As her group settles in, Kara does the majority of the talking. She doesn’t seem to notice or care when she talks over Jude. He’s soft-spoken, so he’s easily drowned out by her. Jude doesn’t react though when she bulldozes over his comments. He simply stops talking and sips his drink. But I can see the tension in his jaw, and notice the way one of his hands is clenched against his thigh.
My heart aches oddly as I watch him. I appreciate that he didn’t immediately leave when they arrived. I suspect he did that for me, not himself. He’s trying hard to be sociable when it isn’t in his nature.
At one point he glances up and our eyes meet. I smile at him, and his uneasiness seems to quiet. He gives the tiniest smile back, and my chest warms and tightens. I’m not sure what it is about him that makes me feel so protective. Jude isn’tfrail. He isn’t weak. He’s outspoken when he wants to be, and I know he’d handle himself just fine in a fight. Still, I sense a vulnerability about him, and it stirs my wolf.
When Kara suddenly leans over and puts her hand on his thigh, he jumps and she laughs.
“Sorry,” she says, removing her hand. “I was just wondering if you’ve decided yet if you’re going to buy a house?”
Jude rubs the back of his neck. “Umm, no, not yet.”
One of her co-workers, a guy in his twenties named Terry, laughs. “Geez, Kara, let the guy figure out if he likes Golden Peak first before you saddle him with a mortgage.”
She laughs. “Well, I only ask because there’s that great two-bedroom, two-bath up on Quail Lane. It’s the perfect house for a single guy. It even has a hot tub. Nothing wrong with taking a look at it.”
“Pfft, yeah, sure, Kara.” Terry grins. “My guess is you’re trying to get salesperson of the month again.”
Her smile is coy. “Well, I certainly wouldn’tmindgetting the highest sales numbers again this month. Maybe Jude can help me get there.” She winks at Jude. “What do you say, Jude. Would you like me to show you the property?”
Jude grimaces. “I… I think it’s too early for me to start looking at houses.”
“It’s never too early tolook,” she presses. “What could it hurt to go see the place? Who knows, you might fall in love with it. Wouldn’t it be nice to get out of that apartment building?”
“It’s been okay so far,” he says, avoiding her gaze.
“Gosh, I’d hate living in an apartment.” Her tone suggests there’s something wrong with him for also not hating it.
Jude scratches his jaw, looking uncomfortable. “Maybe I’ll hate it after a month, but for now it’s fine.”
Ignoring him, she leans closer. “You’re concerned you might not stay in Golden Peak, right? And then you’d have a house to worry about. But you shouldn’t think like that. Owning a house here is a wonderful investment opportunity. Even if you leave Golden Peak, you could rent the house out during the busy season. Trust me, you’d make bank. Housing here is scarce once the ski season really kicks in.”
“She’s not wrong,” Terry chimes in. “A friend of mine wanted to come up to stay next week but he couldn’t find any accommodations. The apartments, rental homes, and motels are all full already.”
“I’m sure you guys are right.” Jude grimaces. “It’s just, I don’t have a ton of money saved up and I’m not really excited about the idea of taking out a loan at the moment.”
“Oh, we can help you with the financing,” Kara says brightly.
Terry nods. “Absolutely. We have great connections with a bunch of the local banks down in Silver Creek.”
Jude squirms in his seat. “I see.”
I can’t take the way they’re tag teaming him one second more. “Hey, guys, why are you pressuring him so hard? Personally, I think it’s way too soon for Jude to think about buying a house.” I turn to Kara. “Let him get settled in first, honey. He’s got a lot on his plate already.”
Her cheeks pink. “I wasn’t trying topressurehim. I just love helping people find wonderful homes. The house I have in mind for him is a great property. I’d hate for him to miss out.”
I pat her leg. “Oh, I know. You’re just trying to help.”
Plus, you see dollar signs when you look at Jude.
That ungracious thought catches me by surprise. It’s true she’s being pushy, but I’m sure she means well. Feeling guilty about thinking such uncharitable things about her, I lean in and give her a kiss. “Thanks for looking out for Jude,” I say softly.
“Of course, babe.” She laughs, slipping her arms around my neck. “Now, give me some more of thatsugar.”
Before I realize what she’s doing, she jumps up onto my lap. I grab her hips so she doesn’t fall as her work friends all hoot and whistle. Unfortunately, since Jude and I are sitting close to each other, one of her elbows bumps into Jude’s glass on the bar. The glass falls over, spilling his beer down the front of his shirt.
He grunts and quickly rights his glass, but it’s too late. The damage is done and he’s soaked in beer. His face is flushed as he stares down at his beer drenched shirt and jeans.
“Oh, shit,” Kara says, laughing. “I’m sorry.” Despite her apologetic words, she makes no attempt to offer him napkins or help him dry off.
