Chapter 2
2
Katy/Katerine
B y the time Geoff arrived to help close the store, I’d already put Ethan’s phone number into my contacts after promising him to get together once exams were over since he was spending the next few weeks back in Winnipeg where he’d been living for the past two years.
“Everything go well tonight?” Geoff leaned on the counter, staring at the doodles which covered my algebra notes.
“Um, with the store, yes. It wasn’t too busy. I made a couple notes of the items we’re short on and a few items that people said they were looking for and wanted to know if we could order them in.” He nodded before pointed to my math, making my shoulders slump. He didn’t even have to say a word because it was the same every shift. He wanted to make sure I was holding up my end of the bargain with my mom. She might not have been a big, imposing figure next to Geoff or the guys, but being a nurse for such a long time gave her a look and tone that kept people from wanting to cross her. “With algebra, not so much. I’m keep making a couple of mistakes and I can’t figure out where they’re happening.”
Goeff tapped the counter as he stood. “I’d love to help, but math was many years ago for me. Algebra isn’t used much when I’m checking out a cow to see if she’s pregnant or not or when I’m trying to figure out why someone’s horse isn’t feeling well.”
“Yeah, I know.” I close my binder, getting my stuff packed and ready to leave once Jarrod arrived. “I don’t know where I’ll ever use it which makes it even harder to motivate myself.”
Chuckles streamed from Geoff. “Fuc—I mean fudge—you sound just like Kate did when she had to take algebra for the first time. Maybe you should ask her for pointers.” He held out his pointer finger and shook it at me. “Just don’t tell her I told you.”
Something in Geoff’s voice when he mentioned Kate, pulled on my heart, making me quick to reassure him that I wouldn’t mention him. Kate had been a classmate of Jason and Peter’s. I didn’t know her well other than to know that she made some awesome body products like shampoos, skin creams, and other things, but I did know that she’d been good friends with Geoff and some other guy—Tyler, I think—and that now Geoff and Kate never talked. Stories and gossip had even reached my friends about them and with questions and rumours about what could have possibly happened to ruin a great friendship, enough that two of them never spoke and Tyler never returned to Voyageur Bay after his first year at university even though his parents continued to live here. The teenage romantic in me, couldn’t help but wonder if they’d been in a similar situation to me and the guys, but didn’t know that they didn’t need to choose.
The doorbell over the door dinged as it opened despite the closed sign on the door. All thoughts of a possible unrequited love affair fled as I stared at Jarrod’s loving smile.
“Hey, Jarrod.” Geoff crossed the open floor area, hand outstretched. When they touched, Geoff pulled him into one of those bro hugs I often saw them do with a close group of male friends. The ones where they bumped chests around their joined hands while patting each other on the back. “Good to see you, man. Didn’t realize you were picking up Katy tonight, but it saves me a call. Any plans yet for your beginning of summer bash?”
Jarrod’s gaze darted to mine before returning to Geoff’s. The motion so quick that I wasn’t sure if Geoff saw or not, but I did. And the unease behind Jarrod’s eyes didn’t sit well with me. Was he uncomfortable because he remembered how their parties used to be, remembered what he did last summer with all those different women and didn’t want to upset me if I heard about it since he didn’t know that I’d seen him? Or was he uncomfortable because he wanted to have the party, was missing all those things he used to do, but wasn’t because he was with me, and I wasn’t ready for sex?
“Um, we haven’t really discussed it, but with my new business and the officialness of my relationship with Peter, I’m not sure if we’re going to be hosting parties like those anymore.”
“Slowing down now that you’re in a respectable relationship, huh?” Geoff elbowed him in the gut. “Not that I really took part in those aspects of the parties, but I’ve been missing hanging out with you guys. Between Jason working away and rarely home to my hours, it’s been a while since I’ve been out with guys who understand things.” The look Geoff gave Jarrod made my curiosity sit up and take notice. Outside of the odd rumour about Geoff and Kate and that Tyler guy from many years ago, I couldn’t remember ever hearing anything else about him in a relationship capacity. I mean, I’d heard lots of older ladies discussing how they tried to set him up with daughters, nieces, granddaughters, and others, but that he always managed to avoid their entanglements. Some even introduced him to some guys, wondering if he was gay, but Geoff held his cards pretty close to his chest and never seemed to be publicly associated with anyone in a romantic capacity.
“Yeah, we’re wanting to change our ways, not be the party guys anymore.” Jarrod walked back with Geoff to the cash counter where I had just finished packing up my schoolwork. “Hey girl, ready to head out?”
I slung the weighted backpack over my shoulder as I stepped out from behind the counter. “Yup. All packed up and cashed out.”
“Thanks, Katy. See you tomorrow.”
I nodded, giving Geoff a smile as Jarrod wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his side for a quasi hug as he placed a kiss on the top of my head. From the corner of my eye, I caught Geoff giving us a quizzical look at the move before shrugging it off. A sigh of relief left me as we exited out the door.
“What’s the sigh for, Kitty-Kat?”
While Jarrod and I were in an official relationship, it wasn’t one that was public. We didn’t walk around in public doing relationship PDA instead we acted the same way as we did before the first time we kissed. Not only was it a safety precaution to keep the scrutiny off Peter since he was a teacher, but also to keep people from talking about our age differences and the non-traditional aspect of our relationship. The guys weren’t even public yet about Jason being included in Peter and Jarrod’s relationship. So, adding me in in any form would definitely bring attention to Peter and potentially from the police.
