Kiss Me Again. Jessa James
day, and having had a tiny pang of regret that my own would never know that I had achieved my dreams. I had convinced myself that it was their loss, but even now I was beginning to think it just might be mine.
I shook my head free of the memories and flicked the screen nonchalantly, scrolling past the list of names and pictures. I had been so right, and almost exited the app in disgust. Most were either complete sleaze balls or absolute nerds. A plethora of heavy-framed glasses and Lotharios with hairy chests and medallions gazed back at me. I laughed. What was that about in this day and age?
This was no way to meet the love of your life, like picking out a dress from a catalogue. The analogy made me smile. I so often tried to buy clothes online or from a catalogue because I hated to shop, but I sent most of them back because they just didn’t fit, or weren’t as nice as they’d looked in the pictures. It would appear that online dating would be much the same – yet if these guys looked any worse in the flesh, or were even more boring than their profiles suggested, yikes!
Just one profile stood out, a man of mystery it would seem. There was no picture, and that should have had me worried. I couldn’t help but wonder why a guy who sounded so confident and happy would leave his picture blank, but “Apollo” had chosen to do so. I rolled my eyes at the screen name he’d given himself, but couldn’t help feel even more intrigued. Maybe he wanted to stand out amongst the crowd, or maybe he was even sadder than the other nerds – and that would be saying something!
I studied the rest of his profile; it was sweet and engaged. He liked literature, and not just bro action thriller stuff. My eyebrows shot up as I read that he claimed to love Vanity Fair and Wuthering Heights, two of my all-time favorites. But maybe he was just bullshitting.
He listed that he enjoyed cooking and long walks, as well as being by the sea and water sports as passions. I could do without the long walks part, but I loved being by the sea. It always brought back happier memories of day trips when I was tiny. Sure he said he loved computers, and that had a few warning signals flashing in my mind, but I tried to remember that Cole had liked computers too, and he had been great in every way. Apollo was even a postgrad like me, though he surprisingly didn’t say what he was studying, just that he was at the university here in Providence.
I couldn’t help but read his details and think that he sounded too good to be true. I nibbled at my lower lip as my finger hovered over the little contact button.
There was no harm in at least saying hello, was there?
3
Cole
I jumped three feet in the air as my new cell vibrated loudly in my pocket, bashing my head hard on the roof of the truck. I’d only picked up the new phone yesterday, a little bonus gift from Callie for doing the work on the app, but I hadn’t had the time to work out the most basic of functions on it yet.
Mom told me to sit down with the manual and work it out, but I had laughed at her – it was such a female thing to do. I’d figure it out. One cell is pretty much like the next after all. I seemed to have lost my gadget obsession as I got older. In the past a new toy would have been dissected in moments, but I was just happy if they did what I needed them to now.
I rubbed my sore head distractedly as I yanked the phone out of my jeans pocket, struggling to make sure my change didn’t follow it out and all over the floor. I really needed new pants, or to hit the pool a bit more often. Just a few weeks in a demanding desk job, with no time to work out at the gym or the pool, had made me fill out slightly in ways I did not want. Though I was grateful that my torso still remained defined as ever, it wouldn’t take too much to get back into shape.
The shocking buzzing had heralded the arrival of an email from “Wooed and Won.”
That will absolutely be the last time I bet on Jake being prepared to eat anything, I thought.
After eating wings drenched in a cayenne pepper sauce and even a whole basketful of fried locusts, he had balked on a simple green olive. Apparently they were his kryptonite. I was sticking by my side of the deal though, but Callie had predicted pretty accurately that there was indeed an army of people who didn’t have the courage to ask anyone out on a date, and somehow her advertising had found all of them.
The app wasn’t exactly bursting with gorgeous, smart and sassy women. It was more of a haven for the quiet, clever, and unusual. Weeding out the candidates was proving tough. Sure they were smart, but social skills and hobbies in common seemed to be zilch, nada! I had already been forced to endure three of the worst dates of my entire life. I just had one left to go on and my end of the bet would be held up. I prayed that whoever had mailed me this time would be more interesting than the best of the bunch so far: a thirty-year-old librarian who collected and crocheted doilies.
Not wanting to crash, I decided to check it out later and jumped out of the cab of my beaten-up old truck and crunched my way up the gravel drive to the back gate.
The sun was still out, the sky a haze of pinks and darkening oranges as it dipped lower towards the horizon, and that meant that everyone would be out back. They’d enjoying the small swimming pool Tom had managed to get for a huge discount when a client at his work had offered to trade skills. Since its arrival the family had barely been found inside the house, they were so excited to have such a luxury. Tom and my mom were always out on the lounge chairs sipping mojitos most days now. Hopefully there would be a few beers in the cooler too.
Today was most definitely not a cocktail kind of a day. My mouth watered at the thought of the promise of a crisp cold beer that’d soon be hitting my taste buds. It had been a rough journey home to Newton. The traffic had been insane as I had crossed the border between Rhode Island and Massachusetts, the usual hour-and-a-half trip taking closer to three hours, and after three all-nighters and two weeks of manic days at the office, I was beat.
My second year as a summer intern at the DA’s office in Providence was proving to be a real eye opener. As an assistant to the Assistant District Attorney I was the lowest of the low, but the experience would look great on my CV. I’d always wanted to be a lawyer, a public defender in fact. I think everyone has the right to a fair trial, and a good defense.
I was picking up a lot about how to build a solid case, and though I was currently on the “wrong” side, I was learning how to make things tough for your opponents, but it was damn hard work! The office often dealt with some pretty heinous crimes, and we were currently trying to get a guy put behind bars where he belonged after he had brutally attacked a convenience store owner and taken every penny he had. He had a great attorney though, and his minions were making things tough for us, trying to bury us with all kinds of motions and wads of paper a mile high. Coming home on the weekends when I could and being with my family helped me unwind, though it always felt like something, someone, was missing.
“Cole, will you take me to the zoo tomorrow, please?” Morgan announced. My adorable half-sister emerged from the pool, dripping wet in a bright red bathing suit with an open-mouthed Elmo emblazoned across the front of it. She held her arms up to me, wanting me to pick her up and swing her around.
“Sure, but don’t you want Mommy and Daddy to take you?”
She shook her tight curly head at me. “You’re more fun, and you always buy me ice cream,” she said thinking about her answer seriously.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I hadn’t been sure that I was ready for a new sister at seventeen, but I adored her even though she reminded me so much of her other half-sibling growing up. The same auburn hair, the bubbly personality, the huge, deep green eyes. It was like we still had a little bit of Lucy here with us. The gap could never be filled, but it sure helped having the munchkin around to keep us all busy.
I picked her up and twirled her round as she giggled maniacally.
“I’d better go and get changed. I’ll be back in a moment,” I explained as I set her down and her cute Cupid’s bow mouth began to pout. I ruffled her wet hair, and gave her a quick kiss. “I won’t