Jenna let out a sigh as she played with a sugar packet on the café table. Kelly knew what that sigh meant and realized why she had been invited to lunch. Jenna needed advice. “Are you going to tell me what you’re thinking or are you just going to pick at your lunch in silence?”
Jenna looked at Kelly who was almost finished eating. She had barely touched her salad. “Am I crazy?”
Kelly frowned. “You’re going to have to give me more information than that for a real answer.”
Jenna took a small bite of her salad then let out another sigh. “I’ve only know him for like two months. I shouldn’t expect anything.”
Kelly nodded, her thought being confirmed. “Lance problems, huh?”
“Yeah.” Jenna tried to take another bite, but the mentions of Lance’s name made her lose all her appetite. She put her fork down and pushed the bowl away from herself. “I swear, he gives me signals and acts like he likes me, but…”
“Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?” Kelly mumbled.
“What? I’m not sleeping with him!” Jenna loudly said. The people at the tables nearby looked over. “Sorry!”
Kelly laughed. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant why is he going to ask you out if you are already acting like his girlfriend. He’s not a jerk guy like that, but he’s gotten the relationship without the work. He probably hasn’t even realized he’s skipped some steps.”
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“Do you like him?” Kelly asked matter-of-factly.
Jenna let out another sigh. “Yes.” She began to tear up. “But…but, I don’t want to be used. To feel used.”
“Then don’t.”
Jenna finally looked Kelly in the eyes. “How?”
Kelly reached across the table and grabbed Jenna’s hands. “There are a million guys in this town that would love to date you. I’ve seen you turn down many. Maybe you should start dating some of them.”
“How’s that going to help?” Jenna looked truly confused.
“Well, for one it will let you see if you really have a thing for Lance or if it’s just because you are around him too much. Second, if he really does have feelings for you, it will be a wake up call to him. And third, it will let you get out of the house and meet some people other than our little group.” The waiter walked up with the bill and Kelly handed him her credit card before Jenna even noticed anything had happened. “So, what do you think?”
Jenna sat back in her seat and thought about what Kelly had said. The waiter returned with the card then cleared the table. After a minute of silence, Jenna looked at her watch then stood up. “Thanks for having lunch with me. I’ve gotta get back to work.”
Kelly was shocked at Jenna’s bluntness. “What do you think about what I said?” Kelly stood up and walked with Jenna to their cars.
Jenna sighed. “I don’t know. I need time to think about it.”
“Okay. Tell me what you decide.” Kelly hugged Jenna. “And if nothing else, give yourself some space from Lance. Do things without him and tell him no every once in a while.”
“I will.”
===============================================================================
Space from Lance seemed easier said then done, especially since she was working daily with the guys getting Challenge for the Children ready. They had three weeks left and a lot of planning and organizing to go. At least in the office with the other guys and Johnny around, Lance acted very professional around Jenna.
One of the many jobs Jenna had was getting food for the hospitality rooms. She was going around to the local grocery stores to get prices on deli and fruit trays. She couldn’t believe she had gone to college to learn how to make her natural PR skills work for her when she thought about how she was going to have to make a presentation that afternoon on bologna and strawberries. She listened to this deli manager tell her the same spill about how they had the best prices in town and the freshest fruits. Jenna wrote down the information, noticing that this store was actually the most expensive and then thanked the lady.
After talking to people all morning about the trays all Jenna was craving was a Granny Smith apple. She found one that was large and unbruised then thought about how the guys would whine if she was eating one and didn’t have any to share so she grabbed four more and two oranges for Johnny and JC who weren’t apple fans. As she was walking to check out, she noticed that the cantaloupes were two for $3. 'Not a bad price' she thought to herself, as she went to grab some. She then noticed a tall, well-dressed man looking at a cantaloupe with a confused expression on his face.
When Jenna reached for a plastic bag, the man looked at her. “Do you know how to tell if one of these is good or not?” Jenna looked up at the man that had to be as tall as Justin. “I can never tell with fruit like this.”
Jenna grabbed a cantaloupe, squeezed it then smelled it. The man followed suit. Jenna started to giggle. “Honestly, no. I have no idea what I’m doing. I was just going to grab two and hope when I cut them they were ripe.”
