“Are you okay?”He looked up.“Are you chilly?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
See?He even noticed little things like that.He was observant—and not just of her.It wasn’t that he watched her like a hawk or anything, not like her mom who—when she’d been with it—used to monitor her for any little reaction she might show.
When she was small, Savannah had believed her mom when she said she needed to know how her daughter was feeling—what mattered to her, how things made her feel.But as she’d gotten older, she’d reluctantly come to see that her mom had been pretty good at manipulating her.
And now… now her mom was no longer a factor.She hadn’t been for years.But Jake was.And as much as she kept trying to convince herself that she should only see him a few times before calling it quits, she really didn’t want to do that.
She glanced at him again.Would it be so terrible to let him have her back if Rick did come around again?Rick might even give up if Jake were to step in.She had a feeling that while Rick could seem threatening to a young woman on her own, he’d turn out to be a coward when faced with someone like Jake.
He set his menu down and smiled.“Am I allowed to ask what you’re thinking?”
Her heart pounded.It felt like he must have been reading her mind and was only asking to see if she’d admit it.She raised her eyebrows rather than answer, hoping that would make him explain himself before she had to speak.
He gave her a wry smile.“You kept sneaking a look at me while I was pretending to read the menu.I couldn’t figure out if you were deciding whether you should make a break for it while I was distracted.”
“Oh, Jake, no!”She hated that he thought she might want to get away from him.“I’m glad we’re doing this.I… if I was peeking at you, it was because I was thinking how awesome you are.”
He sat up straighter at that, and she loved the way his eyes sparkled.“You honestly feel that way?I mean, I know there were sparks between us in the beginning, but now that we’re finally getting to go out together, I feel like I’m messing it up.”
“You’re so not messing up.Why would you think that?”
He looked more serious as he said, “Maybe I’m just nervous.Maybe I’m making every little detail too important, but I feel like you’re wrestling with yourself half the time—as if you’re trying to decide about something you want to tell me.And the only thing I can come up with is that you might want to tell me this isn’t going to work for you.”He shrugged.“And now I feel like I might have pushed you in that direction even if you weren’t thinking that way.”
“I wasn’t, honestly.And I’m not.I promise.”
He smiled, and when he rested his hand on the table, it took her a moment to realize he was reaching for hers.
Tingles raced up her arm when the warmth of his palm met hers.
He met her gaze and held it.“I promise, I’m not normally needy.I guess this is just… important to me.”
She gave his hand a squeeze.“It wouldn’t be fair of me to say nothing.You’re not being needy or paranoid or… anything other than insightful.Tuned in with me, maybe?See, you are picking up on something—but it’s not that I’m thinking of running out on you.”
“What then?”
She blew out a sigh.“I hate not being honest, but sometimes telling the truth is hard.”She hated the way the warmth went out of his eyes.
“I haven’t lied to you,” she told him quickly.“And I won’t.What I mean is that I have to be honest and tell you that I was thinking we should only see each other a few times and then end it.”
She could see a little muscle ticking in his temple as he asked, “Mind if I ask why?”
“Not because of you—because of me.And before I go on, I should say that I’ve decided I don’t want that.I want to keep seeing you.I hope it’ll last a while, but…”
She couldn’t read his expression as he waited for her to continue.
“It’s nothing…” She blew out a long sigh.“Okay, so the reason I left town was because one of my mom’s old… friends showed up right around the same time you did.He started to give me some trouble over money he claims my mom still owes him.He…” She shuddered, and Jake tightened his grip on her hand.
“Go on.”
She met his gaze.“He was kind of threatening.And I didn’t have the kind of money he wanted.I don’t think my mom really owed him anything—although she might have.But it’s been years and… anyway, he was making my life miserable, and just by coincidence, when I talked to Amy—she lives in the city now—she told me about the job down there.So I went.He found me down there, though, too.That’s why I came back.If he’s going to threaten me no matter where I am, then I’d rather be here.”
Jake’s eyebrows were drawn together, and that little muscle at his temple ticked steadily.
“What can I do?”
She blew out a sigh.“That’s the thing.I don’t want you to have to do anything.I don’t want to become a burden.I can handle it myself—I know how.I’ve always handled everything.But it might get rough for a while when he figures out that I’m back here.I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.And you don’t need that kind of hassle.You—”
