“Good,” Jake nods, seemingly satisfied. “Place grows on you.”
“Like a fungus,” Cheryl adds.
“A charming fungus,” Olivia corrects, bouncing Brodie gently.
The conversation flows around me again, and I let it wash over me like water over stone. Nora’s thigh presses againstmine, warm and solid, and I find myself grounded in that touch.
After breakfast, Jake pulls me aside while the others are chatting. His hand is firm on my shoulder as he steers me toward the far end of the counter. There’s something in his eyes I can’t quite read—not hostility, but a wariness that makes my shoulders tense.
“So,” he says, voice low enough that only I can hear, “you and Nora.”
“Me and Nora,” I echo, not giving him anything.
He studies me for a moment, then sighs. “Nora’s been through some shit.”
“I’m aware.”
“Are you?” His eyes sharpen. “Because I’m not just talking about Dick. Though that asshole did a number on her.”
I stay silent, waiting.
“She doesn’t let people in easily,” Jake continues. “Not really. She’ll laugh and joke and make everyone think they know her, but…” He glances over at Nora, who’s now bouncing Brodie on her hip, face lit up with a smile. “There’s a lot she keeps locked down.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask, though I already know.
“Because I saw how she looked at you.” He turns back to me. “And how you looked at her. And I need to know if you’re going to be another person who breaks her heart.”
My jaw tightens. “That’s not the plan.”
“Plans change,” he says. “And sometimes people don’t see them coming.”
I meet his gaze head-on. “I don’t have a habit of breaking things I care about.”
“Good.” He nods, seeming satisfied with my answer. “Because that family—” he gestures toward the Moon women “—they’ve been through enough. They don’t need more heartache.”
“I know that.”
Jake studies me for another long moment before his posture relaxes slightly. “I asked around about you when Cheryl said you moved next door to her family.”
My body tenses. I don’t ask what he learned because I already know.
“And I didn’t like what I found.” His intense stare is focused on me.
“Then why are we talking here?” I say through gritted teeth. “If I were you, I’d warn me off by now.”
He tilts his head to the side. “Do you think I’d let you around my family if I believed everything I heard?”
“I don’t know you well enough to think anything.” It comes out more hostile than I intended.
His eyes narrow, watching every twitch of my face. “C’mon. We both know you know my type. And I know yours.”
I grind my jaw, waiting for him to continue, and he lets out a short laugh.
“I see.”
“Do you?” His eyes scan my face—too fast, too calculating.
Another chuckle. “I wonder why Kenneth was on your side while history seems to think otherwise.”
