Welcome to Valley View (Valley View Book 1)

Chapter 7

Jimmy is going to be here in ten minutes to pick us up for dinner at his parent's place and I am borderline freaking out over what I should wear. I've tried on at least three different outfits, including some of Candy's clothes, but nothing seems to fit for the night. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how in a week my life has changed so dramatically.

Candy has been such a gracious host and I don't know how I could ever repay her. I try to get her to let me buy groceries or pitch in on bills, but she always refuses. I will say that she has possibly the world's most comfortable couch so my back hasn't been missing a real bed at all.

A sent a text to my parents to let them know that I had a change of plans. They offered to send me some money for a car or even to get me to Seattle, but I turned them down. The truth was that I actually liked it here and I was thinking that maybe staying here longer than just to get a car wasn't seeming like a bad idea after all.

Somewhere between the scrap yard and the Chuck Wagon things changed between Jimmy and I. He's not the type of guy that I would normally go for, but he's got so much going for him that I'm finding myself attracted to those things beyond just his looks, which are really good. When we danced last night, I felt like I couldn't get close enough to him and I needed even more of his touch.

The guys got us home safely, even after all my drinking and stupid flirting. I thought that he was going to try to make a move and I was SO ready for it. I would have banged him right there on the couch, not giving a care that Candy was in the room next door. He didn't make a move though. He just gave me a sweet kiss and walked out the door. I've never yearned for a man so much in my life. Jimmy Brown had gotten under my skin and I kind of liked it.

The self-conscious part of me worries that perhaps he just sees me as a friend, but the rational side of me says that he's just a gentleman and he knew that I had too much to drink and he wasn't about to make his move then and there. I can see the lust in his eyes. I can tell that he wants to lose control, but he always pulls back right before he does.

Candy knocked on the bathroom door and yelled at me from the hallway, "Come on, girly. Jimmy is going to be here soon and you need to make a final choice on what you're going to wear."

I opened the door for her, but then turned back to the mirror and over analyzed the outfit I was wearing, "Are you sure that this is okay to wear?"

The dark wash skinny jeans looked great on me, but now they felt a little too casual for meeting parents. I paired it with a flowy pink off the shoulder blouse that gave a sense of sexiness to an otherwise conservative outfit.

"You look perfect, honey." Candy said with reassurance, "It's just a casual family dinner, you know?"

"Casual?" I turned around to face her with my hands on my hips. "It's meeting his parents, that is way more than casual."

"Meeting his parents isn't a huge deal. You're bound to meet them eventually in the small town. Hell, you may have unknowingly passed them on Main Street at least once this week." Candy's words may be truthful, but they weren't really helping my nerves one bit.

"This just isn't normal for me," I retort.

Candy grabs my shoulders and turns me to face her, "This is normal for everybody else that is going to be there tonight so put your big girl panties on and let's go."

It wasn't the best of pep talks, but I knew that Candy wasn't one to ever sugar coat anything. I gave her a nod and turned around to apply the lipstick that I was planning on wearing. As I was putting the lid back on, I heard a knock on the front door, followed soon after by that deep voice that made my legs fill like Jell-O.