“What happened to Bessie?” I asked, wondering about the old car.
He only shook his head and kept walking. I was concerned by this reaction and about to ask more about it, but then he unlatched the gate off the driveway, and we both stepped into the backyard. It was so beautiful I lost my train of thought.
A mixture of pine and birch trees lined the redwood fence, and lush fern and hydrangea mingled among their trunks. It looked like something you’d find in a Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, and I didn’t want to leave—but Jake quickly climbed the front steps and beckoned me to follow.
“Five-four-eight, five-two-eight. The code to the house.” He had me recite the numbers a few times so I wouldn’t forget, then opened the door, and gestured for me to go inside.
The living room was large and very masculine, with brown leather furniture and a big-screen television. A rustic-looking rug sat in front of the couch, and I ached to slip my sandals off and feel the tall pile between my toes.
“Wow, you’re a big kid now.” I looked up at him and smiled. “A big step up from that old house in Northridge.”
The corner of his mouth lifted, but his forehead wrinkled in a way that made me instantly regretted my words. Why did I have to go bringing up the past? The house that held too many painful memories for the both of us.
We continued through a doorway to the left which led us to the kitchen. It wasn’t large, or fancy, but the natural light streaming through the open windows gave me chills. It was a good size with simple design. Crisp white cabinets, butcher block counters, and all stainless, top-of-the-line appliances. Exactly what I would have picked out myself. I raised my eyebrows. “All this for a guy who doesn’t cook?”
“It’s all about the resale value, Katie.” He grinned.
I breathed a sigh of relief. That was the Jake I needed right now. The smiling one. Though I couldn’t quite push all the memories from my mind. I trailed a hand over the smooth surface of the counter and his words hit me all at once. I turned around. “You’re planning to sell the place? But it’s perfect.” In the few minutes I’d been there, I was already attached. After six months, how could he even think of leaving?
He moved to lean against the counter and his bicep flexed as he braced himself there. “It’s only a house.”
The way he said it made a knot form in the pit of my stomach. His inflection making me wonder if he was hinting about me—but then I remembered. Jake didn’t get attached. He didn’t commit to anything; why would that change for a house?
I cleared my throat and gestured toward a small dining area just beyond the kitchen. It was surrounded by a large bay window that flooded the room with warm light.
“This is beautiful.”
A broad smile covered his face as he pushed himself from the counter. “Come on, let me show you the best part.”
We stepped out of the back door to a huge stone patio that could easily fit a hundred people. There was a built-in barbecue off to the left and a large table and chairs to the right. A rustic wood awning covered the deck closest to the house, and the thick beams let in the perfect amount of light. Past the patio was a sizable pool, and all the landscaping made it feel just as raw and organic as the front.
“There’s a hot tub up there.” He gestured to another stone patio secluded by plants. “And way over there will be a garden one of these days. I just haven’t had time to set it up yet.”
I didn’t know why, but seeing all he’d achieved in my absence caused my throat to thicken with emotion. “It’s absolutely perfect, Jake.”
“Come on, I’ll show the rest of the house.”
Leading me to the other side of the patio, he took me through a set of double doors to the master bedroom. Aside from the large sleigh bed and nightstands, the room lacked other furniture. The same wood flooring had been carried throughout the house, and a few random pieces of clothing were scattered across it.
“Sorry,” he muttered as he began picking the pieces off the floor.
“You do remember we used to be roommates, right? This is nothing,” I teased.
He looked up, a gleam of recognition and humor in his eye. “You’re right.” Then promptly dropped the clothes where he stood. “Come on, Kit Kat.” He threw an arm over my shoulder. “I’ll show you to your room.”
My stomach fluttered from his closeness, but I laughed as he ushered me down the hall. The first room we came to was filled with a bunch of boxes. A couple surfboards stood on end in the corner, and a desk was stacked high with papers and random junk. His arm slipped from my shoulder and he pulled the door closed.
“Storage,” he muttered, but I caught a glimpse of embarrassment I didn’t like. Why would he care about that? Especially with me—the girl who couldn’t keep up with laundry to save her life.
The second door was a guest bath, but I only caught a glimpse before we moved to the end of the hall. I peered into the living room off to the left and realized we’d come full circle.
“And this one’s yours.” He opened the last door on the right, and I followed him inside. My immediate impression was that it was too girly to be a part of Jake’s house. A four-poster bed stood in the center of the pale blue room, and a white down comforter was spread on top. The room was cast in a soft glow from the large window, and it looked so relaxing I realized for the first time how tired I was.
“You have your own bathroom,” he said, pushing past me to open another door on the right. “I’ve put some things in there for you. I wasn’t sure how long it would take you to unpack.”
“Thank you,” I said softly. I was taken aback. He’d always been there for me, but there was something so domestic and personal about picking out someone’s toiletries that I would’ve never expected from Jake. I’d lived with Kevin for over two years, and he’d never once done anything like that for me.
A woman’s voice called from the living room, and I turned just in time to see a petite blond enter the room. “There you guys are.”
