Fixer-Upper

by Meg Harding

  Dakota let it go, and for that Jake was more than a little relieved. Then he thought about what Dakota had said. “I’m not the Energizer Bunny,” he said, affronted. “You should give me half of that money.”

  Dakota’s eyebrows shot up. “I should give you half of my winnings?”

  “You wouldn’t have won without me,” pointed out Jake. “Think of it as punishment for betting on me.”

  “I’m not giving you my winnings,” laughed Dakota. “Nice try, though.” He reached out a hand and plucked a twig from Jake’s hair, tossing it aside. “I’ll text you the address, yeah? Meet there in an hour.” He opened the door to his truck and climbed in, not even waiting for Jake’s response.

  Jake watched him pull away and then got in his car and headed home to make himself look good in an impossibly short amount of time. His shower might just have set record-breaking speeds.

  Matt leaned on the doorjamb of his bedroom, watching Jake debate which shirt he should wear. “What’s the occasion?” he asked.

  “The guys invited me out to a bar.”

  “The ‘guys’ or one guy in particular?”

  Jake sent him a look. Matt sauntered into the room and picked up a gray long-sleeved Henley. He tossed it at Jake. “Wear that with your dark jeans and your old Converse.”

  “You think?”

  “I know.”

  “Come with me,” said Jake, blurting it out before he could think about it.

  Matt sat down on the bed, right on top of Jake’s clothes. “I won’t cramp your style?”

  Jake pulled the gray T-shirt on. “We both know I don’t have any style to cramp.” His words were muffled by the shirt covering his face.

  “How much time do I have to get ready?”

  He pulled his phone to him. “I was supposed to leave five minutes ago.”

  “Guess I’m going like this,” said Matt.

  “Guess so,” replied Jake, tugging his jeans on. He turned in front of the mirror. “This does look good.” He could see Matt rolling his eyes in the mirror’s reflection.

  He moved quicker after that, hustling them out of the house and into Matt’s car. Matt grumbled about being made to drive, but Jake knew he didn’t mind. He directed him, using Apple Maps, and after several wrong turns and no little confusion, they finally found the bar.

  The lot was packed with vehicles he was used to seeing sitting in front of his house. His gaze went right to Dakota’s truck, and the fluttering rolling feeling in his stomach increased.

  Breathe.

  He wished he’d worn a jacket so he could stuff his hands in its pockets.

  “Calm down,” said Matt, prodding him toward the door with a hand on his back. “You see him every day.”

  “That’s work.”

  “I’m not arguing with you.” Matt opened the door and practically shoved Jake through. He stumbled a little but righted himself quickly and looked up to see Jasper and Dakota grinning at him.

  He headed toward their booth and scooted in beside Dakota, leaving Matt to sit next to Jasper. “Hi,” he said.

  Dakota laughed. “Hi,” he said. “Didn’t know you were bringing a friend.”

  “I’m Matt,” said Matt, thrusting his hand forward for a shake. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to finally meet you in person.”

  “Oh, really?” Dakota shook his hand and looked at Jake. “You talk about me with your friends?”

  Jake could feel his face heating up. It felt like someone was holding a flame to his cheeks.

  “He talks about you all the time,” said Matt, getting to it before Jake could try and defend himself. “You’re teaching Jake here to become quite the landscaper, I hear. Gotta say, I’d pay to see that.”

  There was a drink in front of him, and without thinking Jake grabbed it up and took a large sip. He had a feeling the night would continue on in a similar vein, with Matt dropping hints left and right and barely covering them up. Maybe he shouldn’t have let him come.

  “You’re drinking my beer,” said Dakota.

  Jake pulled the glass away from his mouth, looked at it. He turned to Dakota and held it out. “Do you still want it? I’m sorry.” He couldn’t believe he’d drank his drink. Who did that? Apparently Jake did. He felt like banging his head into the table in frustration.

  He shook his head in response. “No, you drink that one. I’ll get a new one.” He made Jake move so he could stride to the bar.

  The second he was out of earshot, Matt and Jasper started laughing. “Oh my God,” gasped Matt. “Have you lost your mind?”

