Chapter Sixteen
When they left Giuseppe’s, Jake felt as though he was walking on air.
Tonight was the best date he’d ever been on — no question about it in his mind.
He didn’t think of himself as a romantic, but the low lighting and the candle on the table had been the perfect setting, even though he’d thought Booker was going overboard when he came over and lit the candle.
The restaurant had been quiet since it was early, but that just made it feel more special.
He held his arm out to Savannah and wrapped it around her shoulders when she leaned against him as they walked.
“Thanks, Savvie. Tonight was so good.”
She curled her arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze. “I’m glad you think so. I didn’t know if I should tell you, but I can’t not say it. That’s the best date I’ve ever had. And more than that… it’s the best night of my life.”
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, knowing she absolutely meant it — and hating what that said about her life so far. But then again, it was true for him, too, and he needed her to know.
“It’s the best night of my life so far, too.”
He met her gaze and held it, hoping he could somehow convey how he felt about her — just how deep his feelings already ran.
He felt a little disappointed when her gaze flicked away from his and she looked over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to him and saying, “I’m so glad. I know we haven’t been seeing each other for long, but…”
A small ball of disappointment settled in his stomach when she looked away again before continuing, seeming as though she’d lost her train of thought. “And I had such a good time tonight.”
He might not be a romantic, but the way she was acting left him feeling kind of flat. It felt so different from how she’d been over dinner. Maybe he’d bored her. Maybe he shouldn’t have talked about his time in the Corps so much.
Then again, he tightened his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple. Maybe he was just overthinking it.
“Do you want to watch a movie when we get back?” he asked.
“Do you have anything in mind?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I’m sure we can find something. Do you have any favorites?”
He relaxed a bit more when she chuckled and said, “I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that I love The Fast and the Furious.”
That reminded him of one of the many things he loved about her.
Yes, she was hot, and she was gorgeous — and more than that, she was attractive in so many ways.
But she also had so much more to her. It felt like they connected as friends, and that wasn’t something he was used to with a girl.
She wasn’t just any old friend, either, but one who could not only talk cars with him, but also fix them just as well as he could.
He tightened his arm around her when she gasped and startled at a sound behind them. Holding her close to him, he spun around, but there was nothing there.
She gave a shaky little laugh. “Sorry. I’m just jumpy, I guess.”
He laughed with her, feeling stupid — that he was so on edge about how she was feeling that he was jumpy, too. Maybe they both just needed to relax.
“I heard it too, must have been a cat or something.”
By the time they got back to the house, he felt like they somehow needed to recapture the mood from dinner that had felt so easy and right, but the walk home had somehow changed that.
He let them inside and went straight to the fridge. “Do you want a drink?”
He wasn’t a big drinker, but maybe it would help him relax again. It seemed like she felt the same way when Savannah said, “I’d love one. What do you have?”
He hesitated before opening the freezer — not sure that she’d want, or even approve of… He went for the fridge door instead. “There are a couple of beers in here.”
She made a face. “I don’t think I could manage another beer. I can get water or something.”
He opened the freezer and took out the bottle. “J?germeister?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Her eyes grew wide. “Isn’t that stuff kind of lethal?”
He shook his head with a smile. “Nah. It’s an acquired taste, I guess, but you might like it. You can just sip it — you don’t have to knock it back like a shot. And it tastes kind of smooth fresh out of the freezer.”
She didn’t look convinced.
“Try it and see. Although… you’re probably thinking about J?gerbombs. Trust me, Savvie — we’re not doing J?gerbombs. I was young and dumb once; I don’t need to be young and dumb again.”
She relaxed a little at that. “Okay, then. I’ll give it a try.”
~ ~ ~
They went and sat in the living room, and Savannah did her best to relax. She’d freaked out on the walk back here, convinced that Rick was following them. But she wasn’t even freaked out about what he might do to her. Not when Jake was right there with her.
What bothered her was that she still hadn’t told Jake that he was back in town. She’d promised him that she’d be honest, and so far she hadn’t, and she hated it.
