“I’m completely invisible to you. You’re dating that goddess, and of course you don’t notice someone like me. That would never happen, and I’m so stupid. I’m so, so stupid, but from the second I saw you—”
“No, no,” Connor said, just hoping to keep her from saying anything else. “Listen, you’re not... It’s not... You’re...”
Young. Innocent. Sweet. Really, really young, though. She was what...twelve years younger than he was? Barely legal for her to bartend.
He thought of Savannah, with her crush on the kid with the dopey name.
“You’re not invisible,” he said gently, handing her another napkin. She took this one. “Not at all. I definitely see you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Sure, I do. You’re a really good kid.”
“I’m twenty-one.”
Okay. An infant. “No, I know that. But you’re very...nice, Jordan.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“You’re hardworking, you’re always cheerful, you’re a little shy, but hell, all the guys love you. Gerard, Ned, Jeremy, Mr. Iskin, all our regulars. They think you’re great.”
Her eyebrows raised.
“And you’re very pretty, Jordan. You are. I mean, come on. You must have a mirror.” He smiled.
“You would never go for someone like me.”
Danger, brother mine, said Colleen’s voice in his head. “You’re probably right,” he said, and her face fell again. “But not because of you. It’s because I’ve been in love with Jess since I was in sixth grade. That’s twenty-one years. That’s your entire lifetime. Kind of pathetic, isn’t it?”
“Totally,” she said, taking a sip of water.
“Most of that time...like, ninety-nine percent of that time, we haven’t been together. We’re a little...”
“Star-crossed?” she suggested.
“Inept, I was going to say.”
“But you’re together now,” she said.
“Yeah. Finally.”
Jordan’s eyes filled again. “I can’t imagine someone waiting that long for me.”
“Well, you’re young. And I think you’re one of those girls who, uh...who doesn’t know how great she is just yet. Who doesn’t see what everyone else sees.”
“And what’s that?” she whispered, wiping her nose.
“That you’re very kind. And loyal, and dedicated.” Sounded like he was describing a dog. “And you know, you listen to people. You do. I’ve seen it. People can talk to you. I can guarantee you’re going to meet someone who sees how special you are.”
She looked at him through her red-rimmed eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah. Absolutely. He’s probably already met you and is just waiting for you to get over your crush on some old cook.”
She smiled wetly. “Yeah, right.”
“Trust me. I’ve been a boy mooning over a girl. I can sense these things.”
She blotted her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“Don’t fire me.”
“I won’t.”
She blinked at him a few times, then smiled. “You’re really nice, Connor.”
“Let’s keep that between us.” He stood up and offered his hand, which she took. “Can I walk you home? You live in the Opera House, right?”“It’s, like, thirty feet away. I’m good, Connor.”
“Yes. You are. See you tomorrow.”
She let go of him and smiled. “Yes, Chef.”
* * *
TEN MINUTES LATER, Connor was knocking gently on Jessica’s door. She answered almost right away.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” said her neighbor, who never seemed to sleep. He was smoking on the front porch, the tip of his cigarette glowing in the dark.
“Good night, Ricky,” Jess said, pulling Connor into the kitchen. “No lasagna tonight?”
“I already fed you.”
“So you did. Listen, Davey’s not asleep yet, and he’s a little overstimulated from today, so you can’t stay. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I just wanted to look at you.”
She smiled. “Is that all?”
“No. Other things, too.” He leaned in and kissed her, felt her palm against his heart.
“Jess?” came Davey’s voice from upstairs. “Jess?”
She broke off the kiss and held her finger to her lips. “Yes?” she called, not looking away from Connor.
“Where’s my Wonder Woman comic book?”
She winced.
“Wonder Woman, huh?” Connor whispered. “He has great taste in women.”
She rolled her eyes and turned to the stairs. “It’s probably in your night-table drawer or under your disgusting pile of clothes.”
“Found it!” Davey called. “Don’t come upstairs for a while.”
It was Connor’s turn to wince.
“He’s twenty-six,” Jess said with a shrug. “Healthy American male in love with Wonder Woman.”
So was Connor. A different type of wonder woman, but essentially the same. “Want to sit in the backyard and look at the stars?” he asked.
She looked at him for a long minute. “You’re quite a romantic, aren’t you?”
“That’s just a rumor. I’m really big and scary. You want to or not?”
And so it was that the perfect day ended on a blanket in Jessica’s small backyard, Jess on one side of him, Chico Three on the other, the stars so clear and bright overhead it seemed like everything Connor had ever wanted had been granted by a smiling, benevolent god.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THINGS ARE GOING WELL.
The second the thought came into her head, Jess tried to dismiss it. It was the kiss of death, thinking that.
But things were actually going well.
Davey was sometimes still a little grumpy about Connor if he thought about it. He’d sulk if Jess told him she was going out to see Connor, but having Ned around was a godsend.
When Connor came by, he always brought Lady Fluffy. The name made Jessica laugh every time Connor said it. Chico Three loved the tiny dog, who looked rather like a stuffed animal with its bright eyes and cottony fur, and it made Davey howl with laughter to watch the two dogs chasing each other.
Her father was still sober. Since the fair, he’d been coming around more and more, mostly to see Davey, always supervised by herself, Ned or Gerard. One of these days, she might let him take Davey somewhere, but she’d been in the car too many times herself as a child, arm braced across Davey as her father took a turn too fast and too wide. So while it was a future possibility, she wasn’t rushing into anything there.
And between her boarder and her raise, and her two nights a week at Hugo’s, she’d finally saved up enough to really look for a house. Being terrified of poverty, she actually had more than she needed for a healthy down payment, because she wanted to have a solid rainy-day fund, in case the day came when she no longer worked at Blue Heron.
That day might come. She couldn’t escape the sinking sensation she felt every time she saw Marcy with one of the Hollands, ass-kissing and complimenting, not to mention that barking, omnipresent laugh. But brides especially adored her, and the Barn schedule was packed full, every event going off without a hitch.