Chapter Four
Emily
The Next Day
If I’d been thinking, I’d have had Ruby and Bella grab some food to bring upstairs before they left–nine hours ago, but I was too busy moping. Now, my stomach is eating itself, and I’m going stir crazy from being stuck in my room all day.
I tread down the stairs, listening for voices. It’s silent except for the faint hum of the central heat and the humidifier. If I weren’t starving, I would’ve stayed in my room until the weekend was over to avoid running into Jake again.
In and out. You can do this. Just grab some food, run back upstairs, and stay there until Sunday afternoon.
Unless Jake and his friend decide to stay here through the entire Christmas break. A shudder rips up my spine. That’s not possible. Jake and his mom are close, so she’d throw a fit if he didn’t come to stay with her at some point.
Okay, here’s the deal. If the worst-case scenario happens and he doesn’t leave, I’ll go stay with Bella or Ruby.
I stomp on the last step. Fuck that. The asshole isn’t pushing me out of my own house. I hold my head higher, mostly because there’s no sound of anyone being around, and I stride into the kitchen, stopping short just inside the doorway.
Spencer. Shit. Jake’s friend sits at the end of the island, listening to his earbuds while watching his cell phone.
When I take a step backward, he glances up, smiles, and removes one of his listening devices. “Hey, Em, what’s up?”
“I was going to get something to eat, but I can come back later.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He stands. “This is your house. I’ll go back downstairs.”
“It’s fine.” I arch an eyebrow. “I thought you all were gaming all weekend.” I swear that I’m not fishing for information. I’m not. I promised myself I was over Jake before my head hit the pillow last night.
“So did I.” His face squishes together with disapproval. “But Jake left last night and hasn’t returned, and your brother took off to fill in for a few hours at work. I guess someone called in sick.”
“I’m sorry.” My stomach cramps. Jake left last night and never returned. He’s been with Amanda all this time.
Don’t think about it. He doesn’t belong to you, and it’s not a reflection of your worth that he chose her over you. I repeat the words in my head again, but they don’t make reality any easier to swallow. He chose someone who cheated on him. Over me. And clearly, it wasn’t a hard choice.
“You didn’t do it.” He stalks around the island’s edge, wearing what must be his signature look–a white T-shirt, gray sweatpants, and Nike tennis shoes.
“I might not have done it, but I’m still sorry that they abandoned you in a strange house, with people you don’t know, and no vehicle to drive.” My stomach gurgles loudly, causing heat to climb up my neck.
He smirks as he draws nearer. His eyes lazily rake over me with each step. “I know you, and you have a vehicle.”
“Do you need to go somewhere?” As he approaches, I straighten and swallow over the lump in my throat. He’s a good-looking guy. Charming and cocky. But the nervous energy that’s swirling between us, or at least around me, is more anxious than sexual. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.
He throws his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go get something to eat. You’re starving, or your stomach wouldn’t be rumbling so loud, and I’d love a tour of the town. So, what do you say?”
I slide out from under his arm. “I’d say, ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea’.”
He frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t want you to get the wrong impression.”
“Fine.” This time, when he smiles, he knocks the cockiness out of his expression.
“I promise to be on my best behavior.” He rests his backside against the island.
“I see how you watch Jake, and I don’t poach my friend’s girls.
” He winks, and in that split second, his shit-eating grin returns.
“Well, maybe if they begged me, I would.”
“You’re ridiculous.” I roll my eyes. “But I don’t–”
“Stop.” He raises his hand. “Don’t lie to me. I have three sisters. I know who they like faster than they do. Call me a savant.”
“I’d call you full of shit rather than a savant.”
He laughs, taking the tension out of the room. “You’re right, I am. But seriously. I’ll buy food if you take me out and show me around town. My friends have left me, you’re hungry, and I don’t know anyone else here. Consider it a favor to me.”
“Fine.” I can’t help but chuckle as I shake my head. Why can’t I like someone like Spencer?
Do I take him seriously? No. But would he pay attention to me while he pursued me for the night? Yes. Yes, he would, and it would feel nice to be the center of his orbit. Even if it only lasted a few hours.
“I’ll take you to Jolie’s. It’s a local café, but you need to stay on your side of the booth and keep your hands to yourself. Otherwise, rumors will spread faster than we can sit down.”
“Scouts honor.” He makes the Boy Scout, three-finger, sign.
“Were you a scout?”
“Nope.” His eyes twinkle as he emphasizes the ‘p’ in nope. I’m going to regret this.
“Let me get my coat and purse.”
The second we step outside the door, Officer Nolan glances up from the rake in his hand and waves. “Hey, Em, who’s that with you?”
“It’s one of Jake’s friends from college.”
“Oh….” His scrutiny intensifies as he studies him from head to toe.
“We’re on our way to get something to eat.”
“I see.” His face implies that he doesn’t see anything.
Wonderful. The joys of being in a small town.
