Practically Persuaded in Pittsburgh Read online

“I’m completely serious.”

  She scrunched up her face and peered at him. His hair was mussed, but his eyes were clear and he wasn’t muttering or drooling or frothing. Not drugs, not a psychotic episode, not even sleepwalking.

  And sadly, most definitely not some romantic notion blown out of proportion as a result of one heart-stopping kiss seven years ago.

  She asked, “What in the world would that accomplish?”

  He ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it further. “I don’t think my mom is going to believe that I really want this—coming home and running the diner. I think she’ll expect me to bail.”

  Sadie snorted. “Duh. You’re Mr. Travel, Mr. Big City, Mr. Fancy Career, Mr. Next Big Thing—”

  “Enough,” Jake said.

  “But my next one was really good,” she said.

  Jake rolled his eyes and fought a smile. “That’s just it,” he said. “But if I had a reason to stay. If I committed to a reason to stay…”

  “A wife,” she muttered, shaking her head.

  “I know it seems far-fetched,” Jake said. “But it could work. It’d be a practical thing. I’m not asking you to make it a forever marriage.”

  Even given how cracked this conversation was, Sadie’s heart took a serious punch at that. She had to force herself not to react.

  “I’m thinking we elope. City hall or Vegas or something. Then you give me six months. At max. If all goes well, it won’t even take that long for my mom to go. I’m going to buy her a serious travel itinerary as a surprise and enlist Aunt Reenie as a travel companion. I just—she has to feel it’s real, that I’m for real, or she’ll never be comfortable leaving. And she has to have some sense of urgency. If we’re married, she’ll be expecting grandchildren before long—”

  Sadie’s eyes must have bugged out, because he held up a hand.

  “Hang on,” he said. “I’m not saying we’d be actually giving her any, just that the idea of it will force her to take the trip, not keep putting it off. She’d never want to go anywhere again if there were babies on the scene.”

  Sadie stared at him, trying to see if he had sprouted a third head or had a giant bump responsible for this insanity. Mainly, trying to process the fact that yes, Jake was actually serious.

  Jake took a step forward. “There’s something in it for you, too. Name your price.”

  Involuntarily, her mouth twisted and she took a step back.

  “No,” Jake added, “don’t take that the wrong way. It wouldn’t be like that. And you certainly don’t have to sleep with me or kiss me—” Jake visibly gulped.

  This conversation just got worse and worse, Sadie thought with horrified wonder. He sucked at persuasion—even for practical purposes.

  He continued, “I just thought I could help you. I know it’s taken you a long time to get through school because you were paying your own way. I could pay off your loans or give you a nest egg to go wherever or start whatever after graduation. I want to do something good for you, too.”

  “Holy shit, Diner Boy, this is just… Wow. There aren’t words.”

  “It’s a lot to take in, I know,” he said. “But I’m dead serious. I’m coming home either way. But I really want to do this for my mom, and I don’t see that she will ever fulfill that dream if I don’t force it to happen.”

  He searched her face, then shoved his hands in his pants pockets.

  “Take the week and think about it. I’ll be back next weekend,” he said. “Tell me your answer then.”

  5

  That week, Sadie spent her days at the Children’s Museum half focused on work, while rehashing every word Jake had said. Partly to convince herself that she hadn’t really just accepted a two-year position in Gumi, South Korea, starting only four months from now—the very night before Jake Walker had asked her to marry him. Partly to convince herself that conversation had actually happened. Because she’d dreamed of that day—like an idiot—for years.

  Granted, that odd convo was hardly the stuff dreams were made of. In fact, it was so craptastic that it might have been one of the worst proposals in history. Fine, fine, his motives came from the heart, even if they were misguidedly macho and uber-controlling. And crazy.

  She spent her evenings either daydreaming through class or mixing up soda orders and forgetting sides at the diner. What would it be like to waitress day in and day out in the same tight space as Jake? Because he’d said that he was coming home either way.

