Page 48 of The Last Autograph
Molly stifled a “wow” under her breath. With its floor-to-ceiling windows inviting the outside indoors, his place was tidy and tastefully decorated, if rather sparsely, and an atmosphere of calmness prevailed. “Your home’s incredible.”
He dropped his keys on the kitchen island. “Thanks. I never intended to buy property when I returned from Europe, but this place fell into my lap through a colleague of my mother’s. It’s compact, but it feels like home.”
As Jake moved to the kitchen and flicked on the kettle, Molly smiled at his compact reference. His home was easily five times the size of hers and the ceilings twice as high. She gazed longingly at the three-tiered cake stand on the table, filled with tiny cakes, sandwiches, scones, and pastries. “What’s all this? High tea?”
“It’s my specialty. Besides, after that introduction to my mother the other day, I figured you could do with a sugar hit.”
“What does your mother do?”
“She’s a realtor.”
Molly nodded as she pictured Hazel Sinclair playing the real estate game.
“What would you like to drink?” he asked from the kitchen.
“Peppermint tea, thanks.”
“Are you okay? You seem nervous.”
Jake’s observation was spot-on because, although the more she saw of him, the less his personality mirrored Jesse’s, there was no denying that Jake’s connection to his brother couldn’t be ignored. “Why did you bring me here?”
A soft smile lifted his expression, offering a suggestion Molly couldn’t quite grasp. As she’d witnessed during the bake-off weekend, a smile from Jake was rare, yet here he was, shining his light her way as if she deserved it. “So we could eat cake and talk. Why did you come?”
“Curiosity.”
He reached into a cabinet for cups and saucers. “Ah, curiosity takes us places we seldom imagined going to, don’t you agree?”
“I’ve never considered that, but I guess you’re right.”
While Jake busied himself in the kitchen, Molly glanced around the room. At one end of the living space, pinecones and smooth, round logs nestled in an open fireplace, and to the side, paperbacks lined the top shelf of an otherwise empty bookcase. She wanted to peruse his collection but was interrupted by Jake setting their tea on the table.
They sat across from each other in comfortable wishbone chairs, modern floral cups paired with boldly colored saucers resting between them. Jake pushed the cake stand toward her. “Please, help yourself.”
Too nervous to eat right at that moment, Molly held his gaze. “You said you wanted to talk to me about something?”
In the silence that followed, he tapped a forefinger lightly on the table. “The confusion thing aside, I feel there’s an awkward energy between us.”
Her thoughts immediately turned to his mother but then shifted up a gear. “Is this about you rejecting me at SpinWeb, because now, my boss has assigned me to that steakhouse on Marina Terrace.”
Jake’s knowing smile told Molly he was familiar with the business and its less-than-stellar reputation. “I bet you’re up for the challenge. They have some interesting offerings on their menu.”
“They do. Pity I don’t eat steak.”
He paused. “Anyhow, it’s nothing to do with your job, but I’m pretty sure you already know that.”
Jake was right, but apart from a wild fluttering in her chest, Molly remained perfectly still while waiting for him to continue.
“It’s about Jesse. Out of respect for his memory, I’ve some questions I’d like answers to. Anything we discuss stays in this room, so I hope we can be honest with each other. Despite your past impression of me, I am prepared to listen.”
Past impression? What about her present impression? Her growing attraction to Jake aside, Molly doubted she’d ever feel relaxed around him. She longed to grab a tiny cake off the plate and inhale it—anchor herself before speaking—but the timing was off. “What would you like to know?”
“That night at the bar, when you slapped the card down in front of me, you were obviously angry at Jesse. Help me understand why.”
“Isn’t that redundant under the circumstances?”
“Jesse may be gone, but he’s still an integral part of me.”
“Of course.”
