Page 9 of Step By Step

“That girl knew you were a hot DJ,” she muses as she wipes some cheese from her lip.

“I used to work at Tape Deck, remember? Could know me from that.”

“Oh, no, I have seen that look before. Donna gets those looks whenever she is recognized. Starstruck. That’s what that was.”

“You had no idea who I was, did you?”

“No, I knew whoJordan Bowers,” she makes her voice big, playfully echoing herself, “Hot new DJ on Sweet 105.5 is. Who doesn’t? Did I know that you, the young man who was at my new job chatting up my new boss, was the same man? No, I did not know.”

“That feels better than how that girl at the hot dog joint made me feel. I am still getting used to it. Not because I think I am someone special now. But because other people treat me differently and it sucks.”

Jenna reaches over, her palm brushing over the side of my face. I close my eyes, so overwhelmed with emotion from the simple touch. I have felt so alone for such a long time. Becoming famous in a small town was not all that fun.

“Tina told me... she told me you don’t like being touched.”

Turning towards her, I shake my head. I press her hand to my face, taking a shaky breath. “I did not like being touched. Or touching anyone else. Not even high fives, they make fun of me at the station. After we... after we lost our parents, I guess we both shut ourselves off.”

“You let me touch you,” she whispers, as we face one another, her knees touching mine. “You touch me. Why is it different?”

“It felt... natural to touch you earlier. Strange, since I have hardly touched anyone else but Josie since....” I trail off as emotions choke me.

Jenna presses her other palm to my face, my head falling against hers. It is the most intimacy I have felt in so long, I could cry. I cried just once after we lost mom and dad. Pulling Josie out of her first week of high school to tell her it was just the two of us completely broke me.

Sitting here now, I feel as if I cry, Jenna will not even judge me. And that matters. It means something. I have had the best year of my life since what we went through, getting this gig, getting a little of my sister back, and figuring myself out.

Could Jenna be another good thing coming my way?

“Where did you want to go later? You said you wanted to take me some place.”

“Do not laugh at me. You asking me for a mall food court date made me feel so young. It made me think of.... have you ever been to Pine Park?”

Smiling, I nod as she brushes her fingertips down my cheeks. I grasp her wrist, wanting to keep the contact as long as she lets me. I brush my mouth over the inside of her wrist, following her little sigh with my own.

“Yeah, of course. When I was a kid, Josie and I went there all the time.”

“Me too. My best friend and I spent half our summer on the swings or just walking through the trails, talking about boys or songs. I kind of.... well, I wanted to go there with you.”

“Let’s go then,” I whisper, my mouth close to hers. I can almost taste her. I lick my lips in eagerness, but I pull back a little to let her know I am not rushing this.

“Can you wait for me to let Tina know? Gotta make a good impression on the boss on the first day.”

Laughing with her, I agree. We sit together a little while longer, sharing Coke as we chat about music, about movies, anything we can think of. We wind up feeding our cheese dogs to some stray pups. I am not hungry for food or more soda. All I can think about is finding out if she tastes as sweet as I think she does.

Walking her in, I don’t take her hand at first. It is she who reaches out, catching just the tips of my fingers. It sends a swirl of heat up my arm, right to my chest. I share a smile with her, seeing her cheeks redden just a little.

“Want me to wait here or come back for you?”

“Will you meet me out front? Tina is going to go nuts, she believes we might play out some soap opera for her entertainment.”

Chuckling, I agree, promising to meet her out front, at the same place we just had our cheese dog date. Telling her goodbye, I feel my heart thumping as I walk away. I am afraid to walk away. Afraid she won’t show up. Hell, maybe I am afraid shewillshow up.

Back at the setup, I close things out, too distracted to be of much help. We still have several days before the show. Seeing the stage coming together will thrill fans excited about the show. I am looking forward to it—and I hope Jenna will be there with me.

Outside, I sit at the same round bench with my head tilted back to watch the stars light up the cobalt skies. Sitting here, I cannot remember the last time I smiled as much as I have since I met Jenna earlier. Or the last time I grabbed a snack at the food court or sat outside watching the stars.

“Looking like daddy,” Josie accused me just a few weeks ago, as we were talking about back-to-school shopping for her.

Her comment had both warmed and worried me. My parents passed when they were off celebrating their life together. It was their first time doing something for themselves in so long. I hate we lost them, but I am glad they got to be together for that time before it happened.

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