Love Finds You

Love Finds You - Part 7

Chapter 7

"Yes, so you have said," Aunt Gabby said without looking up from her book.

Jen began to pace a little, wringing her hands. There was no reason for her to be nervous, but she was. "He knows it's not a date," she said matter-of-factly. "We're just going out for pizza."

"I'm sure he does," Aunt Gabby agreed, seeming uninterested.

"I mean, it would be weird for it to be a date. I don't even know him and he's a country boy. I'm not into his type at all."

"Of course not; tall, dark and handsome is so last year." Aunt Gabby glanced up at Jen over her glasses.

Jen opened her mouth to protest, but Aunt Gabby quickly continued, "You better get going, you don't want to be late. Date or no date, punctuality is just good manners."

Jen looked at the clock, grabbed her purse and headed out the door, unaware of the smirk on Aunt Gabby's face as she left.

She found the Pizza Shack easily, thanks to the GPS on her phone. When she went inside, Zack was already seated at a booth across the room and waved to her. He looked nice; jeans, boots, and a plaid button up shirt. Jen smiled inwardly; he really must have nothing else to wear.

"You look nice," Zack complimented as she sat down. She really did look cute. After fussing and trying on at least ten different outfits she had finally decided on a pair of white slacks paired with a sleeveless, hot pink blouse. The outfit was tied together by white high-heeled sandals.

"So do you," she said sweetly.

They ordered their pizza and began a nice conversation. The day had been fantastic, and they laughed as they remembered how fearful Jen had been of Stallion, only to have her fall completely in love with the big brute. Jen confessed that although riding was different than anything she had ever experienced, she loved it and definitely wanted to go again.

The waitress brought the pizza and set it down in between them. It looked amazing! Oozing with cheeses and topped with tons of vegetables and chunks of chicken. Even though it was loaded with carbs, she couldn't wait to try it.

"This pizza is to die for," she said after eating her second piece.

"Didn't I tell you this place was fantastic? Do I know my pizza or do I know my pizza?" Zack had a grin on his face like he had won some big prize.

"You live here; of course you know the best places to eat," Jen reminded him.

"That's true but at least now you know I have good taste." He held up his hands waiting for her to argue. She couldn't.

Their conversation turned again to horses and the farm Zack was working on, which was owned by Mr. Hansen, who was also the owner of all those cows that needed branding.

"I've known Mr. Hansen a long time. I used to help out on his farm when I was a teenager. When I got older, I needed a job, so I asked him and he's had work for me whenever I've needed it. He's a pretty successful beef distributer so there's a lot to do, especially when branding season comes around." Zack winked at her. He did that a lot!

She laughed, "Oh yes, branding. How could I forget?"

Chuckling, Zack continued talking about the farm, and Jen enjoyed listening. She also enjoyed watching him. He certainly wasn't hard to look at, and she didn't think there was anything wrong with looking. She didn't even notice how late it had gotten until the waitress came by and told them they were closing.

"Wow, is it that late?" Jen said, wondering where the time had gone.

"Guess so."

"Well," Jen started. In the back of her mind, she realized this was the 'end of the date' moment. Wait... it wasn't a date so it shouldn't be awkward, right? "I guess I should get going." She reached for her purse and stood up. "Thanks for tonight, I had fun."

"You're welcome. We should do it again sometime." Zack stood as well and as they walked out of the restaurant, he spoke up, "I'll walk you to your car."

"Oh, you don't have to."

"I know, I want to." He smiled at her.

They reached the car. Zack walked to the driver's side and opened the car door for her. She turned to thank him. "Today was great, really."

"I have a confession to make." Zack was suddenly looking at his feet. "I wanted to take you riding today and to dinner tonight to try and make up for my rude behavior a couple weeks ago. You know, making fun of your clothes and shoes, and then to have them ruined by dirt and mud. I realize they're important to you."

The thought crossed Jen's mind about how shallow that made her sound, but it was true.

"Anyway, I hope you can forgive me, and we can be friends," Zack said with a smile.

"I suppose I forgive you," Jen said teasingly. "There is a lot of dirt and mud in this town. I guess if I'm going to be here, I might as well get used to it, but today really helped. I realized I don't even mind getting dirty when I'm riding!"

"Glad to hear it." Zack reached for her hand. "Good night, Jen." He leaned in and Jen's heart began to race. She closed her eyes and felt a soft kiss on her cheek. Zack smiled at her again and walked away.

Jen tried to analyze the intense disappointment she felt rising in her. Did she really expect something different? It wasn't a date, she thought to herself as she drove home. It would have been weird for him to kiss you when you weren't even on a date! She sighed heavily. Get over yourself Jennifer.

The house was quiet when she got home. Slipping into her pajamas, she laid down on her bed, thinking about her day, about her night. It had been a long time since she'd gone on a 'friend date'. In fact, she wasn't sure she even had any male friends. She was used to forward gentlemen who had no intention of being friends, or anything else for that matter. Her brow furrowed as she recalled some of her past relationships and where they ended up. But tonight was different. She had had more fun tonight than on any date in... well, never mind how long, she thought. Fun or not, relationships really weren't her strong suit, at least not romantic ones. They were complicated and messy, a lot more work than they were worth, and certainly impossible to maintain with a full-time job. Still, she couldn't shake the feelings that were growing for Zack LaFaye. She needed to step back, get out of the clouds and come back to reality. She wasn't staying in Ohio. She was leaving at the end of August. Summer flings never ended well, and she wasn't a teenager anymore. That settled it; she simply wasn't going to spend one on one time with Zack anymore. It just wasn't worth it.

With her mind made up and determination strong, Jen let herself drift into sleep, her mind swirling with thoughts of Zack, Annie – that girl was growing on her – and Stallion. She definitely wanted to see Stallion again.

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