by Rita Sawyer
She lifted her head and looked at her in the mirror. “Nothing.”
“You’ve been crying.” Sam laid her hand on her shoulder gently and turned her around.
Bobbie didn’t miss the worried looks her sisters gave each other. She needed to come up with a reason for crying other than Jake and damn fast. She hated that she was ruining the party they’d gone through a lot of trouble to pull off. Of course, it would have been harder if she had been home.
“Jake?” Jessie asked.
Now or never, Bobbie thought, but she didn’t get to say a word, because Frankie said, “Of course it was Jake.”
“Baby, are you okay?” Sam leaned in and wrapped her arm around Bobbie’s back.
“Where is he?” Frankie asked.
Bobbie shrugged. She was glad she didn’t know, but if he followed his normal pattern, he was as far from her as he could get without actually leaving town. In fact, it would be at least three days before she saw any sign of him.
“What did he say?” Jessie wanted to know.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it right now if you’re not up to it.” Everyone gaped in Sam’s direction and she said, “She’ll talk when she’s ready. We don’t need to push her.”
Bobbie was already starting to think she was missing something when Joey said, “We should have given him more time.”
Given him more time for what? What the hell were they up to? Whatever it was, Bobbie didn’t like it for two reasons. First, she was out of the loop, and second, instead of being the one trying to pull strings, she was the one being manipulated. Or Jake was, and she was just being used as an integral part of their plan. She should demand to know what their goal was and that they stop immediately, but maybe—more like probably—Jake deserved whatever he was going to get.
“Did he at least explain? He refused to tell us anything other than what we already knew until he talked to you.” Frankie pressed a couple of cold, wet paper towels on Bobbie’s eyes.
It felt so good she sighed. Sam and Jessie must have taken her lack of an answer as a no, because they both started talking at the same time.
“Well, as far as we know it was just the one date,” Sam volunteered, and Bobbie’s breath caught in her throat.
“Kerri hasn’t been talking, either,” Jessie said.
Kerri? So it wasn’t just a rumor. Jake was dating someone. Not just someone, but Kerri, who Bobbie knew was only twenty-three. So much for the age difference excuse he’d been using for years. She wondered what he’d have to say in his own defense, but she knew it wouldn’t matter.
If all that wasn’t bad enough, he’d just kissed her senseless. Bobbie could lay that at her own feet since she’d been the one to kiss him first, but he could have stopped her at any time and they both knew it. Whether or not he was serious or exclusive with Kerri didn’t matter because she wasn’t about to share a man. Not now, not ever, and definitely not Jake. Even if it was the only way she could have him.
She took the towels off her eyes, no longer caring that her sisters could see her tears. Bobbie tossed the paper towels into the trash.
“You all knew and no one thought to tell me before I made a fool of myself by kissing him?” She heard the anger and hurt in her voice and knew her sisters did, too.
“He didn’t tell you,” Jessie and Frankie said in unison.
“We didn’t want to ruin your trip, and we decided it would be best for Jake to tell you himself when you got home.” Joey’s explanation made sense, but it still sucked.
“Well, he didn’t.” Not that she thought it would have hurt any more or less coming from him. “I’m leaving. Georgie, will you let everyone know I had to go?”
“What do you want me to tell them?”
She could tell them whatever she wanted. “The truth. I’m feeling…betrayed, or not well. Whatever you think is best.”
“Bobbie, let one of us drive you home.” Joey’s gaze locked with hers and she could see the concern in her eyes.
“No. I think it would be best if you all stayed here.” And away from her until she didn’t feel like hitting something, but even if she told them that they wouldn’t stay away for long.
She brushed past them and yanked the door open. Not meeting anyone’s eyes, she crossed the building and walked out the door. Her sisters were right behind her. She just couldn’t deal with them right now. Honestly, for the first time in her life, she wanted to run away not just from her family, but from her whole life.
* * * *
Jake couldn’t believe he’d found the willpower to walk away from her again. Fuck, he practically ran, but it was a close thing. He almost took her in a fucking supply closet. Even though she was the worst form of torture, he was glad she was back. Jake knew she was happy to be back, too, but come tomorrow morning, when she pressed her sisters for why they were angry with him, that would probably change. And it was his fault. Not that he’d done anything wrong.
He was a single man and could date—not that what he and Kerri had gone on had been a real date—but he could date whoever he wanted. It didn’t matter if the brat had his heart and body wrapped around her little finger. He knew better than to take it any further than they already had.
Jake was halfway to his truck when his brother and Tyler appeared out of nowhere. “What the fuck do you two want?”
“You’re leaving?” Tyler managed to make the question sound like an accusation.
“Yes.” Jake took another step, but Beau stepped in front of him.
“Did you tell her?” Beau asked, and Jake glared at the pushy bastard.
“No! This is none of your business. Either of you,” he tossed in Tyler’s direction.
“Are you willing to tell that to her sisters?” Tyler countered. “They gave you a chance to break it to her. If you don’t do it tonight they will by morning.”
