Heaven is Here, chapter 2
Jess figured she would make good use of the snow while she was here and take some more pictures. But she still needed film.
She walked into town in the morning, just to make sure she would get there while the drug store was still open. But she got there at about ten to find it closed. "What?" she cried, peering through the dark window. No on was there.
"Jess!"
She turned to see Billie Joe jogging down the street. A miniature version of him was attached to his hand, running alongside him.
"Billie," Jess grinned, happy to see him. They reached her, the boy hiding shyly behind Billie's legs.
"The store is closed today. Because of the snow," Billie said. He picked up the boy.
"Ahh, I need film." Jess glanced at the drug store in frustration.
"I, um, I thought you might, so I brought you some." Blushing a bit, he pulled a roll out of his pocket and handed it over. Jess smiled, a bit confused, and took it. Billie laughed nervously. "You know, this didn't sound so stupid in my head." He shook his head.
She reached out and touched his hand. "It wasn't stupid, it was sweet."
The boy in his arms squirmed around, begging to be put down. Billie obliged, and the boy stared up at her.
"Jakob, this is Jess," Billie said, kneeling in the snow.
Jess bent down too. "Hi, Jakob."
"Hi, Jessie," the boy said exuberantly, grinning toothily and clutching his father's jacket. He had the same green eyes and dark locks as Billie.
"Hey, Jess?" Billie said.
She looked up at him. "Yeah?"
"Do you wanna have breakfast with Jake and I?"
Jess looked back and forth from the couple, father and son. "Breakfast? Sure." She and Billie Joe stood up, laughing at their matching wet knee circles from the snow. Jake began running down the street Billie had come from, opposite from where the hotel was.
"Jake, walk, please," Billie called, keeping a watchful eye on his son.
They walked together, watching the five-year-old in a burst of energy Jess envied this early in the morning. She noticed that they had left the central part of town and were heading into the neighborhoods. "Billie, where exactly are we going for breakfast?"
"My house."
A grin was already spreading across her lips. Last night, Billie had lied. He hadn't been going her way. In fact, he lived on the complete opposite side of town. He had gone out of his way to drive her home.
She linked an arm through his, taking him by surprise. And even more to his surprise, Billie didn't mind.
It began to snow harder, and he could no longer see Jakob. He couldn't see much of anything except for a snow-covered giggling Jess attached to his side. Suddenly, Jake appeared in front of him, and he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the worry only a parent can have seep out of him. Billie quickened his pace, the snow soaking through his clothes. Falling behind, Jess sought out his fingers and clamped onto them. A flash of warmth surged through him, and he clung to it like an old friend.
"Are we almost there?" Jess asked, her voice echoing through the empty street.
Billie pulled her up a driveway, leading her to a porch where Jake was already standing by the door. "Here we are." He dug through his pockets for his keys, slipping one into the door. Jake ran into the house as soon as the door was opened, disappearing into the back of the house.
Jess slipped her fingers from his and shrugged off her snow-covered jacket. Billie caught her gray eyes, and they simply stared for a moment. The warmth of her hand was imprinted on his skin. He searched his mind for something to say and found nothing. Luckily, she was not facing the same problem.
"Do you have any coffee?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'll make some." He flipped the light switch by the door to turn on the lights, but nothing happened. After flipping it a few more times, he tried the television. Nothing. "Uh, the power's out."
The house was completely dark. Windows didn't help, as there was no sun on such a dreary day. Billie stared at Jess, not sure of what to do.
"Daaaddy!" Jakob came running out into the living room, leaping at Billie.
He picked up his son. "Power's out, buddy." To Jess, he said, "Jake's afraid of the dark."
Jess nodded. She had been the same way at his age.
"I'm sorry, but I guess breakfast is out of the question. Can't really make anything in the dark," Billie said apologetically.
"Uh, yeah," Jess said lamely. His green eyes sparked with amusement.
"Can I walk you back to your hotel?"
"Walk?"
"Yeah, I can't drive in this snow." Billie put on his jacket again, opening the door.
A little disappointed, she followed him out the door again. She didn't want to go back to her hotel, she had been looking forward to breakfast with him and Jakob.