The man laughed. “So, I smelled a cantaloupe for no reason.” Jenna nodded. “Well, I did it because I saw a beautiful woman do it. Does that count for anything?” Jenna blushed. “Hi! My name is David.” He stuck his hand out for Jenna to shake.
She took it and smiled. “Jenna.”
“Nice to meet you.” David looked at what Jenna was carrying. “Apples, oranges, and cantaloupe. Either you just started shopping or that’s all you came for.”
“Actually, I just came to price some stuff, but these stores are like vacuums.” She let out a little laugh as she shifted her weight from on foot to the other.
“I know the feeling. I hadn’t even planned on coming in. I’m on my way to work. But as I was driving past I thought of a million things I needed so I dropped in.” David looked straight into her eyes and gave Jenna a warm smile.
“Speaking of work, I’ve gotta get back. It was nice to meet you David.” Jenna smiled at him then turned to walk away. She got in one of the express lanes hoping it wouldn’t take as long as those lanes can.
As she fished around in her purse for her wallet, Jenna felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the same brown eyes that had been looking at her moments ago. “Long time, no see.” David flashed a smile at her. “You walked away before I got a chance to ask you where you work, or if your eyes are always that amazing blue color, or if you were married.”
Jenna was shocked by the last question. “No! No, I’m not married. I’m…I’m not even dating.”
“Dating anyone or dating in general?” David asked as Jenna handed her money to the cashier.
“I date, I guess.” Jenna shoved the change in her purse, not bothering with putting it in her wallet then laughed. “I sound like an idiot. I’m not dating anyone right now. I’m still kinda new in town.”
David handed his money to the cashier then reached in his pocket. He wrote something on a card then handed it to Jenna. “Well, if you ever want someone to show you around, call me. My home number is on the back.”
Jenna glanced down to see the handwritten number then shoved it in her purse. “Thank you!”
“I hope I hear from you.” David flashed another smile at Jenna that made her blush. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Jenna…”
“Sutherland.”
“Jenna Sutherland. Enjoy your fruit.” David shook Jenna’s hand again.
“I will. You too.” Jenna waved over her shoulder as she walked to her car. Her stomach kept doing flip-flops as she thought about the ‘amazing eyes’ comment. Jenna was so caught up in what David has said and what that card might say, that she almost missed her turn to get back to Johnny’s. 'What kind of guy has cards?' she thought. 'Doctor’s maybe. A lawyer. I had a teacher once that gave us cards, but this guy said he was on his way to work.' Jenna grabbed her grocery sack and purse as she walked into the house, still wondering what the card said. As she walked into the living room, the guys, who saw she had food, attacked her. She took a quick look through the notes she had been taking at the grocery stores all morning and once Johnny walked in, Jenna handed him his orange and told everyone what she found out and who she thought they should go with. They voted and then discussed a few more things before they dismissed for the day.
Jenna walked into the office, sat at her desk, and was searching through her purse for David’s card when Lance walked in. “Hey Jenn! Can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure.” Jenna said as she found the card that had found it’s way to the bottom and slid it under the phone. “What’s up?”
Lance pulled up a chair and put his hand on Jenna’s knee. “Well, I was thinking about renting some movies and ordering a pizza. I was wondering if you wanted to join me?”
Jenna’s heart jumped in her chest. Everything inside her was screaming yes but she kept thinking about what Kelly had said. She put her hand on top of Lance’s on her knee. “Would this be like a date?”
Lance looked at Jenna shocked. “Well, um…no. It would just be like normal.”
Jenna nodded then removed Lance’s hand from her knee and put it on his own. “Then, no.” She turned to her computer and shook the mouse to wake up the screen.
“No? Why not?” Jenna said nothing. She just began to type up the presentation that she had just made. “Are you wanting to date?”
Without stopping what she was doing, Jenna replied, “Are you?”
Lance was surprised by her cold remark. “I don’t know. I thought things were fine the way they were. What’s changed?”
Jenna felt a lump in her throat. “I have and if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make.” Jenna pulled the card David had given her out from under the phone and flipped it over to dial the work number.
A young female voice answered the phone. “Noodles Italian Kitchen. May I help you?”
