Honey on Your Mind (25 page)

“You like it?”

“I
love
it. It’s gorgeous. Thanks so much.”

He put his hand on my leg. “Given how fast things are moving for you these days, I thought this might help you slow down once in a while.”

I looked at him and shook my head. “How are you so perfect all the time?”

He laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ears. “I’m hardly perfect. I’m just learning what makes you…tick.”

I smiled at him. “Perfect
and
witty. I have a gift for you too.” I jumped up and darted to my suitcase. I rummaged around until I spotted the green wrapping paper, then returned to the bed and handed him a small box.

He opened it to reveal a wooden apple.

“I know it’s not
big
, but that’s supposed to be New York,” I said. “You know, the big apple?”

He smiled. “Cute.”

“There’s something inside,” I said.

He removed the top half of the apple and pulled out a set of keys.

“Are these…what I think they are?”

I grinned. “That’s so you don’t have to crash at Shane and Kristina’s the next time my flight is delayed.”

“Wow, I’m honored.”

“Be careful with those.” I rumpled his hair. “Only three other boyfriends have a set.”

He gave me a look I hadn’t seen before, then slowly leaned over and kissed me. “Thank you,” he said softly. He put his hands on my shoulders. “You now have fourteen minutes. My mom is weird about punctuality, so we should get on a move on.”

“OK, OK, I’m moving.” I hurried into the bathroom and pulled my hair into a bun before turning on the shower.

As the hot water ran over me, I tried not to think about that look, but I couldn’t help myself.

Was it a good move to give him the keys?

Or…does he think I’m getting too serious?

Am I getting too serious?

Or maybe he’s getting serious too?

Did we just take a big step forward?

Or did I just…make a huge mistake?

• • •

We pulled up to Jake’s sister’s house at 11:21.

“Is your mom really going to be upset that we’re late?” I unbuckled my seatbelt. “You’ve got me totally freaked out now, you know.”

“Maybe.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Maybe.”

I squinted at him. “Are you trying to make me hate you right now?”

He winked at me as he opened his door. “It’ll be fine.”

We walked hand in hand toward the front door, my mind once again recalling last time I’d been there, nearly a year before.

Oh, how things have changed
, I thought.

One thing that hadn’t changed was how nervous I was. Although it was for a different reason this time, my stomach was still doing somersaults.

I squeezed Jake’s hand as he rang the bell. Behind the door, I heard the sound of human feet, dog paws pattering on the hardwood floor, and the shrill voices of little kids.

The door opened, and I immediately recognized Jake’s sister, Natalie. She shared his striking blue eyes and dark brown hair, although hers was long and pulled back into a low ponytail, as was mine.
I bet she washed hers
, I thought.
And I bet hers doesn’t smell like fried chicken.

“Hey, little brother, welcome back.” She hugged him, and then turned to me with a friendly smile that immediately put me at ease. “Waverly, it’s
so
nice to see you again. Please, come in.”

I smiled back and handed her the bottle of wine I’d brought as a gift. “Hi, Natalie, thanks so much for having me…um, again.” I laughed awkwardly.

She took the bottle and gave me a one-armed hug. “We’re thrilled you’re back.” She helped us off with our coats and hung them on the rack in the foyer. We followed her into the living room, where we were instantly surrounded by two little girls.

“Merry Christmas, Uncle Jake!” they yelled in unison, tugging at his pant legs.

“Hi, Zoe. Hi, Lucy. Merry Christmas. Do you want to meet my friend Waverly?”

“Merry Christmas, Wa-ber-ly!” they yelled in unison.

“Well, hello there,” I said, leaning down. Then I turned to look up at Jake. “Do little kids shake hands?” I whispered.

He shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”

I held out my hands to the girls, but they looked at me like I was crazy and ran away.

“Well done, Waverly. Well done.” I stood up and put my hands on my hips.

Natalie waved her hand dismissively. “They’ll love you soon enough, don’t worry. So who wants a mimosa?”

I looked at her. “A mimosa? Really?”

She smiled. “Sure, why not? It’s Christmas. Plus you’re about to meet Mom, so I thought you might want one.”

