Chapter Fifteen #2
He hurried to get the door when the bell rang.
He’d intended to keep an eye out for her — not stand there in his bedroom like an idiot.
He smiled when he checked his watch. She was early.
He’d wanted to go pick her up, but she’d said that she’d come herself when she was ready, since she needed to go home and shower first.
His jaw clenched again. He hated what she’d told him about kids calling her Stinky Savvie.
His heart clenched at the idea of a miniature version of her — just a little girl doing her best to take care of her mom and make it through life with no one to teach her about the basics, like showering.
He dragged his mind away from the question that had bothered him about that.
Her mom might have been sick, she might have been in a wheelchair, but why hadn’t she taught her daughter about basic personal hygiene?
He pushed the thought away and opened the front door with a smile — one that grew bigger when he saw her.
“Hey. Come on in.”
He closed the door behind her and cupped his hand around the side of her neck as he pressed his lips against hers. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, and her eyes shone as she looked up into his.
“That’s a nice welcome,” she breathed. He curled an arm around her waist, holding her to him as he kissed her again, more deeply this time. When he finally lifted his head, she chuckled. “And that’s an even better welcome.”
He laughed with her. “Sorry. I should probably have given you time to get in through the door and take your coat off first. But I’ve missed you. What can I say?”
“You don’t need to say anything. And you definitely don’t need to say sorry. I’ve missed you, too.”
“Well, we’ll make up for it tonight, then.”
Her eyes widened, and her chest rose and fell, making him wonder if she’d been thinking along the same lines he had earlier.
He hadn’t meant it that way, but maybe she thought the making up for missing each other might mean…
No. He had to stop going there. The way they felt about each other, there was no question in his mind that sleeping together would evolve naturally, and it was best to wait until it did.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“I am. I usually get a snack as soon as I get home, but I was in too much of a hurry to get showered and come over.”
“What do you think, then? Do you even want to take your coat off, or should we go now?”
“Go?” she asked, eyebrows raised.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I didn’t even ask you, did I? I thought we could go to Giuseppe’s tonight — you know, make up for our first real date that never actually happened when Troy called for us to go and help Cara.”
“All right, yeah.” She looked down at herself. “Yeah, if that’s what you want to do, we can go.”
“If you’re thinking you’re not dressed for it, you look gorgeous to me. But if you’re tired and don’t feel like going out…”
“I’d love to go,” she interrupted. “If you think I look okay, then I’m good to go.”
“Let’s do it, then. I figured if we go earlier, there’ll still be plenty of time to come back here afterward and watch a movie and hang out.”
He knew what she was thinking when her gaze flicked toward the living room door. He only hesitated for a moment before saying, “Josh is away this weekend. He’s gone to San Francisco.”
She might just take that as a detail about what their friend was up to, but part of him wanted her to have time over dinner to process the information.
Damn. He really wasn’t thinking about her spending the night.
Or he was trying not to. But now she’d have more time to consider it, knowing that Josh wouldn’t be on the other side of the bedroom wall.
~ ~ ~
Jake parked the truck outside Giuseppe’s and turned off the engine. When he turned to smile at her, Savannah chuckled. “I feel like we’ve been here before.”
He laughed with her. “We have, but hopefully this time we’ll be able to get a bit farther.”
Savannah inhaled sharply. She needed to stop thinking like this.
She hadn’t slept well all week because she kept having sexy dreams about Jake and about what the two of them might do together – and soon.
She just didn’t know how soon was too soon.
For him, or for herself. Pretty much everything he’d said so far tonight had felt like an invitation. And knowing that Josh wasn’t home…
She wondered if he knew exactly what she was thinking, given the way he smiled. She was almost tempted to ask. She kind of liked having things out in the open between them. Well, most things. She hated that she still hadn’t been open with him about Rick.
She reached for the door handle. “If we make it out of the truck, we’ll get farther than we did last time,” she told him with a smile — then froze at the sound of his phone ringing.
He cringed and shot her an apologetic look as he took his phone out of his pocket. “Shit. I can’t believe this is happening again. I…” He smiled when he checked the screen. “Oh, it’s okay. It’s my dad. But if you don’t mind, I’ll just take it quick to see what he needs.”
“Of course.” Savannah didn’t mind in the least — especially knowing that it was his dad.
“Hey, Dad,” Jake answered. “…Yeah. No, it’s all good.” He glanced over at her. “Yeah, I’m out with her tonight.”
Savannah gripped the strap of her bag a little tighter, hoping Jake’s dad didn’t disapprove of her or something.
“No, it’s okay. We just arrived at Giuseppe’s. We’re going to eat early.”
She relaxed a little when she saw the way he smiled.
“Yeah, I’d love that. If she can — I’ll ask her.” His smile faded slightly as he glanced over at her again. “But she might be working… Okay, yeah, I’ll ask… Okay. Love you, too, Dad. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. See ya.”
He ended the call and opened his door. “Come on. I’ll tell you on the way in. I’m scared if we sit here, I’ll get another call, and we’ll have to go out on a job.”