Fifteen Minutes Later
The tables are round, solid wooden structures with matching black chairs, and along the outer walls are booths.
Some of the cushions show their white stuffing between cracked edges of black vinyl, while others are duct-taped to hide the wear and tear.
But the best thing about the café is that it smells like hamburgers, fries, and pie.
I inhale. And chocolate cake. Real chocolate cake without that coconut crap on top.
My gaze lands on the plates of desserts posted by the cash register.
If you somehow avoid ordering dessert, you can’t get out the door without grabbing some for later.
That’s how good the homemade cakes, cobblers, and pies are at Jolie’s.
“So, what’s good to eat here?” Spencer snatches a menu from the stack between the condiments and flops it open.
I sink into the cushions. “Really, about anything but my favorites are the–”
“What’re you doing?”
Jake’s voice cuts through the café like a siren. His blue eyes lock onto his friend, his hands curling into fists at his sides. In one hand, he’s strangling a white sack of takeout food.
My heart lurches into my throat. How did he find us? I look around the space like that will somehow explain it. This is exactly why I didn’t want to come.
Jake glances from Spencer to me and back to Spencer. “Well?”
“Getting ready to eat.” Spencer rests the arm along the back of the bench. “What does it look like we’re doing?”
Jake’s jaw flexes. “Asshole.”
“It’s not what it looks like.” My heart feels like it’s going to bust my ribcage apart as the customers around us swirl in a mixture of muted grays and fuzzy floating faces.
“Hey, you left me alone with Em.” Spencer shrugs.
My stomach drops at his use of my nickname. Spencer knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Or rather, you left me with Kaleb, but he bailed on me. So that left, Em, as my sole source of entertainment.” This time, he pauses before and after my nickname as if he’s underlining it.
Jake’s shoulders go rigid.
“Would you rather I take her to bed or out to eat?”
“Watch your mouth.” A red tint creeps up Jake’s neck and over his cheeks as Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Martin, two of our town’s mainstays, scoot their chairs in our direction.
“You’re the one who left last night.” Spencer arches an eyebrow as he makes a big production of lifting his arm and studying his watch. “And never came back. I guess you had something better to do than hang out with your roommate and best friend.”
Yeah. He did. With Amanda. After telling me to get lost. A knot tightens inside my chest. Why do I care if he’s upset?
He’s made it clear that I’m not worthy of spending time with.
He might like to control what I do, but it’s not out of some undying love that he’s stuffing down to avoid upsetting Kaleb.
Jake’s gaze shifts to me, sharp and furious. “Em, I’ll take you home before you do something you’ll regret.”
“Relax, I’m not embarrassing you anymore.”
“What?” Jake frowns like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. I’m not buying that for a second. Last night, he couldn’t get me out of the kitchen fast enough to keep Spencer from seeing what I had on.
“You’re not my boss.” I straighten in the booth, lifting my chin. “And I can go out with whoever I want. Whenever I want,” I add, forcing my voice to remain steady. “And do whatever I want while I’m out with him.”
His head jerks back. “You’re still in high school.”
“I’m eighteen. I’m not a baby.” I glare at him, daring him to say something else.
“Then stop acting like a brat.”
Something inside me snaps. Heat rushes to my face as the café falls silent around us. Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Martin are practically falling out of their chairs now.
Of course, he’d do this. Make a scene. Humiliate me in front of half the town. If I didn’t already hate him, this would’ve done it.
He was right. I was na?ve. A child. But not anymore.
I keep my eyes locked on Jake. “Spencer, let’s go somewhere else. Somewhere we don’t have an audience.”
When Spencer doesn’t respond, I shift my attention to him, finding a grin spreading across his face. He’s clearly enjoying every second of this. “You’re on, love.”
Jake steps forward as if he’s been propelled into motion. “Em, I’ll take you home.” His hand moves like he’s going to grab my arm.
“Don’t.” I jerk away before he can touch me. “You already made it clear that you don’t want me around.” I push past him as I slide out of the booth.
Jake stands there like he can’t believe I didn’t listen to him. He lets out a choked laugh, “Unbelievable.”
“Relax, man, we were only having dinner.” Spencer places his hand on my shoulder.
Something dark flashes across Jake’s face as I meet his gaze. Spencer says something else that I don’t catch because Jake is still watching me. My pulse roars in my ears. Neither of us are moving. Like we’re in the middle of a standoff that’s been years in the making.
Fine. I grab Spencer’s shirt and kiss him. He freezes for a second before kissing me back. My eyes are still firmly planted on Jake, letting him know exactly what I think of him dictating my life. I’m over it. I’m over him.
When I pull away, Jake still doesn’t move. Finally, he says with a nod toward Spencer, “It looks like you’ve already made your choice.”
“You made that choice for me last night.”
Jake drops the white takeout back onto the closest empty table and exits the café without a backward glance. Something twists in my chest. This isn’t how it was supposed to feel.
I told myself I’d forget Jake Thompson. I just didn’t know it would take four years to stop loving him.