My cheeks heated. “I’m sure he’ll find someone.” I signed in, then headed toward the TV room. It was fairly empty, which made sense, considering it was a Saturday. Apparently, everyone had more of a life than me.
I was about to go into the music room when I heard a familiar voice. Well, two familiar voices—Bonnie and Jake. I had no idea what made me do it, but I tried to duck into the music room to hide, just as they walked around the corner down the hallway. I bumped into a small shelf set against the wall, knocking over a few books and a board game. The people in the room looked at me. “Sorry,” I whispered. I set my makeup kit down and frantically cleaned up my mess.
I was still kneeling when Bonnie and Jake walked into the room. I looked up at Jake, who almost tripped over me.
“Shit. Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” he said, and I wished I could disappear. Melt into the floor and never see him again.
“Oh…hey. Sorry. I knocked this stuff over and was cleaning it up. I’m not in the habit of sitting on the floor in the middle of an entryway. I mean, duh. Why would I? And obviously I was cleaning up a mess and—” Oh my God. Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! “I should go.”
Bonnie smiled. “That was quite the explanation.”
Jake held his hand out to me, and I stupidly stared at it for a moment before latching on and letting him help pull me to my feet. His grip was warm and strong but not too tight.
Bonnie said, “I forgot my lunch and my wallet at home this morning. Jake was just saving his mama’s butt.”
“Oh. That’s nice of him. I was bored, so I thought I’d see if anyone wanted to get their makeup done, but it’s pretty deserted.”
“Well, that’s their loss,” she said.
My eyes darted to Jake. He was looking at me with his brows pulled together and little wrinkles on his forehead, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of me.
“I really should go. I’ll leave you guys to it.”
I went to walk away, but Jake’s deep voice stopped me. “I was leaving too. I’ll walk out with you.”
I was caught between having a silent celebration and wondering if he could somehow see into my head. Like he knew I had a sex dream about him and had come all over myself. “Oh. Yeah. Okay.” My cheeks were hot.
“See you boys later,” Bonnie said before hugging Jake. “I love you,” she told him.
“See you tonight,” he replied, then turned to me. “Ready?”
“Mm-hm.” I nodded.
We started walking down the hallway. It seemed extra long and maybe like it was getting longer and longer as we walked.
“Thanks again for coming over last night. It means a lot to my mom. She’s quite fond of you. Says she wants to mother you.”
I chuckled. “I like her too. I’m not… My family and I aren’t close. My mom isn’t like yours, so it’s…nice.” Did that sound stupid? I was always running things over in my head and wondering how they sounded.
“That’s shitty.” We reached the front door, and Jake pulled it open, signaling for me to go through. “My dad is a dick, but my mom and I have always been close.” His eyes widened slightly. “Not that I’m saying your mom is a dick. I didn’t mean the comparison that way.”
I laughed. “No, I didn’t take it that way. And she’s just…different. She doesn’t do affection. She’s not the type to say I love you. She wants me to perform, like everything is this big show, so people think we’re perfect. How I did in school, what other people thought of me, what I go to college for, and how successful I am has always been more important than playing dominoes or saying she loves me.”
We were standing outside, looking at each other. It felt like he was searching for answers, trying to figure me out.
“Your dad’s the same way?” he asked.
“No. He was great, but he passed away when I was young. I have a stepdad, but he’s similar to my mom.”
“Shit,” he cursed quietly. “I’m sorry for your loss—and well, all of it. You stick around with us, and we’ll smother you with attention. Mom loves to mother, and I’ve been known to be a little protective.” He laughed, and I could see by the spark in his eyes and the curve of his hearty smile that he meant it as a playful joke. Still, part of me wanted to be like, Yes, please!
Jake shoved his hands into his pockets. “Was that weird? I feel like that was weird.”
“What? No! Not at all. It was…sweet.” I bit my bottom lip, wanting that last word back. “I should go.” Those seemed to be my favorite words today.
“Where are you parked? I’ll walk you to your vehicle.”
“Over there.” I pointed to the black BMW toward the back of the lot. We were quiet as we went to my car. I was driving myself crazy, trying to figure out what he might be thinking and why he was walking me to my SUV, and fighting to keep my eyes away from his arms and how his T-shirt stretched across his broad chest… “This is me.”
“She’s nice.”
I shrugged. “It’s just a vehicle. I’m not really into stuff like that, ya know? My mom bought it. I’m sure that sounds spoiled.”
“No.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t. Lucky, yes, but I think you appreciate what you have. You’re not expecting more and showing off or anything like that.”
“Yeah, but…it feels like a lot. I don’t know. You know what I’ve always wanted? A Mini Cooper. I know they’re ridiculous, but I think they’re cute.”
“If you want one, then that’s what you should have.”
I shrugged because I was sure it wouldn’t make sense to anyone else. “Thank you for walking me out. And for last night. It was nice.” I toed the ground with the tip of my sneaker.
“You should come over another time. We’d love the company. And who knows how much longer Mom will be there anyway.”
I bit my cheek, trying not to smile too big. I wanted that. Wanted to play games and eat dinner and laugh in their cozy, homey place. “I’d like that.”
Jake looked at my SUV, frowned, then bent by the front tire. “The tread is pretty low on this.” He went to the back tire. “These too. When was the last time you had them changed?”
“Um…never?”
“You should go get some new tires. It’s not safe for you to drive with them this way.”
Logically, I knew that. I wasn’t an idiot. I hadn’t realized they were that bad. “I need a tune-up too.”
Jake stood. “Okay, get your phone. We’re gonna get you all sorted out.”
Oh God. He was going to give me his number! For my car, but still.
I tugged my cell out of my pocket, started a new contact, and typed in Jake’s number.
“That’s for my cell, not the shop. Your tires should be fine for a couple of weeks, unless you spin out or something, so call me soon, okay? I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I…” Was feeling way more warm and fuzzy than I should. He was just being nice, was all. “Thanks. I will.”
“Send me a text so I have your number too.” He nodded. “I should get back to the shop. We’ll talk soon.”