Therapy (Rebound #1) (2 page)

“Oh, thank you!” exclaims Amy. “That’s so nice of you. Isn’t that nice of him, Jenna?”

“Um, yeah. Thanks.” I’m stammering and I can feel my face heating up with embarrassment. I just stared at the guy as he tried to hand me some wine.

Brian stands there for a second, starting to look awkward. “Sorry, is that too forward? Or you probably don’t want a drink from some random guy, do you? If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.”

“Sorry,” I say, feeling like a jerk now. “It’s just, you know, they say never to accept a drink from a stranger. Roofies and all that.” I can feel Amy staring at me like I’ve lost my mind. I’ve basically just accused this nice hot guy of trying to slip me a date rape drug.

Fortunately, he grins. “Maybe if we’re not strangers you can feel comfortable drinking it then. Mind if I join you?”

Amy waits a few seconds while I say nothing, then jumps in saying, “Not at all! Please sit down.”

Brian sits in the chair across from me. After a few minutes I start to relax and carry on a conversation like a normal human being. I get so relaxed that I reach for the glass of wine Brian brought me and take a sip without realizing it.

Brian stops himself mid sentence.

“What do you think?” he asks.

“About what?”

“The wine. Do you like it?”

I take another sip, and pay closer attention this time.

“I do like it,” I say slowly. “It’s … different than the other wine. Lighter, somehow, and smoother.”

Brian grins. “I’m glad you tried it. Does that mean I’m not a stranger?”

I laugh at that. “I guess so. Promise you’re not trying to roofie me?”

Brian laughs back, “I promise. It would be bad for business if I gave my customers date rape drugs.”

My eyes widen at that statement and I exchange a look with Amy. “Your customers?”

“Yeah. This is my wine bar.”

“Wow. So, I guess you really know wine, then, huh? No wonder you picked something better than what I did.”

“Not much of a wine buff are you?”

“No, not really.”

Amy apparently decides that this is the best time to leave—while conversation is dragging. “Oh, look,” she says, “my glass is empty. I better go get a refill.”

“Don’t get too many refills,” I say as she walks away. “You’re driving, remember?”

She sticks her tongue out at me as she walks toward the bar.

“I hope I didn’t crash a girl’s night or something,” Brian says as he looks after her retreating form.

“No. Amy dragged me out to meet guys, actually.”

“Well, then, I seem to have helped out. Unless she was the one wanting to meet a guy.”

“No, you helped. She wants me to meet someone, though I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if she did, too.”

He flashes me another grin. “Glad I could help. Why is she specifically wanting you to find someone, though?”

I shrug, feeling a little uncomfortable. “She says I’m stuck, and that I need to meet someone to get unstuck.” I can’t help my grimace as I remember our conversation in the car. “I think she called it ‘rebound therapy’ on the way here.”

He laughs at that. “Why does she think you’re stuck?”

I hesitate, not sure if I really want to have this conversation with a guy I just met.

“Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s alright.” I figure if I tell him and it scares him off, then that’s okay. It’s not like I want to start dating again, anyway. Right? Though, it would be kind of sad if Brian scared off that easily.
Where did that come from? I’m just here to make Amy happy.

“My fiancé died just over a year ago. I haven’t dated since. Amy thinks I need to start dating again so I can move on or something.” I say it in a flat voice, so I don’t betray the true depth of my feelings about the situation. Also, I don’t feel like crying in the middle of a wine bar in front of a cute guy I just met. I’ve gotten good at blocking the grief when I talk about Tom to strangers. But I can only say a few things before it breaks through the dam that holds it back.

Brian sits back in his chair with a look of shock on his face. He wasn’t expecting that, I can tell. “Wow,” he says quietly. “I figured you were going to say you had a bad break up recently, not that your fiancé died. I can see why you didn’t want to talk about it. Sorry I brought it up.”

“It’s alright. It’s a logical question.”

The conversation stalls there for what feels like a long time, but is probably only a few seconds.

“If you need to get back to work or something, that’s fine. You don’t have to sit here feeling awkward with me.” I smile at him a little so that he doesn’t think I’m upset with him.

