Chapter 1: JOEY

It all started on June 22nd a Thursday. Mom called my name from inside the house. I peeked my head out from underneath the water just in time to hear her scream “Jilly!!!!!!!!” I leapt out of the water so fast; I tripped and fell on the patio stairs. I grabbed my towel off the chair and started to dry off. I ran downstairs past the wine cellar and the laundry room and ran into the family room. When I got there my mom and all her hyperventilating beauty stood surrounded by scattered pieces of glass on the floor. I went to get the broom out of the closet I saw the pieces of the vase and recognized it. It was the vase my aunt terry and I bought my mom two years ago, for mother’s day. My aunt Terry died in a car accident a year ago, so I could understand why my mom was so upset. Luckily I was there when we got the vase and I knew it was still at the antique shop fifteen minutes away. She handed me her credit card and I nodded. Before she had the chance to say anything I was upstairs in my room changing out of my bathing suit into a green tank top and jeans grabbed my keys and cell phone and left.





The antique shop was only fifteen minutes away but it was larger than most and I had to drive around for a while to find parking .By the time I did it was four o’ clock I ran inside and looked for the vase. Finally I did and saw that sitting next to the vase were a few antique hats, but the hats weren’t what caught my attention it was the cute guy that was looking at the hats. He smiled at me and I smiled back. I started to get nervous so I grabbed the vase and went to the check out line. When I got there I saw the insanely long line, and I ended up waiting there for almost 10 minutes before turning around and found myself face to face with the cute old hats guy. He smiled and I smiled back and said “hi”. He said “hey” and held out his hand and said “Joey”. I grabbed his hand and shook it before saying “Jilly”. He let go of my hand and glanced at the vase and back at me and said “interesting design whose it for?” I came out of his mystical thrall that lived in his eyes and stuttered when I answered “ Oh um it’s f-for my m-mom”, I coughed and repeated “It’s for my mom, she had one but it broke, so I offered to get her another one.” He smiled and said “ I didn’t really want to know Jilly, I just- well wanted to stare at you without you thinking it was weird.” He laughed and said “but I had fun watching you stutter.” I stared in disbelief. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Annoying that’s for sure but I wasn’t going to let him see I was getting agitated. So I just smiled and said, “Wow you’re just a little full of yourself aren’t you?” his sexy smile faded and turned into a frown when he said, “you’ve got me all wrong I noticed you were stuttering and I thought it was cute but the last thing I thought was that it was because of me.” This guy actually thought I believed him, well I didn’t so- my thought was rudely interrupted when Joey said “look we got off on the wrong foot why don’t we start over” he held out his hand again and said “I’m Joey”. I stared at his hand and then looked at his eyes and laughed, “Nice to meet you, I’m Jilly Holland” he returned the laugh and said “it is nice to meet you Jilly, I’m new in town and I was wondering if could show me around, maybe tonight 8:15, I’ll pick you up, where do you live?” I smiled and said “That sounds perfect” and gave him my cell phone number and address and in that same instant realized he had an English accent I felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. Uh-oh, I was a sucker for accents especially English ones. This guy was turning out to be perfect with his chestnut brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and beige colored skin that reminded me off sand. He smiled at me and said “until then my darling, I cannot wait to see your dancing eyes once more” that as when he grabbed my hand and planted a small and gentle kiss on the top of my hand. I blushed and watched him walk towards the door. “How many times have you used that line?” I said mockingly. He smiled as he put his hand on the doorknob and turned and said “Enough. First time I meant it though.” And he left.