“It didn’t fucking mean anything. You’re all making too much out of this. I went out with a friend to a function. We didn’t have sex. Hell, I didn’t even kiss her goodnight. I’m single with the right to do whatever I want.”
“Really? Then why do you look like shit?”
Well, at least he looked like he felt. “You’re my brother. Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”
“Not when you’ve acted like a jackass.”
“Jake.” Tyler laid his hand on his shoulder, but with a look from Jake he removed it damn quick.
He knew the guy had a good thirty pounds and four inches on him. Under normal circumstances, Tyler could probably take him, but Jake had built-up rage on his side. Beau wouldn’t even spar with him, and the last time he’d managed to kick Jake’s ass. If Bobbie hadn’t left none of this would have happened.
Without Bobbie at the Chamber of Commerce dinner he would have felt awkward sitting with the rest of the Brazens like he normally did. He’d planned to skip it all together, which would have pissed off the mayor. So when Kerri asked if he wanted to go with her since her boyfriend hadn’t been able to make it to town, he said sure. It had been one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
“Are you listening to me?” Tyler asked.
“Yeah. I’m listening.”
“Good. The issue isn’t you dating. It’s that Kerri is only two years older than Bobbie.”
“I didn’t know that.” Jake hadn’t found that out until it was too late.
“Did you care? I didn’t believe Frankie when she said you were trying to get back at Bobbie for not saying good-bye, but now I’m not so sure.” Tyler shook his head like he was letting the idea rattle around, and Jake wanted to clock him and see if it helped.
“I wasn’t striking out. I didn’t even think about it getting back to Bobbie.” All he thought about was how he’d rather be going with her.
“Man, tell her before they do.” Tyler had become a really good friend, and Jake knew he was only telling him what he thought was the right thing to do. “It won’t hurt any less coming from you, but maybe she won’t be
as upset if you explain it wasn’t a real date. If it comes from someone else you know she’s going to be pissed.”
When he didn’t respond right away his brother said, “Never knew you to be chickenshit. Since you won’t tell her, I will. It’ll be good for her to have a shoulder to cry on, and who knows? Maybe when she’s over you she’ll see what’s right in front of her.”
Jake grabbed him by his collar and pulled him so close they were nose to nose. “Stay the fuck away from her.”
Beau just smiled. “You had your chance. She loves Charlie, and the kid could use a mother figure.”
Jake shoved him away hard enough that the shithead stumbled. His brother was an ass, but he’d found the motivation Jake needed. Hopefully, he’d just bruise her heart with his confession, not break it. He had always tried to protect Bobbie by not letting her get involved with him, but it hadn’t helped. She loved him whether he deserved it or not. Now, however unintentionally, he’d put her in the position of getting hurt. It was only right that he should be the one to tell her. He started back toward the bowling alley.
Bobbie came out the door, followed quickly by her sisters. She moved across the parking lot like someone was chasing her, but they just stood there and watched her go. Jake could only think of one reason that she’d be leaving in such a rush. Like a shot he was off, hot on her heels.
“Bobbie,” he called out.
She glanced back and his breath caught in his chest. He could see her tears running down her face. She looked crushed. Never in the whole time he’d known her had she ever looked at him like that. Jake knew she’d found out. She turned and started to run. He stood where he was for a minute or two, debating whether or not to chase her. He’d almost caught up to her when she stopped by a flashy yellow Jeep and climbed in.
He turned and ran across the parking lot to his truck. His brother already had it running. Jake knew her sisters would have followed her, too, if their husbands hadn’t been there to stop them. He wasn’t fool enough to think they’d be able to keep them there for long, so he needed to handle this fast.
When Bobbie got upset she could sort of be a loose cannon. There was no knowing where she’d go or what she would do. He headed for her house, hoping she might go there. Jake kept looking for the Jeep on the roads he passed. At least with it being so bright it would make it hard to miss. He wondered who it belonged to. With the way the old beater she loved kept dying there was a good chance it was a rental. He still couldn’t believe her sisters had let her drive it out of town. As he turned onto the long driveway, he spotted it parked in front of the house. Bobbie had just hopped out. He slammed on the brakes and jumped out of his truck without even killing the engine.
“Bobbie, please wait. Let me explain.” For every step he advanced, she retreated.
“No. Get off Brazen property and don’t come back.” She turned her back on him and walked up the stairs to her front door.
“Damn it. We need to talk about this.”
“Talk about what? The fact that you’re dating someone? Or that you let me kiss you? Oh, I know. We can discuss that you kissed me back and wanted to screw my brains out in a fucking storage closet.” She wasn’t shouting, or crying. In fact, she was way too calm for his liking.
“For crying out loud, I’m not dating someone. I went to dinner with someone. One date. And it wasn’t even a date.”
“I don’t want to hear it. Why are you even here? You’ve made it completely clear there can’t be anything between us. So let’s just go with that.”
“You don’t mean that, Bobbie. We’re friends.”
“No, we’re not. Friends don’t treat each other this way. I’m sorry, but I think a clean break will be the best thing for both of us.” As if that was the end of the conversation, she walked into the house and slammed the door in his face.
