Page 23 of The Second Kiss
He walks over and stands beside me. “Did I make things worse?”
“No. I just...” I bite the inside of my mouth to keep the tears from coming.
“It’s not true. Nothing he says is true.” I wonder if it even matters to Jacob.
“I know. It’s okay.” He moves closer, almost like he's going to put his arm around me, but he stops short.
“Why are guys such jerks?”
“We’re not all like that. At least not all the time.” He steps back, leaning against one of the pillars.
“That one is.” I can't meet his eyes. If I do, I’ll start crying.
“Yeah, I kind of got that impression. You want me to go after him, kick his butt for you?”
That makes me smile. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“I could do something to his car, make it look like an accident.”
I turn to face him–a little horrified, a little hopeful. Of course he's kidding. Still, I can’t help but imagine Brad begging Jacob for mercy.
“I could show you some things. Then you could kick his butt. I don’t think he’d be so quick to tell if he got beat up by a girl.”
“That might be fun.” The knot in my stomach loosens. I lean up against the pillar next to him.
“You were ready to take him on.” Jacob nudges me with his shoulder. “Good thing I held you back. He’d better watch out.”
I stare at him, incredulous. He’s talking to me like I’m a little kid. Jacob still won’t take me seriously. My ex-boyfriend came to my house and threatened me. I was scared out of my mind and Jacob is joking around?
His face softens. “Let me know if he comes by again, okay?”
“Yeah, thanks.” I step away. His comment totally killed the mood.
“I guess I’d better get back to your car,” he reaches for the door, then hesitates before he opens it. “Seriously Jess, if he gives you any problems...”
“Don’t worry,” I cross my arms and lean against the pillar in imitation of him. “I can take care of myself.”
twelve
Self Defense
“You ready to start paying me back for the work I’ve done on your car?” Jacob’s voice over the phone has the same effect that seeing him in person does. For a second I can’t answer.
“Jess?”
“Yeah,” I work to keep my voice even. “What did you have in mind?”
“I’m teaching a self-defense class on base, and I need a partner,” he answers.
My heart thumps with the word ‘partner,’ but I try to come off as casual. “So, what, I’ll be the practice dummy?”
“Something like that. I figured with your kickboxing experience you might be able to help me out.”
“I’m not very… I don’t know… I just….” Why can’t I come up with a complete sentence?
“No experience necessary, I just need, well, like you said, a demonstration dummy.”
I feel like a dummy. I wish I had some clue how to flirt like Jaz. “When?”
