"Jenna & Luke" 2.0 - Chapter 1

I know many of you are waiting for me to update Jenna & Luke. Truth is I've been struggling with the direction the story has taken and I feel it's unrealistically happy and upbeat. I feel things have gone too smoothly for the storyline to be realistic. So... I've started on a re-write of the story. The characters are the same, but I will throw them a few curveballs and they will face some obstacles as they get to know each other and build their relationship.  Hope you enjoy take two. :-) 

Saturday July 5th: I thought I'd done a thorough job of proofreading before I posted last night, but a few errors slipped through the cracks.  My excuse for calling Luke Jake a couple of times is that I was watching 'Jake 2.0' while I was editing. And I'd had a couple of beers. Oops! ;-) Should all be fixed now.

Jenna missed her hometown in Illinois.  She had fallen in love with Los Angeles during the three years she’d spent there as a student at UCLA, but a job opportunity in Chicago had taken her back to Illinois.  When her college roommate had approached her and asked if she was interested in going in to business with her Jenna had enthusiastically grasped the chance. Jenna had put all of her savings into their graphic design business and against the objections of her family she quit her job in Chicago and moved to LA.

Five months later Jenna wondered if she had made a mistake.  Business was slow and the few projects they were working on were mundane.  Back in Chicago she had been project manager on several big projects for high profile clients, but apparently her extensive portfolio didn’t matter in LA. She spent her days designing wedding invitations and themes for sweet sixteen parties, as well as some advertising from the smaller businesses in the area.  It paid the bills, but she missed doing big, challenging projects.

Another thing Jenna missed was a social life.  While she was in college she had plenty of friends, but few of them had remained in the LA area, they were spread across the US.  Sarah had made a few attempts to include Jenna in her social circles, but she didn’t really feel comfortable there. Sarah’s husband was a top Hollywood producer and their friends were successful and wealthy and lived lives that Jenna could only dream of. Romantic getaways to Paris, safaris in Kenya and luxury cruises in the Caribbean were out of her reach; as were European luxury cars and a house in Beverly Hills.

With a sigh Jenna logged off her computer, grabbed her bag and headed to the small coffee shop down the block from her office to eat lunch.  Her frugal side told her she shouldn’t be spending money on eating out, but lunch at the coffee shop a few days a week was one of the few luxuries she allowed herself; especially when she felt a little uninspired. It felt good to get out of the office and the short walk often helped her clear her head.  She knew what eating by her desk while trying to work was a pretty sure way of getting nothing done.

“Hi Jenna,” the owner, Skylar, greeted her as she entered. “What can I get you today?”

“Just my regular order, a latte and a Club Sandwich, please,” Jenna ordered as she took a seat at “her” table by the window.

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Skylar said with a smile.

Jenna got her iPad out of her bag and opened the Twitter app on it. She was soon immersed in a conversation with a couple of her friends in Europe and barely registered that Skylar brought her coffee and food.  The half hour she allowed herself for lunch flew by and a text message from Sarah reminded her that it was time to return to the office.

Just as Jenna walked out the door a man in a power wheelchair approached. She waited and held the door open for him; as he came closer it struck her how handsome he was. His hair was dark brown and short; his eyes were a dark chocolate brown and when he flashed her a smile dimples appeared on his cheeks. As well as straight, white teeth that would make any dentist proud. Jenna guessed that he was her age or maybe a little older.

He was dressed in a pair of navy chinos and a light blue button down shirt; his feet were clad in a pair of black leather shoes. Very business causal, Jenna thought. She also noticed the wide black strap across his chest and a seatbelt across his lap.  He was wearing braces on his wrists; they looked a little like the wrist guards she’d worn when she was rollerblading during her college years.

As he rolled past her into the coffee shop he thanked her. His voice was a deep baritone that Jenna found incredibly sexy.  She was pretty sure her voice would sound squeaky if she said anything, so she just nodded and smiled as she let go of the door and hurried back to her office. 

The rest of the day her mind kept wandering back to the guy in the wheelchair. Jenna had never known anyone with a disability, apart from her grandfather that had been partly paralyzed and mostly bedridden after a stroke. She wondered exactly why a young guy needed a wheelchair and how his condition affected his life. His looks were definitely the kind Jenna normally fell for and for some reason she felt there was a spark between them. She hoped to run into him at the coffee shop again.

...