She gripped the glass he’d given her, with the weird-smelling liquor in it.
She rarely drank anything other than beer, and she didn’t drink a lot of that.
But right now, she felt like she needed something to calm her nerves.
And if she had any sense, she’d use it for Dutch courage and use the moment to tell Jake about Rick.
She still didn’t want to. The last thing she wanted to do was let that damn man spoil this wonderful evening.
But if she didn’t say anything, she was in danger of spoiling it herself.
She could tell that Jake was wondering what was going on with her on the way home.
He’d been so sweet — and she’d only been half listening because she was so freaked out about Rick.
She startled again when Jake put his hand on her shoulder and asked, “If you really don’t like the idea of it, you don’t have to drink it. But there’s no need to look at it like that. It’s not going to bite you or anything.”
She let out a little laugh, but he didn’t laugh with her. The moment felt tense — almost as if he was pulling away, and she’d hate that. She brought the glass to her lips and took a sip, wrinkling her nose as the strange liquid touched her tongue and slid down her throat.
“Well, what do you think?”
She pressed her lips together, trying to figure out what she did think. After a moment, she said, “It’s kind of like… like licorice and herbs and—” she gave him a small smile, “—and trouble mixed together.”
She was relieved when his expression warmed, and added, “It tastes like something I shouldn’t like, but… I kind of do.”
He took a sip of his own drink. “I’d say that’s the best description of J?germeister I’ve ever heard.”
She hoped that would slice through the tension that seemed to have descended like a cloud around them, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
She took another sip of her drink, wrestling with herself over whether she should just come out and tell him about Rick and accept that it would spoil the evening.
Just as she figured out that was exactly what she should do — because otherwise the evening was spoiled anyway — Jake turned sideways in his spot on the sofa beside her and said, in a low, pained voice, “Savannah…”
Her heart squeezed in her chest. His tone made clear that whatever he had to say, she wasn’t going to like it.
“Yes?” she asked cautiously.
He blew out a sigh and rested his hand on her thigh. “I feel like things have changed. I don’t know what it is, but… do you want me to walk you home?”
Her heart leaped into her mouth. That was the last thing she wanted. But… She stared at him in confusion. When he said that things had changed… did he mean his feelings had changed? Did he want her to go home?
His eyebrows drew together. “It’s okay — you can tell me if that’s how you feel.”
“How I feel?” she asked, her voice coming out as not much more than a squeak.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I thought things were going great while we had dinner, but I don’t know… You seemed different on the way home. It was like you wished I wasn’t even there. And hey, if I’m overreacting, you can tell me that, too. I just…”
“Oh, Jake.” She reached out and cupped his cheek in her hand.
She understood what was going on now. “Please don’t think like that.
It’s all my fault. It’s not that I wished you weren’t there.
You have no idea how glad I am you were there.
And not just because… I don’t just mean I was grateful you were with me. I mean that it’s you…”
She pressed her fingers to her temples and dropped her head between her hands.
“Shoot. I’m not explaining this well, am I?”
“No,” he told her straight, but at least he put his arm around her shoulders while he did. “I don’t understand, Savvie. But whatever you need to tell me, you can just say it.”
She sat up straight and looked him in the eye.
“I’m really sorry, Jake. I said I’d tell you, and I haven’t.”
“Tell me what?” he asked, looking worried.
“I said I’d tell you if Rick ever came around again and… he’s back.”
She didn’t think she’d ever seen him angry before — and it was a formidable sight. She couldn’t blame him. She’d kind of been lying to him all week, even if it was only by omission.
He got to his feet and strode over to the window. He stood there with his back to her, and she started to shake. She should have told him sooner. She knew it. She couldn’t blame him for being mad at her.
She set her glass down and swiped away the tears that threatened to fall. “I’m sorry, Jake. I’m really sorry. You deserve better than that.”
She took a step toward the door, intending to grab her coat from the hall and leave. But before she took another step, he was right there beside her. His expression was pained, but he didn’t look angry.