Page 28 of The Quiet Rebuild

“Is it him?” Candice asked, laughing.

But Lindsey hung up before she could answer. “Jake, hey,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm and easy. “I had a really good time yesterday.”

“Hey! Me too,” Jake said. “I’m sorry I didn’t text you last night. I was going to, but then I got worried about whether it was a date, and then I wondered, are you supposed to text after a date? What if I texted you and you texted back that it wasn't a date? And I fell into a thought hole of my own design.” Jake laughed.

Lindsey couldn’t believe how honest he was from the get-go. Even back when she’d met Christopher, he’d lied about something inane, namely about his ex-girlfriend, from whom he wasn’t fully broken up yet. This was something Lindsey had allowed herself, mostly, to forget.

“Listen, I’m glad you called. I’m going out of town tomorrow,” Lindsey said. “Not for long, I don’t think. But I’d love to see you before I go.”

“Oh!” Jake sounded a little bruised. “Yeah. What about tonight? Dinner and drinks?”

“I love dinner and drinks,” she said.

Over the next couple of hours, Lindsey performed a solo show called Panicked Packing. She played music extra loud and threw articles of clothing around, wondering what kinds of things she would need to dress for once they got to California. She wondered, too, where she’d stay. Would they stay in the house where Taylor and Jason had once lived happily together? Lindsey had once seen photographs of Taylor and Jason, photographs in their Beverly Hills place, where they had lain out by the pool, both of them about as gorgeous as any two people had ever been. The headline had been something like: The Next Generation of Hollywood Stars. As it happened, only one of them had become a real star. That was Jason, who was on his way to becoming another Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio. But Taylor was something else. She was kind-hearted. She was funny, for goodness’ sake. And for some reason, for better or for worse, Taylor’s only path forward was the Harbor House and Stella Vanberg’s children.

That evening, Jake picked Lindsey up on foot and walked her to the nearby wine bar, where they’d decided to have pre-dinner drinks before going somewhere for food. Lindsey watched him through the window as he walked up the steps, her heart pounding. Everything in her life felt sped up. After he knocked, she counted to three, then answered it, blushing at how handsome she found him. He looked about three times more handsome than he had the other day, which Lindsey chalked up to a trick of the heart. She’d gotten to know him, and now, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

It usually played out the opposite way.

On the walk to the wine bar, they couldn’t shut up. Jake told her all about his birding expedition from that morning, and Lindsey recalled the list of birds she’d gotten accustomed to in Costa Rica, along with the various habitats and ecosystems in which she’d seen them. It was funny. Meeting and chatting with Jake was a little like learning a new language. But she found she loved speaking it.

At the wine bar, they ordered a glass each: a Malbec for her and a Merlot for him. Jake raised his glass to her. “Thanks for meeting on such short notice.”

“Thanks for asking me.” Lindsey blushed again. She felt maybe sixteen years old.

“Where are you off to tomorrow? And is this a typical thing with you, gallivanting all over the world?” Jake asked.

Lindsey laughed. “To be honest, no. I’m heading out to California with the woman we met yesterday. She wants moral support during her mother’s funeral and everything involved with that, so I said I’d go.”

Jake’s eyes widened. “Be careful, Lindsey. Those people who chase Taylor are not kind.”

For the first time, Lindsey’s smile faltered. It hadn’t occurred to her to worry for herself and her own safety. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m not famous. I’m nobody.”

“Not to me, you’re not,” Jake said. “I really worry when it comes to these bottom-feeder paparazzi people. It’s like they won’t stop before they ruin every person’s life. And then, it’s like celebrities have to apologize for the fact that they’re good at what they do. Like, I’m sorry I’m a world-class actress. Or I’m sorry I wrote the best book of the year. Nobody wants anybody else to be successful, because it reminds them that they haven’t managed to do anything with their lives.”

Lindsey laughed, surprised at Jake’s passion. His eyes were enormous and sure.

“Just promise that you’ll take care of yourself,” Jake said, dropping his gaze. “It’s been a long time since…” He trailed off, leaving her in the lurch.

“A long time since what?”

“Since I met somebody,” Jake said quietly. “It’s been ages since I felt like I want to be around someone the way I want to be around you.”

This time, it was Jake’s cheeks' chance to turn beet red.

Lindsey was quiet for a moment. She filled her mouth with wine. And the next thing she said, the next thing her anxious mind told her to think, was, “I’m sure you’ll get sick of me. I mean, you don’t really know me yet.”

Surprised, Jake raised his eyebrows. He seemed not to know what to say.

“It’s just that, yeah. People get sick of me,” Lindsey said hurriedly, trying to laugh it off. “I guess anyone can get sick of anyone. But, yeah.”

“I can’t imagine ever getting sick of you,” Jake said.

Lindsey laughed again. Her stomach boiled with anxiety.

“But we’re here,” Jake continued, when she said nothing. “We’re here to get to know each other better. Date number two. Right?”

“Right,” Lindsey said, although she struggled to look at him.