Page 56 of The Likelihood Of You

Chapter twenty-one

Florence

“Nanna, if I don’t leave now, I’ll be late. I promise I’ll tell you all about it again later.”

She released a steady breath on her end, clearly trying to hide her disappointment because I won’t carry on talking about Jacob, even though this morning’s conversation was probably the sixteenth time I told her the story.

“Okay, fine. I just love hearing it. Lord knows this old bat could use some romance in her life.” She lets out a hoo’d chuckle, the signature old person laugh that sounds like a mix between Father Christmas and a barn owl. “Your Granddad Peter was sweet like that; he used to always walk the long way home from the mill he worked at just to buy me a bunch of tulips from my favourite florist.”

“Did he really?”

“Oh yes, every Friday without fail.” She said, in a way that I could tell she was smiling down the phone. “Right, well, I’ll let you get going, Candy Floss. Have a good date!” She sings before ending our call.

She’s a hopeless romantic, Nanna Dorothy. Which is why, for the week or so, she’s demanded I tell her the story of the night on the balcony, and everything that led up to it, when I met Jacob at The Rolling Pin for the first time, how we worked together, the fact his Moms own a bakery and how he’s been helping me figure out which roads to turn down so I can eventually open one. She wanted every fine-line detail from start to finish.

But her favourite part? It was the fact that she actually knew who Jacob was.

Imagine my utter surprise when I mentioned his name, and my eighty-six-year-old Nanna says, “Oh. Isn’t that the handsome chap from that time travel space film? Mary called him a snack, and for once, I have to agree with her.”

I choked on my tea the moment she admitted all that, sending tanned orange tea splatters across every wall of my bedroom and my cream gingham bedding. She carried on telling me how much the folks in her retirement home love that movie and how they are all on pins and needles waiting for the sequel, but I was barely listening; I was trying to get over the fact that my Nanna was telling me more facts about Jacob than I knew (also trying to ignore the fact she knew what the word ‘snack’ meant.)

Regardless, she was happy for me. She said she could tell I was happier because of how my voice sounded, all cheery and light, which she’d missed.

That whole part of my life felt like a bad dream, and now I was finally awake again, relishing in the beauty of my new normal. Of course, I still missed my Nanna and couldn’t wait to see her. When that was, I didn’t know yet. Maybe I’ll surprise her over Christmas. But now that my daily call with her was over, the only thing on my mind was getting ready for my date with Jacob.

Anyone would have thought I’d confessed to never having McDonalds before when I told him I’d not explored the city yet, or seen any of the major sights. I’d seen the Empire State Building flash between the buildings as I walked by them occasionally, and I’d noticed the distant glow and dull hum of Times Square once or twice, but that was the extent of my tourist adventures.

I didn’t know what he had in store for us tonight. The only clues I had was the pair of black generic sunglasses that got delivered to my apartment this morning, with an address and the words ‘wear me’ scribbled on the box they came in. The same kind Jacob had used to block out the rain the morning I met him.

But mysterious present aside, I still felt the urge to giggle and kick my feet at the thought of finally going on a date with Jacob Emerson.

Who, over the last few weeks since Nate’s party, had made me fall head over heels for him in the most hopeless way imaginable. And I knew the girl I first was when I arrived in this city, was falling right along with me.

I spotted Jacob as soon as he rounded the corner a few buildings away. It wasn’t hard to miss someone who made your heart skip like a broken vinyl every time you saw them. And the closer he got, the easier I could sneakily admire him.

One of the hidden benefits of wearing sunglasses was that they were amazing for secret people-watching.

And thunderstorms, in Jacob’s case.

As he got closer, only a few feet away, I turned my head and gave him a smile, while sliding my glasses to the tip of my nose to get a better look at him, without the black-and-white filter. A green bomber jacket and a crisp, white button-down covered his torso; the top two buttons were undone, exposing his chiselled collar bones, and tucked into a pair of deep blue nineties-style jeans. His hair looked freshly tussled, draped across the top of his forehead, with the same pair of glasses I had on resting atop.

“Well…don’t you look beautiful.” He exclaimed softly, taking in my square neck, ditsy floral dress and chunky cardigan that I’d thrown on top as he reached for me, offering me his hand so I could hop off the stoop I was waiting by and back onto the sidewalk. “It’s good to see you.” He says, while bringing my hand to his mouth, and kissing it gently.

I basked in the blush and nervous flutters that overtook me before giggling. “It’s good to see you too, even though we only saw each other last night.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s not good now.”

I lift my eyes to meet his, and his smirk, like always, makes me go giddy. “So what’s the deal with the glasses, Emerson?” I slip my hand from his and point to the sunnies. “We look like a bad Blues Brotherstribute act,” I confess, drinking up the way Jacob’s head falls forward, that signature nose scrunch and the way he shuts his eyes reminding me of how insanely adorable this stoic man can truly be.

He lets a few laughs sneak through his lips. “I figured the first time we were on a date together, in public, required a bit of protection. Last night, we had security; no one saw us at Pins, and the ‘Keep Out’ sign by the lookout had us covered. But tonight, it’s just us, and I wanted to make sure you had something to make you feel safe.”

Ihave you for that, I whispered internally.

“I think that’s a great idea,” I said, smiling up at him.

“And I think they look adorable on you.”

“And I think you’re full of it.”

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