Chapter Five
Savannah went to check herself in the mirror. It wasn’t like she was dressed up or anything – she and Jake were only going over to the plaza at Four Mile Creek. But still, she wanted to look nice.
It might not be evening, but it was still a date. The face that stared back at her made her wonder if she should take Tiff up on her offer. Tiffany was always saying she could do her makeup for her or teach her to do it herself.
Savannah ran her fingers through her hair. She was fine. She wasn’t the kind of girl to wear loads of makeup – she never had been. Just because she was excited about seeing Jake didn’t mean she needed to start now.
Her heart sank. She had to remember that she wasn’t really seeing Jake. This wasn’t going to go anywhere, no matter how much she wanted it to. She’d promised herself no more than a handful of dates.
Of course, she’d love more than that. But…
She blew out a sigh. Part of her wanted to say screw it.
Her mom – and her mom’s problems – had dominated enough of her life already.
Was she really going to let the chance at a relationship with a wonderful guy like Jake slip through her fingers just because she was afraid her mom’s mess might come back around?
She blew out another sigh.
She knew damn well that if she told Jake what was going on, he’d be right there by her side if Rick did come back and give her any more trouble – whether they were seeing each other or not.
And besides, there was no guarantee that Rick would show his face again.
But when he’d shown up just after Sadie came home, he’d made Savannah’s life miserable.
Things had gotten so bad that instead of starting a new chapter here in Summer Lake, like she’d planned, she’d moved down to the city just to get away from him and his threats.
She often wondered what might have happened between her and Jake if she hadn’t left. The attraction had been mutual; neither of them had hidden it even back then. Jake was new in town. She’d just gotten her job at the resort in Summer Lake.
It didn’t matter what might have happened – none of it had. Rick Harlow had made her life so miserable that she’d fled.
She checked her watch. Whatever hadn’t happened between her and Jake in the past, something was happening now. They had a chance – whether it turned out to be just a few dates or whether she decided to take the risk of letting Jake know what was really going on.
She grabbed her keys from the little table by the door. She could worry about all of that another time. For now, she was going to pick Jake up so they could go for lunch at the café.
She smiled as she climbed into her Camaro.
Jake had said he’d come pick her up, but he’d driven last time – and she wasn’t the kind of girl who was used to being chauffeured anywhere.
She would’ve been happy with it; it was sweet of him to offer.
But she knew he loved the Camaro almost as much as she did.
When they’d gone to help Cara out on the hill the other night, he’d told her that his insurance through the business covered him to drive any vehicle.
Normally, she wouldn’t let anyone sit behind the wheel of the Camaro.
But since it was Jake – and since he was insured – she planned to see if he wanted to drive over to Four Mile Creek.
He’d joked before about how envious he was. That was one of the many things she loved about him. He didn’t just respect that she knew what she was doing when it came to cars – he was as enthusiastic and as knowledgeable as she was.
She smiled to herself as she pulled away from the apartment. Well… he was almost as knowledgeable. Probably more, in a lot of ways. But she was pleased with herself that she’d known something he hadn’t when it came to Cara’s little Civic.
It was weird driving through Jake’s neighborhood.
It felt like going back in time in some ways.
Some of her friends had lived over here when she was in high school.
Thinking about Elle and Abbie made her smile.
They were both living back here in Summer Lake now, even though they’d moved away after high school.
She hadn’t spent much time with them since they’d come home – she was usually too busy to hang out with friends.
She’d seen more of Elle since she’d moved in with Tiffany.
Tiffany was Elle’s friend from the city, and she’d moved here to the lake to work in the salon that Elle’s mom owned.
Savannah smiled when she passed the corner that led to Abbie’s old house.
She could just imagine the younger versions of herself, Abbie, and Elle walking down the street as they had all those years ago.
These days, Elle was with a wonderful guy named Donovan, and they had a small daughter named Skye. Donovan might not be Skye’s biological father, but there was no mistaking that he was her dad. The three of them made such a cute little family. Savannah loved that for Elle.