"Daddy, can we go to Uncle Mike's?" Jakob asked, bundled up in his snow clothes again.
Billie looked at Jess. "Do you mind if we go drop him off with my friend? He doesn't live far."
She smiled. "No, that's fine.
Thankfully Mike was home, playing with his daughter Estelle by the fireplace. He was happy to take Jake in for the day, giving Stella someone to occupy her time.
"Sure, Bill. I'll drop him by your house later tonight," Mike said.
"Thanks, Mikey."
"Nice to meet you, Jess."
Jess waved as she and Billie went back down Mike's driveway. "You too." She and Billie began walking toward town through the snow. "How long have you two been friends?"
"Twenty years. He's been my best friend since we were ten." Billie realized that he didn't know how old she was. "I'm thirty, by the way."
"I'm twenty-five." She slipped her hand into his once again as they walked, trying to get warm.
She was five years younger than he was. Adrienne had only been three years younger than him.
"So you know that I run a record store. What do you do?" he asked.
Jess lay her cheek on his shoulder as they walked. "I write for a women's magazine in Boston called True. That's actually why I'm here. My boss Jen said I was working too hard and made me take a vacation. She's always looking out for me. She's my best friend."
Billie knew the magazine. Adrienne had read True like the bible. She lived by their parenting tips. "Jessica Jones?" Jessica Jones was one of the writers in the magazine when Adie read it. Adie had worshipped Jess Jones for her articles.
"That would be me. You read True?" Jess laughed.
"My wife used to live by your articles. Your name was brought up almost every time we had a fight. She admired you for your opinions about men."
She blushed. Some of her harsher articles had come out of times when she had had bad experiences with her boyfriend at the time, saying about how men were sexist pigs and the like. They were articles written out of spite and hate, but were usually the ones that got the most response. Many a fan letter stemmed from these particular articles.
"Yeah, I've heard that before. I try to avoid men for the most part. Too much of a distraction," Jess said.
Billie Joe grinned. "You're doing a great job of it. Tell me about Jen."
"Well, as I said, she's my boss. I started working at True when I was twenty, and that's when she became my best friend. She's always harping on me that I work too much and that I need a man in my life," Jess said.
Billie listened as she told him about Jen, enjoying the Eastern accent in her voice as she talked against his shoulder.
They reached the hotel. "So when do you go back to Boston?" he asked as they stood in the lobby. The snow had lightened up outside, but it seemed as if it had no intention to stop any time soon.
"Tomorrow, actually."
Billie could sense the disappointment in her voice. He rubbed her hand with his thumb, then checked his watch. It was almost noon. "There's a restaurant in the hotel if you're hungry," he said, motioning to the small bar area.
Jess shook her head. "I'm not really hungry."
Out of things to say, he just stood there, holding her hand. He had no intention of leaving yet. If she was leaving tomorrow, he wanted to spend as much time as he could with her now.
As if reading his mind, she said, "Do you, um, wanna come up?"
Billie grinned. If he went up, he wouldn't be coming back down.
Jess began to lead him to the elevator. Her NO MEN rule flashed through her mind briefly, but she shoved it aside. This was her vacation after all.
It was dark outside, but it had been all day. Billie had no clue if it was night yet or not. He rolled over on a bed he noted was not his. Dark brown hair was spread out over the pillow he was sharing, his body curled around another warm body. The first thought that popped into his head was, Be quiet, Adie's still sleeping. Then he remembered who the warm body was. Jess. He kissed down her naked shoulder to her fingertips, his hand stroking her hair. Jess's hand moved to link with his and her gray eyes opened. She smiled at him.
"What time is it?" she asked.
Billie looked over at the clock on the hotel desk. "Shit, it's almost six."
"In the afternoon?"
"No, in the morning."
Jess shot up in the bed, clutching the sheet to her bare chest. "What! Oh no, my flight is in a couple hours. It leaves at 8:30." She wrapped the sheet around her and got off the bed, leaping around the room.
Billie watched her pick up clothes off the floor, tossing them into a suitcase by the bathroom. He grabbed his cell and dialed Mike.
"Hello?" Mike's voice was soft and raspy as he had just woken up.
"Mike, it's me," Billie said.
