Stella, Get Your Man. Nancy Bartholomew

then why didn’t you answer me? Who is that guy? Don’t you know him?”

      Aunt Lucy threw her hand up, waving it like a flag. “Don’t be so melodramatic, Stella Luna. He probably saw me on the shopping show and decided he needed a girlfriend. I don’t have time for that sort of nonsense. I have work to do.”

      She still wouldn’t look at us, but I thought I knew why. She missed Uncle Benny and was embarrassed to be so publicly wooed. It was too soon, and frankly, I doubted there would ever be room for another man in her life. That’s why she insisted Lloyd was my uncle reincarnated. She couldn’t stand the thought of Uncle Benny really being gone. A dog was a safe enough way to keep suitors away. After all, men don’t want crazy women.

      Jake touched my arm and gestured toward the front door. “Let’s go for a walk,” he murmured.

      “But I don’t want to…”

      “Yeah, you do,” he whispered.

      Lloyd squirmed into the space between us, seizing on the word walk, and agreeing vigorously with the suggestion.

      I rolled my eyes at Lloyd and grabbed my coat. “It’s freezing out there.”

      Jake smiled. “It’s not so bad. Might go up to fifty tomorrow. Great fishing weather.”

      He held open the door, waiting patiently while I wrapped a long furry scarf around my neck, tucked my hair up into a knit cap and pulled on wool gloves. Lloyd shot past him and ran down the steps, ready to explore his new turf.

      When the door closed behind us, I was surprised that Jake didn’t move. He stood on the stairs, staring up at the sky, slowly surveying his surroundings with what seemed to be satisfaction.

      “It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?” he said. “The sky’s so clear you can see every star, and the moon’s got a ring around it. Now, how often do you see that?”

      I stamped my feet to keep them from going numb and wrapped my scarf a bit tighter around my neck. “Have you lost your mind? It’s gotta be twenty degrees out here!”

      Jake sighed. “It’s all in how you perceive it, Stella.”

      “I perceive it as freaking freezing!”

      Jake wasn’t listening. His attention was caught by something lying on the ground next to the house.

      “Would ya look at this,” he said. “Somebody must’ve left it behind. It’s a nice one.”

      Jake inspected the rod. “Even left a nice lure on it, too. Wonder how that happened.”

      He turned, holding a fishing rod in his hand. A silver bauble dangled from its tip, catching the moonlight as it twirled. Whatever agenda Jake had was forgotten as he started off at a brisk pace, walking straight toward the ocean.

      “Come on,” he called over his shoulder. “It’ll warm you up to walk.”

      No, snuggling down under an electric blanket would warm me up, I thought. Walking along the beach at midnight in December would only cause pneumonia.

      “The doctor said you should take it easy. I think you should go back inside and rest.”

      Lloyd ran back and forth, covering the distance between us like a relay racer, barking his excited pleasure in Jake’s choice of direction.

      Jake paused, waiting for me to catch up, and when I did, slung one arm across my shoulders. I started to shrug him off, but he held fast.

      “I’m just keeping you warm, Stella. Relax.”

      “Doesn’t your side hurt?”

      He smiled. “Pain is all in the perception,” he answered.

      “I guess that shotgun blast was a hallucination then.”

      Jake shook his head, still smiling. “You need to work on your negativity.”

      “Negative? I am not negative!”

      Jake chuckled and began walking at a slower pace, his arm still holding me close to his side.

      “You prefer paranoid?” he asked.

      I couldn’t think up a snappy comeback. It was too late and too cold. Besides, Jake was close to being right about me. I was negative, especially when it came to men and romance, but look at my track record. I had a right to be skeptical. Too bad I couldn’t cut my heart out and survive.

      I walked beside Jake, feeling the strength of his arm around me and rehearsing what I’d say next. It was going to be all business, no matter how hard he tried. I was a no-nonsense woman with a job to do. The sooner we all accepted that, the better off we’d all be. Right?

      I lowered my head, ducking the stiff breeze that numbed my skin. Who was I kidding? The only one who needed to quit living in a fantasy world was me. I still had feelings for a man I hadn’t known since high school. I was living in the past, fantasizing that by some small miracle Jake Carpenter had suddenly morphed into Prince Charming. When was I ever going to grow up?