UNSPOKEN

Part 16

Past

"You'll be all right" I heard Connor emphasized putting his hands on my shoulders as I heard the trunk on Jackson's car closing. Summer was over, they were going back to college and I would be left alone.

"I know" I nodded.

"He's crazy about you. He'll be back before you know it" said Connor and I smiled. I trusted him but this was all so new and different.

"You should listen to him" said Jackson and Connor took that as cue to leave us.

"I will" I said giving him a bitter sweet smile Don't leave

"Smart Girl" he said and I put my head on his shoulder while he wrapped his arms around. How have a summer had gone so fast?

"I will be back very soon" he said smiling and I nodded. I didn't want to say anything more because I might just broke down crying and that wasn't part of our relationship.

"No sharing" he said putting his forehead against mine.

"No sharing" I whispered and then he kissed me, a hopeful kiss, a see you soon kiss. A kiss that let me believe that whatever he was saying or promising was true.

"Take care, Mar"

"You too, Jackson" he nodded.

"I want to taste amazing new recipes when I come back" he said while getting in his car and waved before starting it. I gave one final wave and saw him leave.

One summer. That's all it took for me to be ruined for other men. That's all it took me to find the love of my life. I was 100% sure that it was the beginning of the rest of our lives. There couldn't be anything other than love, and surprises and forever for us.

Present

It was Saturday and Alexa had the day off, or more like she called me saying she had a massive hangover and wanted to know if it was ok to skip work. I said yes. She never had a day off at the bakery, except when either her or Mika were sick.

Greg was in charge of the kitchen and I was up front.

"When do you feel I should introduce the avocado pie?" I asked Jackson leaning my elbows on the counter. He, of course, was on his corner working on his laptop.

"I wouldn't just put it out for the world to buy it," he said still looking at the screen of his computer.

"Hey!"I threw him a cloth rag, "you said you liked it!" I said with a pout. He looked up and laughed.

"I did!" he shook his head and closed his computer, grabbed it and walked towards the counter. "I'm just saying people won't buy it just like I didn't want to taste it," he shrugged.

"What should I do then?" I asked

"Just put free samples and let people get used to the taste," he grinned I'm a genius. I nodded.

"You certainly are" I said. Then I heard my phone ringing. I took it out of a pocket on my black apron and saw who was calling. "It's my mother," Jackson widened his eyes and cowered back to his corner.

Jackson and my mother had never ever said a word to each other but my mother never liked him. She had always blamed him for me not going to college. If she really thought about it she would realize that it made no sense whatsoever. She used to see me around town with him, holding hands, being overfriendly in the street and she knew I spent too much time at his house. She was not stupid either, she knew when I realized that he was gone for real, she saw how my heart broke right in front of everyone and tried to help me through it by giving me a couple of college applications to fill out. I loved mom but she really had no idea.

"Hello," I said.

"How did it go?" she asked and I had no idea what she was talking about.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I said getting a batch of coconut cookies and putting them on display.

"The date, Marion. With Leonard," she said.

"Oh my God, mother. How in the name of everything that is holy did you know that I went on a date with Leonard?" I asked sitting down on a stool behind the counter. Then I saw Jackson get up from his corner and said he'd be right back. I nodded.

"Julia told me." Sure I could picture both of them plotting together. I would put a lot of money on the fact that my mother might have started a wedding scrapbook and a board on Pinterest for me.

"Of course she did," I nodded.

"So, how did it go?" she asked.

"It went great, mother," I sighed and rolled my eyes. I hated that it had gone so well because I really wanted to piss her off but truth was, I liked Leonard a lot.

"Define great," she said with a higher tone than usual. She was excited.

"Are you telling all this to Leonard's mother?" I asked but I already knew she would.

"No." Yes.

"It went great, mother. We talked, laughed, we got along perfectly. He was a perfect gentleman."

"Did you invite him in when he dropped you at your place?" she interrupted me.

"Mom!" Really. What. The. Fuck.

"I just want to know if you didn't appear too slutty, Marion," I sighed deeply and audibly.

"No, mom, he didn't even take me home. He drove me to a beach bonfire where I was meeting Alexa and Connor."I didn't mention Jackson because she didn't know he was back.

"Marion! Oh! Marion!" she sounded sad all of a sudden, "he must've thought you are a hillbilly." I could clearly picture my mom shaking her head with her eyes closed and her face on her hand.

"No, he didn't, mother." I closed my eyes to calm myself, "he said he wanted a second date." I heard her breathing again.

"Ok, good."

"Look, mom, I appreciate you want me to have a nice relationship with Leonard but I want to let you know that this is the first and last time that I talk about it with you."

"But Marion..." she interrupted me.

"Do you want me to tell you when I plan on having sex with him, or how good of a kisser he is?" I heard a sharp intake of air. "Sorry mom, a relationship should be something private between two people."

"As you wish, Marion," she said trying to sound offended. "There's a formal next week. I'd like you to show up with Leonard if that is possible"

"I'll see what I can do," I said. We finally said good bye and now I was all alone in the bakery. Saturdays were slow days. I took out my accounting books because I knew I had to do something with all the numbers I was behind on but I was so lost in all of it that I didn't know what to do but stare at them.

"Lunch," I heard Jackson's voice and I looked up to see him with a bag with food from a deli and smiled Thank you.

"You're welcome," he said laying the food on a table. "What were you doing?" he asked as I grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and went over the table.

"Numbers? I suck at numbers and I am behind some of the books that I have to take to my accountant," I said shrugging and sitting in front of him.

"Accounting is quite easy," he said biting into what looked like a BMT.

"I hate it," I shook my head and checked my sandwich. Salami, Cheese, no lettuce. The way I liked it. He remembered.

"Let's eat and I can help you with it afterwards," he smiled.