Rolling my eyes, I take the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. I can still feel the tingle in my lips from where we kissed last night. Did I want to do more than just kiss? You better believe it. It feels like an eternity since I’ve felt so alive. With Shawn, I didn’t crave the intimacy. Our sex life was lackluster to say the least. Mine and Jude’s kiss was more exciting than any of the times I had with my ex-husband.
“Cat got your tongue, sis?” Anna laughs. She grabs one of the hot cookies off the pan and it falls apart, just the way Jude and I like them. We never hiked the fire tower without having chocolate chip cookies in the picnic basket.
“Okay, fine,” I say, glaring at her playfully. “I wanted more than just a kiss. It’s too soon for that though.”
She snorts. “You’re thirty-two-years old Laura. Live life and stop worrying about the semantics. If having a night of raw, primal sex with Jude gets you off, then go for it.”
It’s hard not to smile when she says things like that. Very straight forward and to the point. She’s not wrong though. I should be able to do what I want. I wasted six years of my life with Shawn. That’s six years I could’ve been with someone else and been happy. Maybe I’d even have a family right now, kids of my own.
Thinking of a wild night with Jude does sound amazing, but something holds me back. “What if it ruins our friendship, Anna? I just got him back. I don’t want to lose him again.” I scoop the cookies onto the cooling rack. “He knows me better than anyone.”
Anna squeezes my shoulder. “I may be young, but I’m not blind. Even when I was a little kid, I always thought you and Jude would end up together. If you don’t at least try to see what might be there between you, then you’ll always wonder what might’ve been.”
“You sound like a country song,” I say, earning a glare from her.
We both laugh and she hugs me. “Have fun today, Laura. You deserve it.” She looks down at her phone. “What time did Jude say he’d be here to pick you up?”
My phone is on the kitchen counter and it’s closing in on ten o’clock. I have to hurry. “He’ll be here in ten minutes.”
Anna snickers and grabs another cookie. “All right, I’ll get out of your hair.” She takes a bite of the cookie and smiles at me. “By the way, you look cute in your little shorts and tank top. I hope I have your body when I reach thirty.” She winks and starts for the door. “Call me later.”
“Will do,” I shout as she walks out the door.
Taking a deep breath, I look through the picnic basket to make sure Jude and I have everything for our picnic. Seeing it all takes me back to freshman and sophomore year of college. We have turkey and provolone sandwiches, bread and butter pickles, sour cream and onion potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies. The cookies haven’t had much time to cool, but I put them in a Ziploc bag and place them on top of everything in the basket. With it being August, the cookies will still be nice and warm when we get to our favorite picnic spot on the trail.
My phone beeps with an incoming text from Jude.
Jude: Almost there.
As I read it, my heart flutters and my stomach does this weird flip flopping thing. It’s like I’m a teenager, getting ready to go out on my first date. I never thought I’d have these feelings again. A car door slams out in the parking lot and I rush to the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. My hair is pulled up in a ponytail and I have zero makeup on my face. That’s one of the things that have changed over the years. When I was younger, I wouldn’t leave the house without my makeup, but if we’re going to be hiking out in the heat, the last thing I want is for my makeup to melt off my face.
A knock sounds on the door and I take a deep breath. Here we go. Last night, he left right after our kiss. We didn’t discuss what it means or anything. I hate not knowing, but it’s also exciting. All I know is that I don’t want to be the first one to bring it up.
When I open the door, Jude stands there with that sexy bed hair and that smile of his I always loved. What I’m loving even more is his body. His snug T-shirt hugs his sculpted arms and I have no doubt his abs are sporting a six pack. It feels like a heat wave just blasted into me, but in all reality, it’s my body craving something it hasn’t had in a long time.