Page 3 of Love and Leashes
The days are long, but I love my job. And it’s not like I have anything or anyone waiting for me at home.
My phone vibrates with an incoming text just as I’m making a coffee to take home. Mila teases me about my plain old coffee with cream, but I like the simplicity of it.
JENSEN: I know I arrive tomorrow and I’m totally gonna regret this if you actually say you don’t want us… But are you SURE you’re okay with me and Oliver crashing at your house for a while?
The message from Jensen Porter, my best friend since high school, shouldn’t make my breath catch like it does. That’s a dangerous path I can’t go down, especially not with him soon to be living in my house for a month.
KELLY: If only you could see how far back I’m rolling my eyes right now…
KELLY: I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.
JENSEN: Okay. Sorry. I really appreciate this Kell. I’m buying a giant bag of kettle corn for you on my way to the ferry tomorrow.
The man knows what I like, that’s for sure. My mouth waters just thinking of the kettle corn you can only get on the mainland.
KELLY: Good. You won’t be allowed in without it. Ollie can stay, but not you.
JENSEN: Nice to know I rate below my dog.
KELLY: I mean, duh.
“What’s got you smiling so wide?”
I jump. “Jesus, Mila, you need freaking bells on or something.”
“Why, got something to hide, Ms. Erickson?” Mila arches one eyebrow at me. It’s a little creepy how good she is at that.
“No,” I answer quickly, too quickly.
“Oh my God! Yes, you do. Who were you texting, Kelly?”
“Nobody,” I say defensively, crushing my phone to my chest. “Just my best friend who’s coming to stay with me for a while.”
“Uh huh, do I get all weird and defensive when I text Summer? No, I do not. Try again.” Her eyes narrow, then widen. “Wait, is this high school guy? The one you kissed in high school and thought it was love at first sight, only for him to fall for the head cheerleader? I thought he was married!”
I wince. “I will never drink tequila around you again. It’s way too much of a truth serum.” Relaxing my death grip on my phone, I take in a deep breath. “Yes, it’s Jensen. No, I didnotthink it was love at first sight, I just said that I never felt that way after kissing someone. And no, he isn’t married anymore. That’s why he’s coming to stay, he’s moving to Westport to start teaching at the middle school.”
Mila squeals. Like, legit, squeals and claps her hands. It’s so ridiculous, and I need to set her straight.
“Would you calm down, crazy lady? Nothing is going to happen!”
But there’s no stopping her.
“I don’t believe that for a second. He’s heartbroken, and he needs his best friend to save him. It’s a freaking Hallmark movie come to life. I can see it now, in the middle of the night, you hear a scary noise, you run and jump into his arms—Oh Jensen, save me!
“You are out of your mind.” Rolling my eyes, I pick up my rapidly cooling coffee, my phone, and my keys, making my way to the back door of the bakery. “I’ll see you tomorrow, you nut job.”
“Serious question!” Mila yells after me and I stop and turn to her. “Does he have a dog?”
It’s just now dawning on me that I need to keep Jensen away from Mila, and all of my Dogwood Cove friends, for as long as possible. Which actually should be pretty easy, since I’m assuming he’ll be busy apartment hunting and getting ready for the school year that starts in just over a month. I’ll make sure anything we do together is far away from the bakery, and far away from Mila’s observant eyes. She’ll see the truth the second she sees me around him.
The truth is, everyoneexceptJensen knows I’ve been in love with him forever. How he has stayed oblivious to my awkward feelings, I do not know. And the alternative? That he knows I wish we were more than friends, but doesn’t feel the same way, so he ignores it? I can’t consider that. Nope, I’ll stay in my little bubble of denial where I have myself convinced he thinks I’m fine being just friends.
We met as teenagers when my parents moved me to his school in the small suburb of Vancouver where my mom’s job was at the hospital. Paired up for biology, we hit it off instantly. At first, it really was just friendship. I was dating a guy from my old school, but that ended rapidly when we realized how difficult long distance was for two teenagers. Unfortunately, by the time I was single, our relationship was solidly in the friend zone. Then, in senior year, Jensen started dating Tatyana. She was not my biggest fan, and for a while we didn’t get to hang out much because Jensen was obsessed with his new girlfriend, and she didnotlike him spending time with me.
But eventually she loosened up; I guess she saw there was no hope for anything romantic between us, given my status as resident tomboy athlete, and the fact that we were opposites in so many ways. Tatyana was the stereotypical cheerleader, I was the captain of the softball team and played basketball in the winter. She was petite, with dark hair and big brown eyes, and always had immaculate hair and makeup working for her. I was athletic and strong, with blonde hair that was always up in a ponytail, and makeup was a foreign concept to me. I’ve never had a problem with body image, but it was obvious we were different, just as it was obvious where Jensen’s tastes lie.
When they broke up in university, my mom, who had always rooted for Jensen and I to date, tried to convince me it was my chance. But I had been seeing a really great guy from culinary school and didn’t want to mess things up with him, especially given that Jensen had neverevereven hinted at being interested in me.