“I thought that Geoff might have suspected something, but then he seemed to shrug it off.” I climbed into the front passenger seat of Jarrod’s car. He leaned in and despite the risk, I turned to face him, allowing our lips to meet in the slightest of kisses.
“If he does, it’s not a big deal. Geoff knows how to keep secrets.” Jarrod brushed his lips against mine again, drawing another sigh from me. Twinkling eyes filled with delight greeted me as he pulled back and I couldn’t stop from returning his smile even as my cheeks heated. For as many times as we kissed, I’d never get used to the sensation or even the awe that this gorgeous man whom I’d been in love with for years could actually like me back.
By the time he walked around the car and climbed in, my heated body had settled, allowing the fatigue to hit. Thank goodness I didn’t have to deal with school tomorrow. I could sleep in before heading into work for the afternoon shift.
“Hungry?” Jarrod squeezed my hand. Ever since that first kiss, whenever we’ve been in the car alone, he drove holding my hand. In fact, Jason did the same thing, and I found that I missed it whenever I was in a car with Peter. But maybe he’d start now since he’d finally admitted his feelings and kissed me. Even if we hadn’t repeated it.
Before I could answer, my stomach rumbled, giving him the answer. He laughed and I enjoyed watching how his eyes crinkled.
“Guess your stomach answered for you. Good thing Peter’s cooking. It should be ready by the time we arrive.”
My eyebrows rose at that announcement. With the end of the school year bearing down, Peter usually refrained from cooking, having Jarrod or Jason or I take over that task since he was putting in long hours at either the school or marking papers at home.
“I had a late meeting at the office, only finishing before picking you up,” Jarrod answered my unspoken question as he pulled into their driveway.
A glance over to my dark house as I exited the car left me feeling disheartened. It looked so sad and lonely with the faded paint that was starting to peel. Mom never talked about money, preferring to tell me not to worry, that there was money and benefits set aside for university, but with all the extra hours she worked and the lack of upkeep on the exterior of the house, it made me wonder. Maybe financial pressures were another reason why she allowed me to get the job. Asking her wouldn’t give me an answer, but I wondered if she’d said anything to the guys. Maybe they’d tell me if I asked.
“What has you looking so sad?” Jarrod snagged my hand, entwining our fingers as he pulled me towards their house.
I shrugged even as I squeezed his hand, needing his comfort. “My house looks sad.”
As soon as he had us inside the house and the door closed behind us, he spun me to face him, cradling my cheek in the palm of his hand. “I take you to the garden centre tomorrow and we’ll grab some new flowers and plants. That’ll brighten it up.”
The offer had me swooning, but it was the sweetness of the kiss he placed on my lips that had my knees buckling. This was why I couldn’t help but fall in love with them. Each one of them always jumped to help fix whatever problem I had. And when they couldn’t or shouldn’t fix them, they stood beside me, coaching and cheering me on. To the outside world it might have looked like something older brothers would do—and for many years, before the kissing, I worried the same—but thankfully that wasn’t the case. They all loved me even if we hadn’t completely said the words yet.
“I’d like that,” I said against his lips before he took control, pressing his lips harder against mine as he tilted my head. The moment I parted my lips, his tongue was there, pushing in even as he pressed me up against the door. I slid my free hand up his chest, feeling the softness of his cotton dress shirt and the silkiness of his tie. Each hidden muscle laid bare under my fingers.
Between school, work, my mom, my friends, and Jarrod’s work, we’d been ships passing in the night or surrounded by people who couldn’t know about us, making this kiss a welcome reunion, a coming home. And while I hated missing out on kissing him whenever we were together, this one made up for it. It made my body want more, like the time we were on the couch together and he gave me an orgasm. I could feel my body pulse and heat up in remembrance as his mouth and tongue continued to ply mine.
I wanted more. I wanted to feel his hard body against mine. I wanted his hands to touch me, not stay on my cheek and holding my other one.
He kissed me until I forgot to breathe, becoming light-headed, incapable of speech during those few seconds his lips left mine to allow me to snatch some needed oxygen. Or maybe that was just my normal response to these types of kisses because I couldn’t think of if or how I ever managed to speak other times I found myself in this exact predicament. But I must have spoken, right? Or how did they always know what I wanted, what I needed?
And to prove my point, Jarrod slid his hand around the back of my head, slipping his fingers in through my hair. A few strands pulled, making me wince at the sharp pain at the same time as his tongue drew a moan from me. The dual sensation confused me. How could I feel pleasure at the same time I felt pain?
But before I could spend any time trying to puzzle it out, the sound of a voice clearing their throat had Jarrod pulling back, resting his forehead against mine.
“Supper’s ready and getting cold.”
At the sound of Peter’s stomping retreat, Jarrod cringed. “Guess we better go face the music before he salts our food.”
My eyes widened. Peter wouldn’t do that, would he? Yet even as I questioned it, I recalled a few stories where Peter did things in a similar vein to Jarrod and Jason when they displeased him or when he wanted to get them back for something they did. I might have been spared before, but now, I wasn’t so sure my luck would hold. A chuckle fell from Jarrod’s lips. “Relax, Kitty-Kat. He wouldn’t do something like that to you.”
He pressed a fleeting to kiss against my lips, raising my hopes for more and then dashing them as he released his hold on me. But as he started towards the dining table, he called over his shoulder, “At least I don’t think he would.”
Glaring as I raced by him, he laughed. And even though I worried about having upset Peter by kissing Jarrod, hearing Jarrod’s joy made me happy.