by Judy Corry
I peeked at Jess, to see if he noticed what was going on. He was rubbing his neck and his cheeks looked more flushed than usual.
Now if this wasn’t awkward I didn’t know what was.
A few seconds passed before I found my tongue. “I wouldn’t mind registering to vote. That sounds fun.”
“I was joking. You know that, right?” Jess laughed uncomfortably.
“Well, call me weird, but I still think I’m gonna do that when we get to the lake house. I can do it online, right?”
“Yeah,” Jess said. “It’s pretty easy.”
Ryan spoke up, “So Jess, uh buddy, it just came to my attention that you’re dating someone? Kelsie Perkins? Is she meeting us at the house?”
Jess's grip tightened around the steering wheel. “No. We broke up last night.”
I frowned and looked at him confused, though my stomach fluttered at the thought of him being free. He didn’t say they were taking a break last night, just that they had a fight.
He seemed to notice my confusion because he said in a lowered voice, “I called her after I dropped you off and said I was done. I felt bad doing it over the phone, but I couldn’t wait any longer.”
My eyebrows dipped together. “Really?” What would have made him change his mind last night? Had I missed something?
“Hanging out with you helped me realize how wrong she is for me. I wasn’t happy. I don’t know if I ever was. It’s hard for me to remember why I dated her in the first place, and it boggles my mind that it lasted so long.”
What was I supposed to say to that? I couldn’t say I was sorry about the breakup, because that would be about the biggest lie ever told. So I said, “If you need to talk about it, I’m here.”
There was a soft smile in his eyes. “I think I’m going to be okay. But thanks.” He reached down and squeezed my knee. “You’re too good to me.”
The rest of the drive was a lot less serious. Ryan and Jess entertained Bridgett and me with hilarious stories from when we were younger. I may have grown up with those two, but I had no idea about half of the mischief they got into. It was weird that I had been so infatuated with Ryan back then that I hadn’t really seen Jess. Yes, Ryan’s personality was magnetic and he was easy on the eyes and fun to be around. But Jess was those things, too. Just in a quieter way.
It only took about half an hour to make it to the lake house. It was a beautiful two-story, rustic-looking cabin with huge windows overlooking the lake. Seeing it brought back memories of summers spent here with my parents and the whole Brooks family. I hadn’t been here since before my dad left. A hollow feeling entered my chest at the thought of him never being at this house again with me. It shouldn’t be that way.
“Are you coming, Eliana?” Jess was standing beside the truck, watching me.
“Yeah, yeah.” I nodded. “Sorry, I was just remembering last time we were here.”
I scooted to the edge of the seat to slide out. Jess held out his hand to assist me to the ground, and I took it. His touch was steady and warm, and I wished I could have his hand keeping me steady forever. But once my feet were on the ground, Jess hurried around to the other side of the truck to grab the cooler.
Ryan and Bridgett grabbed the other gear from the backseat, so I followed uselessly behind everyone into the house. The main floor had a kitchen with a small dining room, a living room, a master bedroom, and a bathroom. Upstairs had a big loft area with another bedroom and bathroom. Once everything was inside, the guys worked together to get the fire burning in the wood stove. Ashlyn pulled me aside to talk in the master bedroom.
Ashlyn's eyes practically glowed when she shut the bedroom door. “Did you hear that Jess broke up with Kelsie?”
“I’m not taking you shopping, if that’s why you dragged me in here,” I joked, since we’d never actually placed a bet on how long this relationship was going to last.
“You should have bet me this time, because you always had more faith in him lasting longer than I did.” Ashlyn laughed and plopped herself onto the bed, patting a spot next to her for me to sit. “But in all seriousness, do you still have feelings for him? I know you asked me not to talk about it last year…but if you still feel the same, now’s your chance.”
I shrugged and picked at a spot on one of the fluffy white throw pillows. “Isn’t it dumb to go after someone when they’re on the rebound?” Especially your best friend? There was a reason I didn’t dare try last April. So much could go wrong. I couldn’t afford to mess up my friendship with the one person who truly understood me. The one person who had always been there.
But what if he broke up with Kelsie because he had feelings for me? Why did everything have to be so complicated? I cared so much about Jess, but would I risk losing him in order to see if there was a chance of something more? Especially right now when everything else sucked?
“Ugh.” I threw myself into the pillows. “Why is it so complicated?”
“Well, if you’re worried about putting yourself out there, I don’t know, try flirting with him or something?”
My chest tightened at her suggestion. “Has he ever said anything to you about this?” She had to know if he liked me back or not. They were brother and sister.
“He’s never said those exact words. But he likes you, Eliana. I know my brother, and the way he treats you and looks at you…there has to be more than friendship there.”
My chest loosened with her words. But would I dare do anything? I didn’t even know how to flirt.
When Ashlyn and I joined the rest of the group in the living area, my eyes were drawn to Jess. He was hunched down, still working on the fire, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His forearms flexed as he shoved a log into the stove, the muscles and veins more defined than they were the last time we’d been here. In his plaid shirt and jeans, he looked like a lumberjack, especially with the scruffy beard he still hadn’t shaved.