“Yes. Hi, may I speak to David…” Jenna looked down at the card. “Lacy, please.”
“Sure, just one moment.” The girl put the phone on hold and Jenna heard soft elevator music play.
“Who’s David Lacy?” Lance asked, almost angrily.
Jenna put her hand over the mouthpiece. “A guy I’m thinking about dating. Now, would you mind?” Jenna nodded towards the door then turned her chair back towards her computer. “And shut the door behind you. Thanks!” Lance couldn’t believe he had just been dismissed. He got up and slammed the door behind him just as David picked up the phone.
“Hi! This is David Lacy, the owner. How may I help you?”
Jenna’s empowered feeling of standing up to Lance changed to butterflies in her stomach when she heard David’s voice. “Um…hi. This is Jenna. Sutherland. We met at the grocery store earlier today.”
“Oh hi! I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon. Or actually at all.” David began to mess with his tie, trying to contain his nervousness.
“Well, I hope I’m not bothering you or anything, but I just realized I need a change and was wondering if your offer to show me around was redeemable for tonight. I know it’s short notice, but…”
David interrupted. “No, not at all! What time is good for you?” David and Jenna talked for a few more minutes. While they were talking, Lance stormed around the house. When he was asked by a third person what was wrong, he decided he needed to get out. So, he got in his SUV and tore out of the parking lot, planning on driving until he ran out of gas.
=================================================================================
Jenna looked in the mirror for what seemed like the fiftieth time checking her hair, her makeup and her outfit. She hadn’t had a date in a while, so she was extra nervous. She had called and told Kelly what was going on and was relieved to hear that Kelly thought she had made the right move. The doorbell rang and Jenna almost ran to the front door. She stopped just before reaching for the knob, took a deep breath, and smoothed down the front of her sundress.
When she opened the door, she was greeted with David’s smiling face and a bouquet of roses. “Hi! These are for you.”
“Thank you! You didn’t have to. Let me get them in some water.” Jenna ushered David in and began to look for the vase Anthony had given her as a house-warming present.
“This is a nice place. In a nice neighborhood, too. That job of yours must pay pretty well.” David leaned up against the bar watching Jenna fill the vase with water and quickly arrange the flowers.
“Yeah. I get by.” Jenna smiled then grabbed her purse. “I’m ready if you are.”
David opened the front door for Jenna then, after she locked up, opened the car door for her. “I live just a mile down the road. Off Searcy Blvd.”
Jenna tried to think of all the streets she’s been on since she moved to Orlando. “I think I’ve been down that way.”
“It’s not as nice a place as yours, but it’s big for just one guy.” Jenna nervously smiled. “Well, I thought we could get some dinner, then I’ll drive you around and show you some of the more popular spots in town.”
“Sounds good.” Jenna nodded.
David and Jenna continued small talk until they reached the restaurant David worked at. “Well, here we are. My home away from home.”
David opened Jenna’s car door and helped her out. “I’ve driven past here before and wanted to stop in to eat.”
“Well, it’s good food, I promise.” David joked. “I know the owner.” They were seated and continued talking while they ate. “So, tell me about this job you have that lets you have a nice house and time to fruit shop in the middle of the day.”
“Oh,” Jenna blushed. “It’s just…I’m…well, have you ever heard of NSync or Britney Spears?”
“Of course I have. Who hasn’t?”
“Well,” Jenna nervously tapped her feet on the ground. “Their manager, Johnny Wright. I’m his personal assistant.”
David looked surprised. “Wow, that’s…”
Jenna interrupted. “Yeah I know. It’s just the fancy way to say secretary, but…”
“No, I was going to say that’s awesome. I must be cool to work with someone as big as he is.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah it is. He’s a great guy. And since I’ve been here, I’ve been working with the NSync guys almost everyday.”
“You must have some nice connections.” David joked. “And that kind of explains the necklace.”
Jenna laughed. “No connections, but I have some pretty popular friends now. And no, I’m not a groupie or anything. This was a present from one of the guys.” Jenna touched her necklace. “But what about you? How did you become a restaurant owner in lovely Orlando?”