As she got out, she couldn’t help loving the way he’d said ‘we’d have to go out on a job.’ Last time, she’d immediately assumed she should find her own way home and let him get to work. Now it seemed natural that of course they’d go together.
But as he took her hand to walk across the parking lot, she was glad there was no job for them to go out on.
“Dad was asking if you want to come over on Sunday afternoon. We’ve all been hanging out together — Dad and Jo, Sadie and Uncle Dom, and Harvey, Josh, and me. This weekend, Dad and Uncle Dom want to try out this new grill that Jo bought Dad, so everyone’s going to their place.”
A rush of warmth filled Savannah’s chest. She missed hanging out with Sadie and Harvey, and from what she knew of Jake’s dad and his uncle, she liked them.
Jake grinned. “Does that smile mean it’s a yes?”
She sighed. “I wish — but you were right. I am working.”
“A split shift?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s like doing penance for having tonight and tomorrow night off.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Never mind, then. I’m just grateful we get two nights in a row. Although, you know… Dad’s place is only five minutes from the restaurant. You could come hang out there during your break instead of driving all the way home and back again.”
“Thanks. I’d like that.”
When they entered the restaurant, Savannah grinned when she saw Booker standing at the host station.
He was such a good kid. She’d wanted to hire him when he first arrived in town.
She was still working at the diner over the hill in Hidden Valley when he’d come in looking for work, wanting to wash dishes or do anything he could just to make a few bucks.
She’d run it by Alan, who owned the diner, but he’d said no — in no uncertain terms. He didn’t want that scruffy kid in his kitchen.
It had worked out better for Booker in the end. Tino had taken him under his wing and started him out in the kitchen washing dishes here at Giuseppe’s. Since then, Booker had become something of a fixture, and he’d even been kind of adopted by an older couple in town.
“Hey, Booker. How’s it going, bud?” Jake greeted him with a smile.
She probably shouldn’t be surprised that Jake knew him — or by how pleased Booker seemed to see him.
“Hey, Jake, I’m doing great, thanks. How about you? How are things at the garage?” He turned to her. “Hi, Savannah, it’s good to see you.”
He picked up a couple of menus. “Is it just the two of you?”
“It is,” said Jake, and he put his hand on the small of Savannah’s back as they followed Booker to a quiet table by the windows in the back.
“Thanks,” said Jake, looking around. He seemed to realize, like Savannah did, that this was one of the best tables.
Booker grinned at them. “You guys are awesome, and you’ve both been good to me. Why wouldn’t I give you the best table?”
Savannah’s hand came up to cover her heart. “Aw, thank you.”
He nodded. “No — thank you. I know you tried for me over at the diner, and that meant a lot. I’ll never forget that.” He smiled at Jake. “And I owe you big time for all your help teaching me how to keep Gramps’s truck in shape.”
He glanced back at the host station. “I better run. I’ll check in with you guys when I can but have a great time.” His smile faded. “Oh, shoot. Are you on a date and I’m here running my mouth at you?”
They both laughed. Jake shook his head, and Savannah assured him, “It’s all good. It’s good to catch up with you.”
“It is,” Jake agreed.
As they watched him hurry back to the host station to greet a couple who had just come in, Jake reached for her hand. “Did you try to get him a job at the diner when he first came to town? Is that what he meant?”
She nodded. “I did. He looked tired, cold, and hungry when he came in, and I felt for him. And you could just tell he was a good kid, you know?”
“I do know. I felt the same way when I first met him. He is a good kid.”
She chuckled. “And you know damn well that he’s good people if Max Douglas is letting him use his truck.”
Jake chuckled. “Yeah, I might not have the same kind of history around here that you do, but even I know that Max Douglas’s word is like an official endorsement.”
While they sat there eating, talking, and laughing, Savannah kept coming back to the moment — wanting to make sure she remembered every second of it. This was the best date she’d ever been on. If she were honest, it had to be the best night of her life so far.
Jake was such good company. He was funny, and the stories he told about his time in the Marine Corps made her like him all the more.
It wasn’t that he made himself out to be some kind of hero — more because he didn’t do that.
He told her about his friends, the men he’d served with, and little bits about situations he’d been in.
She loved hearing how he used to load his pockets up with candies to give out to the kids where he was patrolling.
She’d only ever thought of war as something terrible, and it didn’t feel good to admit — even to herself — that she thought of the people over there, wherever there might be, as the enemy.
Not as real people who were just going about their own lives.
And certainly not as children who had no idea what was going on.
She gave Jake’s hand a squeeze, loving him all the more knowing that he’d shown children that kind of kindness, even in those circumstances.
She caught her breath, glad he couldn’t hear what she was thinking: She loved him all the more?
If it was too soon to sleep together, it was sure as hell too soon to go anywhere near the L word.
But as she watched him drink the last of his beer before setting his glass down with a smile, she knew that too soon or not, she wasn’t just falling for him.
She’d already fallen.