Jenna went to the coffee shop for lunch every day that week, but there was no sign of “wheelchair-hunk” as she’d dubbed him in her head. Since she couldn’t recall seeing him there before she realized that maybe he’d been in the area for a meeting or an appointment of some sort, but she didn’t want to give up hope just yet. 

Jenna was always relieved when Monday morning dawned.  Since she didn’t have many friends in LA, and a limited budget, she often struggled to fill her weekends.  She usually ended up taking long walks, reading books and catching up on household chores she’d put off during the workweek. Monday morning meant she could go back to her weekday routine and, although mundane at times, her job usually filled eight or ten hours of her days. She walked into the office with a spring in her step. Her inbox had filled up over the weekend and she eagerly dove into her work.

...

Jenna ended up leaving for lunch almost an hour later than she normally did and when she arrived at the coffee shop it was clear that the lunch rush had passed.  It was much quieter than usual.  She sat down by her usual table and Skylar came up to her as she sat down.

“Hi Jenna,” she greeted her with a smile. “Busy day at work?”

“Yeah, my inbox filled up over the weekend, but I’m finally seeing the bottom of it. Figured it was time to get some fresh air and stretch my legs.”

“What can I get for you today?”

“I think I’ll try something new today. Umm…I’ll take an egg salad sandwich and a latte, please.”

“Feeling adventurous?” Skylar joked. Jenna was a creature of habit and usually stuck to a Club Sandwich with her latte.

“A bit. It can’t hurt to try something new from time to time.”

“True, and the egg salad is very good. Would you like some bacon on it as well?”

“Yes, please.”

Skylar headed back to the counter and a little bit of a commontion by the door got her attention.  It was “wheelchair-hunk”. Jenna’s heart skipped a beat and she tried not to stare as he rolled over to a table.  Skylar hurried over and moved a chair out of the way, so he could access the table.  As he turned his chair his eyes locked with Jenna for a moment and he briefly smiled at her before he moved his chair so he was facing the table.  Skylar took his order and Jenna noticed that she patted his shoulder as she walked away from his table.

He had positioned his wheelchair so Jenna was able watch him discreetly and she took advantage of the opportunity. The wheelchair looked imposing to her. The backrest went all the way up to his shoulders and there was a headrest attached to it as well.

As they both ate their lunch Jenna glanced over at him from time to time. She was curious about how much function he had in his curled up hands. He somehow threaded the handle of the fork through the fisted fingers of his right hand and it seemed to stay in place as he ate. His coffee had been served in a takeaway cup with a heat protector sleeve around instead of one of Skylar’s arty ceramic mugs and he used both hands to bring the cup to his mouth.

Jenna was mesmerized; it was clear eating took more time and effort for him than a person with fully functioning arms and hands, but he somehow made it seem easy. Skylar stopped by his table a couple of times and they appeared to know each other; they chatted a bit and he cracked a joke that made Skylar grin and punch his arm playfully.

…

Over the next couple of weeks Jenna started to go to lunch a little later in the day than she’d used to and she saw “wheelchair hunk” at the coffee shop regularly. The exchanged smiles and other non-verbal greetings, but they continued to eat at separate tables, both apparently too shy to approach each other.

On a Tuesday in late August Skylar decided she’d had enough of them dancing around each other, figuratively speaking. She had brought Jenna her sandwich and coffee and “wheelchair hunk", whose name was actually Luke, was waiting for his food by a table a few feet away from the counter. Skylar grabbed the bowl with his chicken salad and the cup with his coffee and instead of bringing it over to the table he was waiting by she brought it over to Jenna’s table. She put it down and removed the chair across from Jenna to accomodate Luke’s wheelchair. He had followed her hesitantly with a stunned look on his face. Jenna appeared to be just as surprised.

“I’ve had enough of you two exchanging smiles and looks for weeks. It’s about time you introduce yourselves and talk. Jenna, this is Luke. Luke, meet Jenna. Enjoy your lunch,” Skylar said with a mischievous grin and then she walked away.

It took Jenna a moment to pull herself together and judging from the look on Luke’s face he was a bit lost too. After a few seconds he rolled up to the table and with a bit of effort he extended his right hand toward her.

“Luke Hillbrook,” he said, appearing a bit insecure. “Um…I don’t wanna intrude. I can sit somewhere else if you want to eat alone.”

