She gave him a wide berth as she rounded the booth and sat down. The only available seat was directly across from Gia. When he slid into the booth, Gia made a point of keeping as much distance between them as possible in the cramped space.
Jake couldn’t help himself. He soaked in every detail of her in the dim lighting. She was skinnier than in the photos of her he’d seen recently. Her cheekbones looked too sharp and angular. It made him wonder if she was trying to lose weight for her next role or if something else was at play.
He delayed looking into her dark eyes, once so vibrant but now seeming dulled. Her eyes had always been one of his favorite things about her. He used to figure out all of her emotions as they flickered through those depths, but now he couldn’t really read her. Besides the blatant hostility aimed at him, he couldn’t garner a sense of what her true feelings were. It didn’t help that he could see the thick layer of makeup covering her swollen, red-rimmed eyes.
His hands clenched under the table. She was hiding something. Jake was sure of it.
“What are you doing here?” Gia whispered through gritted teeth.
He raised his eyebrows, pretending the answer was obvious. “Having dinner, obviously.”
She didn’t respond. Instead, she huffed and crossed her arms.
A sudden gasp redirected their attention.
“Wait. Did you say Gia? Like,theGia? The one from the new Marvel movie?” Marley asked, her voice full of awe. She looked at Gia as if she were meeting a superhero in the flesh.
“The one and only,” Gia replied dryly, though her tone softened when addressing Marley.
“Oh my God. I’m Marley. I’m, like, one of your biggest fans.”
“Um, hi, Marley. It’s very nice to meet you.”
Jake watched with fascination as Gia blushed. It was oddly endearing. He would have thought she was used to this by now.
“How do you… uh… know Jake?” Gia asked. The sound of his name on her tongue made a shiver race up his spine. The last time she’d said his name, it had been under vastly different circumstances.
“Oh, he’s my dad.”
Jake choked on his water.
Gia’s eyes bulged in shock.
“Well, he’s not, like, my dad-dad,” Marley clarified quickly, glancing at Jake nervously. “More like a father figure.”
Jake reached out and gripped her shoulder gently. “I’m proud to be your dad, kiddo.”
He wasn’t ready to be someone’s dad. Not really. But the title filled him with a warmth he hadn’t expected.
“Oh. That’s… cool,” Gia said softly.
“Yeah… So, have you started filming yet? Or are you, like, under a strict contract and can’t tell me anything?” Marley’s excitement was adorable. She was practically vibrating in her seat.
Alternatively, Gia fidgeted uncomfortably in hers. Her demeanor changed almost instantly with Marley’s questions. Gone was the hostile and feral cat who had been practically hissing at him. In her place was a woman who had lost all of her color and seemed more like an abused kitten, ready to flee with the smallest provocation.
Unease crept up his spine. Brows furrowed, he studied Gia as she floundered for a response, seemingly at a loss for words.
“You getting the usual, Marley?” Jake turned his attention to the teenager. Marley seemed taken aback by the change in topic, but astute as she was, she picked up on his cues and reached for the menus resting in the carousel.
“Um… actually, I wanted to try something new,” Marley mumbled in response. He was grateful she dropped her line of questioning, though he wouldn’t be letting the topic rest as easily. Obviously, this new role of hers had something to do with Gia’s sudden reappearance in Willowbrook.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gia deflate as the attention moved away from her. It seemed odd to him that someone who lived in the spotlight reacted so viscerally to an innocent question. His fists clenched tightly in his lap. Twice now, he’d felt rage and a desire to battle whatever demons had chased her back to Willowbrook.
Back home, where she belonged.
Whatever it was, Jake vowed he would help her realize she needed her home and family as much as they needed her. She’d left a deep gouge in the heart of Willowbrook when she went chasing after her dreams. Now that she was back, the hole she’d left behind had a chance of being filled again.
Jake pretended her departure hadn’t been personal, though he knew by her reaction to seeing him he had been a fool to think so. If the memory of what he’d said to her made him feel like he had heartburn, no doubt she was feeling the same way, if not more so.