  And later, when she was supposedly doing her part on her last group project for her last marketing course, she went round after round dissecting every reason why this lunatic idea of his was doomed to fail epically. Yet she couldn’t help thinking of ways to make his plan better.

  Jake had already texted her with his arrival time, which happened to coincide with her day off and the Pirates’ home opener at PNC Park. Chuck and Rita were season ticket holders, but often Sadie or one of their boys was asked to come along or even just take the tickets—especially if Rita didn’t want to brave the rain. This time, Rita had told Sadie to take a friend, because she wasn’t ready yet to go sit there without Chuck.

  Sadie had been thinking a lot about Rita, and even what Chuck would think of Jake’s plan. And she’d come to the conclusion that Chuck would probably approve. At the very least, he’d like her proposal better than Jake’s. So she told Jake to meet her at the game and left his ticket at will call.

  On Sunday afternoon, she settled in for the first inning wearing her lucky t-shirt, a black windbreaker, her boyfriend-style ripped jeans, and her black ball cap with the gold P. It was a gorgeous evening. The early spring weather was cool and crisp, the sunset over the city was perfection, and the stunning view of the city made all things seem possible.

  She wasn’t sure if she was nervous at seeing Jake again, or nervous that he’d say yes instead of no…but this was one of her happy places, and as the game ramped up, she forgot to worry.

  The Pirates were up by the hair on their chins, and soon she was hooting and hollering and groaning along with all the other fans.

  At the top of the fifth, Jake slid into the seat next to her. She hadn’t seen him coming and nearly choked on a chunk of hot pretzel.

  He pounded on her back until she held up a hand.

  “Okay now?”

  She nodded and sucked some soda. “Yes,” she said, then took a napkin to her watering eyes.

  “So what have I missed?” Jake asked.

  Sadie cleared her throat one last time and handed him the hot pretzel.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

  Sadie waved him off and then caught him up. “Cuba Zaynia got caught stealing, Big Ry Guy can’t hit for shit as usual, and the Cardinals are obviously not going down easy tonight.” All the while, she was wondering why he always had to look so good.

  “I see you still follow closely,” Jake said with a wink.

  He watched a few plays, but Sadie caught him looking around the stadium.

  When the inning switched over, he asked, “My mom didn’t want to come, huh?”

  “She said she wasn’t ready.”

  “She could wait years, and it would still feel like he should be here,” Jake said.

  Sadie nodded. “Chuck loved all this. They saw how many games together, you think?”

  Jake leaned back. “They had tickets since before my brothers and I were born, so probably over thirty seasons’ worth?”

  “Wow,” she said.

  During the seventh-inning stretch, nearly everyone in earshot got up to wander or grab food.

  Jake angled his body to face her. “So,” Jake said, “you’ve had some time to think.”

  Sadie adjusted her cap and fought the urge to pull it low and hide under the brim. Instead, she dropped her legs from the chair in front of her and sat up straight.

  All week, Jake had wondered if he’d overplayed his hand, should have offered the partnership instead. He could always have schm
oozed her into the practical marriage idea later. And now? Damn. Sadie looked so serious that Jake’s hopes took a nosedive right out of the stadium seats.

  Only when she looked him in the eye and opened her mouth, the word that came out was “Yes.”

  Jake jumped up, pumped a fist with an emphatic yes, then pulled her to her feet and hugged her.

  “Hang on there, Diner Boy.” She laughed, but pulled away in an uncharacteristic show of nervousness. “It’s only a yes if you meet my conditions.”

  “Oh, okay,” Jake said. He was still elated. Yes was yes. He could deal with whatever else. A certain amount of money? An exotic honeymoon? A curtain dividing the bedroom? Dibs on the streaming choices? “Like what?”

  “Here’s the thing.” She looked out at the now-dark sky. “I get that you want to do this for your mom, and maybe now that you’ve made up your mind, you’re all fired up and rearing to go. But we can’t just elope or make some big announcement right away.”

  Jake braced himself.

