Anchor (Book 1)

Chapter Eleven

It was five o'clock when I returned home from the daycare. Usually, Friday was a half day and the kids were sent home right after lunch, but my conversation with Julia and Kathy delayed my arrival by an hour. JJ said he'd pick me up at seven thirty, so I had approximately two hours to get cleaned up. However, the time might as well have been cut in half by my mother, who insisted she had to know everything there was to know about him.

"Hey, honey!" She exclaimed, sauntering into my room. She took a seat in the chair that JJ sat in when he was over the other day. Oh, if only she knew. The irony made me giggle.

"What's so funny?" She asked, raising and eyebrow. Then, her eyes glinted, "Are you just that excited for your DATE tonight?"

"Mom, no!! Please don't do this." I begged, putting my face into my hands.

"Well, if you would have told me earlier, I would have had more time to process this. My girl is going on a date....wow."

"Mom, it's not that big of a deal. And, it isn't a date." I added. "We are just friends. That is why I didn't tell you. There is nothing to tell."

"Yeah, JJ told me you would say that. She paused and then a smug expression crossed her face. Natalie, sometimes you can be so stubborn."

"What do you mean JJ told you? What else did you talk about?" I addressed the first part of her question, completely mortified that JJ was telling the truth and that they did in fact have an extensive conversation about our date and- I was slowly gathering- about me as well. So, to her other statement I exclaimed, "Me? I am not stubborn."

She laughed. "Come on, I think this boy really likes you and I think you should give him a decent chance." She got up and walked to the door. Turning around, she said, "Who knows? You might find that you like him too."

I smiled softly. "Okay. Okay, I will."

And, I really did want to. My mom nodded her head in approval.

"Oh!" She interjected before leaving, "What do his initials stand for? Do you know?"

Now, it was my time to laugh at her. My mom always enjoyed learning those sorts of facts. This question lead to a few others before she finally left me to it to get ready. I answered her questions as thoroughly as possible, but said I'd have to disappoint her on the initial topic because I didn't know myself.
I finally was able to excuse myself to the bathroom to start getting ready. After showering, I entwined my hair into a simple, but neat looking side braid. I sprayed my hair to keep the braid in place and to provide my auburn color with a little extra shine. I dressed myself in a light blue sundress to complement the warm breeze blowing outside, but laid a jacket out on the bed just in case the weather changed suddenly. Before leaving my bedroom, I dusted on the lipstick I received from Julia and surprisingly, I liked it very much. It was a light shade of red, not too overwhelming, but prominent enough to be for occasional use only. I swooped my jacket up from the bed and headed down the stairs just in time to answer the door when the doorbell rang.

JJ greeted me with an impossibly large smile. He looked unbelievable; I think it's okay to say that as a friend. It's a very friendly thing to say.. wasn't it? He was dressed in a gray button down long sleeve polo and some black skinny jeans. His messy blonde hair had been tamed with gel and combed to one side. He really surprised me with how well he cleaned up. It made me wish I hadn't dressed so casual. Sure, what JJ was wearing was casual too, but he just looked more put together in comparison. Abruptly, my mom took out her camera and made it feel like prom, taking pictures left and right. Her reason for doing so was because she wanted me to remember my first date. I hid my face in disbelief that my mom would nonchalantly bring up my lack of relationship experience in the presence of a guy I was just getting to know. JJ chuckled next to me, but didn't follow it up with some snarky remark near my ear or aloud for everyone else to hear. Since it didn't seem to bother him, I let the comment slide and just continued posing for the pictures.

Austin came down the stairs a while later to shake JJ's hand and he was in the middle of following protective brother etiquette when I pulled JJ from the situation. He looked at me gratefully and took hold of my hand firmly... I let that slide also.

Fortunately, I made no use of Kathy's money. JJ paid for everything, even though I told him I had more than enough money multiple times. We had some time to kill before the movie, so we found a place to sit just out aside the theater. We were discussing nothing in particular, so I brought up my mother's curiosity.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what does 'JJ' stand for? What are the names behind the initials?"

"Jordan Jeremiah," He answered.

"I like Jordan." I said with a smile. "Why don't you use that? Do you not like that name? Because if you don't, I'd be more than happy to call you JJ... Not that I would start just calling you your full name as soon as you told it to me but I..."I trailed off, realizing how ridiculously flustered I sounded. "I'll stop now." I smiled sheepishly.

He smiled too. "You a little nervous?" He teased, but then said seriously, "Don't worry, I am too. Believe me. And no, it's not that I despise my full name." His green eyes became a bit misty, so I timidly reached for his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He appeared grateful for my comfort.

With the hand I was not holding, he scratched his ear. "My mom just used to call me JJ all the time;  way more than Jordan even. I'm just used to it and when people call me that, it's almost like she's still around."

I met his eyes with a comforting smile. JJ had that effect on me, I was beginning to realize I wanted to smile when I was around him, just as much as I think I wanted to be the one to comfort him whenever I could.
I held his gaze for a long time, just thinking about what an extraordinary woman his mother must've been to have had a son like JJ. He is so passionate and smart, but too humble to admit it. He is such a great guy.

"Okay, I'll keep calling you JJ... if that's what makes you most comfortable." I finally said, "to honor your mother and to make you happy."

He reached over and wrapped me in a huge hug. It felt warm and safe in his arms. It got me thinking that maybe I could give this a chance. Then, I did something; something that felt more right than anything else had before. I kissed him. When I pulled away, I noticed Julia's lipstick had stained his lips.