Home Again

Never, in the time I spent with Josh, did I ever get the impression that he was an stupid man. So trying to figure out how he managed to jumped from talking to giving him another chance threw me for a loop. Was I giving off the wrong vibes? I wondered. Did something I do or say make him that that I was about to leave Jordan for him? I knew that couldn’t be it, I would know if I was doing that, right? I mean, a girl always knows. He’s just jumping to conclusions – going with a hope or something.

Whatever he was doing or thinking, it had to stop. Then and there.

“Josh.” Maybe it was the warning tone in my voice or the annoyed look in my eyes. Or maybe it was Jenna bouncing her Dora, accidentally clipping him on the chin. I honestly don’t know which it was but I was more than happy when Josh’s hand fell from my back.

Stepping back, he ran a hand through his hair and mumbled something about needing to call the Grillhouse about the reservation. “I’ll call you later with the time,” he threw over his shoulder as he hurried away from Jenna and me.

I was still shaking my head when Cassie and Lindsay appeared at my side a few minutes later. “Hey Aunt Anna, do you think Jordan will mind if we don’t go home right away?” Before I could reply, Cassie told me that there was a really nice pair of jeans on sale at Warehouse One in the mall. “Mom never feels like going out after we get home from school and dad has been working nights lately ­–”

“Dad thinks it dumb to spend $80 on a pair of jeans.” Lindsay stated as she reached for Jenna. “That’s why dad refuses to take you to the mall Cassie.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “It’s my money Lindsay; I’m allowed to spend it on whatever I want. I want those jeans Aunt Anna.”

“I think it’s a waste -“

“Daddy’s little suck,” Cassie cut Lindsay off. “Why don’t you think for yourself instead of repeating everything daddy says?”

Before the hurt on Lindsay’s face verbalized itself, I stepped in. “Lindsay, Cassie is right, it is her money and she can spend it on whatever she wants.”

“But Aunt Anna she doesn’t need another pair of jeans, she has a whole closet full of them!”

I smiled. “Lindsay, when you go into the bookstore and buy an armful of books, does it matter that you have a wall of bookshelves already overflowing in your room?”

As Lindsay stammered that it wasn’t the same thing, Cassie smirked and told her to give it up.

“Both of you give it up.” I took Jenna back from Lindsay. “We’ll go to the mall. Cassie you can buy your ridiculously expensive jeans and Lindsay you can…” I shrugged. “Visit the bookstore?”

Lindsay’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Maybe my order is in.”

As my nieces hurried to gather all their things, I headed back to the seats where all Jenna’s and my stuff was spread out. I couldn’t believe that Jenna managed to pull most everything out of my jacket and bag while we were watching the kids perform. It took me some time to clean it up, it didn’t help that Jenna just tried to pull everything back out as I put it in.

“Would you please stop it?” I asked as I pulled my wallet from her hands for the third time. “We are never going to get home and see daddy if you keep that up.”

When I came to my cell, I realized that I had a number of missed calls. “I wonder who called us.” I glanced at Jenna but she wasn’t the least bit curious, she was elbow deep into my bag again. As I reached out to take my bag away from her, I opened my phone and saw that all 4 of my missed calls were from Jordan.

There were messages.

“Hey Babe, it’s me. Been crazy here today, sorry I didn’t get to call you back until now. Call me when you get this. Tony mentioned something about a ‘big surprise’?” His voice lowered to just above a whisper. “Gonna have your way with me tonight? Call me; let me know what’s going on.”

I watched Jenna pull my wallet open while Jordan’s voice came over my phone again.

“Hey Babe, it’s me again, where are you? Umm, I don’t know what’s going on. I had a few messages from Heather and you but I can’t get a hold of either of you. I know you are probably at the school but Heather?” He let out a frustrated sigh. “Why couldn’t you two leave more detailed messages? I’m starting to freak. Call me; let me know everything is ok.”

There was one more but he didn’t say anything, there was just a sigh and the ‘click’ to let me know he hung up. His last call came in about ten minutes before we ended the meeting.

The girls appeared at my side. “We’re ready Aunt Anna.”

I nodded, indicating the phone.

“Oh, right.” Cassie knelt down next to Jenna and took my wallet away from her – without a fight. “Letting Jordan know what’s going on?” She didn’t wait for my reply. “We’ll get Jenna ready.”

Returning Jordan’s call only got me to Tony, who, once again, told me that Jordan was extremely busy but he would tell him I called. A half hour later, as I was entering Playful Forest – a small play area in the mall – I finally got to talk to my boyfriend.

“It’s been a fun day,” he sounded so tired. “But enough about work tell me how the meeting went.”

I told him that the meeting went great. “You should’ve seen the look on the kids faces when Eric told them that they’ll get a chance to meet and work with Fireball; you couldn’t hear yourself think!”

“I bet. So…?”

“So what?” I raised a brow and then laughed as Jenna climbed up onto a plastic rock only to get ‘stuck’. Pushing off the cushioned seat that surrounded the play area, I went to her ‘rescue’. “What are you doing?” I chuckled. “Are you being silly again?”

“Being silly?” Jordan sounded offended. “No, I just wanted to know how it went with Josh. If you think –“

“Honey, I was talking to Jenna, she’s stuck on top of the plastic rock at Playful Forest.”

“Jenna?” Jordan stammered as he asked what I was doing with Jenna.

“Short story,” I reached for Jenna, wrapping my hands around her before lifting her off and onto the ground. “Hank’s grandmother is dying and Hank didn’t think that it would be a good environment for Jenna, so he asked Heather to see if you would mind picking Jenna up a few days earlier.” Taking a breath, I shrugged, not that he could see it. “When Heather couldn’t get a hold of you, she called me and now I’m at the mall with my nieces and Jenna. Cassie wanted a new pair of expensive jeans and Lindsay is book buying again.”

“What about you?” He asked. “Were you buying anything?”

“Nope, just hanging out in the Forest with Jenna; waiting for the girls to finish up.”

We talked for a couple more minutes. Jordan told me, at the end of our conversation, that he was heading home right away. “I’ll put something on for supper – unless you want to pick something up.”

I told him I would rather if he pulled something for supper. “You know I love it when you cook for me Jordy.”

“Ok,” he chuckled. “Alphagetti here we come!”

It was dark by the time I pulled into Jordan’s driveway. I couldn’t wait to get the girls into the house and settle down onto the couch with Jordan. When we walked up the front steps, I had a feeling the evening wasn’t going to be quiet – music blared from behind the door.

Giving the girls a look, I slowly opened the door and was confronted with Rod Stewart’s ‘Do you think I’m sexy’. We were able to enter the house, take off our coats and boots without Jordan hearing us. It wasn’t until I walked into the kitchen, I realized why he didn’t hear us – he was singing into a wooden spoon and shaking his ass while he stood at the stove.

“I gotta get this on video.” Pulling out my camera, I quickly set it up to film all of his moves. “God he’s so sexy.”

Behind me the girls chuckled, telling me I could have him.

So I did.

Saving the video I took, I handed my bag and Jenna over to the girls and crossed the room to him. I scared him, when I took advantage of him stopping to stir what was in the pot. I wrapped my arms around his waist, he jumped.

“Anna!”

“Hey,” I smiled. “I think you’re sexy – now what are you going to do about it?”