It was funny that he was so insecure about his beard. But I guess it made sense. Jess had always commented negatively on how he looked. I guess being friends with Ryan hadn’t helped in that area either. A few years ago, Jess and Ryan had gotten into lifting weights at the school. But while Ryan easily bulked up, Jess had to eat almost constantly, chugging protein shakes and still only gained a few pounds. And even after all that hard work, all the extra muscle he’d built slipped off him when Ryan moved away and they stopped working out together.
But not all girls wanted the beefy guys. Some liked the tall, toned blondes who wore blue plaid shirts that made them look like a lumberjack.
A really cute lumberjack.
I watched him for a minute before realizing how obvious I was being. But thankfully, after a quick glance around the room, no one seemed to have noticed my stare.
Once the fire was roaring, he shut the stove’s door and got up, wiping his hands on his jeans.
“So what do you have planned for Eliana’s big birthday bash?” Ashlyn asked Jess. Ryan and Bridgett were cuddled up on the love seat while Luke had his arm around Ashlyn's waist. I stood dumbly with my hands tapping my sides.
“Well,” Jess said. “I’ll admit that this whole thing was thrown together rather last minute. Sorry about that, by the way.” His eyes met mine. “But I brought stuff to make lunch, and then I was thinking we could take it easy, play some games, maybe watch a movie.” He slipped his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you guys wanna do?”
“Do you mind if Luke and I take a walk around the lake while you make lunch? I want to see if our old tree house is still there.”
“Sure,” Jess said.
“Yeah, a walk sounds nice,” Ryan interjected. “Bridgett and I want to check out the lake, I haven’t been back here since before I moved to NYC.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll make you all lunch by myself.” Jess placed his hands on his hips, looking disappointed that everyone wanted to bail on him.
I raised my hand to my side. “I can help make lunch.” I may no
t be that great of a cook, but I could definitely help him make sandwiches or something.
“Cool. That’s awesome. We’ll be back in about forty-five minutes.” Ashlyn tugged on Luke’s elbow, seemingly in a big hurry to get outside. Was she trying to help me get some alone time with Jess to work on her plan?
Ryan and Bridgett stood too and pulled their coats on. “Yeah, thanks for making lunch, guys.”
And in a matter of seconds it was just Jess and me.
All alone.
And he was single.
I hope I don’t mess this up.
Chapter Fifteen
“What’s for lunch?” I asked when Jess pulled cutting boards and a frying pan from the cupboards. I’d never made sandwiches with those things, so I had the feeling I may have gotten myself in way over my head. Me and cooking did not get along well.
“I remembered that your favorite food is fajitas, so I was thinking we could make those.”
“Aren’t those hard to cook?”
“They’re not that hard. Plus, I’ve made them before.”
“Well, as long as you know what you’re doing, I’m okay watching you show off those cooking skills you bragged about.” I smiled and settled into a bar stool.
“I don’t need to show anything off.” He stopped his preparations, raised an eyebrow, and gave me a knowing smile. “Oh, I see. You think you’re going to watch me slave away in the kitchen while you sit there looking pretty.”
I squished my eyebrows in confusion and tried to ignore the fact that he’d said I looked pretty. “You want me to help you cook?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“Kind of, considering I’ve been living on sandwiches and cold cereal for the last year. And I’m pretty sure you haven’t forgotten the whole glass-shard pie incident from last Thanksgiving.”
“It’s not like you’re the first person to set a glass casserole dish on a hot burner.”
“Yeah. But most people don’t scrape the glass shards off the pumpkin pie and serve it like nothing happened.”
“No one complained about eating any glass. And the pies tasted great.” He moved to the sink and washed his hands. “Anyway, these fajitas are pretty simple. And if it makes you feel better, I’ll make sure you know when the stove is on.” He winked. “Just in case.”
“If you say so.”
I washed my hands while he went to a drawer and pulled out two aprons.
As I put on a fluffy pink apron, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was a regular thing for him, cooking with a girl. Had Kelsie been his sou chef at Cornell? I shook away the thoughts, knowing I shouldn’t care. It was just hard not to care when it was Jess.
“So we’re cooking fajitas?” I asked, trying to push my thoughts away. “Chicken or beef?”
“Chicken. That’s your favorite, right?” Jess moved to the fridge and hesitated before opening it, waiting for my answer.
“Yeah.” When did Jess start remembering things like that? Did normal best friends remember details like what kind of meat I preferred in my favorite food? Probably.
He opened the fridge and pulled out some chicken breasts, two red bell peppers, two green bell peppers, and two onions. “We’ll start with the chicken first so it’ll have time to sit in the marinade. How do you feel about handling raw chicken?”
I scrunched up my nose. Raw chicken was slimy and squishy and cold. There was nothing good about that.
“I’m guessing that means I should cut it.”
“If you don’t mind.” I tried to smile sweetly. “I think it’ll be safer that way.”
“Safer? What do you mean by that?”
“Maybe not necessarily safer, but definitely less gross. I wouldn’t want to barf all over everyone’s food.”