When I finally got around to paying for the vase I rushed to my car. When I put the keys into the ignition I glanced at the clock and saw it was five: thirty already! I had two hours to get ready, which was more than enough. I wasn’t worried about my date, in was worried that mom might not let me go if I was later than five: forty-five. I got to my house at exactly five: forty-five. I opened the door and slipped into the dining room and took the vase out of the bag and placed it on the table. I ran to the patio and over to the tanning chair my mom was on. I told her about my date and she seemed excited about it as well, I thanked her and ran upstairs to get ready. I realized I had no clue what to war once I was in my closet so I called my best friend Jackie to come over and help. Jackie Baker, Samantha Hathaway, Trish and Xander Fuller and I have been best friends since kindergarten. I only invited Jackie over because- Sam was at an audition at our community college theater for the lead role in My Fair Lady of Eliza Doolittle. Trish and Xander were on vacation with their family in Maui. Also because Jackie was the fashion designer in our group. Jaclyn Baker wasn’t good at geography but she rocked her little ass off in math and art. Jackie had designed and made and gave me for either a birthday or different holiday. It was like one minute I was telling Joey how gorgeous Joey was and how much I needed her and the next she was in my bedroom picking out my outfit while I straightened out my hair. At around seven we decided on my black mini skirt, dark purple wedges, and dark purple tank top and matching shawl and bag. All of which Jackie designed. We spent a half hour trying to figure out of a pretty hairstyle. When it was seven: thirty we finally decided on a purple rose barrette that would tie my hair back on one side. When we were done all I needed in the make-up department was some dark purple eye shadow, black mascara, and clear coconut flavored lip gloss. My jewelry were these dark purple thin hoops, and my silver locket my dad gave me with my name in scripted purple coating. My dad was in New York on a business trip he was a private eye and the client he was working with went to New York to get revenge on an abusive ex boyfriend so he had to go after her. It didn’t matter; my dad would’ve been with me if he could. My bracelet was conveniently a dark purple friendship bracelet Jackie, me, Sam, and Trish wear. Jackie made them all in our favorite colors. Jackie’s is green, mine is purple, Sam’s is red and Trish’s is yellow. It was seven: forty-five when the doorbell rang from downstairs. Jackie looked up at me from a magazine she was reading on my bed and rolled over and said “He’s early, damn girl he’s got it bad.” I did a quick mirror scan turned around toward my bad and said “Let’s go”. She grabbed the stereo remote off my nightstand and turned off the music. Jackie slid off my bed and followed me out the door and down the stairs. My mom had already answered the door. Joey stood there being interrogated by my mom dressed to sexy perfection. When I started walking down the stairs again, Joey stopped talking looked up at me and said “Wow”. I smiled and said “Thanks, your not so bad yourself”. My mom looked up at me and said “you guys should get going’ she turned to Joey and said “I want her home no later than eleven: thirty” he nodded and then smiled at me. Jackie smiled at the both of us, and started toward the door she whispered in my ear “I want the details later” I nodded as she left. Joey looked at me and mouthed “you ready to go” I nodded and went to his car. When I was settled in the car I asked him where we were going. He smiled and reached over my legs and opened the glove department and pulled out a scarf and said “Put it on” as he placed it on my lap. I started to put it around my neck when he put his hands over mine to stop me. He laughed, “No over your eyes we are going somewhere that’s a surprise and I don’t want you to know where” he finished tying the scarf around my eyes and whispered in my ear “Yet”. I heard him put the keys into the ignition and the car started to move. We’d been driving for a half hour and when we stopped he took the keys out of the ignition and said, “Wait here”. I giggled. Just before he got out he said, “No peeking”. I smiled and said “Is this the part where you kill me?” He laughed and said “Damn Jill you ruined the surprise.” I smiled and said “Ha Ha” I pulled off the scarf and climbed out of the car and gasped. Standing in front of a table set for two on the beach Joey smiled. I looked at him and said “This is beautiful Joey” he smiled and said “You struck me as the type of girl who would like something like this”. I didn’t know what else to say so I just nodded. He pulled out my chair and said “My lady”. I sat down “You know you didn’t have to go through all this trouble” I said gesturing toward the shrimp cocktails, pineapple coconut drinks, and bacalaitos. He smiled at me and said “Would you have preferred a drive in movie and dinner at the diner on 32nd street. I laughed and said, “No this is amazing but it looks like you went through a lot of trouble”. He gestured toward everything and said “Not really all I did was pack up some chairs, a table, lit a few candles, and cooked some amazing food if I do say so myself, am I getting a feeling that you don’t like it?” I bit into a shrimp and chewed thoughtfully. Of course I liked it but it looked like he went through a lot of trouble. Wait-he could cook good god the boy could cook, he was British, and extremely gorgeous so in other words HE WAS PERFECT! “Um Jilly do you like it” Joey said with what sounded like concern in his voice. I snapped back into reality and smiled before saying ”It’s delicious”.