Page 4 of Just Curious

“I’m curious then. If you sold your app, I’m assuming—given its huge popularity—that you’ve done quite well for yourself. So, why aren’t you living in a mansion up in Malibu or closer to home in Carmel? I mean, this house is gorgeous, but it’s just a… house.”

Jackson grinned. “I hardly need eight bedrooms, a tennis court, and a pool. I was ready for a change and this was just what I wanted—a beach house. Plus, I have a friend who lives near here who was quite persuasive. I love the beach access and the view, and the atmosphere is exactly what I was looking for. It’s certainly not a small house, by any means, and the neighbors are great.” He winked at her and enjoyed watching her cheeks turn pink.

Wondering about this “friend” of his, Willa said, “Well, you can’t beat the view, that’s for sure. It does get sort of crazy sometimes in the summer months though. I’ve had to shoo people out of my driveway when they think they can park in it and go to the beach. A few of them ended up getting towed when I couldn’t get out. I hate to do that, but I hardly think it’s fair to force me to take an Uber because someone wants to save themselves a walk to the beach.”

“I completely agree,” Jackson said in a serious voice. “In the interest of full disclosure, I also have a larger house in Aspen. It’s being renovated now or I’d be there skiing, but it’s not quite ready yet.”

Looking excited Willa asked, “Oh! You’re a skier too?”

“I can’t get enough of it. I take it you also ski?”

With a big smile, Willa answered, “I love to ski. One of my best friends went to Boulder for college and stayed there, so every so often I take off for a visit and we ski all over Colorado. It’s so gorgeous. I’ve thought of moving there myself, but I’d miss the ocean.”

Jackson nodded thoughtfully. “I know just what you mean. The mountains are wonderful, and skiing is one of my favorite things in the world to do, but there is nothing as soothing as hearing the surf pound outside. It relaxes me and sort of resets my brain somehow.”

“Exactly,” Willa agreed. “Whew, this stuff really warms you up from the inside out, doesn’t it?” She finally peeled Jackson’s jacket off.

Jackson could feel his stomach rumbling and realized he had yet to have anything to eat. “Are you hungry, Willa? I’m kind of starving and was thinking of ordering some takeout. Does that appeal to you?”

Blinking, Willa assessed her own level of hunger and agreed immediately. “Yes, actually. Thank you. I’d love something to eat. What did you have in mind?”

“Just a sec.” He strode toward the kitchen and returned with a stack of menus that he set down in front of them. “What do you feel like? Mexican? Chinese? Pizza? Burgers? Chateaubriand?” He winked at her and her insides fluttered.

“I could definitely do some damage to a plate of fish tacos, if Mexican food sounds okay to you. This place is excellent,” she said as she indicated the menu sitting on top of the stack.

“Perfect. It’s my favorite.” Jackson took out his phone and placed an order that sounded large enough to feed an army. Looking at her, he announced, “They’ll be here in about thirty minutes. Can I refill your drink while we wait, or would you rather switch tocervezawith the Mexican food?”

Willa looked down and realized her mug was empty.That sure went down easy. “That was delicious, but beer sounds great to go with the food.”

Jackson gave her a blinding smile as he took her mug back to the kitchen. This time Willa followed him.

“This is a wonderful space. Do you ever cook?” she asked looking around.

“I do, actually. I’ve been trying to teach myself by watching YouTube videos,” he laughed. “What about you?”

“Oh, I cook a few things, but I’m not all that great at it. A lot of times I just throw a bunch of random stuff in a bowl and call it a salad.”

He chuckled at that, and they fell into a companionable silence for a moment. Willa couldn’t remember the last time she felt so comfortable with someone right from the start. “So,” she said finally, “what else do you do for fun besides skiing and cooking?”

“Well,” he thought about his answer. “I run almost every day, and I work out in my gym. And I’m trying to explore the San Diego area. I’ve been to a few places like the zoo and SeaWorld—which isn’t all that fun by yourself. I’d definitely like to learn more and do more. Any suggestions?”

With a serious look, Willa answered, “It doesn’t happen until July, but a lot of guys enjoy the Over the Line Tournament on Fiesta Island.” Her eyes twinkled as she waited for his reaction. She wasn’t disappointed.

Jackson raised one sexy eyebrow, and his eyes turned a little hot. “That’s the three-person baseball tournament where all the teams have crazy, provocative names, right? Names like ‘My Face or Yours’ or ‘If You Want Twelve Inches, We Need a Fourth Guy?’”

“It is,” she laughed. “It’s so funny to hear the announcer call the teams to their respective courts because he has to say the names without laughing too hard. One crowd favorite is ‘The Announcer is Gay’ so he has to say it over and over in a straight voice. A lot of the teams are just for fun, but there are some really skilled players who take it seriously, too. I haven’t been to it for years.”

“Then let’s plan on it for next July, alright?” He looked hopeful, so she smiled and nodded. She felt warm inside, and it had nothing to do with the rum.

They chatted more about various beaches and restaurants that Willa had always liked. Some were new to Jackson, so they said over and over again that they’d check things out together. Willa wondered if this was Jackson’s way of saying he wanted to date her, or whether he just really needed a friend. Either one would have been great, but she wouldn’t mind a date with the man.

Finally, there was a buzz indicating someone was at the front gate. He opened it remotely and went outside to meet the delivery guy. Right away, he was back with two enormous bags of fragrant food. Willa’s tummy began to growl.

Over dinner, they continued to laugh and bond. They discovered they both had a decent tennis game, but didn’t feel the urge to play very often even though they enjoyed it. They thought golf was too boring to use up the better part of a day to play. Neither was particularly compelled to surf—though they’d both learned how when they teenagers. But they did enjoy watching the surfers and loved the beach.

And they talked about running. Willa sometimes ran in the evening to relax after a long day of writing, but Jackson was an early riser who ran on the beach at dawn. Jackson said he’d love to try hang gliding at the nearby gliderport up the coast a way, but Willa wasn’t so sure. “I’m not so crazy about that idea,” she explained, “mostly because I hear the equipment weighs a lot when you have to drag it around.” She gave him a friendly look and continued, “I’ll be glad to watch you do it, though.”

Shocking her speechless, Jackson suddenly asked, “So, what should we do on our second date?” His blue eyes twinkled as he bore into her gaze.

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