I narrowed my eyes at Jake. “Do I need a mimosa to meet your mom?”

He nodded. “I’m having one.”

I looked back at Natalie, but before I could say anything, she started walking toward the kitchen. “She and Dad are in the family room with Brett and Michele and Tim. I’ll bring you each a strong one,” she called over her shoulder.

“I remember liking her before, but I
really like
her,” I whispered to Jake.

“She’s the best. So is my brother, you’ll see. Are you ready for the McIntyre shark tank?”

I looked at him. “Did you just say the
shark tank
?”

“I’m kidding. Come on.” He took my hand and led me through the large house toward the family room in the back. As we walked down the hall, I could feel my heart begin to beat faster. Soon it was pumping like a piston, and I wondered if the palpitations were visible through my top.

I took a deep breath
. Keep it together, Waverly.

From the hall, I could hear several loud voices engaged in lively conversation. But as soon as we walked in, everyone stopped talking and looked at us.

I smiled and suddenly felt like I’d forgotten to put on my pants.

“Hey, Jake!” His brother gave him a bear hug. “It’s good to see you.”

Jake hugged him back, and then gestured to him and the woman standing next to him. “Waverly, this is my brother, Brett, and his wife, Michele.” Brett was even taller than Jake, who was a hair over six-three, and Michele looked to be about five eleven. Suddenly I felt awkward and shrimpy, even at five-eight.

“It’s nice to meet you both.” I shook Brett’s hand, and then held mine out to Michele, but she hugged me instead.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you! I have twin toddlers, so I’m home with them and watch you on TV when I can catch a breather. I just love your segment, it’s so much fun.”

I could feel my cheeks go red. “It’s nice to meet you too, and I’m glad you enjoy the show.”
Shark tank? Huh? Could these people be any friendlier?

Jake gestured toward the others in the room. “Waverly, I believe you’ve met Tim, Nat’s husband?”

“Of course. How are you?” I swallowed and nodded as I held out my hand. I hoped he wouldn’t bring up last year’s ill-timed cross-country expedition in front of everyone. I was sure that discussion had already taken place when I wasn’t around, which was mortifying enough.

“Welcome back to Boston,” he said with a sly smile as he shook my hand. “We’re happy to have you.”

Then Jake gestured toward the couch, where his mom and dad were seated. “And, Waverly, these are my parents, Ava and Walt.”

The moment the words were out of his mouth, it hit home that I hadn’t been introduced to a boyfriend’s parents since the time I’d met my ex-fiancé Aaron’s, several years earlier.

I nervously turned my eyes to meet theirs and smiled.

“It’s so nice to meet you both,” I extended my hand first to his mom, who wore her dark hair in a crisp, chin-length bob. She too had pretty blue eyes.

“Happy holidays,” she said with a polite smile. She held my hand briefly in hers, but didn’t shake it back. She also stayed seated.

Uh-oh.

Trying not to freak out, I turned to face Jake’s dad and offered my hand. “It’s so nice to meet you too, Mr. McIntyre.”

“Please, call me Walt.” He stood up and took my hand in both of his, smiling warmly. “We’re just thrilled to have you here, my dear. Can we get you a drink?”
At least
he’s
nice
, I thought. He was about Jake’s height with a similar build, but his dark hair was streaked with gray.

I laughed and shook my head. “Actually, I think Natalie may have that covered.”

“Indeed I do.” Natalie appeared out of nowhere and handed me a mimosa. “Here you go, hon.”

I took the glass and smiled. “Thank you so much.”

She winked and mouthed the words
I told you
.

• • •

After a half hour or so of anxious small talk (anxious on my part, at least), Natalie announced it was time to eat, so we all migrated to a huge table in the dining room. I was still nursing my first mimosa, determined to make it last most of the day. The last thing I wanted was to get tipsy in front of Jake’s entire family and blurt out something stupid. God knows I do that often enough when I’m sober.

As we passed through the living room, I admired the enormous and beautifully decorated tree in the corner. My Christmas trees were always pretty, but they had always been small, if not outright puny.

This is a real home
, I thought.