  Sadie continued, “The funeral last weekend was the most time we’ve spent together in years. And Rita knows I’m way too practical to run off and do some drunken-elopement night, Vegas-style. She won’t believe it. Jeez, she’d probably march us down to the City-County Building and demand we get the thing annulled. And then she’d be so spitting mad, she’d flat-out refuse to leave.”

  Jake’s hopes wobbled precariously again. She was right. Duh.

  Sadie took a deep breath. “Furthermore, she’d never forgive us—and I can’t bear that.”

  He heard a quiver in her voice. Rita was his mom, of course, but for all intents and purposes, she’d been that to Sadie, too. He felt a stab of regret for even asking her to lie.

  “So what I’m saying is, go ahead and announce your plans to stay, and then court me for a month or six weeks.” Sadie’s eyes slid away, and a blush rose on her cheeks. “A whirlwind romance like that, she might just buy, given that we’ve known each other forever.”

  “You’re brilliant,” he said, and smiled. Even six weeks would barely change anything. “And you’re right on all counts. One hundred percent.”

  She nodded, looking a little shell-shocked. “One more thing.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t want to go to Vegas. I want to”—Sadie gulped visibly—“get married downtown.”

  He nodded. “Fine.”

  “With your mom in attendance.”

  Jake reared back. That, he didn’t like. That would be like lying straight to Rita’s face—when he’d imagined all this subterfuge perpetrated behind closed doors. “I don’t know about that part.”

  Sadie nodded. All serious. “I won’t do it otherwise. So take it or leave it.”

  6

  Sadie showed up for her shift Tuesday night, knowing Jake was already there because Rita had texted yesterday to let her know the good news: Jake was home to stay and he’d be helping out at The Wanderlust. Of course, Sadie had acted surprised—no big stretch, since she was practically still in shock herself.

  Rita had to be over the moon, and this was a good thing for the Walker family. But Sadie worried. Was Jake really here to stay? She doubted it. Oh, he might think this was what he wanted, but it’d been a long time since he’d lived this life. For all Pittsburgh was a sizable, dynamic city with so much to offer, it still managed to feel like a small town with a Midwest mindset and a working-class attitude. Especially when you narrowed down to the Strip, despite the recent gentrification. And even more so if you went by the microcosm of The Wanderlust.

  And Jake was a big-city guy who’d always itched to get out. He practically lived for vacations and trips. He’d gone away to college, he’d studied abroad, he’d interned abroad, and then he lived for years in the most exciting (she was going on hearsay here) city in the world: New York City, the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps. Whatever you called it, it was a far cry from where he grew up.

  She rubbed her forehead—and not because she had a helmet mark from her ride over. When Jake invariably bailed, chances were good that Rita’s heart wouldn’t be the only one left in pieces.

  Sadie fortified herself with a deep breath before she yanked open the door. Sucker that she was, she’d been looking forward to seeing Jake again and practically vibrating with nerves about maybe dating him—pretend or not.

  “Hey all,” Sadie called as she hung up her backpack and jacket in the set of cupboards by the back door.

  As she came through the doorway into the kitchen, Jake grinned—yep, just as devastatingly good looking as he’d been on Sunday—and clicked the grill tongs at her. “I haven’t lost it, Sades.”

  Chuck normally cooked on Benny’s nights off, so of course Jake had taken those shifts. He even wore a bandana pirate-style to secure his hair and catch sweat once it got hot, like his dad had done. Of course, his was red and his dad had always chosen something black and gold.

  “That right?” she asked. “Do the regulars agree?”

  “No complaints last night,” Rita said with a smile. Then she leaned toward Sadie and said behind her hand, “He’s got some big boots to fill, though.”

  Her eyes glistened with emotion, so Sadie squeezed her hand. “He sure does.”

  Rita bustled away toward the storeroom. Sadie made quick work of her apron and checked to make sure she had an order pad, a couple of pens, and some straws.

  After all the years they’d spent together, this was so normal—and yet so odd all at once.

