“You’d have to ask him.” I try relaxing my shoulders and not appear as tense.
“I have.” His lips twitch but not into a smile.
“And?” I ask because curiosity wins. Little Hope’s sheriff used to be my teammate when we were kids. He was a couple of years older than me when we met at the same hockey practice before my family moved away from Maine. And he seemed to be the only one from my old life on my side of the room—quite literally—when the time came.
“And he didn’t say why, but I trust his judgment.”
I swallow an embarrassing lump in my throat.
His voice suddenly drops. “But I’m watching you.”
I meet his gaze up front and hold it for a few seconds before I acknowledge his threat with a nod of my head. It’s good that the Moons have someone on their side. Besides me. Because those women are now my family, and this is the only reason I let him speak to me this way—he has their best interest at heart.
“Kenneth says you’re a good guy. Says you keep your word,” he continues with an unblinking stare.
I nod once, wondering exactly what else Kenneth has shared about me. Besides how I’ve spent a lot of time with his wife.
“That counts for something,” Jake admits. “Just know that if you hurt her, you’ll have me to answer to.”
Despite his slightly lightened tone, there’s steel beneath the words. I respect that.
“Understood,” I say simply, knowing he definitely can deliver his threat.
A slow smile spreads across his face as he smacks me on a shoulder, nearly moving me—not an easy feat. “Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way, you want to tell me what you’ve done to my house? Jonah says you’ve been ripping up floors.”
“Just the ones that needed it,” I reply, grateful for the change in subject. “Your bathroom floor was rotting through.”
“Yeah, that tracks,” Jake laughs. “That place was a money pit. Surprised you took it on.”
I shrug. “Needed a project.”
“Everyone who moves to Big Love does,” he says cryptically.
Before I can ask what his project was, Olivia walks up to us. “We need to go home soon, Brodie is out cold.” She nods towardthe booth where the kid is sleeping on the bench with his head placed on Moon’s lap. “It was good meeting you, Steve,” she says with a wink to me, and pulls Jake back to the ladies.
Jake turns to me one more time. “We’ll catch up later. I want to hear more about these renovations.” His tone suggests there’s more than just house updates he wants.
I nod, watching them walking together to the counter as a picture-perfect family.
Nora appears at my side, her eyes following them before turning to me. “So… you survived the Jake inquisition. That’s promising.”
“Wasn’t aware I was being tested,” I say, though we both know that’s exactly what it was.
“Weren’t you?” She smiles, turning to head outside.
I hold the door open as Nora steps by, the chilly air making her pull her puffy jacket tighter around herself.
“So, that was Jake,” I say, trying to sound casual.
“That was Jake,” she confirms with a smile. “He’s good people.”
I nod, letting that sink in. Good people. Good. I think? “He seems… protective.”
Nora laughs. “That’s one word for it. What did he say to you when he pulled you aside? He looked serious.”
“Nothing much,” I lie. “Asked about the renovations I’ve been doing on his old place.”
Nora gives me a sidelong glance, clearly not buying it. “Uh-huh. And I bet he just mentioned the weather too.”
