“Baby girl, I don’t know why you wasted your time for so long, but this man—well, he’s your soulmate.” Remington lifted his glass of booze to me in a cheers, and I clinked him, blushing a little.
“This is our second date, Rem,” I muttered. “Don’t get weird on me now.”
Before Rem could answer, the man of the hour, Jake Collins, approached us holding two drinks. He handed them to Rem and me.
“Talking about me?” he asked, and my skin flushed even hotter as Rem nodded.
“I was just telling Peyton that this date of yours is long overdue,” he said, flashing his eyebrows at me. “Also, I really like your club.”
“Thanks, Remington,” said Jake with an awkward laugh. “I like it too.”
“Thanks for inviting us tonight,” I said to Jake, taking a drink of whatever concoction he’d had made up for us. “I needed the distraction.”
“Hey, are you okay?” Jake asked, reaching across the bar to rest his hand on top of mine. “You look upset about something.”
I glanced up from the drink I’d been mixing with my straw to meet Jake’s gaze. Around us, the club’s music bounced off the walls, couples danced in the center of the room, their bodies writhing against one another, drinks in the air, bliss all around.
“I’m okay,” I assured him, squeezing his hand. “Just a lot of stuff going on at home.”
Next to me, Remington was shouting into the crowd, showing off his best dance moves where he stood.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” Jake asked. I looked around, knowing that I didn’t have any intention of screaming for him over the music in the club. “Hey,” he said, leaning in. “Come with me. I have an office upstairs, it’s quieter.”
Once upon a time I would have turned him down, blown him off, but now I didn’t care. I had too much going on, too many emotions on so many levels that I was ready and willing to do whatever the hell I wanted with whomever the hell I wanted.
“Sure,” I said, and then leaned over to Remington, letting him know where we were going. I trusted Jake, but I was also relieved to have my best friend there in case I needed him.
I took Jake’s hand with my free one so he could lead me through the crowd and up the winding staircase to the second floor. The door to his office greeted us. His name was on a silver plate on the front of the door, and I was already impressed with it before we even stepped inside.
“Sorry,” Jake said. “It isn’t much, but it’s the only silence in the place.”
I looked around. It was a fancy office, that was for sure, like the kind of office you’d find in a fancy high-rise office building belonging to self-made millionaires and CEO’s. Glass windows gazed out over Denver’s downtown district, lighting up the space with just the night life alone. I set my drink on the glass desk top and turned to Jake, who signaled at the couch for me to sit.
“The silence is nice,” I said, taking a seat on the beige leather couch. “I can hear myself think again.”
Jake chuckled and sat down next to me, still holding his own drink. He looked good tonight, high class. The suit he wore was both professional and charming—sexy, really—and his hair was brushed back a bit into a lip-biting style. More than once tonight I had to resist the urge to run my hands though his hair.
“So,” he said, reaching for my hands. “What’s up? Is everything okay at home?”
This was the first time I’d seen Jake since our first date at the diner in Eagle River. I felt like I knew him better than that, mostly because he’d been my patient for so long before the date. I felt comfortable with him, happy to have company that wasn’t Korbin Butler or even my own mother.
“Prepare to be bored out of your mind,” I said to Jake, and he scoffed and shook his head, waving that comment away.
“Tell me. I’m interested to learn more about you.”
I giggled, mostly because I couldn’t think of what else to do, and then huddled into the couch, not caring if this stupid black dress Rem had picked out for me crumbled beneath my legs.
“I’m living in Eagle River with my mom,” I told him. “She has cancer. Newly diagnosed. She’s not doing so well.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” said Jake softly. “Anything I can do to help?”
“No, but thank you for asking. She’s starting chemotherapy tomorrow, so we’re anxious to see how that goes.”
“Can you please keep me updated on her?” he asked, reaching his hand up to touch the side of my face. He was so kind—so easy to talk to. Like a cheery stranger you could befriend at the bus stop.
Don’t forget handsome and rich,the little voice in my head reminded me, and I flushed, looking away from him.
“Yes, I can keep you updated. She’d be flattered to have you know.”