“Jenna Garrity,” she introduced herself, as she somewhat awkwardly shook his curled up hand. “I don’t mind the company and actually I think Skylar has a point.”

Luke chuckled. “I agree,” he said before he turned his attention to weaving the handle of his fork to with his right hand. Jenna grabbed her sandwich and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

“So, do you work in the area?” asked Luke, breaking the somewhat awkward silence.

“Yeah, my office is just around the block, so it’s easy to go here for lunch. What about you?” As soon as the question left her mouth Jenna felt like an idiot. She realized that maybe he wasn’t even able to work because of her disability; his clothes suggested otherwise; he was dressed very professionally. Today he wore a pair of charcoal grey dress slacks and a navy blue button-down shirt.

“Same for me,” he replied with a smile. “I work for the insurance company next door, as an accountant. What do you work with?”

“I’m a graphic designer. I moved here a few months ago when a college friend of mine asked me to go into business with her.”

“Really? You own your own business?”

“I do. Well, half a business. Sarah and I own 50% each. We specialize in custom designed concepts for occasions like weddings, big anniversaries; hopefully we’ll get a foot into the entertainment business… Sarah’s got some contacts so we’ll see how it works out.”

“I’m impressed,” Luke said with a genuine smile. “I considered self-employment a few years back, but when I was offered my current job I put those plans on hold. I like my job and my co-workers are great, so for now I’m happy where I am.”

“It’s not exactly impressive yet, but I hope we’ll get there one day. For now it’s hard work and dealing with the boredom of doing some really tedious assignments just to pay the bills.”

“I’m sure you’ll get there. You seem to be pretty driven.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jenna said as she wiped her mouth on a napkin. “Things have been kind of slow since we started, so have to admit I’m not so sure about it at times.”

“Let me know if you need any financial advice,” Luke offered. “I’d be happy to take a look at your books.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate that.”

Luke had finished his salad and had put his fork down. He reached into the pouch Jenna had seen him stash his wallet in and a few moments later he held out his hand with a business card wedged between his thumb and fisted fingers.

“My email and cell number is on there. Don’t hesitate to get in touch.”

Jenna took the card from him and handed him her own. “Ditto,” she smiled.

“Well, I have to say this has been the best lunch break I’ve had in a long time, but I’ve got a meeting at two and I’ve got to prepare a bit. I’d better get back to the office.”

“I need to get back to work too, before Sarah sends out a search party,” Jenna chuckled

Jenna stood and Luke put his hand back on joystick on his chair. He followed her outside and on the sidewalk they bid each other goodbye and agreed to meet again at noon the following day.

...

The next morning Luke woke up earlier than usual. He still couldn’t believe how well lunch with the woman he’d admired from a distance over the past few weeks, Jenna, had gone; when Skylar had taken the initiative to introduce him to her he’d been mortified. They had exchanged glances and had acknowledged each other’s presence for a while, but he figured she was just being polite.

It had been a real surprise to him when Jenna expressed that she was happy Skylar had taken the initiative to introduce them. And when Jenna had taken the initiative to have lunch with him again he was even more surprised. Before Luke’s mind could wander any further there was a knock on his bedroom door and Kevin, his roommate and main assistant, entered the room.

“Mornin’ Luke. Sleep well?”

“Good morning. I got a pretty good night’s sleep,” he replied as Kevin removed the bulky splints he wore on his hands overnight to stretch his fingers and the PRAFO braces he wore on his feet to prevent pressure sores. “How did your date go last night?”

“Pretty well. We agreed to meet again on Saturday. You on your regular schedule today?”

“Yep, gotta be at the office by 8:30, so we’ve got plenty of time unless you’re in a rush.”

“I’m not. I’m going to see my counselor at noon, I’m a bit stuck on my dissertation.” Kevin was a student at USC, working towards a Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy.

Kevin assisted Luke in the shower and after Luke shaved and brushed his teeth they moved back to the bedroom.  Kevin helped Luke transfer back to the bed. He kept the bedbag he’d emptied in the bathroom attached to Luke’s suprapubic catheter and pulled on a pair of protective undergarments.. When that was done Kevin went trough Luke’s range of motion exercises before he swapped the bedbag for a leg bag he strapped to his left calf and helped him get him dressed.

