He left before she could respond.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
She could still taste his kiss. It lingered on her lips like strong coffee or rich frosting does, and she wanted more. What the hell had she been thinking, telling him she didn’t want to date him?
He said it had been over a year ago. Maybe she’d been in a different place then. Or perhaps he had bad breath and finally found a way to beat it. He hinted she was an all-or-nothing kind of gal. Had he only been offering a fling, so she said no? What harm could a fling cause? Or what if a fling turned into something more?
She gave it some thought while applying her makeup but then shifted focus to her parents. The possibilities of why they’d quit talking were endless. She’d take whatever reason they gave her with a grain of salt, knowing it would betheirside of whatever happened. While not necessarily wanting to impress these people, they were her parents. Her extremely wealthy parents. What did one wear to such a reunion?
Her choices were limited, but she settled on a nice pair of jeans, a black sweater that stretched enough to fit over her cast, and some black boots. The only coat she had with her was the one from the accident. Next time they went to her apartment, she’d have to grab another one. She added it to the mental list she was keeping and headed to the living room.
Jake had also changed and looked amazing. The black pullover he wore made his light green eyes seem brighter.
“You look pretty,” he said.
“Thanks.” If she had to admit it, she’d dressed up more for him than for her parents.
He picked up his keys from the kitchen table and a coat that was hanging on a chair. “Do you have a coat?” he asked. “It’s raining pretty hard.”
“I didn’t think to grab one from my apartment, so all I have is the beat-up, dirty one I was wearing the day of the accident.”
“Well, take this one. It won’t fit, but at least it will keep you dry. I’ll go find something else. Speaking of the accident, do you want to tell your parents what really happened?”
“I’m not sure. Let’s see how they are and play it by ear.” She put on the jacket while he ran to his room for another.
Her parents lived on Mercer Island, an island in the middle of Lake Washington. Jake told her it was where a lot of Seattle’s elite lived.
“Your dad said he’d leave the gate open for us,” Jake said as they passed through the large wrought-iron gates. “I guess that means he’ll shut it, too.” A circular, flagstone driveway curved around to a grand entrance. The front entryway was as big as her apartment. And twice as fancy.
Jake whistled. “Wow, nice digs.”
“Yeah. Holy shit.” This is what she’d left? “It’s like a five-star hotel.”
They got out and ran through the rain to the door. She supposed she should be nervous or excited or something about her homecoming, but the lack of any context as to what this visit actually meant just made her apprehensive.
“Wanna think of a code word?” Jake asked just before knocking. “Whenever you want to leave, just say it, and I’ll make some excuse to get us out of there.”
“Yeah, good idea. What should we use?”
“How about…headache?”
“Sounds perfect.”
The woman who answered the door looked just like Hannah, but a decade or so older. Dressed like she was heading to an important business meeting rather than relaxing at home on a Friday night, she radiated sophisticated style. Not one hair was out of place on her perfectly styled bob. If this was her mother, she’d aged well.
“Oh, Hannah!” The woman rushed out and flung her arms around Hannah, holding her tight and crying softly. Hannah hugged her back meekly, giving her a light, awkward pat on the back. This was probably a huge deal to her mother, but since she didn’t remember anything, she was less enthused.
“Mom?” Hannah asked.
“Yes, honey. Oh my, you really don’t remember anything?” She pulled back and looked Hannah up and down.
“No, sorry.”
A handsome older man followed her mother out onto the porch. He was tall and trim and looked like he should be behind a large desk in the corner office of a sky-rise building. Did they dress up for her? Or was this how they dressed to sit around at night?
“Oh, baby. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? Well, come on in, you two. You must be Jake?” he said to Jake, sticking out his hand to shake.
“Yes, sir. Nice to meet you.”
