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“Really, Savannah Lynn Rose?” I held my ground. She shrugged, following Jack’s lead.
My brain would forever associate Jack with his parent’s beautiful house on Penny Lane. It took my mind a few minutes to get up to speed as we made a wrong turn, one in the opposite direction of his childhood street. I had to remind myself that Jack no longer lived with his parents and that it was Jack’s own home we’d be staying in, not theirs.
Suddenly that made things a little more real.
In a quaint little corner of town, just up the road from the Haver’s Creek Recreational Area, sat a small cul-de-sac lined with brownstones. They weren’t attached to each other like you’d find in a real city, but the effect impressed me, nonetheless. Three stories high, each brownstone boasted unique features, not the cookie cutter look that I had grown accustomed to seeing in Southern California.
Families played outside despite the cold weather, completing the wholesome look. For a second, I thought it seemed a shame that Jack didn’t have a family of his own to share this house and street with.
I pushed away the thought as we pulled into the driveway of a home at the end of the block. Parking on an incline, I made sure to engage the emergency brake.
Already parked in the garage, Jack and my sister exited their vehicle and I quickly followed suit, not wanting to spend another minute out in the cold. As I walked through the garage, I noticed how clean and organized everything was. Very little in the way of junk, you could tell Jack kept this place in order.
I shivered just as I entered the house right behind Savannah. I wished I had a few of my things with me, other than just the clothes on my back, my purse, and my laptop bag. The plumber had assured us we’d be able to get into the house in the morning to grab a few things. I guess he had a team that helped with leaks like this and would be getting to work first thing in the morning. But until then, we had to deal with what we had with us.
“Let me get the door behind you.” Jack brushed in front of me as I passed through the doorway, reaching for the garage door button. I felt his toned body rub against my chest, instantly causing my nipples to harden.
I crossed my arms, making my way into the kitchen. Fortunately, Savannah was too preoccupied with her phone to notice.
Then Jack swung back around grabbing my waist to move me out of the way as he headed for the fridge.
My breath caught in my throat as his hands planted themselves on my hips, branding me.
I scooted around so that we stood on opposite sides of the massive island that stood between the kitchen and the living room. This open concept house was an HGTV watcher’s wet dream.
Jack opened the fridge door, grabbed two beers and a sparkling water.
“I figured we could use this after the evening you both had.” He snagged a few glasses from a cabinet behind him and set them on the counter for us to pour our drinks into.
I didn’t recognize the label on the beer, but I drank deeply, pleasantly surprised by the light and crisp taste that greeted me. Jack didn’t bother with a glass. I watched closely as he took a sip of his own drink, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he did.
“Why don’t I take you on a tour, Whit?” I looked at him over the top of my glass as I considered his offer.
“Sure, come on Savannah, let’s go on a tour.”
She waved me off. “I don’t need one, I’ve been here before,” she told me. “Can I have the green guest room?” She turned to Jack to ask.
He nodded. “It’s all yours.” Savannah practically giggled as she moved past me and up the staircase that stood across from the front door, effectively leaving me alone with Jack.
I turned towards him, watching him take a long drag of his beer.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” I asked him.
His lip quirked in amusement. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
I crossed my arms, which had the unintended consequence of pulling my breasts together. Jack caught the movement, his eyes dipping down before slowly making their way back up again.
The Jack from high school never looked at me like that, not with heat in his eyes. It was always me who looked at him with interest, an interest I kept from him for a long time.
I didn’t know what to make of it or the tiny ember of hope that it ignited.
“You offered up your house to Savannah specifically, knowing that she wouldn’t say no and that I couldn’t say no to Savannah.” I drew closer to him closing the distance around the island. I lifted my brows. “Admit it.”
He bared his teeth. “Again, I have no idea what you are talking about.” He took another sip of his beer and placed it on the counter. “Did you want that tour, or do you want to keep making untrue allegations?” He didn’t wait for my answer, opting to brush by me again even though there was plenty of space between me and the kitchen cabinets.
I pulled my head back and looked at the ceiling.
Give me strength.