Luke was relieved when he was dressed and strapped into his wheelchair. Kevin finished the hour-long morning routine by putting the splints on Luke’s wrists and then excused himself to go cook them breakfast. Luke rolled over to the full-length mirror by his closet. He surveyed his appearance; he was dressed in a pair of black dress slacks, a dark grey shirt and his feet were clad in black loafers. In the hot and sunny LA climate lighter shirts made more sense, but he preferred darker shirts because the wide black trunk support strap across his chest was less visible. I don’t look too shabby for a cripple, he thought as he headed to the kitchen to have breakfast with Kevin.

...

“Do you have a big meeting or something today?” Kevin asked as they ate their breakfast. He had noticed that Luke seemed more tense and on edge than he normally was.

“No, why?” Luke asked, not understanding why Kevin asked.

“You just seem nervous or something. It’s not like you to drop your fork.”

“I have a lunch date,” Luke confessed. He put his fork down and leaned his head against the headrest on his wheelchair. “At least I hope it’s a date.”

“Really? With who?”

“Jenna, she eats lunch at the coffee shop I usually eat at and I’ve had an eye on her for a while. Yesterday Skylar, she’s the owner, introduced us to each other and we had lunch. Conversation was surprisingly un-awkward and we agreed to meet again at noon today.”

“Wow, that’s great Luke! It’s about time you get out there and find someone.” Kevin grinned and I’gave Luke a pat on the shoulder.

“You know as well as I do that I’m not exactly the pick of the litter; the wheelchair isn’t exactly a babe magnet.  And how many women dreams of a guy that wears diapers, pees out of a tube in his pelvis and needs help to get in and out of bed and can’t get dressed without assistance?”

“You’ve got lots of things going for you Luke; you’re good looking, smart, you have a good job and you can be pretty funny if you want to. Lots of stuff women appreciate. I know it’s not easy, but I’m sure you’ll find someone. And maybe Jenna is that someone? Don’t give up without giving her a chance.”

“We’ll see what happens,” Luke said as he picked up his fork and started eating again. He appreciated Kevin. He’d worked for him since he was discharged from rehab three years ago.  When Luke had decided to move back to LA a couple of years earlier he Kevin had mentioned he was planning on getting a Masters and he had actually applied to USC.  Luke had offered him to stay with him and keep working part time as his assistant. They’d been roommates almost two years and they were close friends as well. Luke had a few assistants, but Kevin was his favorite. Things just flowed with him; he knew Luke and his body and didn’t need instructions on what to do.

...

Jenna smiled when she walked into Starbuck’s a couple of minutes before noon. Luke was waiting for her at her usual table and she thought he was more handsome than he’d been the previous day. He looked very stylish in his black and gray outfit. A shy smile spread across his face when he saw her.

“Hi Jenna,” he greeted her. “How are you today?”

“I’m good. How ‘bout you?”

“Very good,” he smiled. “Have a seat. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve already ordered for both of us and Skylar said she’d bring our food and coffee over when you arrived. I’m glad you’re a creature of habit.”

Jenna smiled sheepishly. “I like my Club Sandwich and latte, what can I say?”

“Just like I like my chicken salad. You’re not the only creature of habit by this table.”

“Good to know,” she laughed. “I feel kinda boring sometimes. Moving here to start a business was a huge leap for me and I think it shocked my friends and family back in Chicago when I actually did it.”

“I think you’re far from boring, there’s nothing wrong with habits.”

Skylar arrived with their lunch; as usual there was a Club Sandwich and a tall latte for Jenna and a chicken salad and a black coffee for Luke. When Jenna reached for her wallet Luke shook his head.

“Lunch is on me today,” he said firmly. Something told Jenna to not object, it seemed important to him that it was on him. And my bank account won’t object.

“Thanks,” Jenna beamed as she grabbed the sandwich. “I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure,” Luke smiled. 

The rest of their lunch was filled with easy conversation about safe subjects such as literature, movies and TV shows.  They found they had similar tastes, although Luke didn’t share Jenna’s love of chick flicks and romantic comedies. When they finished eating they made their way outside.

“Thanks again for lunch,” she said.

“As I said; it was my pleasure,” Luke smiled.

“Same time and place tomorrow?” Jenna asked.

“I’ll be stuck in meetings tomorrow and Friday, with catered lunches, so I won’t be coming here.”

“I’ll miss you,” Jenna said with a smile. “Lunch won’t be the same without your company.”