"Bill, where are you!" Mike's voice was suddenly loud and clear. "I went by your house last night to drop off Jake, but you weren't there. I tried your cell like, ten times!"
"I'm sorry, I kind of lost track of time. Is Jake ok?"
"Yeah, he and Stella are still asleep. Where were you?"
"Jess's hotel. I've gotta take her to the airport, but I'll pick up Jakob on my way back, ok?"
"Ok."
Billie hung up and began searching for his clothes. How could he have forgotten about Jake?
Jess had hopped into the shower already. He scratched his head, contemplating whether to just get dressed and wait, or go in after her. The latter being more appealing, he opened the door and slipped in after her, listening to her giggle as he shut and locked the door.
Half an hour later, both were dressed and in the lobby. Jess pulled her hair into a damp ponytail and listened to Billie's smooth voice calling a cab service.
He hung up and turned to her. "The cab's coming in a few minutes."
"Ok. Well, um, I guess I should wait outside, then."
"No, we can wait in here. It's warmer."
"We?"
Billie grinned. "I'm coming with you to the airport." He leaned down and kissed her softly, as if to prove that it was true. Jess leaned into him, and they stood like that until the cab came a few minutes later.
They made it to her gate with only ten minutes before Jess had to board. Billie hastily wrote a phone number on the back of a receipt and pushed it into her hands. She handed him one of her True cards with her home and work numbers on it.
"Call me," she said.
He nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a female voice coming over the intercom stating that Jess's flight was now boarding.
He handed Jess her bag. "I will."
She moved into his arms. "Bye, Billie Joe."
Billie kissed the top of her brown head, then pulled away to kiss her on her lips. "Bye, Jess."
She kissed him once more, her lips lingering on his, then turned and stepped forward to board her plane.
He stood at the window, watching for her figure going up the plane steps.
Jess got settled in her seat and looked out the window. She was almost sure she could see him, standing with his hands in his pockets at the terminal window. Then, she turned away, scolding herself. She should have never accepted his film, his invitation to breakfast. She shouldn't have invited him up to her hotel room, and she definitely shouldn't have given him her number.
All men were trouble, and Billie Joe was a dangerous man.
She walked into town in the morning, just to make sure she would get there while the drug store was still open. But she got there at about ten to find it closed. "What?" she cried, peering through the dark window. No on was there.
"Jess!"
She turned to see Billie Joe jogging down the street. A miniature version of him was attached to his hand, running alongside him.
"Billie," Jess grinned, happy to see him. They reached her, the boy hiding shyly behind Billie's legs.
"The store is closed today. Because of the snow," Billie said. He picked up the boy.
"Ahh, I need film." Jess glanced at the drug store in frustration.
"I, um, I thought you might, so I brought you some." Blushing a bit, he pulled a roll out of his pocket and handed it over. Jess smiled, a bit confused, and took it. Billie laughed nervously. "You know, this didn't sound so stupid in my head." He shook his head.
She reached out and touched his hand. "It wasn't stupid, it was sweet."
The boy in his arms squirmed around, begging to be put down. Billie obliged, and the boy stared up at her.
"Jakob, this is Jess," Billie said, kneeling in the snow.
Jess bent down too. "Hi, Jakob."
"Hi, Jessie," the boy said exuberantly, grinning toothily and clutching his father's jacket. He had the same green eyes and dark locks as Billie.
"Hey, Jess?" Billie said.
She looked up at him. "Yeah?"
"Do you wanna have breakfast with Jake and I?"
Jess looked back and forth from the couple, father and son. "Breakfast? Sure." She and Billie Joe stood up, laughing at their matching wet knee circles from the snow. Jake began running down the street Billie had come from, opposite from where the hotel was.
"Jake, walk, please," Billie called, keeping a watchful eye on his son.
They walked together, watching the five-year-old in a burst of energy Jess envied this early in the morning. She noticed that they had left the central part of town and were heading into the neighborhoods. "Billie, where exactly are we going for breakfast?"
"My house."
A grin was already spreading across her lips. Last night, Billie had lied. He hadn't been going her way. In fact, he lived on the complete opposite side of town. He had gone out of his way to drive her home.
