Chapter Eight
Mia
“ S hould I fuck him?” Jocelyn discreetly asks me in the car when Vance looks down at his phone.
“Not when you’ve just met him.” I shake my head.
“Oh, c’mon. My girl parts are screaming, and he’s the first decent-looking guy I’ve talked to in a long time.”
“Nothing is screaming.” I laugh. “If you like him that much, I’ll give him your phone number.”
She turns giddy. “And that is why you’re the best!”
I shrug. “I try.”
Shortly after I had Jake leave, I introduced Vance to Jocelyn. The moment they locked eyes on each other, it was like watching a match catch fire. So quick, instant.
The more I watched them together, the longer the moment took my mind off the man I know is waiting at home for me. I don’t know whether to dread that fact or look forward to seeing him again.
I feel my blood practically boiling all over again. The audacity of that man… To follow me like I need supervision. So much for him treating me like an adult. He’s just as bad as Jonathan. To think I could trust him to keep his word, much less stay in his lane.
“Are you okay?” Vance’s question brings me back to reality.
“I’m fine.” I’m just plotting how delicious ways to tear Jake a new one.
He scoffs. “I know better than to believe a woman when she says she’s fine.”
“And you’re already the wisest man I know just for saying that,” Jocelyn praises him.
“Amen to that,” I agree with her.
He laughs. “If that’s one of the many ways to a woman’s heart, then so be it.”
Sometime later, the car stops in front of the Italian restaurant again. We all pile out, say our goodbyes, and begin to go our separate ways.
“I can drive you home, Vance,” I offer since he left his truck at the bar to come with me.
“Thanks.”
Exiting the parking lot, I start driving down the road.
“I meant what I said in the car earlier,” Vance says out of nowhere.
“What do you mean?”
“You say you’re fine, but I can see you’re thinking about something. Would that have anything to do with the friend you told to leave?”
I give him a polite smile, keeping my eyes on the road. “I appreciate your concern, but it’s really no big deal. Jake is just an overprotective watchdog Jonathan put on me. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“I remember him being like that when you were a kid, but you seem to take care of yourself just fine now.”
I chuckle. “That’s what I think, but you try telling him that. I’m guessing it’s some older brother mentality bullshit.”
“As an older brother, I get where he’s coming from. But don’t you think having Jake follow you is a bit much?”
“Normally? Yes. But you’d be amazed the lengths my brother will go to make sure I stay safe.”
“How did Jake find out where you were anyway?”
I shrug. “I can only guess he’s been following me from the moment I left home to meet up with Josie.”
“Was he visiting you or something?”
“Sadly, no. He’s living with me.”
“What?” From the corner of my eye, I can see the shock spilling across his face. “Why the hell is he living with you?”
“My previous roommate moved out with her fiancé. And Jonathan, being as overprotective as he’s always been, decided Jake should move in to keep an eye on me. I had no control over any of it, and by the time I discovered their master plan, the paperwork had already been signed.”
As partners in crime, Jake and Jonathan are the equivalent to Batman and Robin. Jonathan is the brains while Jake is obviously the brawn.
Vance shakes his head, seemingly bewildered. “I suspected he had balls, but…wow. That explains a lot.”
“Believe me, I plan to have a few words with my brother.”
“I meant Jake.”
After stopping at a red light, I turn toward him. “Why? What do you mean it ‘explains a lot’?”
“After you went to the bathroom, we had an…interesting conversation.”
“How so?”
“It was almost amusing, actually.” He laughs. “He was asking questions about you and me. About our relationship.”
“Questions?” The nerve of that man. Not only can’t he stay out of my business, he also can’t leave the people around me alone.
“He wanted to know how close we are and what kind of relationship we have. I’d swear he was fishing to find out if we’re dating.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course he was.”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
The light turns green, and I step on the gas. “He’s asking you those questions so he can relay the information to my brother. Believe me, there is nothing in my life that my brother doesn’t know about. It’s been that way from the time I was a kid.”
“I don’t know.” Vance shakes his head. “The way he was asking those questions, I didn’t get the vibe that he was gathering information. He sounded like someone who felt…threatened.”
“In what way?”
“The way a man who doesn’t want other men around his woman does.”
Is he saying what I think he’s saying? No. He can’t be. It’s not possible. “You’re wrong. Jake treats me like his best friend’s kid sister. Always has.”
“If that were the case, he would never have moved in with you.”
“Are you saying he’s lying to me?”
“I’m saying the reason he’s given you for moving in is bullshit.”
