Ruby wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and licks her teeth. “Am I good?”
“Yep. Perfect.” I wink at her as we both settle into the euphoria of a sugar rush.
“So…. Have you seen him yet?”
I don’t have to ask who she’s talking about. Ruby and Bella have been waiting for this moment since Bella saw Jake and shared the news that he was back for more than a fleeting visit. I’d held out hope that it was a bad dream.
“Yes. Today at the park. He was the officer on call.” I don’t say more because it’s Brookhaven. She’ll know what I’m talking about.
“I’m sorry. For your sake, I wish he’d have stayed away.” Ruby leans forward. “How’s that boy anyway? Mom said he ended up going to the hospital.”
“He’s fine. Mild concussion and a broken arm. His daredevil days are over for a couple of weeks.” I’m not going to pretend he’ll wait until the cast is off to restart climbing on the jungle gym again.
I was there when Jake broke his arm, falling out of the tree in our backyard. He was back in that same tree three weeks later with a signed cast on his arm. My guess is that he lied to Clint in hopes that the kid wouldn’t follow in his reckless footsteps.
Jake even let me add my initials. My brother refused to let me write my entire name. He’d said I’d add a stupid heart above the ‘I’ and make Jake look like a sissy.
“That’s good.” She leans back into the cushions. “I’ve seen Rebecca at the shops in town and spoken to her a few times. She’s quiet.”
“She had plenty to say to Jake today.” I cross my arms over my chest. Shit. I straighten my shoulders and uncross my arms. “Forget I said that.”
“Em, it’s fine. You don’t have to pretend with me.” Her eyes are soft as she pats my arm. “I know you don’t want to have feelings for Jake. I’ve been in your shoes with Xavier, but sometimes, we want things we can’t have.”
“You’re right.” I rest my arm on the back of the sofa and lay my head in my hand.
She waggles her eyebrows. “I still can’t believe he was there to watch you make out with Spencer.” She grins with twinkling eyes. “The friend he brought to town. That’s poetic justice.”
What justice was there? None. He never had feelings for me, so there were no repercussions on his end.
“We didn’t make out. I kissed him because Jake was treating me like a child. Spencer took me home, and that was the end of it.” I shrug one shoulder. Not that the kiss was bad. It just didn’t compare with what Jake did the night prior with Amanda. “And I never saw the guy again.”
I wanted Jake to be all my firsts. But instead, my firsts were all with a bunch of random guys who meant nothing to me.
Well, except orgasms. Those firsts and onlys have been with vibrators.
“I’m sorry you’re going to have to see him all the time. It’s going to make things awkward.”
“It’s fine. I’ll ignore him the best I can, and eventually, seeing him won’t impact me. I’ll treat it like an allergy, where you give yourself small doses of what you’re allergic to until you build up a tolerance, and then it doesn’t bother you anymore. It’s simple.”
“Tell me how that works out because Xavier is at the gym every day that I’m on the schedule, and the little doses of seeing him are not cutting it.”
“It probably doesn’t help that he’s shirtless, sweating, and covered in sexy black ink.”
“Yeah….,” she sighs, “It doesn’t help.”
Chapter Eight
Jake
The Next Morning
After snugging the tie to the nape of my neck, I study my reflection. My hair is cut with precision, trimmed to my skull. While I’d prefer a 5 o’clock shadow, this is my first week on the job, and I need to look the part of a trustworthy, respectable police officer.
I straighten my collar and step back from the full-length mirror. It’s good to be home. I’ve missed my family and friends.
When someone knocks on my door, I frown. It’s not even six o’clock in the morning. Who in their right mind is up knocking on someone’s door at this hour?
If I were still in the city, I’d have my hand on the butt of my revolver as I approached the door, but in Brookhaven, it’s more likely someone is missing a dog than a robber being on the other side of the door.