“In that case, you can prepare the marinade for me.” He set a bottle of Italian dressing on the counter and grabbed the chili powder from the spice rack. “Put one-half cup of the dressing, and one teaspoon of the chili powder in this bag.” He handed me a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. “And I’ll chop up the chicken to add in.”
“Aye-aye, Chef.” I saluted him like he was a captain of sorts. Yeah, I’m that cool. He grinned at my stupidity and got to work on the counter space next to the sink.
If I was acting like this already, I definitely shouldn’t attempt to flirt with him. I could barely handle acting normal.
Okay, new goal. Act normal. Be normal. Be yourself. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do anyway when you like someone?
I searched the kitchen drawers to find the measuring spoons and liquid measuring cup, and then measured the ingredients out and mixed them in the baggie. When I was finished, I plopped the bag on the counter next to Jess's cutting board and watched him cut the chicken into strips.
“Doesn’t touching that super slimy meat gross you out?” That sounded normal enough, right?
Jess shook his head as he continued slicing. “You get used to it. Plus, what kind of man would I be if it did?”
“You have a point there.”
Once the chicken was added to the marinade, and the bag stored away in the fridge, I jumped up and sat on the counter as Jess got the veggies ready. I figured I was done with my part.
But he turned to me. “Your turn now.” He smiled, his eyes almost level with mine.
I gawked at the chef’s knife he’d pulled out. The shiny silver blade was almost a foot long. “What do you expect me to do with a weapon like that?” I asked with wide eyes. Jess laughed, so I went on. “How do you even cut with a knife that size?”
“It’s easier than you think. In fact, this is my favorite kind of knife.”
“Why?” I squinted, skeptical. “Does it make you sleep better, knowing you have something to defend yourself with in case bad guys ambush the house?”
“Har, har.” Jess clasped his hands on either side of my waist and lifted me off the counter. My heart banged against my ribcage at his unexpected touch. “I’ll teach you how to use it safely,” he said close to my ear.
“Okay.” It was all I could say, and it came out more like a gasp than an actual word.
Jess chuckled as he moved his hands from my hips to my shoulders and spun me around so my back was to his chest. “So if I were to demonstrate before letting you loose, do you think you’d be all right? Or would you rather have the more hands-on lesson?”
Hands-on lesson? Well, if he was offering…
“I think I’ll need all the help I can get.” I peeked over my shoulder.
“Hands-on lesson it is.” He winked and smiled in what might be considered a flirtatious way…but it could have been my imagination.
“I’m guessing I start with the peppers?” I asked, trying to push away the attraction bubbling under the surface. But my pulse was throbbing so hard in my temples that it was hard to ignore the way being so close to Jess made me feel—all jittery, nervous, and excited.
He nodded. “Stand them up on the cutting board and cut them down the middle so you can remove the seeds and stem.”
I gingerly picked up the knife’s sleek black handle and did as he said. Once I’d cleaned all four peppers out, I set the two halves down flat on the cutting board to chop them up.
Jess leaned against the counter as he watched me, but I must have been doing something wrong because his hands reached over to still my own.
“The beauty of the chef’s knife is that you can move it quickly through foods and chop them up much faster than with a smaller knife. You see, instead of cutting with a back-and-forth motion, you use an up-and-down rocking motion.” Jess moved behind me again, his chest grazing my shoulder. “I’ll help you with the basic motion then you’ll be on your own.” He cleared his throat. Maybe he was as affected by our nearness as I was. “Let’s start with the green pepper first—that way if you slice your finger, we’ll be able to tell where the blood is.” I heard the smile in his voice and felt his chest move as he chuckled.
I drew in a shaky breath. “Maybe you s
hould do this if you think I’m that dangerous.” I was definitely not in a safe frame of mind at the moment.
“No, no. Your turn.”
He instructed me on how to hold the knife in my right hand, and the pepper in my left, with my fingertips curled under my knuckles. He covered my right hand with his and helped me slice it through the pepper, in a continuous motion. My body flooded with heat. Having Jess's arms around me was far from the safest way to chop anything. My mind scrambling, I barely remembered to move the fingers back on my other hand as the knife inched closer.
We were in the middle of chopping the red pepper when Jess said, “You smell good today. Is that your shampoo or perfume?” He took in a deep breath.
I stopped chopping. “It’s probably my body wash.” I hadn’t put any perfume on. Didn’t think I’d have a reason to. “You smell nice too.” Too nice. His cologne seemed to be making me delirious, because my mind was running away with the thought that Jess was openly flirting with me. This had never happened before.
“It’s the cologne you and Ashlyn picked out for me last Christmas.”
“Well, we have good taste,” I managed to say. Then I busied myself with the knife again. Once the peppers and onions were all chopped, without a drop of blood shed, we threw them into the frying pan, sautéing them with Italian dressing. The rest of the meal came together rather easily after that. Jess finished working on the fajitas while I set the table, and I was happy to make it through without making a complete fool of myself.
Because everyone else had skipped out on the meal preparation, they offered to clean up and do the dishes. I wasn’t about to argue with that, so I was more than happy to take a walk to the lake when Jess invited me. It hadn’t started raining yet, so the ground was still dry, which was really nice. We sat on the bench Jess's dad had put in years ago, right at the edge of their property overlooking the water.