He follows this up by leaning in and kissing me with such tender care that I go weak in the knees. Then he pulls back and searches my hooded gaze.
“So, we’re good?”
“We’re good,” I reply once I trust myself to speak again. “Unless my dad murders you for having relations with his daughter right under his roof.”
“Gotcha. Let’s do this.” He gives a single, determined nod and pulls the door open before motioning for me to go ahead. As quietly as two people can be on a set of stairs that should be grandfathered, we make our way down to the first floor, wincing every time our combined weight causes the aged wood to creak. When we arrive at the bottom, I give him a parting nod and stride into the kitchen to greet my mother.
“Good morning. Beautiful day, isn’t it? Just look at that sky,” I say, walking straight to the big bay window overlooking the backyard. “Not a cloud in sight.” I turn and give my mother the biggest smile, trying not to squirm when she shoots me a suspicious look.
“Someone’s in a good mood this morning,” she states before popping a few slices of bread into the toaster. The sizzling sound of cooking bacon fills the kitchen, and I bang the upper cabinets a little louder than usual while I hunt for my favorite coffee mug. She stands with her back to the hallway, and I silently urge Jake to seize the opportunity and make his escape. When he finally makes his move, I can only watch in horror as my mom chooses that exact moment to spin around.
“Jake? Is that you?” she calls out, surprise evident in her voice. Jake freezes mid-step, and his shoulders slump in resignation before he turns to face my mother with a tentative smile.
“Good morning, Mrs. Davidson.”
“Can I ask why you’re sneaking out of my house at the crack of dawn?” Her brows knit together, gaze pinballing back and forth between the two of us while she waits for an explanation. Jake is wearing a deer-in-the-headlights expression, but I have to give it to him. He recovers quickly.
“I came over last night needing a friend to talk to, and things got a little emotional. I haven’t been sleeping well these past few days, and I guess I was just so tired I must’ve fallen asleep. We didn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea, so we tried covering it up. It was a childish thing to do. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Freaking genius. An array of emotions plays on my mother’s features. Her expression changes from disbelief and anger to sadness and genuine concern. That’s when I know he’s got her.
“Oh, you poor child. Such a terrible thing that happened to your dear mother. I always liked Sharon. How are you and your family holding up?”
Jake drops his gaze, and I know he’s no longer playing the part. The slight waver in his voice gives him away.
“Not too good, to tell you the truth. I still can’t quite believe she’s gone. Guess it takes time for something like this to truly sink in. I don’t mean to be rude, but I really have to go. My dad is probably worried sick.”
“Of course. You go home and get some rest, love. Give your father my best, and if there’s anything we can do, you let us know, you hear me?”
“Thanks, Mrs. Davidson. I appreciate it.” My mother offers him a kind smile before she waves her hand in a shooing motion. “Go quick, before my husband catches you. He might not be so understanding.”
With her not-so-subtle warning hanging in the air, Jake bids us goodbye and all but stumbles through the front door in his haste to get away.
Eleven
Jake
Carter’s parents have gone to see a movie, which is how we wound up high as fuck in his backyard in the middle of the afternoon. When they decided to leave us to our own devices, they probably did so with the intention of giving us some privacy, seeing as I hadn’t seen my best friend since the funeral.
Instead, their son took the opportunity to roll the biggest joint I ever saw, sparking that sucker up before their car had even cleared the driveway. Given that we’ve always been oddly attuned to each other, he must’ve sensed I needed a little something to take the edge off.
“I slept with Tessa,” I blurt, releasing the cloud of smoke I’ve been holding in and sending it into the air above our heads. As soon as the words tumble from my mouth, I feel instant relief.
I’d left Anna and Jude at home since my dad seemed to be having one of his better days. When noon had come and gone, and he still hadn’t poured himself a drink, I took that as a sign that it was most likely safe to leave them with an actual parent for a couple of hours and got the hell out of dodge. I pass the joint back to Carter, who snatches it out of my hand.
“Hallelujah,” he says before taking a long drag himself. “Fucking took you two long enough,” he mumbles. My brows draw together in confusion when he doesn’t seem surprised in the least.
“Was it that obvious?”
Carter releases a snort that turns into the mother of all coughing fits.
“Dude,” he says, thumping himself in the chest. “You’ve been dancing around each other since the day she moved to town. Everyone with a pair of eyes knew where this would go.” He passes me the joint, and I take several puffs as I mull his words over before handing it back.
“And here I thought I had a pretty good lid on it. I’ve been convincing myself that Tessa is nothing but a friend for so long that even I started to believe it.
“I just didn’t think it wise to make a move, you know? I’m still not sure I did the right thing. I mean, I took her V-card, man. I know it’s a little too late to pump the brakes, but I’m not sure I can give her the attention she deserves right now.”
Carter shakes his head, an amused twinkle in his eye, before he purses his lips and sends a couple of perfectly shaped smoke rings into the sky.
