“I think so,” I replied. “It’s all new.”
I looked over at him but he kept his attention on the TV. “He’s taking you to Mistletoe Mania this Saturday?”
A part of me wished it was Jake taking me, but I couldn’t allow myself to think that way.
“Yes,” I said. “We were supposed to go snowboarding and to Thistle Meadow this week, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”
His jaw clenched briefly but then he cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’ll do all of that stuff when you get better.”
When I didn’t respond, I waited for him to turn to me. It took him a few seconds, but then he sighed and met my eyes. So many emotions swirled within his emerald gaze that I wished I could decipher what they all meant.
I leaned my head against the couch. “Why didn’t you ever tell me you visited my grandmother numerous times over the years?”
He averted his gaze to the floor. “Because talking about it made me remember too much, Lydia. And during the holidays, the last thing people want is to feel sad.” He met my eyes again. “Your grandmother has hundreds of stories about your grandfather, and I needed to hear them. He was a huge part ofmy success . . .” His eyes started to tear. “And he’s not here for me to share it with him.”
It took all I had not to burst out in tears. I wanted to hug him, but instead I placed a hand on his arm, not wanting to spread any more of my germs than I had to. “He’s always with you, Jake. Every tournament you’ve won, he’s been there.”
“You think so?”
I nodded. “I know so. He loved you.”
Jake turned his face away. “I loved him, too. I’m sorry I never told you about visiting your nana.”
“It’s okay,” I murmured.
I stared at him; I could tell a million things were running through his mind. I wanted to ask him what he meant yesterday when he said I wasn’t ready to hear what he had to say, but my nerves got the best of me. Maybe I wasn’t ready? But maybe I needed to be.
Instead of gathering the courage, I focused on the TV and snuggled further into my blanket.
“You know what we could watch?” I said, hoping to lighten the mood. My teeth started to chatter again from the chills.
Jake chuckled, went to the TV stand, and opened the drawer to my DVD collection. “Yes, I do,” he replied happily. “No other Christmas movie compares toNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
“You know me so well.”
He popped in the DVD, and my favorite movie appeared on the screen. When he sat back down, he moved closer to me, and I could feel his warmth.
“Yes, I do,” he whispered, barely audible for me to hear. I had a feeling he didn’t think I’d heard him.
“Jake,” I pleaded. “I don’t want to get you sick.”
He moved closer and draped his arm over my shoulder. “You have two blankets on and you’re shivering, Lydia. If I get sick, I get sick. We can struggle through it together.”
I wanted to resist, but I couldn’t. I leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder. How could something be wrong when it felt so amazingly right?
17
JAKE
“Are you sick yet?”
Chuckling, I put my sister on speakerphone and finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher. “Nope. I’m good.”
It’d been three days since Lydia got sick, and luckily, I had no signs of the flu. Her mother had brought a huge pot of homemade chicken noodle soup over and Violet dropped off a pan of brownies. Even my mother baked a lasagna that could feed an army. I tried to tell them I could cook it all myself, but they didn’t believe me. They wanted to make sure Lydia was taken care of. All we did was watch movies during the times Lydia wasn’t sleeping. The week went by too fast.
“What are you doing today?” Hailey asked.
I wiped up the last of the egg remnants off the counter. “Right now, I’m cleaning the kitchen while Lydia’s in the shower. I made her eggs and bacon.”