“I’ll miss you too. And Skylar’s food. The secretary that is in charge of ordering food for our meetings is a bit too fond of Subway platters in my opinion.”

“I take it you’re not a fan of those?” Jenna asked.

“Not a fan of finger foods in general these days,” Luke said with a sigh. When he didn’t elaborate Jenna decided not to push the subject.

“Maybe we can do something over the weekend?” Jenna suggested; she wanted to get to know Luke better and she figured they needed a change of scenery from the coffee shop.

“I’d like that,” Luke said with a smile. “I don’t have any specific plans for the weekend yet. How about dinner at my place Saturday?”

“Sounds great,” Jenna said with a happy smile. Yay! He invited me over to his place!

“I’ll call you when I get off work on Friday and we can work out the details then, okay?” Luke suggested as he put his hand on the joystick of his wheelchair and started to back away from the table.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Jenna agreed.  And then she grabbed her bag, stood up and followed Luke out of the coffee shop. On the sidewalk they bid each other goodbye and Jenna impulsively leaned down and kissed Luke on the cheek before she turned and walked toward her office.

...

Luke winced with pain as he rolled over a crack in his driveway Friday afternoon. His neck had been bothering him all day and now the pain was reaching intolerable levels. Since the accident where he broke his neck he’d dealt with pretty much chronic pain in the site of his injury. Usually it was just a dull pain he managed to ignore, but from time to time it got bad.

Today had definitely been a bad day, the worst in a while. He’d somehow gotten through the last half of the workday, but he was relieved to be home and he was glad to see Kevin’s car in the driveway. That meant he’d be able to get into bed early and hopefully a good nights sleep and a dose of painkillers would make him feel better. But the first thing on his agenda was to call Jenna and then he needed something to eat. Taking painkillers on an empty stomach was not a good idea.

Luke made his way to the kitchen and got a frozen dinner out of the freezer and put it in the microwave. It was far from his first choice of food, but he didn’t have the energy to cook from scratch.

While he waited for his food to heat he fished his iPhone out of the pouch under the armrest of his wheelchair and asked Siri to call Jenna. After three rings she answered the phone.

“Hey Luke,” she said, a smile evident in her voice. “How are you today?”

“I’m good,” he replied, mentally crossing his fingers, hoping his voice didn’t reveal that he wasn’t feeling well.

“You sound tired,” Jenna stated. “Long couple of days?”

“Yeah, those meetings have been kind of intense. I’m glad it’s Friday and I have the weekend ahead of me. Some downtime sounds very good right now.”

“I like the sound of that too,” Jenna agreed. A couple of assignments with a very short deadline had dumped into her inbox Wednesday afternoon and it had been a couple of long, intense days for her.  She had managed to deliver on time and a couple of very welcome checks had been deposited into their business’ account.

“I hope you’re still up for dinner here tomorrow?”

“Definitely. I’ve been looking forward to it since you invited me over on Wednesday.”

“That feeling is mutual,” Luke said. They chatted a little and then a beep from his microwave told him dinner was ready. He gave Jenna his address and they agreed she should come over at six the following evening. He smiled as he ended the call and placed the phone back in the pouch under the armrest.

…

Twenty-five minutes later Luke had finished his rather tasteless dinner and he made his way down to the door that connected Kevin’s apartment with the house. He knocked on the door and moment later the door swung open; revealing a disheveled looking Kevin dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a faded t-shirt.

“Hey Luke, are you okay? You don’t look to good.”

“No. My neck is acting up, I probably should’ve worn the collar today, but it wasn’t much worse than it normally is this morning. It’s been killing me for the past few hours.”

“Okay, what can I do? Do you want a painkiller? Lay down?”

“Yes on both counts. I think I’ll just go to bed now. If you’re not busy I’d appreciate it if we could do my evening routine a little early tonight,” Luke said. He always felt bad for asking Kevin for help when he wasn’t really on duty. As usual he told Luke not to worry about it and they headed to Luke’s bedroom.

An hour later Luke lay in bed; the combination of a strong prescription painkiller and lying flat had dulled the pain in his neck and he was feeling slightly better. His mind started wandering; he wondered if Jenna was familiar with spinal cord injuries and he worried about how she’d react when she learned the full extent of his disability. Luke hadn’t been in a relationship since before his accident; his wheelchair was a pretty efficient chick-repellent.

...to be continued...