“I wish, but this has Jonathan written all over it. He’s always overstepped. And Jake seems more than happy to do his bidding.” I make a mental note to give Jake a stern talking-to when I get home.
“I’m just saying. A guy like Jake would never move in with a beautiful woman like you just to babysit. In fact, I’m willing to bet Jonathan has nothing to do with Jake moving in. Hell, he probably has no idea.”
Even if that were true, why would Jake lie to me? And if he is, why the hell would he move in with me in the first place? I can’t get ahead of myself or get my hopes up. This is Vance’s perspective, not fact or truth.
“You don’t look convinced.” Vance barges in on my thoughts. “But I know guy logic. The minute he saw me beside you, he started glaring daggers.”
“He was being a watchdog. A bit abrasive, but still a watchdog.”
“I know what I saw. And the way you looked at each other was like watching fireworks go off. The chemistry between you two was off the charts.”
“Chemistry?” I scoff. “There’s no chemistry. Far from it. I was angry at him, and he was dismissing how I felt. Again, to him, I’m just his best friend’s kid sister.” I accepted that fact a long time ago.
“Are you sure? Because it didn’t seem like he was dismissing you. I think he was teasing you. Maybe even flirting with you.”
“Are you saying he likes to get on my nerves on purpose? That sounds counterintuitive.”
He chuckles. “Not if he gets your attention.”
Did Vance not hear me? “You don’t understand. I’m a kid to Jake. He’s never liked me in the way you think and he never will. He’ll never see me sexually.”
Vance sends me another incredulous stare. “He’s living with you. And given the tension between you two tonight…I think you’re wrong.”
Maybe. But what if Vance is the one who’s wrong? In fact, there’s every chance he is.
Even so, I reflect back on my recent interactions with Jake. His teasing, our bantering, his aggravating ability to get on my nerves. Is it possible I’ve been misreading him?
That would mean he’s living with me for his own reasons. I’m not sure how to feel about that. Should I be flattered or horrified?
Neither. This is all just a big what if . But it’s consuming my thoughts. My questions multiply. And they have me craving answers.
Since Vance is staying temporarily with his parents, I pull up the curb in front their place, put the car in Park, and swivel to face him. “Sure, he likes to get on my nerves, but he doesn’t mean anything by it. Again, I’m a kid.”
“He wants you just as much as you want him.”
“I don’t want him.” My lingering feelings are just a schoolgirl crush, right?
“Sure you don’t.” He rolls his eyes.
“And he doesn’t want me.”
“You’re wrong. Let me prove it.”
“How?”
“Pretend you’re my girlfriend. Tell Jake we’re an item, and I can guarantee you, he’ll lose his absolute shit.”
Is Vance insane? “Why would I fake a relationship with you to prove a point?”
“Because, Mia, I think you’ve been lying to yourself. You aren’t acknowledging your feelings for him. Or the possibility that he has feelings for you.”
Ouch! “And if he doesn’t? Say I agree with your plan, and I tell Jake we’re dating. What if he doesn’t care?”
“Then nothing happens between you two, and you can bask in the knowledge that you were right. Then you can confront your brother and Jake until they respect your boundaries.” He shrugs. “You have nothing to lose.”
He’s right; I wouldn’t. If he’s wrong, I can go about life like normal, and no one will get hurt. But if his theory about Jake’s feelings are right… No. I refuse to get ahead of myself.
I’ll cross that bridge if I ever get there.
But why should I agree to this idea of his? I’ve managed to make a life for myself without Jake at the center. Why should I get my younger self’s hopes up again when I most likely already know the outcome?
At the same time, I can’t stop myself from feeling a cautious optimism.
“Say I agree to do this. What do you want in return?” No one in their right mind would do this merely out of the kindness of their heart.
“Other than to help you, could you put in a good word about me to Jocelyn?”
I knew there was a vibe between them.
That won’t be a problem, but I see a snag in his plan. “If you intend on pursuing Josie, how are you going to be fake dating me at the same time? How will you explain our…agreement to her?”
“Leave that to me,” he assures.
I hesitate. “How can you be so confident?”
“If there’s one thing you should know about men, Mia, it’s that they’ll do crazy things when they want something badly.”
He has a point. Jonathan decided to pursue Kiera even though it put the company at risk. Ian posed as Kami’s boyfriend without asking her first just so he could spend Thanksgiving with her. Who’s to say Jake wouldn’t do something just as jaw-dropping?
“Take this as food for thought and sleep on it,” he adds. “But I’m willing to bet Jake will go to insane lengths—including moving in—to keep you in his sights.”