She linked an arm through his, taking him by surprise. And even more to his surprise, Billie didn't mind.
It began to snow harder, and he could no longer see Jakob. He couldn't see much of anything except for a snow-covered giggling Jess attached to his side. Suddenly, Jake appeared in front of him, and he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the worry only a parent can have seep out of him. Billie quickened his pace, the snow soaking through his clothes. Falling behind, Jess sought out his fingers and clamped onto them. A flash of warmth surged through him, and he clung to it like an old friend.
"Are we almost there?" Jess asked, her voice echoing through the empty street.
Billie pulled her up a driveway, leading her to a porch where Jake was already standing by the door. "Here we are." He dug through his pockets for his keys, slipping one into the door. Jake ran into the house as soon as the door was opened, disappearing into the back of the house.
Jess slipped her fingers from his and shrugged off her snow-covered jacket. Billie caught her gray eyes, and they simply stared for a moment. The warmth of her hand was imprinted on his skin. He searched his mind for something to say and found nothing. Luckily, she was not facing the same problem.
"Do you have any coffee?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'll make some." He flipped the light switch by the door to turn on the lights, but nothing happened. After flipping it a few more times, he tried the television. Nothing. "Uh, the power's out."
The house was completely dark. Windows didn't help, as there was no sun on such a dreary day. Billie stared at Jess, not sure of what to do.
"Daaaddy!" Jakob came running out into the living room, leaping at Billie.
He picked up his son. "Power's out, buddy." To Jess, he said, "Jake's afraid of the dark."
Jess nodded. She had been the same way at his age.
"I'm sorry, but I guess breakfast is out of the question. Can't really make anything in the dark," Billie said apologetically.
"Uh, yeah," Jess said lamely. His green eyes sparked with amusement.
"Can I walk you back to your hotel?"
"Walk?"
"Yeah, I can't drive in this snow." Billie put on his jacket again, opening the door.
A little disappointed, she followed him out the door again. She didn't want to go back to her hotel, she had been looking forward to breakfast with him and Jakob.
"Daddy, can we go to Uncle Mike's?" Jakob asked, bundled up in his snow clothes again.
Billie looked at Jess. "Do you mind if we go drop him off with my friend? He doesn't live far."
She smiled. "No, that's fine.
Thankfully Mike was home, playing with his daughter Estelle by the fireplace. He was happy to take Jake in for the day, giving Stella someone to occupy her time.
"Sure, Bill. I'll drop him by your house later tonight," Mike said.
"Thanks, Mikey."
"Nice to meet you, Jess."
Jess waved as she and Billie went back down Mike's driveway. "You too." She and Billie began walking toward town through the snow. "How long have you two been friends?"
"Twenty years. He's been my best friend since we were ten." Billie realized that he didn't know how old she was. "I'm thirty, by the way."
"I'm twenty-five." She slipped her hand into his once again as they walked, trying to get warm.
She was five years younger than he was. Adrienne had only been three years younger than him.
"So you know that I run a record store. What do you do?" he asked.
Jess lay her cheek on his shoulder as they walked. "I write for a women's magazine in Boston called True. That's actually why I'm here. My boss Jen said I was working too hard and made me take a vacation. She's always looking out for me. She's my best friend."
Billie knew the magazine. Adrienne had read True like the bible. She lived by their parenting tips. "Jessica Jones?" Jessica Jones was one of the writers in the magazine when Adie read it. Adie had worshipped Jess Jones for her articles.
"That would be me. You read True?" Jess laughed.
"My wife used to live by your articles. Your name was brought up almost every time we had a fight. She admired you for your opinions about men."
She blushed. Some of her harsher articles had come out of times when she had had bad experiences with her boyfriend at the time, saying about how men were sexist pigs and the like. They were articles written out of spite and hate, but were usually the ones that got the most response. Many a fan letter stemmed from these particular articles.
"Yeah, I've heard that before. I try to avoid men for the most part. Too much of a distraction," Jess said.
Billie Joe grinned. "You're doing a great job of it. Tell me about Jen."
"Well, as I said, she's my boss. I started working at True when I was twenty, and that's when she became my best friend. She's always harping on me that I work too much and that I need a man in my life," Jess said.