She threaded her arm around Jake’s waist and peered at him adoringly. “Hey,” she whispered. But it wasn’t a normal whisper. It was a comfortable one—one that told me they were more than friends.
“Katie, this is Grace.” He smiled down at her, but when he looked back to me, his brows furrowed, and I knew my shocked reaction must have been plastered all over my face.
I cleared my throat and shook my head a little. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” she replied, but her eyes were fixed on Jake. “He’s told me so much about you.”
“Good things, I hope?”
“Of course.” She glanced at me a second before turning back to Jake. “I just saw John pull up outside.”
He clasped his hands together and smiled at me. “Perfect timing. Katie, where are the keys to the truck?” He flashed his white teeth and held his hand out expectantly.
“Why?” I asked, my eyebrows knit together as I tried to recover from the fact he had a girlfriend. It shouldn’t have bothered me. I’d seen him with dozens of women over the years. Maybe hundreds.
“So we can unload.”
I shook my head. “I only need a few boxes. The rest can go to storage until I find a place.”
“That’s ridiculous, where are your keys?” His tone more serious now.
“Jake…” I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling very uncomfortable. He was already giving me a room. How could I take over his garage too?
“Either you give them to me, or I’ll have to get them myself. You’re not going to win.”
I smiled at the familiar banter, and he grinned back.
“Fine.” I pulled the keys from my pocket and slapped them to his outstretched palm.
He flashed his sideways smile like he’d just won a pillow fight, then looked to Grace. “You guys get acquainted, I’ll be right back.”
I watched as he bent to softly kiss her forehead before leaving the room. My jealous gut twisted. She was adorable. At least ei
ght inches shorter than me, short and sassy blond hair, big blue eyes, and killer curves. The kind of girl you could toss in the air and give a piggyback ride to without breaking a sweat. Just like the girls Kevin cheated on me with.
“How long do you think you’ll be staying?” She smiled with her question, but her eyes told me she wasn’t happy about my visit.
“Umm... Not too long, just a couple weeks. I hope. I have an interview on Monday.” I shook my head. “I see Jake is as stubborn as ever.”
“Yes, he is.” She looked to the bedroom window just as Jake walked through the front gate. “He’s been so nervous about having everything ready for you.”
She said it like a statement, but I heard the fleck of apprehension lingering under the surface. I tried to think of something to ease her mind, but what could I tell her? There was a history between Jake and me even I didn’t understand. A history that three years separation couldn’t heal.
“I hear you’re a photojournalist?”
I cleared my throat, thankful for the change in subject. “Yes. Though actually I’m trying to switch fields. That’s why I’m here. I’m trying to break into the wedding market.”
“How wonderful.” Her face lit up. “Maybe Jake and I will end up needing you one of these days.”
A knot twisted in my stomach. “Are you guys engaged? I hadn’t heard—”
“Oh, no.” She cut me off. “But a girl can always hope, right?”
“Of course,” I whispered.
The whole room fell to an uncomfortable silence, and I turned to the window again.
“Well, I better go see if they need any help.” My tone was awkward, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Alright.” She gestured over her shoulder in the direction of Jake’s room. “I just have some calls to make...”
I nodded, thankful she wouldn’t be joining me, and we both left in different directions. I should’ve been grateful he had a girlfriend. I didn’t need the complication of knowing he was available when my life was already falling apart. But I couldn’t help the bubble of jealousy that grew inside me like a lovesick teenager. Just like it always had.
I entered the garage through the door off the living room to see the truck already backing up into the driveway. I rushed to the middle of the garage, waving him back with one hand as I kept an eye on each side to make sure nothing was hit. When he’d backed up far enough, I gestured for him to stop. The door opened, but the man who jumped from the cab wasn’t Jake.
“Hey, thanks,” he said, wiping his hands on his jeans as he walked toward me. He was younger than Jake, but not by much. His shoulders were broad, body fit, and his smile infectious.
“No problem.” I smiled back. The way he was looking at me made me a little nervous, and I bit my inner cheek to keep my smile from spreading to a full grin.
“You must be the little sister.” He held out a hand to shake. “I’m John. Jake and I work together.” His hand was still extended, and I quickly recovered enough from the sister reference to not be rude. Of course Jake would introduce me as his sister. I shouldn’t have been surprised…but I was.
“Katie,” I said, finally finding my voice and giving him my hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Katie.”
The way he said my name made me blush. Like he was talking about chocolate, or ice cream, or something else equally as delicious. I looked to the ground to hide my embarrassment. “Thanks for the help.”
“No problem,” he replied softly.
The door to the house opened, and we both turned to see Jake step into the garage. “Hey. You didn’t tell me your sister was such a fox,” John said.
Jake raised one brow, then walked toward me and draped an arm over my shoulder. “I see you’ve met John.”
I cleared my throat. “Yes, and you didn’t have to rope him into helping me, I’m pretty strong, you know.” I glared up at him, but his attention was focused on the truck.
“How many of these boxes do you need inside?” he asked, pulling away to grab one of the dollies from the back of the garage.
