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  Trying to Get Over You

  Vanessa

  I COULDN’T get my earlier conversation with Shane out of my head. I had just sat there and listened to him spit vile, nasty words in my face as I did nothing. “I can’t believe I ever married you. You’re so fucking plain.” “You’re so worthless.” Those were just a couple of the things he said to me.

  One foot in front of the other. Enjoy the calmness of the lake. Block out everything else. You can do this Vanessa. Just watch the geese floating on the water.

  Running had always been my safe place. When life was too much, I would go for a run.

  I looked to my left and studied the geese and nearby sailboats as something knocked into my back. My legs gave way and I sprawled onto the sidewalk, rolling to the grass face down. I stayed frozen, not really sure what had just happened.

  “Are you okay?” I heard a deep voice ask from above me.

  Was I okay? I wasn’t hurting too bad, so I rolled onto my back to look up at the stranger.

  “Are you okay? I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” The handsome stranger with dark sweaty hair and dark eyes told me.

  “I…Uh…I think I’m fine,” I told him as I sat up. That’s when I looked at his tanned, bare, sculpted chest and any thoughts about falling and hurting myself escaped me.

  He offered me his hand to help me up. “It doesn’t look like you’re bleeding anywhere. Again, I’m so sorry. I looked down at my phone for maybe a second and ran right into you.”

  “No worries,” I stated as I took his hand and he eased me up onto my feet.

  “Let me at least walk with you for a minute so I can be sure you’re okay.”

  “Okay,” I said as I realized I was still holding his hand. I quickly released his hand and dropped mine. I looked at the path ahead of me, to the parking lot where my car was parked. “I’m just parked over there. I think I’ll be fine.”

  “You’re probably right, but I still want to walk you to your car just to be sure. I feel horrible about knocking you down,” he said, looking straight into my eyes.

  I was held captive by his dark eyes and stared at him for a few beats longer than I should have before answering. “Okay, fine.”

  We started walking down the sidewalk toward the parking lot in silence. I could feel his body heat, since he was walking so close to me. I wanted to say something but I didn’t know what to say. He was an attractive man and I didn’t want to make a fool out of myself, even though he had just seen me sprawled out on the grass.

  “It’s a nice day out today,” he said, making conversation.

  I looked out over the lake again before answering. “It is. I’m hoping the entire week will be like this.”

  “That would be nice. I haven’t lived here long, but I bet it gets hotter.”

  I finally looked over at his face. “Oh, you’re not from here?”

  He gave me a surprised look. “No, I just moved here from New York.”

  “Well, welcome to Oklahoma.”

  “Thanks. So what all is there to do around here?” He asked as he looked me up and down.

  I wasn’t sure what that was about. I didn’t really like it even though I was doing the same to him. I knew I wasn’t that attractive; at least my husband had made me feel that way. I glanced out at the water to clear my head of thoughts of my husband. I looked back at the sexy stranger. “Well, we have a lot to do here. You can check out the area near downtown called Bricktown. It has a lot of restaurants and clubs along with a canal. It’s really pretty. We also have a lot of lakes if you like that type of thing and well, we have a few sports teams. I’m sure you’ve heard of the basketball team, the Thunder.”

  He chuckled a little, then smiled wide at me before answering. “Yeah, you could say I’ve heard of the Thunder. I think they just got a new player. Supposed to be really good.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I knew that.”

  He chuckled some more before saying “I’m really sorry. I didn’t ask your name.”

  I looked into his eyes, trying to figure out what in the hell was so funny before I answered. “Vanessa. And your name would be?” It came out a little harsh, but I could tell he was laughing at something and it was starting to piss me off.

  “Jackson,” he simply stated.

  We reached the parking lot and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bolt from this man because of his attitude or if I wanted to hang around him some more just to ogle his body.

  I pointed to my beat up Ford Focus. “That’s my car over there. Thanks for walking me to my car. Now you can rest, knowing I’m okay.”

  He nodded, but I could tell he was thinking about something. “Have lunch with me?” He blurted as he looked back over at me.

  I looked into his beautiful eyes. “You really don’t need to buy me lunch. I’m okay.”

  “I know I don’t have to. This has nothing to do with me running into you. I’d just like to have lunch with someone. Remember I’m new in town?”

  “Um…Okay, I guess.” What the hell; he was hot and it’s not like my bastard of a husband wasn’t having lunch or visiting some hotel room with some woman right now.

  “Where do you wanna go?” He asked.

  “Oh, what do you like? Do you like Mexican, Italian…?”

  “Any. I’m not picky at all. Just some place that isn’t stuffy.”

  “Okay. Wanna go to a place near here?”

  He flashed me a sexy smile. “Sounds good. Which place?”

  “How about The Wing Shack? I love their wings.”

  “Great,” he said, before walking off to find his car.

  I walked over to my car, manually unlocking my door and sank in my seat. No fancy key fob for my car. Since separating from my husband, I had been forced to sell my nice SUV and settle for the Focus.

  I knew I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just having lunch with a guy. A sexy guy, but just a guy. In the back of my mind, I knew that, no matter what I did, I wasn’t doing anything as wrong as my husband had done and was still doing. I started the vehicle and let the cool air from the air conditioner hit my face.