“I don’t need to go. I will if you want me to, though.”

I realize that I’ve actually been enjoying his company. I let out the breath I didn’t notice I’d been holding waiting for his response. “No, I don’t want you to leave,” I say and realize it’s true.

He flashes that grin again, all straight teeth and twinkling eyes. “Good.” He sits forward in his seat again and we continue chatting.

After a while I look around, realizing I haven’t seen Amy in close to half an hour. “Where did Amy go?” I say aloud.

Brian starts to look around, too. “I don’t know. She left to get a refill a while ago.”

“I know. I thought she’d be back by now.” I stand up and finally see her at the bar.

Brian stands as well and moves next to me. “There she is,” he says, spotting her at the same time I do.

“Before you go retrieve her, can I ask what you’re doing next Friday?”

I look at him in mild surprise. I don’t know why, but I really didn’t expect him to ask me out, especially after my dead fiancé revelation. “Working and then eating dinner on the couch with Netflix, probably.”

“As appealing as that sounds, I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

He sees me hesitate a little.

“Since the reason for coming here was to find a guy, you’ll avoid getting dragged somewhere else by Amy if you say yes.”

I smile at him. He has a good point. “Okay, sure.”

He hands me his phone and has me program my number in, then sends me a text. “Now you have my number, too,” he says. “I’ll be in touch this week so we can work out the details.”

He leans in and gives me a light kiss on the cheek, then grins at me again before walking away.

Holy crap, I have a date next weekend.

I go join Amy at the bar.

“What happened to Brian?” she asks.

“I was wondering where you got to, so he left me to come sit with you.”

Amy sighs and shoots me a look. “You scared him off, didn’t you.”

“No, not at all. He asked me out next Friday.”

“And I’m sure you shot him down. Really, Jenna, you have to at least
try
–“

“I said yes,” I say over the beginnings of her lecture.

Amy stops short and stares at me. “You said yes?”

“I said yes.”

“I’m shocked.”

“I can see that. But he’s cute, and he made a persuasive argument.”

“Which was?”

“If I said no you’d drag me out somewhere else next Friday.”

She lets out a short laugh. “He’s right, you know.”

“Yeah, I do. That’s why I said yes.”

“Alright. Mission accomplished, then.” She sets her wine glass on the counter. “Bye, Adam,” she calls to the bartender and we head back out to her car.

CHAPTER TWO

The next week goes by quickly.

It’s Friday again and I’m once more stepping out of the shower to get ready to go out. This time with Brian. Amy has invited herself over to help me get ready.

I walk into my room with my towel wrapped around me and see the outfit Amy has picked lying on the bed.

“No,” I say.

“What? Why not? It’s a great dress!”

“I know. It is. I wore that dress when Tom proposed. I bought it special for that night because I knew he had a romantic evening planned. I haven’t worn it since he died. I can’t wear it tonight.”

The look of protest on Amy’s face softens. “Okay.” She doesn’t say anything else about the dress she had picked out, just quietly puts it away and picks something else. She knows what talking about Tom does to me. Sometimes she’ll talk more, but tonight I have a date. A date she wants to go well.

She turns back around with another choice. It’s a black knee length tank dress of knit fabric with ruching on one side. The different times I went out with Tom wearing that dress flash through my mind, but I don’t mention it. Every date worthy piece of clothing I own has memories attached to it. Unless I want to go in my work clothes or sweats, there’s no point in saying anything. Going naked on a first date is probably too forward. The thought makes me smirk a little to myself.

“That’ll work,” I say. “Now get out so I can get dressed.”

While I’m finishing up my makeup and hair, the doorbell rings.

“He’s here!” calls Amy from the living room.

“I’m coming! Don’t answer the door, Amy!” I call back as I walk out of the bathroom.

Brian grins at me as I open the door. He uses that grin like a weapon to disarm me. I was starting to feel nervous, but one look at him puts me at ease like I was in the wine bar.

“I see we have a chaperone,” he says looking past me at Amy curled on the couch.

“Ignore her. She insisted on dressing me. Apparently I can’t do it myself.”