  It might well get weirder once she’d pinned Jake down. Sunday night they’d stayed to watch the end of the game and he’d walked her home. He’d been pensive, so they hadn’t chatted much. She’d figured he needed time to think. Tonight, she’d better get an answer. She couldn’t stand not knowing: were they on or not?

  She glanced over her shoulder at Jake—shaking his head over an order but grinning nonetheless. Her heart did a little flip. Pleasure. Nerves. Hope…

  Later, during the lull between the early birds and the evening rush, Jake came out of the kitchen. He raised his arms overhead and stretched, then went to chat up some of the regulars who sat along the back wall.

  Sadie smiled and shook her head as she listened. An older couple reminded him about the time he showed off his smarts by practicing his alphabet via a squirt bottle of ketchup. No paper—just the diner floor.

  “Caught before I reached the letter K, as I recall,” Jake said with amusement in his voice. “Where are Jill and Karen living these days?” he asked the older couple.

  That was one of the things Sadie had always liked about Jake. He took time for people. She rolled her eyes at herself. Okay, fine, his killer smile, sexy voice, and great laugh had a lot to do with it.

  He was talking with another couple he didn’t know as well and asking lots of questions, when she returned with dishes of ice cream for a young mother and her two boys. They asked for more napkins and some water, so she headed back to the kitchen.

  On her second trip back, she crossed paths with Jake—because despite a nearly empty restaurant, he’d chosen the same aisle as she had. He brushed against her with a sexy grin—and all she could think was thank goodness she wasn’t delivering the ice cream, because it’d have been a milky puddle.

  Sadie delivered the water and napkins, left the check, and let the woman know to holler if she needed anything else. She returned to a bus bin she’d left on a booth in front. She cleared what she could then stretched across the length of the table to retrieve the farthest items, and then she felt a tingle—from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.

  Sadie snuck a glance over her shoulder, and sure enough, Jake was behind the counter holding a mug of coffee. But it was a prop. In reality, he was just standing there watching her—actually ogling her backside. And yowza, the heat that was in his eyes…

  Which meant that not only had he made a decision, he’d already begun the game.

  She straightened, hefted the bin, and put a little
extra sass in her step. Rather than go to the far end of the counter and enter the kitchen directly, she sidled through the break in the middle of the counter so that this time she could brush past him.

  His eyes widened when she stopped—only slightly deer in the headlights. She smiled with a slow curve of her lips. She thrilled at the prospect of doing this—flirting with him, pouring on the heat, acting out something she’d desired forever…

  She wouldn’t have started it—but he already had—so she leaned in close and murmured right into his ear. “So we’re on, huh, Diner Boy?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah. We’re definitely on.”

  On Friday evening, as soon as it started to slow down, Jake sent his mom home.

  “You sure, hon?”

  “Absolutely,” he said. “Even if the last customers stay until closing, Sadie and I still have time to catch Dog Daze’s last set over at Jeremy’s.” By Jeremy’s, Jake meant the music club his brother Jeremy owned called Vine (as in “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” like the soul classic). It had quickly become the place in Pittsburgh to hear some cutting-edge new bands.

  Sadie raised an eyebrow at Jake from across the way where she cleared a table. He’d asked her earlier if she’d go with him, but they’d been in the weeds all night and hadn’t had a chance to talk details.

  “Oh,” Rita said, and looked back and forth between the two of them.

  Jake plated some buns and lettuce and tomato for what he hoped was the last order. He wasn’t sure if his mom was surprised that he and Sadie planned to hang out, concerned because she’d noticed them flirting this week, or reluctant to let them close the diner up alone.

  “We have this, Mom,” Jake said. “Go home and take a load off.”

  “All right, I will,” Rita said.

  Sadie waved at her and slipped through the swinging doors to the front.

  It’d been a long week of emotional ups and downs for them all. He knew being at home without his dad wasn’t any better for his mom than being here without him. Still, she had to be exhausted.