  I sat there for five minutes just to relax. I grabbed my purse from the seat next to me and pulled out my makeup bag. Luckily, I found a cleansing wipe in my bag and was able to clean up and put my makeup on the best I could using the small visor mirror. Looking down at my clothes, I realized I was still in my tank top and shorts. I didn’t have any clothes with me, so they would have to do.

  I PUT everything back in my purse and was off to have lunch with a hot guy and hopefully enjoy myself for the first time in a long time. I pulled out onto the highway and turned the radio up. All I could think about was that sculpted chest and those mesmerizing dark eyes. This guy was every girl’s fantasy and I was about to have lunch with him. Just as I was getting lost in my thoughts, my phone rang.

  I looked at the screen and noticed it was my best friend Amanda. “Hello.”

  “Hey, I was just calling to see if you wanted to grab dinner tonight?”

  “That sounds great. Where at?”

  “You sound…different. Do I detect happiness in your voice?” She prodded.

  “I’m sounding like I always do. Where do you want to eat tonight?” I didn’t want her to know about my lunch date, because she would make it out to be a bigger deal than it was.

  “Okay, whatever you say. How about Chelino’s?”

  “Sounds good. Seven okay?”

  “Works for me.”

  I really wanted to get off the phone with her before she got too quizzical. “Hey, I’m driving can I just talk to you tonight?”

  “Okay bye, V.”

  “Bye,” I said, the
n threw the phone into the console. Why was I this giddy about having lunch with a guy? Maybe it’s because you’ve been married to a dickhead for the last four years and treated like crap. Maybe you’d like to enjoy a guy’s company. A hot guy’s company.

  I pulled into one of the parking spaces and took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. It was just lunch with another human being. A human being I would probably never see again. It would be okay.

  Jackson

  I WALKED away from the very hot girl toward my car in the parking lot. What was I doing, asking her to have lunch? I don’t know her at all. She’s breathtaking; that’s why. Her long brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, and killer body were exactly why I had asked her to lunch. Sure, I felt bad for knocking her to the ground earlier, but I really wanted to stare at her some more.

  I walked over to the Lexus I had rented until my Range Rover was delivered and flung the door open. I sat down inside and grabbed the deodorant and T-shirt from the passenger seat. I really should have allowed time to take a shower and meet her later, but it was too late to change the plans. I turned the car on, plugged The Wing Shack she had suggested into the GPS, and pulled away.

  God, this girl was hot. I knew she wasn’t anything like the other girls I had “dated,” because she had no clue who I was and therefore wasn’t using me for anything. Most girls liked having the cameras take their pictures with me or being able to tell their friends they went out with me. Not this girl. She had no clue and something told me that, even if she knew, she still wouldn’t care about anything like that.

  I drove down the busy expressway, but all I could think about was the very fit woman lying on the grass with brown hair splayed out all around her. I felt bad that I had knocked her down, but that didn’t stop me from checking her out. Then, when she rolled over and those big brown eyes caught my attention, I couldn’t stop the instant attraction to her. God, she was hot.

  I pulled into the restaurant parking lot and tried to shake my thoughts. I wasn’t looking for a one night stand. This girl was hot, but I was turning over a new leaf in life and I was looking for the girl. The girl I wanted to marry.

  When I pulled into the parking lot, I grabbed my Dallas Cowboys cap and began looking for her old beat up car. I spotted it to the far side of the lot, but I didn’t see her inside. I headed toward the restaurant; once inside, I noticed her seated on a bench waiting for me.

  “I hope you haven’t been here long,” I told her.

  She glanced up from the tile on the floor she had been staring at and smiled. “No, maybe five minutes is all.”

  I gestured to the hostess. “Did you put your name on the list?”

  “There isn’t a wait,” she told me as she stood up.

  I nodded and we followed the hostess to a table in the back. I was thankful for the secluded booth and that I had remembered my ball cap. I had been all over the news recently and I hated being recognized.

  “So you want to share an order of wings?” I asked when the hostess walked away.

  “Only if you plan on getting the garlic parmesan,” she replied with a smile.

  I already liked this girl. A girl that didn’t mind eating garlic and having nasty breath in front of a guy she just met. “Those are my favorite.”

  “Then sure. I’ll share an order with you. Can we also get the potato wedges?”

  “Sure thing.”

  After the waitress took our drink and food order, I noticed Vanessa was a little fidgety. Is she nervous because she had figured out who I was? No, she didn’t seem like the type. Why in the hell is she so nervous?

  “Have you lived here your whole life, Vanessa?”

  She looked me right in the eyes and I couldn’t help but notice how breathtaking she was. “I was born in a small town just south of here.”

  “That’s cool. I’m from Dallas,” I offered.

  She raised an eyebrow at me. “I thought you said you just moved here from New York?”

  That made me chuckle a little bit, the fact that she thought she had caught me lying. “I did just move here from New York, but I’m originally from Dallas. My job is the reason I moved to New York, just like my job is the reason I moved to Oklahoma City.”