Billie listened as she told him about Jen, enjoying the Eastern accent in her voice as she talked against his shoulder.
They reached the hotel. "So when do you go back to Boston?" he asked as they stood in the lobby. The snow had lightened up outside, but it seemed as if it had no intention to stop any time soon.
"Tomorrow, actually."
Billie could sense the disappointment in her voice. He rubbed her hand with his thumb, then checked his watch. It was almost noon. "There's a restaurant in the hotel if you're hungry," he said, motioning to the small bar area.
Jess shook her head. "I'm not really hungry."
Out of things to say, he just stood there, holding her hand. He had no intention of leaving yet. If she was leaving tomorrow, he wanted to spend as much time as he could with her now.
As if reading his mind, she said, "Do you, um, wanna come up?"
Billie grinned. If he went up, he wouldn't be coming back down.
Jess began to lead him to the elevator. Her NO MEN rule flashed through her mind briefly, but she shoved it aside. This was her vacation after all.
It was dark outside, but it had been all day. Billie had no clue if it was night yet or not. He rolled over on a bed he noted was not his. Dark brown hair was spread out over the pillow he was sharing, his body curled around another warm body. The first thought that popped into his head was, Be quiet, Adie's still sleeping. Then he remembered who the warm body was. Jess. He kissed down her naked shoulder to her fingertips, his hand stroking her hair. Jess's hand moved to link with his and her gray eyes opened. She smiled at him.
"What time is it?" she asked.
Billie looked over at the clock on the hotel desk. "Shit, it's almost six."
"In the afternoon?"
"No, in the morning."
Jess shot up in the bed, clutching the sheet to her bare chest. "What! Oh no, my flight is in a couple hours. It leaves at 8:30." She wrapped the sheet around her and got off the bed, leaping around the room.
Billie watched her pick up clothes off the floor, tossing them into a suitcase by the bathroom. He grabbed his cell and dialed Mike.
"Hello?" Mike's voice was soft and raspy as he had just woken up.
"Mike, it's me," Billie said.
"Bill, where are you!" Mike's voice was suddenly loud and clear. "I went by your house last night to drop off Jake, but you weren't there. I tried your cell like, ten times!"
"I'm sorry, I kind of lost track of time. Is Jake ok?"
"Yeah, he and Stella are still asleep. Where were you?"
"Jess's hotel. I've gotta take her to the airport, but I'll pick up Jakob on my way back, ok?"
"Ok."
Billie hung up and began searching for his clothes. How could he have forgotten about Jake?
Jess had hopped into the shower already. He scratched his head, contemplating whether to just get dressed and wait, or go in after her. The latter being more appealing, he opened the door and slipped in after her, listening to her giggle as he shut and locked the door.
Half an hour later, both were dressed and in the lobby. Jess pulled her hair into a damp ponytail and listened to Billie's smooth voice calling a cab service.
He hung up and turned to her. "The cab's coming in a few minutes."
"Ok. Well, um, I guess I should wait outside, then."
"No, we can wait in here. It's warmer."
"We?"
Billie grinned. "I'm coming with you to the airport." He leaned down and kissed her softly, as if to prove that it was true. Jess leaned into him, and they stood like that until the cab came a few minutes later.
They made it to her gate with only ten minutes before Jess had to board. Billie hastily wrote a phone number on the back of a receipt and pushed it into her hands. She handed him one of her True cards with her home and work numbers on it.
"Call me," she said.
He nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a female voice coming over the intercom stating that Jess's flight was now boarding.
He handed Jess her bag. "I will."
She moved into his arms. "Bye, Billie Joe."
Billie kissed the top of her brown head, then pulled away to kiss her on her lips. "Bye, Jess."
She kissed him once more, her lips lingering on his, then turned and stepped forward to board her plane.
He stood at the window, watching for her figure going up the plane steps.
Jess got settled in her seat and looked out the window. She was almost sure she could see him, standing with his hands in his pockets at the terminal window. Then, she turned away, scolding herself. She should have never accepted his film, his invitation to breakfast. She shouldn't have invited him up to her hotel room, and she definitely shouldn't have given him her number.
All men were trouble, and Billie Joe was a dangerous man.
