At least, she’s able to sleep. Granted, the pain pills are likely helping with that.
Two more minutes disappear. Damn it. My teeth grind together.
The second my phone rings, I drag it out of my back pocket and rush to the kitchen, so it doesn’t wake my mom. “Where are you?”
“I’m sorry. A call just came in.”
“Damn it, Kaleb, you promised that you’d be here. I have to be at work in eight minutes.” The digital clock on the stove flips to the next number. “Make that seven.”
“I didn’t know there was going to be a grass fire at the end of my shift.” His voice is rough as the sounds of his gear bouncing fill the receiver. Sirens sound off in the background.
“Fine,” I sigh as I run a hand over the top of my hair, smoothing the strands leading to my ponytail. “I’ll call Ryan and see if he can find someone to fill in until I can get there.”
“I’m sorry, Sis. I hate to do this. As soon as the fire is out, I’ll be there.”
“Thanks.” I hang up on my way to the refrigerator.
As I’m removing a bottle of water, someone knocks on the door, causing me to jump. Shit. I’m more on edge than I realized. At least I didn’t squeal.
I spin on my heel in time to see Jake lifting his hand and rapping his knuckles on the glass again. He shifts from one foot to the other. His hair is plastered to his head from a recent shower. And that sexy 5 o’clock shadow makes my knees weak once again.
Damn it. He’s not supposed to show up here when I’m here. There’s no point in us talking to each other because one of us will insult the other before the conversation is done. I stomp to the door and yank it open. “Hello.”
“Hey.” His face remains stoic and noncommittal as if he doesn’t want to speak to me either, but his love for my mom trumped his instinct for avoidance. I guess I should be appreciative of that, but somehow, I can’t dredge up the energy for it. “I heard your mom was home from the hospital, so I thought I’d drop in and check on her.”
“She’s asleep.” I step out of the way, letting him come inside.
He glances around the room. “I can come back later when Kaleb’s here. I thought he’d be here by now.”
“There’s no need to leave.” I bite my bottom lip, forcing my eyes to stay above his waist. Which is harder than it should be. Once again, he’s wearing low-slung sweats and a tight T-shirt that hugs his abdomen and chest. Hasn’t he ever heard of baggy clothes?
Heat creeps up my neck. “I need to apologize for how I acted the other day. What I said was out of line.”
He rakes a hand through his hair, leaving the wet strands standing on end. “You mean the part where you decided my entire career is based on control issues?”
My stomach drops. “Yes.” I press my lips together. “That part.”
Silence stretches between us.
“I shouldn’t have said that. You’ve always cared about people. About this town. I know that.”
His jaw tightens.
“You could’ve fooled me,” he mutters.
“I was angry.” My fingers twist together in front of me. “And sometimes when I’m angry, I say things I don’t mean.”
His gaze finally meets mine, dark and steady.
“You meant it.”
The certainty in his voice makes my chest ache.
“I thought I did,” I admit quietly.
He shifts his weight, crossing his arms over his chest. The movement makes the muscles in his forearms tighten, and I immediately regret looking.
Great. Now my face is hot. Again.