  She blushed a little. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just used to being around someone who isn’t very trustworthy.”

  I wasn’t really sure how to take her comment about untrustworthy people, but for some reason, I felt the need to comfort her. Grabbing her hand, I said, “Hey, it’s okay. You should probably be a little skeptical of strangers. And I’m sorry you’ve been around dishonest people. You should probably ditch those type of people from your life.”

  “Thank you,” she said before glancing at the large TV mounted to the wall. Her eyes grew really big and I noticed her glance at me, then back at the TV. I knew exactly what she was about to ask.

  Vanessa

  MY EYES had to be deceiving me. There was no way in hell that I was sitting in a booth with Jackson Berrios. The NBA lead scorer last season. I glanced back at the huge TV and back to the man sitting across from me in the booth.

  “What did you say your name was again?” I asked.

  He swallowed hard. “Jackson.”

  “No, your last name.”

  He glanced around the restaurant and I noticed he was still holding onto my hand. “Berrios,” he said with his voice lowered.

  I took in a deep breath as I stared at him, trying to process why he was sitting in a booth with me. This guy was one of the best basketball players in the league and hotter than hell. He could, and from what I had seen on celebrity gossip TV shows, had dated a lot of beautiful women. I had always thought he could be a male model when I had watched him play and, after seeing him in person shirtless, I knew I had been correct.

  He squeezed my hand and I realized I was staring at him. “Hey, it’s no big deal. Just a job,” he told me.

  I knew that. Just because he was a famous basketball player didn’t change him instantly. Either way, he was just a hot guy I had met today. “Yeah, I know. Sorry. It just took me by surprise.”

  He let go of my hand, dropping his hands below the table. “It’s okay. I normally don’t tell people. Sometimes I just want to be a normal guy. Not a celebrity.”

  I looked up to meet his stare, “I’m sure that gets old. I’m shocked I didn’t recognize you. I’m actually a basketball fan.”

  The waitress delivered our food and I noticed Jackson looking away and ducking his head. I didn’t notice it before, but I’m sure this was how he acted in all public settings.

  After the waitress left, we both dug into eating our wings in silence.

  A few moments later, he cleared his throat. “So, now you know what I do for a living. What do you do?”

  I finished the rest of my wing and took a drink before replying. “I teach fifth grade.”

  “That’s cool. If I hadn’t been able to play professionally, I always figured I’d teach and coach basketball.”

  I took another wing out of the basket in the middle of the table. “I love working with kids. They make me smile daily.” I didn’t tell him that they were now the only reason that I smiled.

  He ate a few more wings and took a drink before glancing up at the TV. “God, I hate seeing myself on TV. I hate giving interviews.”

  “Why does it bother you?”

  He wiped his mouth and placed his napkin on the table. “Because I just want to play basketball. When I’m playing, I don’t think about being on TV. I’m just in the moment. When I get interviewed, I don’t know; I guess I get nervous.”

  “That makes sense. I would be a bumbling fool if anyone tried to interview me. I’d be lucky to remember my own name. I’d also probably start sweating. A lot.”

  Why am I telling this guy about my nerves? Did I really just tell him that I sweat a lot? I need to shut up. He is probably an asshole just like Shane and I need to remember that. It was wrong to pre-judge someone, but it was better to guard my hea
rt than to get hurt again. Guard my heart? I had known the guy two hours; I needed to get a hold of myself.

  “So, tell me about yourself, Vanessa. I’m sure you know a lot more about me than I do about you. In fact, all I know about you is your first name is Vanessa, you’re from here, and you teach.”

  “Hmmm, well, my last name is Smith and I’m pretty boring. Sorry, not much to tell.”

  He laughed lightly at my response. “Oh come on. Favorite TV show?”

  I picked at my napkin, then looked him in the eyes. “Currently, Modern Family. Past, Friends.”

  “Good choices. Mine are The Walking Dead and past would be The Sopranos.”

  “I like those too,” I said to him before glancing at my watch. We’d been at the restaurant an hour.

  “I guess we should ask the waitress for our checks. I’m sure you have somewhere you need to be.”

  “I’ve got the check and I have nowhere to be today. Probably my last day like this for a while.”

  “I can pay for my meal. You apologized and walked me to my car earlier. It’s fine.”

  “I’m paying for your meal,” he told me, then asked, “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

  I couldn’t think. Did he want to spend more time with me? No, that couldn’t be it. Shane had always let me know what a bore I was; there was no way Jackson would want to spend any more time with me than he already had.

  “Oh, you know, just different errands, then having dinner with my friend,” I told him while digging around in my purse for nothing.

  “How about you spend the day with me? Showing me around? Errands can wait or we can both run your errands.”

  “What?” I asked, as I looked up at his beautiful face.

  “What do you mean, ‘what’? I’m asking you to spend the afternoon with me. Unless you don’t want to,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

  “I guess I don’t understand. You’ve apologized and are now buying me lunch. If this is still about knocking into me, you really don’t need to.”

  He shook his head. “Vanessa, I’m asking you because I’ve enjoyed talking to you and you’re not bad to look at.” He grinned.