And Abbie was with a guy named Ivan. He looked like a bit of a tough guy, but he was a sweetheart. Last time she’d seen Abbie, it had sounded like they were making wedding plans.
Savannah bit down on her bottom lip as she approached Jake’s house. Just because her old friends were settled down and moving into the next chapter of their lives didn’t mean she was going to do the same.
She glanced up at the house as she parked next to the curb. It didn’t mean she should go getting carried away, wishing for that kind of future for herself. Although… she’d love to think it might be possible.
She was climbing out of the car when Jake called, “Hey, Savannah.”
“Oh, hi! Sorry, am I late? Were you waiting for me?”
He shook his head with a smile. “You’re not late. And yeah, I was waiting for you – but only because…” He gave a little shrug. “I might as well say it – because I was excited for you to get here.”
That made her smile. “I was excited too,” she confessed. “That’s why I was surprised when I thought I was late. I was more worried I’d be too early.”
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as too early if it means I get to see you. Do you want to come in?”
She looked from him to the car and back again. “Do you need to get ready?”
“No, I’m ready to go if you want to – but I thought we could hang out for a while before we head over there.”
“Sure.” She followed him up the path and into the house.
She’d been here before, a couple of times.
Josh lived here too. As Jake led her into the living room, she hoped he hadn’t brought her to see Josh.
She loved the guy, but since he worked from home, he might be around.
She was relieved to see the living room was empty.
“Can I get you a drink or something?” Jake asked.
“Are you having one?”
“We can if you like.”
“Do you still want to have lunch over at the café in the plaza?”
“I do. I’m looking forward to that.”
“Then let’s wait, shall we?”
He took a step toward her, and her heart started to pound. “We could just get going,” he said, looking a little bashful.
“We can – but…” She raised her eyebrows. “Would you rather stay here? Did you…” It was weird. It felt like he’d invited her in for a reason, but she didn’t know what that reason might be.
A small smile played on his lips as he took another step toward her. He was close enough now that she had to tilt her head back to look up into his eyes.
“What are you up to?” she asked with a smile.
He reached out to touch her elbow before letting his hand fall again.
“I think the truth is, what I’m doing here is…
screwing this up. But…” He straightened his shoulders, his big brown eyes serious as he continued, “The way everything went the other night – you know, with having to go out and rescue Cara and then seeing her home and…”
Savannah’s heart pounded even harder. She thought she knew what he meant.
By the time he’d taken her home at the end of their evening, it had felt more like they were friends – maybe even co-workers – hanging out together.
When he’d walked her to her front door and said goodnight, without even for a second looking like he was going to lean in for a kiss, she’d started to wonder if he only saw her as a friend after all.
“Our evening didn’t end the way I hoped it would,” he said softly. “So, I guess what I’m saying is… how would you feel about starting our afternoon with a hello kiss – just in case something comes up that means we don’t get a goodbye one?”
A ball of tingly excitement started to spin in her chest. Of course she’d been hoping for a kiss before this date was over, but it wouldn’t have occurred to her to start with one. She nodded slowly, knowing she was wearing a huge smile.
He took one last step and closed the distance between them. Resting a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a rueful smile. “I know it’s not exactly a smooth move, is it? Did I screw it up?”
She laughed. “Not at all. It might not be smooth, but it works.”
His other hand came up to touch the side of her neck. Goosebumps raced over her skin as he closed the final distance between them. Before she knew it, he had one arm around her waist, and both of her arms had found their way around his neck.
He was a big guy – tall, broad, muscular. She liked to think of herself as strong and capable, but standing here like this, pressed up against him, she felt kind of small and… delicate wasn’t the right word, but it was something close.
His eyes seemed to shine as he lowered his head toward her. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?”
She smiled. “I think I probably do. I think… about as long as I have.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “I think so.”
“I think it’s been longer for me,” he said.
She doubted that.
“See, I wanted to kiss you the first time I met you.”
A rush of warmth filled her chest. “I was right,” she told him. “That’s exactly as long as I’ve wanted to kiss you.”