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Sage poked her lip out. “But he’s always got food on his face—and he jumps on me. Nellie smells like honey, and I bet she’d never even think about jumping on me.”
My reactions were impossible to hide. I wasn’t prepared for any of this. Sucking in a deep breath at the mention of Sage’s brother caught Carly’s attention. Her gaze swept over me, and the corners of her lips shifted into a frown before her expression slackened, like something had dawned on her.
“Dex isn’t Jake’s if that’s what you were thinking,” she murmured, wiggling her left hand. Sunlight glinted off the diamond on her ring finger. “Ecstatically married to a man who is very much not him. Mike and I have Cleo and Dex together. Sage is Jake’s one and only.”
“Okay,” I pushed out. “He’s very…private.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s one way to put it. I’m a talker. His two-word responses have always driven me up the wall. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate how he keeps Sage away from the more public-facing aspects of his life, and he has his reasons for being kinda skittish.”
“We probably shouldn’t talk about him.” I rubbed my lips together. “I mean, if there are things he hasn’t told me, I would rather they come from him.”
Nellie took that moment to hold out the hem of her ruffled dress. “Do you like my dress?”
Carly didn’t miss a beat, pressing her hand to her chest. “Oh my goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier dress. I’ll have to find one for Sage just like that.”
Nellie tipped her head back to look at Sage. “You can wear this one next time.”
Sage thanked her, then blinked at her mom. “See? Dex wouldn’t even share a used tissue.”
“Well, Nell-Belle talks a big game, but I’m not sure you’d actually be able to pry that dress from her hands when the time came.”
My girl was an angel, but she wasn’t perfect and sometimes got feral over her possessions. Plus, she tended to develop amnesia when it was convenient for her. Like promising not to take her water bottle to her room—after losing a hundred of them—or telling a new friend they could borrow her dress.
Sage grinned at me for a moment, then her eyebrows popped. “Hey, I know you. You’re the lady with the tall shoes from my dad’s house.”
My smile barely faltered. “That’s me. I’m sorry I couldn’t formally meet you that day.” I stuck my hand out. “I’m Clara.”
Her handshake was firm and confident, something I admired immensely. “Nice to formally meet you, Clara. I can’t wait to tell my dad about this.”
Carly put her hand on her daughter’s head. “Speaking of which, it’s time to take you to his house. He’s probably wondering where his cheese and daughter are.”
Sage wrinkled her nose. “I bet he’s thinking about the cheese the most.”
“I bet you’re wrong,” Carly singsonged. “It was great to see you and meet Nellie. She’s the cutest thing.”
“Thank you. I can only hope she grows up with half the confidence Sage has.”
A pleased flush spread across Carly’s cheeks, then she leaned in and air-kissed each side of my face. Before pulling back, she spoke softly next to my ear. “That is the best compliment ever. I like you, Clara. Give Jake hell.”
Moments later, mother and daughter disappeared into the crowd, and I had no idea what to think. That meeting had gone far better than I could have dreamed, but I also had never imagined meeting either of them. Now that I had, all of this had become real. Whether that was a good or bad thing, I hadn’t decided. One thing I was almost certain of, I’d be hearing from Jake sooner than later.
Chapter Nineteen
Jake
The book in my lap had gone unread, and I’d barely taken a sip from the warming beer beside me, too busy mulling over the information Sage had been bursting to tell me when she got home this afternoon.
“Dad, you’ll never guess who I met today at the farmers’ market.” She didn’t pause for me to take a guess. “Clara! And Nellie too. She’s so freaking cute. Like, way cuter than Dex. Almost cuter than Cleo, but Cleo’s not a baby.”
“Nellie’s not really a baby,” I said.
Her eyes went wide. “You’ve met Nellie? You didn’t tell me Clara had a daughter. Don’t you think that was pertinent information?”
“Before today, you didn’t even know her name, so no, I didn’t.”
She huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “Yeah, well, now I know her name. I got a good look at her too, and she’s so pretty. I know she’s like a coworker or whatever, but have you noticed how pretty she is?”
“It’s hard not to notice,” I hedged. If I said no, she’d see through me. Only a blind man wouldn’t notice how fucking gorgeous Clara Rossi was.