  Jasper was shaking his head, pressing his fist to his mouth to try to muffle his giggles. “You two are like watching a sitcom. I honestly don’t know if it’s the most frustrating thing I’ve ever witnessed or the funniest.”

  Matt clapped his shoulder. “I’m thinking a bit of both.”

  “I don’t think any of this is funny,” protested Jake, honestly horrified to the very core of his being. “I keep acting like an idiot. It’s embarrassing. I want it to stop.”

  “Just tell him you like him,” said Jasper, wiping underneath his eyes with his thumbs.

  Jake really didn’t think it was that funny. He wished he was surprised that Jasper knew, but he knew he’d been less than subtle with his crush. He was surprised Jasper thought he should tell Dakota, though. “Does that mean he’s interested?” asked Jake, trying to sound casual as he doodled squiggly shapes in the condensation on his glass.

  “No,” said Jasper, “he’s just been insisting on working with you all the time because he admires your work ethic. And he frequently gives his drinks to guys he doesn’t like. Not to mention arranging gatherings at bars so he can chat with all of his fellow workers. He’s a social fellow like that.”

  Through the fringe of his lashes, Jake could see Jasper rolling his eyes. Beside him, Matt was snickering, head bent, thumbs moving swiftly as he typed something on his phone.

  Dakota came back before Jake could properly think about what Jasper had said or even reply. Jake tilted his head to stare at the side of his face. Dakota had arranged this whole thing just so he could talk to Jake?

  “What?” asked Dakota. “You can’t have this beer. I’m only so generous.”

  “You owe me twenty-five dollars,” Jake said as a cover. “I could take that drink as recompense.”

  He snorted. The foam from his beer clung to his upper lip. His tongue flicked out and licked it away. Jake’s insides squirmed, his gaze zeroing in on the motion. “I already told you, I don’t owe you anything.”

  “How about I introduce you to Lincoln and his crew?” Jasper asked Matt.

  Matt nodded eagerly. “I’d love that.”

  They both scooted out of the booth and headed for Lincoln in the far corner, leaving Dakota and Jake alone. Jake stared after them, brows furrowed in consternation. That hadn’t been subtle at all.

  Dakota gently bumped his side. “How’d you meet Matt?”

  It took a minute for Jake’s brain to get with it, but it eventually managed. “College, we had some classes together.”

  “And you two aren’t…?”

  “Yeah, no,” snorted Jake. “Matt likes them big and with beards.”

  Dakota tilted his head back as he laughed. Jake watched his throat work and felt like tugging on his shirt to get some air. “So Lincoln and him might hit it off.”

  “It’s a possibility.” He resisted the urge to twist around to see if Lincoln and Matt were actually hitting it off.

  Silence settled over them, both of them retreating into their drinks. Jake pulled out his phone and absently tapped at it, unlocking and locking it, pointlessly checking his e-mail. Dakota stared down into his drink, periodically sipping it, making agreeable little humming noises as he did.

  It was awkward. Jake felt so awkward. His right leg began to bounce. His hand shook as it hovered over his phone. He hadn’t felt this awkward around Dakota since the beginning, and even then he’d had the w
ork to distract him.

  After an eternity of awkward silence, Dakota heaved a heavy sigh and set his drink down with a not so light thud. He turned in the booth to face Jake, draping one arm along the back and propping one ankle on his knee. “Do you like me?”

  Slowly Jake mirrored his position, taking in Dakota’s serious expression, the intensity of his dark brown eyes. Crow’s-feet fanned out from the corners of them. Jake wanted to reach out and touch them, feel the lines beneath the tips of his fingers. He balled his hands into fists in his lap. “I do,” he answered, voice managing to crack a little on the second word. He cleared his throat. “I do,” he said again.

  It was like watching the sun rise, not because it was bright, but because it was slow-spreading and beautiful to watch as a smile bloomed across his face. It faded quickly, though, and then Dakota was shaking his head in exasperation. “You know, I kinda knew, and I waited and I waited for you to say something, and you never did. You’ve been driving me crazy.”

