Rock Bottom Girl(61)

“And how would you suggest I make myself more confident?”

“Set some goals. Things you wanna accomplish. Then go out and crush ’em. Start with some small ones, things you can definitely do. But don’t be afraid to put bigger, scarier shit on that list. Every time you cross one of them off, you just proved to yourself that you can do something good.”

“Wow.” Okay, maybe I was tired. Or maybe it was the intoxicating pheromones of cigar smoke and sexy man, but that actually made sense. “You really are like a life coach.”

“Stick with me, pretty girl. Stick with me.”





I woke up to birds chirping, a crick in my neck, and someone else’s body pressed up against mine. When I opened my eyes, I still wasn’t sure where I was and who was breathing softly into my hair. I was outside. Sort of.

Oh my God. The screened-in porch. Poker. Jake.

I tried to sit up, but strong arms banded tighter around me. “Nope. Five more minutes,” he mumbled, rubbing his chin over the top of my head. I used my hands to pat myself down. I was still fully clothed. I’d had two beers last night, but I wanted to make sure I hadn’t stripped down in my sleep and mounted the man.

“Relax, Mars. We just fell asleep.”

“Shit. I didn’t tell my parents I wasn’t coming home.”

“I texted your mom from your phone. She instructed you to have a good time with about six winky emojis. Now be quiet and let me enjoy waking up with a girl.”

I was warm, comfortable, and extremely well-rested. And apparently accommodating.

“Okay. Five more minutes,” I conceded. “And then tonight you’re taking me out on a practice date.”

“Cool,” he said, his mouth moving against my hair.

We both heard the grumble from the back door.

“Damn dog,” Jake groaned. “Why can’t he learn to let himself out?”

I yawned and pried my way out of his embrace. Fake or not, this was not a bad way to start the day.





37





Jake





I stared at the front door before me and rolled my shoulders. “No big deal. Just picking your girl up for a date,” I muttered under my breath. I’d followed Marley’s instructions to a tee and even gone a step farther. I had not one, but two bouquets of flowers since my girlfriend lived at home with her parents.

I stabbed the doorbell and let out a long, slow breath. It was embarrassing that I was nervous. I’d gone on dates before. Real ones. I could totally do this. Marley wasn’t here to judge me. She was here to teach me. And I was a willing student.

The door opened, and I found myself staring up at a very tall, very broad black man. He was wearing a suit with a bow tie and tortoise shell glasses.

“Uhh…” Instinctively, my gaze slid to the house number and then to the next-door neighbor’s house. Yep, monstrosity of a mansion with a swan. I was at the right place. “Hi, is Marley in?” I asked.

“You must be Jake.” His voice boomed, and I could feel the sound waves in my bone marrow.

“I am.”

“Are those for me?” Bow Tie demanded, checking out my flowers.

“Uhh—”

“Hey, Jake.” A breathless Marley in jeans and a cute button-down appeared next to the giant paragon of fashion. “This is Dietrich,” she said.

“Dietrich. Nice to meet you.”

“We’ll see. What are your intentions toward Marley?” he asked.

“Well, um. Mostly honorable.”

Dietrich’s pearly white smile blinded me. “I’m just messing with you, man. Come on in.”

Relief coursed through me, and I crossed the threshold into Marley’s childhood home.

“Thanks for getting the door, D,” Marley said.

“Anything for you, cupcake.” He shot her the pistol fingers and bounded up the stairs three at a time with the grace of an NFL receiver.

“What the fuck was that?” I breathed.

She laughed. “I’m sorry. Little prank. He’s my parents’ Airbnb guest for the week. He’s in Lancaster for business and wanted a homier atmosphere than a hotel.”

“He scared the hell out of me.”

“Yeah, he did.” She grinned, and I found that I really liked it when she did that.

“Here,” I said, shoving the flowers at her.

She cleared her throat and gestured at her outfit. “Don’t forget your Dating 101 notes.”

“Oh, right.” I took a moment to give her an appreciative look. I was really into button-down shirts. There was nothing I looked forward to more in this world than undoing that long line of buttons to reveal the treasures beneath. This was a girly flannel, which checked another box for me. “You look gorgeous, pretty girl.”

“Nice delivery,” Marley said, accepting the flowers.

“And these are for your mom,” I said, brandishing the other bouquet.

“Wow. Someone’s going for extra credit,” she said.

“Is that Jake?” a woman called from the back of the house.

“Yeah, he’s here to sweep me off my feet and hopefully feed me,” Marley called back.

“Don’t let him leave!”