As soon as we’d settled into our seats, Natalie appeared from the kitchen and directed us to the buffet lining the back wall. “Serve yourselves, everyone. I don’t want to feel like I’m running a restaurant here. Plus I need to make sure the kids are still alive.” She laughed and shooed us along.

Jake’s mom put her hand on her heart. “Serve ourselves?” She looked horrified.

“Yes, Mom, serve yourself. You can do it.” Natalie rolled her eyes, and Jake laughed and nudged me.

“Let’s go, captain,” he said, standing up.

I looked at him. “Did you just call me
captain
?”

He laughed again. “I must have picked that up somewhere.”

“Apparently, my proclivity for assigning nicknames is contagious.”

He put a hand on my head. “Apparently it is.”

Suddenly I was starving. Everything on the buffet looks delicious. Croissants, ham, turkey, steak, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, French toast. I couldn’t decide what to eat, so I served myself a bit of everything, and then made my way back to the table. When I sat down, I noticed that I had more food than Jake did. There was literally no room for daylight anywhere on my plate.

“Oh my God, do I look like a pig?” I whispered to him.

He looked at my plate and laughed. “Hungry much?”

“Oh my God, I totally look like a pig,” I whispered again. “What should I do with all this food?”

“How about eating it?”

I tilted my head to the side. “Thanks for that, you’re really helpful. Have I ever told you that?”

Still whispering, he laughed and pushed a strand of loose hair out of my face. “You look beautiful today. Have I told you that?”

I laughed too. “Damn you. You’re impossible to get mad at.”

We settled into brunch and were soon engaged in light and funny conversation. I was impressed by how witty everyone was, especially Brett. Twice he said something so out of left field that I nearly spat out my French toast laughing.

Just when I was finally feeling comfortable, Jake’s mother took a sip of her orange juice and gave me a polite smile.

“So, Waverly, tell us a little more about this television job of yours. I understand the show is quite popular.”

I broke out in a cold sweat and gave her a smile of my own, albeit a nervous one. “Oh, um, well, it’s a daytime talk show called
Love, Wendy
. Wendy Davenport, the host, interviews a lot of interesting people, um, you know, celebrities promoting
their movies, authors promoting their books, that sort of thing.” I cleared my throat and reached for my water glass.

“It’s a fun show, Ava” Michele said. “I watch it all the time.”

I stole a glance at Michele.
I wish I were as composed as you are around this woman.

I swallowed and looked back at Jake’s mom. “So, um, I do a semi-regular feature for the show called
Honey on Your Mind
. It’s based on an advice column I used to write for the
San Francisco Sun
.

“Advice?” She ran her fingers over her pearl necklace. “What kind of advice?”

I nodded and hoped no one had noticed the sweat mustache I was sporting. “The column was mostly dating advice, but, um, the TV show is a little different. It’s sort of expanded to a lot of different things.”
Good God, I sound lame right now.

“She does a lot of man-on-the-street interviews,” Jake said. “You know, taking the pulse of the city, that sort of thing. They’re really funny.”

I looked at him, so grateful that he spoke up. “You really think they’re funny?”

He put his hand on my head. “Come on, you know I do.”

“I loved the one where you asked people if they were more annoyed by, let me see if I can remember your exact words.” Michele used air quotes. “‘Jackasses who yap on their cell phones in restaurants or people who immediately post results of sporting events on Facebook.’ I think that was my favorite one.”

I blushed. “I remember that one. I definitely got a little carried away that day. I hope I didn’t come across as too mean.”

“Oh God no, it was fantastic. People drive me nuts all the time doing stuff like that, so it was great to see someone speak up in an effort to stop the madness,” she said.

I smiled. “Thanks.”

“I liked the one where you stopped people and asked them to tell a joke on the spot,” Natalie said. “Those people were terrible!”

Jake looked at me. “I didn’t see that episode. Is that where you get your material?”

“Hey now.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Waverly likes to tell jokes,” Jake said to the table. “Although I’d use the term ‘jokes’ lightly, so as not to offend the professionals.”

I put my hand on his arm. “Be nice. If not, I may have to tell you my newest one.”

“Oh no,” he said.

Brett rubbed his hands together. “Lay it on us.”