Jake came downstairs and I was too tired to even glance back at him.
“Hey,” he said, his voice sounding unsure. The last time we spoke was right before he left the retirement home. So many things were left unsaid.
I tried to clear my throat and ended up sounding like a bullfrog.
“Hey.”
His footsteps pounded on the floor as he approached me; he had always been a heavy stepper. Hailey and I used to tell him there was no way he could ever sneak up on someone.
When he turned the corner of the couch and saw me, his face fell. He had on green-and-black plaid pajama pants and a white T-shirt, and his hair was a mess on top of his head. That longing I’d felt in my gut yesterday came back with a vengeance.
He hurried over to me and touched my forehead before I could protest.
“What the hell, Lydia. You’re burning up.”
I held the blanket tighter around my shoulders. “Actually, I’m freezing. I think Violet gave me her flu. You need to get away from me.”
Jake shook his head. “I’m already exposed. Looks like you’re stuck with me.” He grabbed one of my other Christmas blankets out of the basket across the room and draped it over me. “I see you took cold meds already,” he said, nodding at the bottle filled with red liquid beside me.
My teeth chattered as I tried to speak. “Mom’s bringing over some soup and Violet’s going to make brownies.”
Jake sat down beside me. “That’s nice of them, but you know I can take care of you. I know how to make soup.”
His words made me smile but it only complicated things more. “You’re going to get sick,” I grumbled. “Please don’t get too close.”
He reached for the TV remote on the coffee table and turned it on. “Like I said, you’re stuck with me. What do you want to watch?”
I waited for him to look at me and I grinned. “Sappy, girly, Christmas chick flicks.”
Jake smirked and turned back to the TV. “Coming right up. If you think that’s going to get rid of me, you’re wrong.”
My phone beeped with a text and I saw it was from Max. I could see Jake out of the corner of my eye glance over and then look away.
Max: Good morning. Just checking on you. Are you feeling okay?
Me: Good morning to you too. And no, I feel horrible. I’m going to stay home from work.
Instead of texting back, he called.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hey. Do you need me to bring you anything? I can stop by there before I go to class.”
“That’s really sweet of you, but no. I don’t want you getting sick.”
“Okay. But if you need me, please call. I’m only fifteen minutes away.”
I knew Jake could hear Max and I could sense the tension radiating from him.
“Thanks, Max. Have a good day at school and try not to flunk any of your students.”
He laughed. “I’ll try not to. Most of them are pretty serious about school. But I’ll check on you later. I need you to get better. We have our dates this week and the Mistletoe Mania Festival on Saturday.”
“Oh, I know. I’ll get better, I promise.”
When we hung up, the room fell silent. Jake had heard every word Max said. I didn’t know how to address the elephant in the room. Luckily, I didn’t have to because Jake spoke first.
“I take it things are going well with you and Max?”