“Well, when I graduated from college four years ago, I had two options. Either use a degree I got because my parents made me or stay for more school. So I decided to try culinary school. I loved it. I decided to use my culinary training, my degree in business management and my inheritance from my grandfather to open this place up and it’s been going strong for two years now.”
“See, that’s what I think is awesome. I love to cook, but I don’t think I’m good enough to have my own restaurant.”
“Maybe you’ll have to cook for me sometime.” David put one hand on top of Jenna’s causing her to blush again.
“Maybe.”
Jenna and David finished their dinner and enjoyed the rest of their evening together. When Jenna walked into the bedroom to get ready for bed, she was floating on cloud nine and antsy to tell Kelly all about it at their dinner together the next day.
==============================================================================
It was almost impossible for Jenna to not call Kelly and tell her everything that happened that night. But, as Jenna pulled into the Fatone’s driveway, her excited energy changed into nausea. Lance’s SUV was there and she knew that he wouldn’t be as interested in hearing about the date. Jenna just sat in her car for a moment contemplating going back home and telling Kelly she wasn’t feeling well, but before she could get the keys back in the ignition, Joey came out the front door and practically pulled Jenna out of her car and in the house.
The five of them had a nice, quiet dinner. Tension filled the air, but anytime things got too uncomfortable, someone made a comment about Brianna and the four adults would begin talking again.
The guys offered to clean up the kitchen, so Jenna and Kelly took Brianna upstairs to bath her. As Kelly reached for the baby shampoo, she asked, “So, are you going to tell me about last night or not?”
Jenna smiled. “We had a good time.”
“And?”
“And he was a gentleman.”
“Don’t make me dig. Tell me what he did.”
“He opened doors, paid for the meal, brought me flowers…it was nice.”
Kelly reached for the cup she used to rinse off Brianna’s hair with. “Are you going to see him again?”
Jenna smiled. “Yeah.”
“Did you kiss him?” Kelly rinsed off Brianna again before lifting her out of the tub and wrapping her up in a towel.
“You’re a sad girl. Yes, a small one when we said goodnight.”
“Was it good?”
Jenna laughed as she sat herself on the bathroom cabinet. “Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve had a real kiss, but yeah, it was good.”
“So, aren’t you glad you called him now?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“When’s your next date?” A sardonic voice asked from the doorway. The girls looked up to see Lance glaring at Jenna as Joey stepped in and reached for his daughter.
“Uh…um…tomorrow actually.”
Lance crossed his arms. “Two dates in one week. It has been a while for you, hasn’t it?”
Jenna slid off the cabinet and stood facing Lance. For the top of her head to only come up to Lance’s nose, it was obvious she meant business. “Well, at least it’s not an act. He wanted another date and I want to get to know him better. Tomorrow sounded like a good idea. Do you have a problem with that?”
Joey and Kelly exchanged concerned looks as they watched the conversation unfold. Kelly squeezed past Lance and Jenna, eyes locked to gain dominance. “I’m going to put Bri to bed.”
“I’ll help you.” Joey said. As he passed Lance, he grabbed his arm. “Please, no bloodshed in my house.”
Lance shook off Joey. “Is that what you want? Someone to fawn over you?”
“No. I just want someone to treat me the way our title defines. No matter if it’s a friend, a date, or a co-worker.” Jenna, even in her anger, searched Lance’s eyes for understanding. She found nothing.
“Co-worker? Don’t you mean boss?”
Jenna’s heart stopped. She couldn’t believe Lance had just said that. All her composure flew out the window as she raised her voice. “You’re not my boss, asshole. Johnny is.”
“So that technically means your nothing to me then.” Lance cocked his head.
Jenna’s eyes welled up with tears. “Apparently.” She couldn’t let him see her cry, so she pushed Lance out of the way. She stuck her head in Brianna’s room, where Joey and Kelly had been listening to the whole conversation. “Thanks for dinner, guys, but I have to go.” The last word came out of her mouth as more of a sob than a word.
Kelly reached for Jenna, to console her, but she flew down the stairs too quickly and was in her car driving away before she could be stopped. Joey walked over to Lance, who was still in the bathroom. “Good job, stud. That’s the way to make friends.” He sarcastically said.
Lance retorted, with obvious hurt in his voice, “Shut the hell up, Joe. Just shut the hell up.”
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