“Umm, just a few. I marked the ones I need with red tape.”
He looked down at me, his eyes creased with amusement and surprise. “Wow Katie, I’m impressed.”
I gave him a playful punch in the ribs. I guess I wasn’t always the most organized in the past.
“See what I put up with?” he asked John.
“It’s okay, Katie, Jake’s just a wimp. You stick with me, I like my women rough.” John winked, and I couldn’t help but laugh. What was going on?
Jake cleared his throat, and I could tell he wasn’t happy about John’s flirtation. He never liked it when guys flirted with me though. Neither had Dave.
When Jake lowered the ramp of the truck, he peered into the back and looked over his shoulder with an arched brow. “Dirty?” he asked, referring to the box in the very front. “I don’t even want to know.”
“Shut up.” I shook my head. “I didn’t have time to do laundry.”
“Yeah, okay,” he teased.
John grabbed the other dolly and smiled at me as he climbed the ramp. “Dirty and rough. My kind of girl.”
It didn’t take me long to realize I wasn’t needed, plus John kept making comments that made my cheeks flame red. When Jake came out of the house for the third load, I dismissed myself and headed to my room for a shower.
As I waited for the water to warm, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. There were bags under my eyes from little sleep; my hair, which started in long braids, now looked like something a bird had tried to nest in; and there was a coffee stain on the front of my light blue shirt. Great. I closed my eyes and began to work the tangles from my hair until loose waves fell to my shoulders.
When I stepped under the hot stream, I let some of the past week wash down the drain and tried to force myself to relax. It had been one of the worst of my life, but at least it was over. I needed to move on and focus on the next chapter. I grabbed the shampoo and conditioner Jake left for me and couldn’t stop myself from inhaling the clean herbal scent. It smelled like him. There was something intimate and comforting about that.
Five minutes later, I wrapped one of the white towels tightly around my body and stood in front of the mirror again to brush my teeth.
Jake has a girlfriend. For some reason my mind couldn’t let that go. He hadn’t said anything about her when I called last week, and you’d think that would’ve been an important detail not to forget. Well, to me anyway.
But to be fair, I guess I didn’t give him the chance. He’d been the first person I thought of when I got the confirmation of Kevin’s infidelity, and when I talked to him, I might have been slightly hysterical. I probably scared the shit out of him. Actually, I know I did. He wouldn’t let me hang up the phone until I promised that Kevin hadn’t hurt me. To be honest, I think I called him because I wanted that kind of reaction. I knew he’d want to break Kevin’s arms, and there was something strangely comforting about that.
When I finished combing through my hair, I peeked out to the bedroom to see a stack of boxes already inside. The door to the hallway was closed, so I opened the first box hoping to find something clean to wear.
The door to the bedroom flew open, and I let out a little scream.
“Oh shit,” Jake muttered, shifting his eyes to the floor. “This is the last of it, I’ll just come back later.” He turned to leave, but I shook my head determined not to make things awkward between us.
“Jake, it’s okay.” My voice was tight, and I held the edge of my towel firmly at my chest, but we’d lived together almost a year, for Christ’s sake. He’d seen me like this a thousand times. “You can just put it on the bed.”
He nodded, then placed the box on the bed before he turned around. “Eaton and I are going to return the truck, is there any paperwork we need?”
“Who’s Eaton?”
He scratched the back of his neck and looked into my eyes. I almost lau
ghed at how obvious he was about not looking down. “Sorry, I mean John. There are a few of them at work, so I call him by his last name there.”
“Oh.” I chewed on my nail when he continued to stare at me.
“So…?”
“What?” I felt the blood rush to my face.
“Do we need paperwork for the truck return?”
Oh, God! Idiot!
“Oh—no—I don’t think so. Do you need me to go with you? I just need to get dressed. It’ll only take a minute.” I pulled open the box and began shifting through my less than stellar pack job.
Jake laughed. “No, we’re good. I don’t think there’s room in the cab anyway. Stay here and get settled.”
I covered my face, feeling like a jerk. “Okay.”
He bit his lower lip and smiled at me. “Are you up for company tonight? We thought we’d pick up a few pizzas.”
“Sure, that sounds great.”
“It’s good to have you back, Kit Kat.” He looked at me sideways as he walked out of the room, and I was left grinning, breathless, and completely in over my head.
JAKE UNNERVED ME. HE TURNED me into a quivering mess simply by his presence in a room. No other man had ever done that—not even Kevin.
When I was in San Diego, it was easy to convince myself it was all just something my body had become accustomed to. Like Pavlov, and his theory of classical conditioning. Jake was the ticking metronome, and I was the salivating dog.
I thought with three years of separation I’d be able to control myself, but the minute I felt the backs of his callused fingers run across my cheek, it was over.
What was it about him? How could he make my toes curl and all the air leave the room with one of his smiles? Standing there with only a towel shielding my naked body, my only thought had been of running a finger along the cleft of his chin. To reach out and touch the scruff of his face and the masculine edge of his jaw. I didn’t dare venture any farther south.
Home to You Page 4