Jake took the bottle from the freezer and held it to his forehead for a moment before pouring himself another.He might regret it in the morning, but that wasn’t stopping him right now.He filled a glass of water for Savannah, then rested his hands on the edge of the sink and let his head hang while he took a few deep breaths.
He hated that this Rick asshole had scared her.That he was back in town and making threats.He wasn’t mad at her for not telling him about it until now.He wasn’t thrilled — but what it meant to him was that he needed to work harder to earn her trust.That was all.He had to do what he could to prove to her that he’d be there for her, whatever she needed.
He wanted to be the person she turned to automatically when she had a problem.But he also understood that she was used to getting through life on her own.Even if she wanted to turn to him for support, it didn’t come naturally to her to turn to anyone.
He took their drinks back to the living room and made himself smile when he saw her worried expression.“It’s all going to be okay, Savvie.We can make him leave you alone.”
“I don’t see how.I was kind of hoping he’d give up, but I knew that wasn’t realistic.And honestly, Jake, I don’t have the kind of money he’s demanding.And I really don’t think my mom ever borrowed that much from him.”
Jake nodded but didn’t say anything.From the little she’d told him about her mom, and more so from what Josh had said, he had to wonder what the deal really was — whether she’d been borrowing money for things Savannah was never aware of.But even if that was the case, he wasn’t going to bring it up.At the end of the day, none of that mattered.All that mattered was running this asshole out of Savannah’s life and making sure he never came back to bother her again.
He took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze.“Will you let me help you?”
“Yes, please.I want you to.It’s not that I didn’t want you to in the beginning, it’s just…” She heaved a sigh.“I didn’t want to spoil things for us; I didn’t want to feel like a burden to you.”
“You could never be that.I …” He clamped his mouth shut when he realized he’d been about to say,I love you.He was pretty much convinced that he did.But even if they were further along in their relationship, this wouldn’t be the time to bring it up.She had enough to deal with.
Instead, he went with, “I care about you, Savvie, and I need to know that you’re okay.I even think I know where you’re coming from.You know what it’s like when someone needs you to the point they depend on you, and it becomes a burden.”
She dropped her gaze and nodded.
“That’s what I’m saying.You could never be that to me.For one thing, it’s part of my nature to want to take care of you.And for another,” he gave her a wry smile, “you don’t depend on me.And I doubt you ever will.”
He hurried on, hoping that didn’t sound wrong.“I’m not saying I don’t want you to.It’s just… I know who you are, I think.And I know whoweare.We’re both the kind of people who support each other — but not depend on each other.”
He didn’t know if he was saying it right, didn’t know if he was messing this whole thing up.But when she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, he felt a bit better.
“Thanks, Jake.I’m not dumb.I know that I could use your help, and I’m not going to turn you away.I just don’t feel great about it.Does that make sense?”
He nodded.“Makes perfect sense to me.I’d feel the same way if the tables were turned.But I’m hoping we’re going to be a team for the long term.”That thought made him smile.“And so when you look at it that way, this Rick isn’t just your problem.He’s my problem, too.”
She didn’t smile back as she said, “That’s sweet of you, and I’d love to see it that way.But right now, neither of us can deal with it because we don’t know where he is or when and where he’s going to show up again.”
Jake scowled.“True.I can take you to work and pick you up whenever you’re working at the restaurant.”
She let out a short laugh.“No, you can’t.You’d never get anything else done.You’d be driving back and forth all day.”
He clenched his jaw.“But that’s where he found you, Savvie.That’s no doubt where he’ll be waiting for you again.I can’t… I mean — you don’t really expect me to just sit here on my ass at night knowing you’re finishing work at whatever time you finish, walking out into a dark parking lot, and that he might be there waiting to pounce.Do you?”
She shook her head slowly.“No.But I also don’t expect you to come driving over there every night when you need to be here getting sleep, ready to go to the garage every day.”
He shrugged.“I’d lose more sleep if you don’t let me.Do you need all the shifts you work?Do you think Taryn would let you switch to just doing lunches till we get this figured out?”
She covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head.His hands curled into fists at his sides when she said, “There’s something else I haven’t told you.”
“What’s that?”He tried to sound calm, but the edge in his voice as he asked the question made her look up at him.
“It’s nothing bad, honestly.I’m not hiding things from you on purpose.I just didn’t know what to do, and so I didn’t know what to say.She’s asked me if I want to be her assistant manager.”
For a moment, he smiled.“Wow, Savvie, that’s awesome.You haven’t been there for long, have you?And from what I know, Taryn’s tough.You must have impressed her.”He stopped short when he finally understood what her problem was.“But if you take it…”
She made a face.“Yep, you got it.At first, I didn’t think I wanted to take it because it’d mean working more evenings, and that would mean I’d have less time to see you.”
A rush of warmth filled Jake’s chest.It wasn’t ideal for her sake that she was trying to factor him in when she should only be considering her work situation — but he wouldn’t deny that it made him feel good.
The warmth turned to ice when she added, “And now I have the added issue that I don’t want to be there in the evenings because Rick might be there waiting when I come out.”
“In a way, I hope he is,” said Jake.Then he hurried on when he saw her eyes widen.“What I mean is, I hope he’s there, because I’m going to be there every night.And I need to get my hands on this asshole and make him stop once and for all.”