  Jake didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. “If you knew, why didn’t you say anything?”

  Dakota knocked his knee gently against Jake’s. “No offense, but you’re kind of a mess, and then you told me you’d just gotten out of a serious relationship. And then I got to witness said ex, which turned out to be ex-husband, pick a fight with you. Then there was the concussion.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to ask you out if you weren’t ready for it, and the timing never seemed right.”

  He wanted to be offended by that first part, but Jake knew it was true. He didn’t think he was any less of a mess currently, though. “Why say something now, then?”

  “Jasper told me if I didn’t say anything, you’d just continue to pine away without saying a word. I paid a little more attention after that and came to the conclusion I agree with him.” He cocked his head to the side. “Did you not know that I liked you?”

  Jake shook his head, physically unable to verbally answer. He was stunned. Dakota had liked him this whole time. Dakota had known Jake liked him this whole time. He didn’t know whether to be extraordinarily happy or to be peeved by the time lost.

  Reaching out, his fingers hovered near Jake’s face. “May I?”

  Jake nodded, staring wide-eyed at him. His heart pounded so hard he feared it legitimately might pound its way out of his chest. Dakota’s fingers were like ice against the hot skin of his flushed cheeks. Involuntarily he released a soft sigh, leaning into the gentle pressure as Dakota cupped his face.

  Jake couldn’t tell who leaned in first, all he knew was that a minute later, his lips were touching Dakota’s lips, and his heart felt like it was going to explode. Their knees bumped as Jake tried to scoot closer, the urge to crawl into Dakota’s lap a strong one. Dakota kept one hand on Jake’s waist, the other on the side of his face. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss, their noses brushing, his breath rushing over Jake’s lips as he released a heavy sigh.

  There was a little whimper, and in the back of his mind, Jake registered that the noise came from him. He probably should have been embarrassed, but he was too busy focusing on just how good Dakota’s lips felt against his. His hands were in Dakota’s long dark hair, finally getting to feel just how silky the strands really were. He pushed himself up a little, breathing heavy into their kiss. He nipped at Dakota’s lips, smiling when he felt more than heard Dakota laugh.

  He didn’t know how long they kissed for, just that he would have been completely fine if they’d never stopped. He scowled up at Dakota when he pulled away, tried to tug him back down by the grip in his hair. Dakota ducked down for a brief kiss, one that lasted all of a second before he pulled away again.

  “I like you,” said Dakota, putting a hand to Jake’s chest to keep him in place. The other hand, the one cupping his cheek, didn’t move. “I like you quite a lot. Didn’t really think I was being subtle about it, but okay.” His thumb swiped over Jake’s cheekbone. “Will you let me take you out?”

  HE TOOK him to the zoo. They left early on Saturday morning, both of them quiet with nerves, and headed into the city. Dakota drove, his fingers tapping the wheel along to the music on the radio. Jake sat silent beside him, thinking of a million things to say and saying none of them.

  Halfway through the drive, Dakota’s free hand grasped Jake’s, twining their fingers together and resting their hands on the shift. His large hand completely enveloped Jake’s like a warm blanket. They still didn’t speak, but Jake took a deep breath and relaxed into his seat.

  Dakota paid for them both when they got there, slipping the maps into his back pocket and once more claiming Jake’s hand as they headed into the zoo. They started at the front and worked their way around, fingers remaining entwined, shoulders bumping as they perused. Gradually they began to make comments, pointing out facts on the little information boards that they found particularly intriguing and animal actions they found endearing.

  It was in the butterfly garden that Dakota became chattier, pointing out the different flowers to Jake and explaining where they came from. He took photos on his phone of the landscaping. For future reference, he said. Jake wouldn’t be surprised if some part of his yard ended up vaguely resembling this garden.

  He loved seeing Dakota like this. His face was wrinkled with his smile lines, his hair was curling at the ends from the humidity, and strands were popping free from his topknot. His clothes weren’t dirt stained and were more formfitting. Jake didn’t think he’d ever seen him looking so clean and neat. He looked like he belonged on some calendar’s June or July section.

