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Pressure
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Jaded She'll Forget Me
JakeHe shouldn't have come. The way Kari's brother was eyeing him it was obvious that she'd come home and her emotions had spilled over. He felt like shit for doing anything that might make her feel any way other than what she was - perfect, beautiful, sweet, and kind. He took a scone as she spoke to him with falseness hanging on her that just didn't belong.He lifted it and smiled. "Good to see you, too.”He turned and caught the grimace on her brother's face. He needed to get to work. Why had he thought stopping by to apologize would be a good idea? He looked over at Lisa and smiled. "I just wanted you to know that I'll be stopping by on Tuesday afternoons from now on to deal with the yard.”She smiled and picked up her coffee. "Sounds great to me. I'll just give you our rent check on the Tuesday before the 1st then.""Perfect." He took another bite of the scone and turned to the dark-skinned girl wearing an apron. "This is delicious. You should open a bakery.""I am!" She beamed a
Jaded Save Me
KariThe rest of the week went by quickly and she avoided going anywhere that Jake might be. She would have to talk to Sicily and Lisa about him as both of them spent the rest of the week asking. They all met on Friday for lunch at a little café just across from Judy's bakery to chat. Kari slipped out of her car and looked over at the bakery, reminding herself that she needed to talk with Sicily about the sweet little old lady who really ran things there.She walked in as a large man yelled from behind the counter, "Seat yourself, kiddo, and we'll be right with you."Kari smiled at him and walked toward the back where Lisa and Sicily sat, both of them with a glass of wine. She pointed to their drinks as she sat down."One glass of that at this time of the day and I'd be asleep."Lisa shrugged and took a long drink, draining her glass. "Who's to say I'm not asleep?"Kari and Sicily laughed, Sicily's face changing quickly."Okay, spill. Something is wrong with you and I want to know wha
Jaded Just a Kiss
KariThe drive inland was beautiful, and she listened to her favorite playlist the whole way there. She was proud that Jake had only crossed her thoughts a million times and yet it was almost refreshing to have a new hurt to cover the old one. Frank wasn't part of her meanderings, but Jake remained ever present. The night at the hotel alone had been a treat as well. She'd curled up with a good love story and fallen asleep with a seed of hope for her own romantic life. It was void and painful, but whatever was down must come up.She woke up late and hurried to get herself together, slipping into a pair of jeans and a Bar Harbor Boys Basketball T-shirt that Martha had given her to wear. She pulled on her lanyard that read "press" and rushed to the car, driving like a bat out of hell and praying that she wouldn't get lost.Kari pulled into the large high school parking lot, the stadium much bigger than she'd expected. She grabbed her camera and got out, making sure her license and a few
Jaded Could It Be Love?
KariKari walked out of the gym, the sound of the crowd almost deafening behind her. Reaching up, she brushed her fingers across her lips and let a shaky breath go. Jake's kiss had tainted her resolve. How weak was she? Emotions spinning out of control left her confused and feeling dizzy. She needed to go, and yet, what if he was the one? She languidly walked to her car, her head tilted toward the ground, heart beating so fast it hurt.His rejection earlier that week hadn't been harsh or really a true rejection, but more of a hesitation. Rather than getting in the car she turned and leaned against the door, looking up at the early morning sky and trying to determine her next steps.Stay, take the picture, and end up with him wrapped around her for the evening?Go and hopefully save herself from her next great heartache?"But what if it isn't a heartache in the making?"Closing her eyes, she dropped her head back and let the serenity of the moment move around her. The passion in his ey
Jaded That's A Win
KariKari watched, taking pictures here and there as the game dragged on for most of the morning. Martha and Cliff had been right - the boys’ team was top notch. They moved around the court like they owned it, Kari finding herself yelling and cheering right alongside the fans for them. The desire to learn how to shoot or play a little herself kept washing over her as she got more and more excited. The win was only a few points from being theirs and the last few minutes of the game were highly intense, a large blond kid hitting a three-pointer just before the final clock sounded.The crowd went wild and the joy on Jake's face caused her to laugh. Her heart filled at the sight of the boys jumping all over him and him jumping right alongside them. She grabbed her camera, pulling it up and taking a few shots of the first win of the morning.The team played a total of three games before noon, two of them back-to-back. The lunch bell rang and all games stopped for a two hour break, Kari put
Jaded First Date
JakeThey pulled up to the small bistro and Jake got out of the truck, his body aching, his palms starting to sweat. Damned if she wasn't as straightforward as he was, and here he thought she was shy or at least a bit introverted. Hadn't she said she was introverted? No, he was making that up, right? He opened her door, moving back as she stepped out, the perfect fit of her jeans on her nice sized rear not helping at all.He reached for her hand, wrapping his around hers and walking toward the restaurant. Friends didn't hold hands, but he figured their ruse to try and take things slow was a joke in the making. He hadn't felt physical chemistry with someone like this ever. He and Bethany had been together since they were kids, so the passion wasn't explosive, but more an adolescent curiosity that morphed into something comfortable. He figured this burning desire with Kari would start to fade a little too, which would be great. It was killing him from the inside out. He couldn't go spor
Jaded Scared
KariJake bit at his lip as he moved back, his arms crossing over his chest as if protecting his heart from what was about to happen. Knowing how bad it hurt to bring up the shit from the past, she almost told him to forget it. To have tragedy hit you in a way that caused you to uproot yourself and start somewhere totally new was deeply private."I met her in sixth grade." He paused and chuckled, his eyes taking on a faraway look. "She wasn't my type either, blond hair and big blue eyes. She would play basketball for hours with me though, and she was persistent as hell. She wanted me and she just wouldn't accept no for an answer, so we started a friendship. It turned into adolescent curiosity, her being my first and me being hers. We just really grew up together."He paused and Kari felt the weight of that type of relationship. Jake wasn't over the girl and probably would never fully be. Her four years paled in comparison to his ten plus years with this girl. He reached up and rubbed
Jaded Shower
Kari"Congratulations, coach." Kari reached over and rubbed his large shoulder, Jake turning and pulling her into a hug in the middle of the crowd. He lifted her off her feet as the crowd around them went wild. Bar Harbor had been crowned champions of the northeastern high school basketball conference, and Jake as their coach got a standing accolade. He set her down and she laughed, the smile on her face almost hurting as she enjoyed his victory alongside him.Things started to settle, Jake taking her hand and moving them out of the gym. He turned to wave at a few of the boys that called after him. Squeezing his hand, she moved in closer to his side."Damn that was fun." He laughed and held the door open for her."Winning always is.""Nah... I mean it is, but playing is the fun part. Seeing what you're capable of no matter what odds are stacked against you." He looked down at her and tugged her closer. "Let's go change and head downtown. I want to show you some of the little shops and
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