“Where are we?”
“My brother’s place.”
“Jake’s?” I asked in surprise.
“Yep.” Kyle jumped out of the truck and came around to get me. “We have to hurry before a neighbor sees me and comes over to ask questions.”
“You’re not supposed to be here?” I gasped.
“No, it’s not that. They’re Jake’s neighbors and will want to know how he’s doing. I don’t have anything good to tell them. Let’s go.”
Skeptical, I followed Kyle to the front door. I stood behind him as he unlocked it and held it open for me.
“Should I be here?” I asked as I took a tentative step inside, feeling strangely like a burglar. Looking around, I was struck by the place. It was definitely nice but nothing fancy. Certainly nothing to suggest a musician lived here, much less a rich, famous one.
“It feels like we’re trespassing,” I whispered.
“Relax. I live here… or at least, I did until Jake met Casey. Then he kicked me to the curb. I was actually in the process of finding my own place until Jake’s surgery went to hell, and now everything is on hold. My whole life is on hold.” Kyle’s voice faltered, and he looked away, the tension returning to his body.
“Hey,” I said, pulling him to me.
The flirty Kyle was gone and the vulnerable one was back.
“Did you notice that I didn’t faint?” I teased, in an attempt to change the mood.
“I did, actually.” He nodded. “And I’m impressed. Most girls would have already knocked me over and been rummaging through his drawers to find a memento.”
“How often do you bring girls back here?”
“Never.” Kyle laughed. “Jake would kill me.”
“Kyle?” I admonished him, stepping out of our embrace. My face flushed with unease. I had no business being in Jake’s home. “I think we should go.”
“In this case, I don’t think he’d mind,” Kyle said, pulling me close again.
“In what case?”
“You. Jake liked you. We watched the show together until, you know, everything… anyway, he kept telling me I should call you.”
“He did? Why would he like me?” I asked, truly stumped. The idea that someone as famous as Jake would even know who I was blew me away.
Our eyes met, and his face relaxed. “He liked you… because you liked me.”
Kyle’s words warmed me, making me feel, for the first time, that he had given more thought to our relationship than I’d previously given him credit for. “How could he know I liked you?”
Kyle dropped his head to the side, grinning, “Seriously? You were like a lovesick schoolgirl. Your big blue eyes going all mushy… everyone saw it.”
I dipped my face into my hands in embarrassment. “Oh, god. I thought I was being so sly.”
“Yeah. You weren’t.”
“You must think I’m such an idiot,” I said through my fingers.
Kyle pulled my hands away and lifted my chin.
“I don’t. I promise. If you want the truth, I was flattered. Having someone pine for me isn’t something I’m used to.”
“You said on the island that you felt invisible.”
