Page 38 of Rewrites of the Heart

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” the professor cautioned.

What an appropriate proverb to use, Blake thought. “Oh, I know. Even though Alex has joined that group, she’s a very bright woman. I’m in the process of reassessing my stereotypes about cheerleaders.”

“I can tell by her remarks in class that she’s got quite a mind.” Kenn commented that she had an uncanny insight into conspiracy theories. “But then so do you.”

“That’s because our memories include…”No, Blake, don’t go there.Use your head for once.How could he tell Kenn that their knowledge came directly from JJ because she developed their characters? No, that wouldn’t work at all.

Instead, he went with the more appropriate reply. “We both seemed to have acquired a passion for the subject. Probably because we’ve been so close to JJ for so long.”

“No doubt.” Silence followed. Damn.It’s at this point, Kenn’s supposed to start pouring his heart out to me. At least, commenting on something.

“JJ is truly a remarkable woman,” Kenn finally offered, much to his relief.

Even as clueless as he could be at times, Blake could feel that this was his cue. So not having the very literal nudging presence of Alex to help him judge his timing, he pushed on, praying he didn’t make a mess of everything, as seemed to be his habit.

“JJ mentioned in passing that you and she are going to the game together tomorrow.” He paused, worried about how that sounded. “It only came up in the conversation because we asked her to attend to watch our first show.”Smooth recovery, Mr. Teesdale.

“Yes, we are.” Then silence. If JJ liked the silent type, he thought, she certainly hit the mother lode with this one. He raked his fingers through his hair, then struggled to get his hand through the unruly mop. It got stuck in some knotted underbrush. Finally, he got it out. Then he tried to pretend it never happened.

Finally, Kenn spoke again. “Can I ask you a personal question?”Well, now we’re getting somewhere.

“Of course, Dr. Cooper.”

“Was it love at first sight when you met Alex?” That was not quite the question he expected, but Blake saw it as the perfect opening. He was going to make Alex proud of him. He could feel it now.

“It depends on who you ask.”

The professor paused with both hands on his cappuccino cup perched nearly at his lips, ready to take another sip. “I’m asking you.”

“Yes, it definitely was.” Blake told Kenn about the first time he saw Alex’s face. She was sitting all alone in a restaurant, drinking a cup of coffee. How he suavely sat down across from her in the booth. How he said the wrong word and she poured hot coffee on his head and walked out.

Coffee spewed from Kenn’s mouth, sloshing from the cup as he rocked with waves of laughter. “What did you say to her to tee her off so badly?” he finally asked as he wiped his face and clothes with a napkin.

“Let’s just say, I was trying to give her a very sincere compliment. But my use of American slang was a bit rusty back then.” He paused then smiled slightly. “If you could imagine that.”

Again, Kenn laughed. Then he appeared to turn thoughtful.

“How did you two ever finally fall in love?”

“Persistence on my part,” Blake said, hoping Kenn would see the parallel.That and the fact that JJ wrote it so she’d finally love me.How lucky I am, he thought. Up until now he hadn’t realized that his perfect mate was as close to a match made in heaven as possible.

“How did you know you needed to persist and not give up?”

“That’s a tough question. On the one hand if you push too hard you look like a stalker. But if you let her slip from your life, you may never discover another woman quite like her again.”

Blake’s voice took on a dream-like quality. He pictured the days before he was certain about Alex’s love.

Kenn ventured a comment. “It’s clearly evident Alex is madly in love with you. You two have such a perfect romance. It’s like the pages of a romance novel come to life.”

“W-w-what makes you say that?” Blake asked. The analogy unnerved him. He wondered if Kenn suspected he was a fictional character. He immediately dismissed the idea. Nobody expects to encounter fictional characters in real life. He took a deep breath and refocused on his mission.

“You persist as long as you believe you can love her. And in the process, she gives you hints if you observe her keenly enough.”

Chapter 28

Kenn took the three steps up JJ’s small, neat front porch and glanced at the several pieces of outdoor furniture. As he stood at the door, he realized a jumble of emotions surged through him. Anticipation, that’s for sure. Even a bit of sexual excitement at seeing the attractive history professor. But he hadn’t expected the twinge of fear.

He found it difficult to extract one feeling from another and, really, he hadn’t examined his feelings since his last girlfriend had abruptly dumped him for the older man on a motorcycle.

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