“Not to my standards, anyway,” she says as she heads for the door with her keys in her hand. “You two kids have fun.” She gives me a quick hug, looks Brian up and down as he steps through the door to move out of her way, and then she’s gone.

I can’t blame her for checking him out. His navy blue jacket and white button down shirt accentuate his broad shoulders. He has the top two buttons of his shirt undone, and dark wash jeans that keep his look casual, but put together. His short blonde hair is styled in an intentionally messy look, inviting fingers to run through it. And his blue eyes are checking me out as much as I’m checking him out.

“Let me grab my bag and we can go,” I say, leaving the door open while I gather my things.

Brian takes me to a nice restaurant not far from his wine bar. He’s made us a reservation and we get in right away.

“I hope you don’t mind skipping pre-dinner cocktails,” he says as we sit down. “I’m planning on getting some good wine to go with our food, and I didn’t think either of us needed to get sloshed on the first date.”

I smile a bit at his words. “I’m good with not getting sloshed.”

I look around at the restaurant, taking in the elegant décor and dim lighting. It’s a romantic choice. Perfect for trying to impress on a first date. “I’ve never been here before, have you?”

“Yes,” he says. “I actually know Linda, the owner. We use the same supplier for our wine. I introduced them.”

“Oh, so you bring all your dates here.”

He chuckles a bit at that. “Not exactly. I haven’t been on a date in a while.”

“Yeah, me either.”

Conversation with Brian is easy and light. We covered most of the usual get to know you stuff when we met last week, so tonight we talk about other things—family, books, movies, things like that.

It turns out he’s never seen
The Princess Bride
.

“What? That movie’s a classic! How can you not have seen it?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. I just never did.”

“I’m not sure we can be friends now. How will you understand my random movie references?”

“Maybe we can watch it together. That way you can fill me in on what I’ve been missing my whole life.”

I sigh as though I’m terribly put out by this suggestion. “Fine. I guess we can do that. If you insist.”

He smiles. “I’m afraid I must insist.”

The date is going well. Amy texts me partway through the evening to make sure I don’t need rescuing. I excuse myself to the ladies’ room when I feel my phone buzz and text her back assuring her things are going fine.

“I expect a full report tomorrow!” she says. I just send her back a smiley with its tongue sticking out.

When I get back, Brian’s ordered dessert for us and a wine to match. He’s paired wines with both the appetizer and entrée as well. I’m not a big wine drinker, but I have to admit that his choices go well with everything we’ve ordered. He’s gotten a flourless chocolate torte and ordered a chocolate cheesecake for me.

“I hope it’s okay I ordered dessert for you. This wine goes great with rich dark chocolate. If you’d prefer the torte we can trade.”

“No, this is fine.”

“I figured chocolate dessert would be a safe bet.”

“Are you calling me a stereotypical woman?”

“Well, I don’t know many people, male or female, who don’t like chocolate.”

“True. And you weren’t wrong. I love chocolate.”

After we finish dessert, Brian takes me home. He walks me to my door holding my hand, only letting go so I can fish for my keys in my purse. I finally find them and pull them out. I can feel his gaze on me as I get out the key to my apartment. I have the sudden urge to start babbling and my hands are trembling slightly.

He brushes a strand of hair away from my face, then gently tips my chin up so I’m looking him in the eye. He’s only a few inches taller than me. He looks at me for a moment, then leans in, hesitating slightly with our mouths inches apart. He gives me time to turn my head or protest before he softly touches his lips to mine.

The kiss is soft, tender. And brief.

I open my eyes as he pulls away. He smiles at me, still looking at my mouth. “I’ll call you this week. We can schedule a showing of
The Princess Bride
.”

“Okay.” I fit my key in the lock and turn it.

“Good night, Jenna. I had a nice time.”

“Me too.”

I step through the door and turn to say goodbye. He steals another short kiss, then turns and leaves without another word.

*

“Spill,” says Amy when she picks up the phone the next day.

“Hello, to you, too. I’m doing well, how was your day?”

“Blah, blah, I’m fine, day was fine, enough social niceties for you?”

“I guess.”

“Okay. Then, spill.”

“We went out to dinner. It was nice.”