17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Jessica

…pressing into my skin, everywhere. I march through the house, my footsteps sure and silent. I am stealth, a predator of the night…

I pause and crack my fingers confidently, as I reread the first paragraph of my tenth chapter. Just a few weeks ago, I couldn't even write a single word; now, the words just seem to flow effortlessly from my fingertips. I'm aware that many things have happened in the space of a few weeks, and it's dumbfounding if I think about it. A smile touches my lips, and I set my fingers over my keyboard, ready to go again, when my phone buzzes on the counter beside me.

I crane my neck to stare at the screen and pause when I see Rick's name. It's been three days since the speed dating event, and I thought he wouldn't call. There's a flicker of excitement inside me as I answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Jessica. It's Rick." His voice is calm and soft, causing me to smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"

"I'm good. Uhm…"he clears his throat. "Sorry I haven't called you sooner. I didn't want to put any undue pressure, so I thought I'd give a bit of time before calling."

"Aww, no pressure at all." I giggle. "It's so great to hear from you."

"You know what would be better?" He asks.

"What?" I can't seem to control the smile that is on my face.

"Seeing you. I'd really like to see you again, Jessica. I feel like we really connected."

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yes," Rick answers without hesitation. "Yes, I am. I'd be honored if you'd go on a date with me."

"I'd love to go on a date with you, Rick."

"Yes!" He lets out an excited woop, and I can't help but laugh. I forgot what being excited to go out with someone feels like.

"When would you be free?" He asks. "I'd like to be able to make plans."

I falter, my brain going blank. It's not like I have loads of activities to occupy my time, but I feel like a fish out of water. I've got to tell Sean and Evelyn about this, or else I'll simply mess it up.

"Can I call you back, Rick?" I ask. "I have a deadline for my book coming up and just need to check a few things first before I can give you a day and time."

"Writing your new book? Well of course we need to make sure you meet your deadline. Give me a call back when you have an idea of what your schedule looks like. I will talk to you then."

"Great. Thank you for understanding. I'll give you a call back soon."

"Okay." The line goes dead, and I slip off of the stool. Before I realize what I'm doing, I'm halfway across the living room, on my way to the door and heading over to Sean's house. It dawns on me that Evelyn is usually the first person I'd be calling about this, but right now, Sean is the person I want to talk to. As I cross over the lawn to his front door, I convince myself that it's because Sean is the one who came up with this idea. He's the one who deserves to know first. That's all, no other reason.

I knock on his front door. "Sean?"

When there's no response, I raise my fist to knock again. Still no response. His car is in the driveway, so I'm sure he's home. I'm about to knock a third time when the door swings open, and Sean appears in the doorway. My breath catches in my throat. He's shirtless, and I can't stop from noticing his strong muscular chest and abs of steel. I didn't think it was possible for someone to have abs like that in real life.

"Take a picture, Jess." He chuckles with a smirk as he folds his muscled arms across his chest. "It will last longer."

I feel a blush creeping up my face. I gather my wits and then push my way into his house like he always does to me.

"Put on a shirt, weirdo." I look around the living room, mainly to keep my eyes busy instead of straying back to him.

"Well, sure, just come on in." Sean sweeps an arm out like he's inviting me in. He closes the door and throws on a t-shirt hanging from the back of a chair. "Is there something I can help you with?"

I take my time admiring the furniture setup and design of the room since I've never been here before. I want to leave a cutting remark, but everything is so tastefully furnished there's nothing to say. This space probably costs ten times more than mine.

"I know you're dying to say something silly about my home, but there's nothing out of place." Sean smirks. It's like he read my mind. I snap my head to him in irritation.

"You rented this place, so you didn't do any of the decorating. You can't claim it."

He walks toward the couch and sits down. He hooks one arm over the back and turns his eyes to me. "What do you want, ma'am?"

"So…" I lower myself onto the space beside him. "Rick just called me."

His eyes widen for a few seconds, then he shutters them. "Oh, really? What did he say?"

"He wants to take me out on a date." I clap my hands excitedly. "I thought he was never going to call."

"You seem to like this guy a lot," Sean says. If he hadn't arranged the event, I would've said that he sounded disappointed. I narrow my eyes before nudging him.

"Thanks to you. You planned the whole thing."

Sean doesn't laugh, and the smile he gives me doesn't reach his eyes.

"Are you okay?" I ask, reaching out to feel his forehead with the back of my hand. "You're acting very unlike you. A bit laid back. Lethargic, even."

"I'm just tired," he answers. "But let's talk about Rick. From what you've told me, you're interested in going out with this guy, right?"

"Yes." I nod my head. "He's a sweet guy and he gets my sense of humor."

"You can never tell who he is until you've spent some more time with him. I'd hate for you to get carried away by his sweetness until you know him a little more."

"Good point. You're right."

"Great." Sean pushes himself to his feet and stretches. For a moment, my attention is held by the flex of his back muscles underneath his t-shirt. I snap my eyes away from his as he turns to me.

"So when are you going on this date?" He asks.

"I told him I'll give him a call back. I don't think I'm prepared. I'm a little rusty, to be honest."

"So you need my help?"

"Yes, Coach."

He seems thoughtful for a moment; then, a slow smile crosses his face. "First, let's celebrate the success of our operation," he says.

"What operation?"