  Jake pointed to a blue and white flower with a bright red butterfly hovering over it. “Tell me about this one.”

  Dakota turned his attention from a fancy bench and the stonework behind it, squatting to get a closer look at the flower. He reeled off a list of facts, few of which Jake knew he would actually remember, but that wasn’t the point. Dakota’s voice was buoyant, filled with genuine interest and passion. Jake knelt next to him, able to see what Dakota was pointing at better from his new position. He hummed along, his smile never leaving his face as he listened to Dakota talk.

  Eventually they moved on from the gardens, resuming their hand holding as they wandered through the rainforest, the arctic, and on into Africa. Jake dragged them to the elephant enclosure, pressing up to the wooden railing and gazing out at the magnificent, giant creatures. Two of them slowly meandered their way over the grass, long trunks swinging in the air.

  Jake reclaimed his hand long enough to snap several pictures before tucking his phone away and sliding his fingers around Dakota’s once more. They were pressed together from shoulder to ankle, and they stood there for several minutes, neither of them speaking. As they watched, the elephant on the left butted into the one on the right, trunks intertwining for the briefest of seconds. Their giant ears flapped.

  “One day I’m going to get to pet one,” said Jake. “Just once, and it’s going to be the best thing ever.”

  “Oh, yeah?” laughed Dakota. He nudged him. “Maybe you should become a zookeeper.”

  Jake nudged him back. “Your suggestions for my future career path keep getting more and more ludicrous.” He thought he should probably mind, maybe feel like Dakota was pushing him to figure it out, but he knew Dakota wasn’t pushing. It had become more of a joke between them than anything else.

  The big cat enclosures were next, and they lingered there for some time, watching the tigers prowl around the border of their cage and the leopards play fight, grumbling yowls filling the air as they pounced and rolled. Jake went a bit camera happy, snapping an excessive amount of pictures, but who could blame him? The cats were gorgeous and in a playful mood. Everything they did was adorable.

  There wasn’t much to look at after that, so they headed for the exit. “Do you want me to get you a souvenir?” asked Dakota.

  “No,” laughed Jake, tucking himself in against Dakota’s side. Impulsively he kissed his cheek. “I’m good.”

&
nbsp; On the way home, they stopped for food at a tiny Italian place, splitting a pizza and a basket of garlic bread. Talk flowed freely between them, and their legs tangled beneath the table. Jake spilled sauce down his chin and blushed as Dakota swiped it away with his thumb.

  “I had a great time,” Jake said, not wanting to leave the car when Dakota finally pulled into his drive.

  “I did too.”

  Jake wondered if he should ask Dakota in, who was supposed to kiss who, should he get out of the car? He hadn’t done this in so long he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do.

  Thankfully Dakota didn’t have that problem.

  Dakota pulled him close by the front of his shirt, tilting his head as their lips brushed together. He deepened the kiss slowly, flicking his tongue against Jake’s front teeth, which had the odd reaction of making Jake laugh. He tried to pull back, but Jake sank his hand into Dakota’s shirt and kept him in place. “No,” he said, “it’s good.”

  And it was.

  Jake wanted to crawl across the console and right into Dakota’s lap. It had been so long since he’d had this, this feeling in his stomach and the silence in his head. He wasn’t thinking about the list of things he needed to do; he was thinking of the way Dakota’s lips felt against his and the way Dakota’s jaw flexed beneath the touch of his hand. He was fully aware of the heat of Dakota’s body next to his, and the barely there scrape of Dakota’s teeth over his tongue. Everything was heat and wet and good.

  When they pulled apart, it was because they needed to breathe, and Jake’s mouth was stretched in the widest of goofy smiles. He leaned back in almost immediately, took tiny kisses, feeling giddy. Dakota laughed against him, returned the favor with sharp nips to Jake’s bottom lip and soft kisses to soothe.

  “I’m not coming in,” he said, after this went on for some time. “I want to do this right.”

  Jake nodded, a little disappointed but at the same time not. Some things were better if you didn’t rush them.