Cockpit: A Second Chance Romance by Joanna Blake Page A

was anymore. Not on the outside.
    Because Jenny was so beautiful on the inside, it gave me faith in humanity.
    She was such a damn sweetheart, she could have looked like anyone and I would have loved her.
    But every time I mentioned the L word, she cut me off or changed the subject.
    Every damn time.
    I was starting to wonder if I had BO or something. She didn't seem to mind being with me though. She just shied away from any serious relationship talk.
    I peeked over my shoulder as she pushed the stroller into the playground. Our eyes met and she froze, her eyes wide as saucers. I jumped up and ran after her as she peeled off backwards and started pushing the stroller back the way she came.
    "Jenny! Hey, wait up."
    "Sorry, forgot something."
    I caught up to her, practically jogging to keep up.
    "What did you forget?"
    "Kid needs her sunblock."
    I looked at the sky. It was overcast.
    "It's not even sunny today."
    "Babies can burn, even on cloudy days. Need her hat too."
      I tugged a pink hat out of her bag. It had been right on top. She definitely knew it was there. What the hell was going on with her?
    "This one?"
    She looked at it and kept going. I kept up, not ready to let her off the hook yet.
    "They work you too hard."
    "Who?"
    "The kid's parents."
    She stopped in the street and stared at me, her face looking like I'd just said something awful.
    "Hey, no offense."
    "It's fine. I have to go-"
    "Uh uh. I need to know why you are avoiding me."
    "I'm not. I saw you two days ago. And last night when you walked me home."
    She chewed her full bottom lip, looking nervous.
    "Thank you for that by the way. You don't have to do it every time."
    I pushed her hair out of her face.
    "Yes, I do."
    "Jagger..."
    "Why won't you commit to me, Jenny? Did I do something wrong?"
    She stopped, staring at me.
    "What?"
    The baby let out a soft coo and I looked down at her and smiled. Then I looked back at Jenny and took her hand.
    "I've been trying to talk to you about- the future- for two weeks now. You keep shutting me down."
    She stared at me. Then she pulled her hand away and started walking again. Damn. This was not going well.
    "I didn't think that's what you were trying to do. We can talk. Just not now."
    I had to run to catch up to her again.
    "Hey, where are you going?"
    "Home."
    "Don't you need the kid's stuff?"
    She stopped again.
    "Yeah. I..."
    She shook her head, as if she was distracted.
    "I'll see you later Jagger."
    I stood there in the middle of the street, wondering if I was going crazy. Something felt off. Really off. I watched as Jenny walked away. I had a bad feeling in my stomach. Like she was walking away for good.

Jenny
    ✈

    I slammed the empty mugs down on the counter. Hard. I wanted to smash something. Break something. I wanted to-
    "Easy there, Red."
    Margie gave me a look, grabbing the mugs and sliding them into the sudsy water in the sink.
    "Sorry."
    "Something wrong?"
    I shook my head and told her nothing was wrong. But that was a lie.
    Something was wrong. For the first time, Jagger wasn't here to walk me home. My shift was almost over and the place was already shutting down.
    By trying to avoid reality, I'd ruined everything.
    If I'd been keeping score I would have been losing. Jagger was being so sweet to me, and I was shutting him out. Because he scared the hell out of me.

    Jagger: two. Jenny: zero.

    Margie dunked the soapy mugs into clean water and turned them upside down on a clean towel. It wasn't exactly sanitary, but it got the job done. I sighed and pushed the mop across the floor.
    "If you're looking for Prince Charming, he's outside."
    My head snapped up.  
    "He is?"
    She nodded. Then she nodded at the mop.
    "That's good enough, hon. I can finish up."
    I practically tore off my apron and grabbed my purse, fishing out a compact hairbrush and lipgloss. Margie laughed, shaking her head.
    "He's a good one. I'd hold onto him if I were you."
    I smiled at her.
    "Thank you Margie. I'm going to try."
    I