“Yes.” He stood and looked at her like a puzzle with a few missing pieces. “Get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
When the door clicked shut Jessica released the breath she’d been holding. Until Luke said it to his family the previous night, Jessica hadn’t focused on the fact that they’d known each other for over five months. She wondered if any other psychiatrist would have known her whole story by that point. Was therapy like ripping off a Band-Aid or peeling an onion? The truth: She wasn’t ready to tell Luke everything. Dr. Jones would have done his job and walked away. She didn’t want Luke to walk away, but she feared giving him too much too fast would have him sprinting in the opposite direction.
Their relationship was a mystery. He let many unofficial days of therapy pass without her saying a word about her past. Maybe discussing random and completely irrelevant topics was a comforting white noise for him while he focused on his crossword puzzles. She wondered more than once why he allowed zero progresses for days and sometimes weeks, but as long as he kept opening his door to her she wasn’t going to risk asking why.
“Good morning, Jessica. Can I get you some breakfast? It’s my specialty.” Felicity greeted her with a warm smile.
“Smells amazing, but can you save me some? Luke and I are going for a run.”
“Absolutely. Oh…” she grimaced seeing Jessica’s legs “…that does look painful.”
“Nah … Where is he, by the way?”
Felicity let her worried gaze linger a few more seconds on Jessica’s legs, then pointed out the kitchen window. “He’s out back with Tom.”
Jessica nodded as she tied her shoes. “Thanks.”
“How’d you sleep?”
“Too good. The room was cool and I was in a warm comfy spot under a heap of covers. I didn’t want to wake up.”
“You didn’t miss the sounds of the big city?” Felicity handed her a bottled water.
“The city, yes, the sounds, no. I might send Luke back to reality tomorrow and stay here until you kick me out.”
Felicity smiled with a playful wink. “Fine by me. Have a good run.”
“Thanks, we will.”
Jessica walked around the side of the house, coming to a stop when she saw Luke and Tom talking in front of an old shed, Tom sipping a cup of coffee, Luke fiddling with the cap to his bottled water. The sight of Luke in a T-shirt, running shorts, and a ball cap left her feeling warm and a bit dizzy. She closed her eyes for a brief moment. For every intelligent, strong-willed woman in the world there was one man that could render her speechless, make her sweat, and consume her thoughts. Luke was that guy for her.
“Hey, young lady.” Tom noticed Jessica as he looked over Luke’s shoulder.
She smiled and when Luke turned and gave her a huge grin that was so very un-Dr. Jones, she pleaded with her heart to calm down and play it cool so she wouldn’t pass out.
“Good morning.” She walked down the small hill toward them.
Tom grinned, his eyes making a quick inspection. “For the love of God, how’d you get all those muscles on such a little body?”
Jessica shrugged, surprised that it was her muscles that caught his attention and not her scabbed-over legs. “A few squats here and there, maybe a crunch or two.”
Tom laughed. “Oh, that’s all, huh?”
Luke adjusted his cap as if to hide his own wandering eyes. “We should get going before it gets too warm.”
Jessica smiled. “Bye, Tom.”
“Show him how it’s done, young lady.”
Jessica nudged Luke as they walked up the hill. “Oh, I will.”
“You do realize I’m not Kelly and you’re going to have to make two strides for every one of mine.”
“God, I love it when you talk my language. You know numbers are my foreplay.”
“Just get going.” Luke shook his head and started jogging down the road.
Jessica followed a few steps behind. “Don’t worry, Jones, I won’t pass you until the last mile. The view is too good from back here.”
“I feel violated.”
Everything inside Jessica came to life. The playful side of Luke was like a shooting star—there and gone in a blink but leaving a lingering feeling of hope.
“I can take the lead and let you violate me if you’d like.”
Luke glanced back at her.
“Don’t give me that look, Jones. You know how long I’ve gone without sex. If I were you I’d lock my bedroom door tonight.”
Luke picked up the pace as if he could prevent her from catching him. She toyed with him for nearly seven miles, sometimes allowing a sizable gap between them, other times riding on his heels. As the sandy oasis, an unofficial beach, just off the road came into view, Jessica closed the gap.
“First one to the beach gets to dive into the water naked.”