“But for now, I’m going to head out.I’ll see you at eleven.”He smiled.“Well, I’ll leave it till quarter past, just to make sure you guys aren’t still saying goodnight when I get back.”
Jake chuckled.“We won’t be.I’ll make sure you’re safe to come home.I feel bad enough that you’re going out.”
“Well, don’t.I’ll see you later.Have fun.”
~ ~ ~
When she arrived at Jake’s place, Savannah pulled up alongside the curb in front of the house.She didn’t like to park the Camaro out on the street, but she didn’t know how he’d feel if she pulled into the driveway.
There was only room for two cars.Jake’s truck was there, and Josh wasn’t home.She looked up when the front door opened, and butterflies took flight in her stomach when Jake came out wearing a big smile.
She started to get out to greet him, but he shook his head and waved for her to pull into the driveway.Once she’d parked there, he offered her his hand when she opened the door.
“You can’t leave your baby out on the street,” he told her.
She smiled as she got to her feet.“Thanks.I’m glad you understand.I didn’t want to leave it there, but it seemed a bit pushy to just automatically assume that I could use your driveway.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder and looked down into her eyes.“It’s not pushy, Savannah.Let’s put it out there right now.Whenever you come over, I want you to park in the driveway, okay?”
“Thanks, but it’s only the Camaro that…”
He held her gaze and waited for her to stop talking.She gave him a rueful smile.“I don’t need to park my little Ford there,” she explained.
“Maybe not, but it’s not just about the Camaro.It’s aboutyou.So, will you promise me that you’ll park in the driveway in the future?”
“Okay.Thanks.”
He reached for her hand.“Sorry, that wasn’t the best start, was it?I came out because I was excited to see you, not to give you a lecture about where to park.”
She squeezed his hand as he led her to the front door.“It didn’t feel like a lecture, and it wasn’t one.You’re just looking out for me.I get that.I appreciate it.”
Once they were inside, he led her to the kitchen.“I know I asked you to come over for dinner, but I should probably warn you now that I’m not the world’s greatest cook.It’s not that I can’t or won’t feed you well,” he added hurriedly.“What I’m trying to say is that I got us pizza from Giuseppe’s.Is that all right?”
She tried to hide a smile but mustn’t have managed it too well.
“Are you laughing at me?”he asked.
“No, not really.Yes, it’s absolutely all right.I love pizza—especially Giuseppe’s.”
He narrowed his eyes at her.“So why are you laughing at me?Are you thinking that I’m just a typical useless guy and pizza’s the best I can offer?”
“No.”She slapped his arm with a laugh.“I’m not thinking that at all.I was smiling because I love Giuseppe’s pizza.And… oh, what the hell, I’ll just say it—it’s all I’ve eaten this week.”
He gave her a puzzled look, and she shrugged.“I’m not exactly the best cook in the world either.And you know how Tiff came over to the plaza to hang out during my break on Sunday?Well, we had pizza at the sports bar, and since they get them ready-to-bake from Giuseppe’s, we brought another one home with us.”
Jake smiled through pursed lips.“So, you’re telling me you’ve eaten the same thing Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night, and now that you’ve come here to see me, I’m about to feed you the same damn thing again?”
She laughed.“You make it sound like a bad thing, and it’s really not.”
He shook his head with a smile.“We can order something else for takeout if you like.”
“I don’t want to.Honestly.What part ofI love pizzadon’t you understand?”
He chuckled.“Okay, I’ll take you at your word.But…”
She loved the smile that spread across his face.
“I’m going to take this as an opportunity to ask if you’ll come over for dinner again soon—so that I can feed you something different.”