This wasn’t the end of it. The end of them. How could it be the end of them when they hadn’t even started yet? She was going to hear his side of things. He’d give her a few days to get settled in and then he’d sit her down and explain. In the meantime, he was going to have another talk with her sisters and their spouses or soon-to-be spouses. If any of them blew this fucking mess any more out of proportion he’d make sure they got parking tickets everyday for the next year. Jake wasn’t about to ask them to try and fix things, but he just didn’t need them making it worse, either.
This was something between him and Bobbie, and it should stay that way. He saw the curtain move and knew she was watching him. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed her number.
She answered, but there was no sweet hello like he usually got. “Are you going to leave?”
“Eventually.”
“Jake, you can stay out there all night if you want, but I’m going to take a bubble bath and go to bed. Then again, if your girlfriend doesn’t mind, maybe you’d care to join me?”
She hung up on him before he could respond. He knew her offer was sarcasm in its finest form, but it would serve her right if he took her up on it. Jake walked back to his truck and got the hell out of there before he did just that.
Chapter Two
Jake glanced around the library as he walked in with his niece, Charlie. He followed her to the children’s section and stood by the wall while she perused the shelves. A few people looked their way, but quickly dismissed them. They were probably looking for something to gossip about. Well, they weren’t going to get it from him.
On the outside, everything about Jake looked normal. He’d made damn sure of it. No one needed to know that on the inside he was fighting a battle he’d already lost. Bobbie’s final strike had come at his own hands. Taking Kerri out—even though it hadn’t meant anything to either of them—may have broken Bobbie’s heart, and the guilt was eating away at his soul.
Not that he had a reason to even feel guilty. He was single and could see whoever he wanted. The problem was he wanted to be with Bobbie, yet at the same time, he felt like he’d be holding her back. She was so damn young. At twenty-one, she had so many opportunities. How many would she give up by attaching herself to a guy like him? Her friends would want to go out and she’d be stuck at home with her old husband. Okay, so twenty-eight might not seem all that old to some people, but Jake knew at times it could feel like a lifetime.
He’d tried to deny his feelings for her for so long and failed. Everyone from his brother to her sisters had told him he was making a huge mistake, but he refused to listen. Jake had convinced himself he was doing what was best for Bobbie. Now he wondered if it had been the only way he could keep himself from losing his heart with the chance that someday, she might change her mind.
Jake was ready to admit he’d been a stupid fool, but it was time to face the facts. He was wrong and everyone else was right. There had never been a question about whether or not he loved her, just how long it would be before he acted on it. Now it just might be too late. It was still hard to believe she hadn’t given him a chance to explain things. And worse, with her sisters’ help, she had followed through on her threat to end things between them.
Even though it was a small town, she had effectively cut him out of her life. When they did run into each other she didn’t even acknowledge him. Gone were the winks and smiles she used to send his way. He hadn’t realized how much he would miss them.
He may as well have been invisible. It sucked, but he was the one to blame. Bobbie had waited long enough for him to smarten up. Now she had every right to move on. So why didn’t he just let her? God, he’d give anything for the answer to be something other than what it was.
Jake loved her. It wasn’t just lust or the need to protect her, though he felt those, too. This was deeper, stronger, and he knew exactly what he needed to do. He figured she’d had more than enough time over the past week and a half to calm down. Once he got Charlie back home he was going to find Bobbie, and they were going to talk this out.
“Uncle Jake, we can go?” Charlie started to walk past him a
nd he noticed her hands were empty.
“What’s wrong, munchkin? Didn’t they have anything you wanted?”
“No. I wanted the next book in the series I’m reading.”
“Well, if they don’t have it yet we could take a ride to the bookstore over in Haberville and see if they have it.” Taking Charlie to a bookstore would put a dent in his wallet, but it would be worth it to see the frown on her face disappear.
“They won’t.”
Jake couldn’t believe she was turning down a chance to go to the bookstore. “How do you know?”
“It’s an old, old series.” He didn’t miss the double “old” or the way she almost sighed when she said it.
“Well, where did you get the one you’re reading?”
She glared up at him for a minute before she looked away and quickly started walking toward the door. Jake wasn’t sure what he did to earn that look. He already had one of the most important women in his life so pissed at him he may lose her. He wasn’t about to let Charlie get to that point.
“Hey, kiddo, hold up.” Charlie stopped short and he almost plowed her down.
“Can you take me home now?” Her eyes shimmered with tears and her lower lip trembled.
Though she was almost eleven years old, she didn’t protest when he scooped her up into his arms. Jake walked over to one of the window seats and sat down, settling her on his lap.
“Sweetie, I’m not taking you home until you talk to me. Want to tell me why you’re mad at me?” She shook her head and he decided to try another tack. “Tell me about the books. Where did you get them?”
“Bobbie. She has the whole series and has been letting me borrow them.”
“Did you call and ask her for the next one?”
She shook her head and pushed off his lap, but stayed with him on the seat. “Dad said you guys had a fight and that we’re giving her some space.”
“So are you mad at me because we got into a fight, or because you can’t get the next book?”
“Both.”