There were some things I’d like to say about her, but I decided to keep them to myself. “Yeah, how’s that going?” I asked. “Is she moving here, too?” I dreaded the thought.
Jake stared at me, his expression confused. “Why would she be moving here?”
I shrugged. “Uh, because she’s your girlfriend. I believe she wanted to get married the last time I spoke to you.” The room fell silent, and he only stared incredulously at me.
“Lydia, where have you been? I ended things with Daphne right after last Christmas.”
My eyes flew open in shock and I gasped. “What? How did I not know this?”
He lifted his hands up in the air. “I have no clue. It was all over the internet. She was not happy with me.”
I grabbed my phone and typed in his and Daphne’s names in the search bar. I couldn’t believe what I saw when all the articles were loaded; they were about their breakup. Before I could say anything, Margaret’s words echoed in my mind. After I was sent back in time, it wasn’t just my life that was altered. It made me want to know what happened to them.
“Why did you end it?” I asked curiously.
What shocked me more than anything was how much of a relief it was that he wasn’t with her anymore. Daphne didn’t love him; she loved his fame. Anyone with eyes could’ve seen that.
Jake leaned his head back and sighed heavily as he looked up at the ceiling. “We were too different.” He lowered his head and gave me a sad smile. “I know I shouldn’t complain about how my life is. Believe me, I have everything I could ever want. I’llnever have to worry about money again, but sometimes I miss the simplicity of my life here. Daphne was all about the publicity and being on display twenty-four seven. That’s not how I see my future.” He scoffed. “I want things to slow down, not be more chaotic. Besides,” he added, smirking at me, “you didn’t like her anyway. I thought you’d be happy we broke up.”
It was hard not to smile. “I am, actually. You need someone who isn’t so high maintenance.”
He chuckled. “That’s for damn sure.”
“Are you dating anyone now?”
“No,” he answered, his piercing green eyes on mine. “I spent this whole year concentrating on winning tournaments. Now that I’ve done that, I want to take a break.”
I held my arms out wide. “And what better way than at home? You’re just in time for all the wintery fun, too.”
“Exactly,” he said, his grin widening. “We always looked forward to December when we were younger.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Maybe for me and Hailey; you not so much. You hated when your parents made you watch over us at the winter festivals.”
“Yeah, okay, maybe when I was thirteen, and you two were ten. But as we got older, things changed. We became friends. I’ve missed being around the past couple of years.”
“And you were missed,” I told him.
He cleared his throat and glanced down at the floor. “Speaking of festivals, do you want to go with me to the Triple C on Friday like old times?”
My stomach fluttered excitedly, and I knew I shouldn’t feel like that. I was supposed to be choosing between Max and Ben. Jake wasn’t one of the paths. There had always been an attraction to Jake, but he was considered off-limits. His sister was my best friend, so I never thought there could be anything more between us. Besides, I doubted he saw me in that way.
“I can’t,” I answered.
His brows furrowed. “You are going, aren’t you?”
“I am. I wouldn’t miss it for anything. It’s just . . . I have a date.”
“Oh.” He opened his mouth to say some more but stammered on his words, which I found interesting. I’d never seen him flustered before.
“Does it surprise you that I have a date?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, not at all. I wasn’t told you were seeing someone.”
“It’s new,” I said quickly. “It’s a guy I met two years ago; his name is Max. I ran into him again this morning and he asked me out on a date. I thought going to the Triple C would be fun.”
Jake leaned forward in the recliner and rested his elbows on his knees. “Okay, so you’re busy Friday. What about Saturday for the Winter Bash? The last time we went together, I think I got drunk . . .”
“And you fell in the pond,” I finished, laughing.