"Operation Get Jessica A Man."

I burst into laughter. "We don't know if Rick will be my boyfriend yet," I answer. "He—"

The rest of the words freeze in my throat when Sean reaches for my hand and pulls me up from the couch.

He leads me toward the kitchen. "Let's have a drink to celebrate."

"To celebrate?" I climb onto the kitchen stool, and Sean grabs two beers from the fridge and goes to hand one to me. I shake him off.

"I have to get back to writing." He grabs me a can of soda instead and sets it in front of me while he opens his beer, a smile on his face.

"What are we toasting to, Sean?"

"Like I said, to a successful operation and to falling in love."

"That's a reach," I argue, picking up my soda and opening it. "I'm not in love with Rick. Though I like him a lot."

"Which means you're on your way." He clinks his bottle to mine and drains it in a few gulps.

"Whoa, Sean!" I take a sip from my bottle. "You sure everything is okay?" I eye him suspiciously as he grabs another bottle.

"I'm fine," he answers tightly. "Just splendid."

I can't pinpoint what feels off with what he is saying, but I take him at his word since I really have no reason not to. There is a moment of quiet as we both seem to get lost in our thoughts. I remember the reason I'm here is to get help with setting up my date with Rick.

"Aren't you going to give me some dating tips?" I ask him. When he rolls his eyes, I laugh. "Come on," I tap his arm. "You're the expert."

"Okay, fine." He nods his head. "When you're on a date, you want to make sure you leave a lasting impression. The better the impression, the greater the chances for a second date."

I nod, mentally taking notes. If anyone had told me a few weeks back that I'd be taking dating tips from Sean, I'd have told them they were crazy.

"So, how do you leave a lasting impression?" He asks after a pause.

"Uhh…I really don't know, Sean."

"By flirting," he answers. "You have to be a good flirt."

"Oh."

"A good flirt is one that can keep their date on their toes by bantering and keeping the conservation light and fun."

I shudder. "I'm hopeless when it comes to bantering. It's not my forte at all."

"Jessica, you are actually really good at making conversation. It won't be that different. You'll just need to be a bit more focused on what you're doing. Also, give lots of compliments. Men love compliments."

"Really?" I ask with uncertainty in my voice. "Do you love compliments?"

"Focus, Jess. This isn't about me."

"I know," I groan. "But now I'm curious. Do you? Tell me."

He sighs. "I do love a genuine compliment," he says. "Not fake."

"How can you tell a fake compliment?" I narrow my eyes.

"It's obvious when someone is pandering to you. You can smell a fake compliment from a mile away."

"Wow."

"Yeah. So make sure you give Rick genuine compliments. Find something about him that you like, and tell him that you like it."

"Okay. What else?"

"Conversation," he answers after a beat. "I know you both have a shared love for thrillers, but you've got to make sure you have other things in common. Make sure you ask him questions about what else he does and what he likes. Does he like sports? The type of movies he likes, that sort of thing."

"Like you said before, I'm a good conversationalist."

"Yes but can you do it without throwing subtle jabs?" Sean asks. "Without getting grumpy?"

I frown. "You couldn't just let me have that? And yes, I can hold conversations without throwing jabs or getting grumpy. Unless it's you. What can I say, you tend to bring out the worst in me."

"Wow." Sean shakes his head while holding my gaze. "So you only reserve the jabs and grump for me? I feel honored."

"You seem to know exactly what to say," I smirk at him. "Maybe you need to ask yourself what it is about you that makes me grumpy."

Sean doesn't have a comeback, and I feel like I got one up on him.

"So what else?"

"I don't even know why I'm helping you." He grabs the soda can and throws it into the trash.

"You said you care about me and want me to find a man so I won't be lonely," I spit his words back at him. "That's quite noble."

"Shut up." He leads me back to the living room. "You know what, I'm not entirely confident in your abilities to get through this date and leave him wanting a second one."

"What?" I laugh. "What do you mean? Sean!"

He shrugs and sits on the couch, tapping the space beside him for me to sit. I do.

"So what do you propose?"

"That we go on a date."

Our gazes clash, and I rear back, expecting him to burst into laughter and say it's a joke. But he doesn't, which causes my mouth to fall open in shock.

"What did you say?"

"Let's go on a date."

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes." He says with a small nod. "I mean, it's not really a date. Just a test run. To help you practice."

My heart falls, and I struggle to hide my disappointment. "Oh."

"Yes. Me and you, on a pretend date. As your coach I think it's important for me to make sure you put your best self forward. That includes working on not getting grumpy and fine tuning your flirting."

My heart drops into my stomach. I force out a laugh, pretending this was what I thought all along. The image of Sean and I on a date is permanently stamped into my subconscious, and I shake my head to clear it.

"I don't know how to flirt."

"I'll teach you," he says offhandedly, clearly not affected by the idea. To him, this is business. "Let's have our date sometime this week. You can call Rick and let him know you'll be available to go out with him next week. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good." I stand, suddenly eager to leave his presence. "I've got to go."

"Busy?" Sean catches my eye.

I look away. "Yeah, I was writing before Rick called. I have to get back to it."

"Okay." He nods. "Does Thursday work for you?"

"For the date?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"Sure." I shrug nonchalantly. "It works."

"Alright." He smiles. "I look forward to it."

Without responding, I walk out of his house.