Something More

Chapter Thirteen

Lisa sat at her desk, scrolling through bank statements but not registering any of the information. Ever since leaving Jennie's apartment, she had wondered if Jen was feeling better. The urge to check in had been strong, but fear had always held her back. She understood that putting herself out there meant risking her heart, whether it was with Jennie or someone else, but she had to admit that the risk was heightened with Jen. Something was there and she couldn't try to deny it anymore. On the surface, Jen might not be the ideal girlfriend, but a gut feeling kept telling her to dig deeper.

She thought back to the picture she'd found in Jen's apartment. A happy kid whose eyes didn't have the shadows of pain, not like Jen's eyes had now. Lisa wondered if she could unearth that happiness again. As thoughts whirled in her mind, she sat up and opened a browser. A quick search told her that the Pacers had their home opener that night. Lisa rested her chin in her hand as she stared at the screen. Would she go?

Only one way to find out. She pulled out her phone and called Jennie's cell, wanting to bypass Kate.

"Jennie Kim."

She sounded distracted. "Hey, Jen, um, it's Lisa."

"Lisa," she breathed.

"Yeah. How are you? Are you feeling better?"

"I am." Jen cleared her throat. "Thanks to you."

Lisa grinned. "Great! Listen, I was just calling to see if you'd want to go to the Pacers game tonight. Home opener."

"A basketball game? Really?" Jen asked with a scoff.

"Well, I might've done a little snooping in your apartment when you fell asleep. I saw that adorable photo of a little girl wearing a Pacers hat and ketchup on her cheek and wondered if that was you.

"Maybe," Jen replied softly.

"So what do you say? I'll even buy you a hot dog."

"You drive a hard bargain there, Ms. Manoban."

"Is that a yes?"

"It's a yes."

She slumped in her seat and slowly released a breath. "How about I meet you at your apartment and we can Uber from there?"

"Sounds great."

"O-okay. Cool. I'll be there at six thirty? Game starts at seven. It means you might have to be a bit of a slacker and cut out of work early."

"Oh, you think you know me, do you?" she asked in a low voice.

"I'd like to."

"Hmm, I'll see you at six thirty."

With that, Lisa realized Jen had hung up. She stared at her phone for a moment before tossing it on her desk. Okay, so maybe she had been a little too much for Jen in that moment. She understood she'd have to take her time, chipping away at her walls piece by piece, probably the right decision considering the current condition of her own heart. But for now, she'd focus on the positive: she had a date.

After a quick pit stop at home to change, Lisa found herself outside Jen's condo. A mixture of nerves and excitement coursed through her body. She took a calming breath before knocking on Jen's door. A moment later Jen appeared in that damn leather jacket.

"Oh, fuck me." Lisa blatantly raked her eyes over Jennie from head to toe. Besides the leather jacket, she had on skinny jeans and a low-cut, white top.

"Excuse me?" Jen asked, a grin threatening to break through her serious expression.

Lisa straightened. "What? I didn't say anything." Shit, that was out loud, wasn't it? Still accurate, though.