Chapter Nineteen #2
She relaxed when she saw him standing by his truck. He didn't look irritated. Maybe a little concerned, but even that turned into a smile when he spotted her.
She hurried to him and he greeted her with a quick kiss. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"I am. Sorry I'm so late. It was crazy busy, in there – Sunday lunches are like that sometimes."
"I figured it must be busy, and it's not a problem. I mean, come on—my job interfered with our first date a hell of a lot more than delaying us by ten minutes."
She grinned at that. "I know, but that was fun. Your job doesn't feel like work."
He opened the passenger door for her, and while she fastened her seatbelt, he came around and got in. Once he was behind the wheel, he shot her a curious look. "I never thought about it before, but do you even like your job?"
She stared back at him for a few moments before letting out a short laugh.
"You know what? I can't say that I've ever thought about it before, either.
It's not really a question that matters, is it?
I'm grateful to have it. Taryn's a good boss.
Everyone who works there is nice. It's a good working atmosphere.
But enjoy it?" She stared out through the windshield as she thought about it. "Not really."
When she turned back to face him, she couldn't read his expression. "What's that look for?" she asked. "I'm not complaining. Like I said, it's a good job, and I'm grateful to have it."
He started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot before he spoke. "But you think working at the garage is fun?"
"Of course I do. It's not like work, is it? I mean, sure, you have to do the paperwork and the running the business side of it, but just getting to work on cars all day? That would be awesome."
He glanced over at her again. "It would, wouldn't it?"
She laughed. "What do you mean 'it would'? You already get to do it."
"Yeah, but I was thinking about you." He reached over and she took hold of his hand. "You don't want to take the assistant manager job, do you?"
She let out a breath. "No, I really don't. But the money will be better, and I don't want to let Taryn down. And..." She sighed. "And the downside is it’ll mean working pretty much every evening – I can guarantee that."
He blew out a sigh. "Yeah, and I don't want to talk you out of it if that's what you want to do."
"But...?" she asked.
He squeezed her hand. "Honestly, I don't know. But I keep thinking, and..."
She waited, wondering what exactly it was he was thinking.
But he shot her a rueful smile and said, "But here we are," before turning off the road onto a driveway that led down toward the water's edge.
"We can talk about it later. Are you hungry?
Everyone's here, but they wanted to wait for you to arrive before we ate. "
"Oh, no, you didn't need to do that. I'm sorry to make everyone wait this late."
Jake chuckled. "It's not a problem, and you don't need to feel bad about it. In fact, please don't. Jo will feel bad if you do. She just wanted to make sure you felt included."
Savannah's hand came up to cover her heart. "That's so nice of her. She sounds like such a sweet lady. You think the world of her, don't you?"
Jake nodded happily. "I do. And I'm hoping that you will, too."
~ ~ ~
Jake smiled when his dad’s hand came down on his shoulder. They were standing at the edge of the deck, watching Jo show Savannah the bluebird boxes his dad had nailed to the trees around the yard.
“I’m glad Savannah could come this afternoon. Jo’s taken a real shine to her.”
“Yeah.” Jake nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the two women.
His dad gave his shoulder a shake. “Seems to me that you’ve taken more than a shine to her.”
He finally turned to face his dad and straightened his shoulders a little, feeling somehow that this was a momentous occasion.
His dad cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that look for? You’ve had it bad for her ever since the first time you met her. You’re not about to tell me that you’re changing your mind, are you?”
“Far from it.” Jake might have looked serious as he prepared himself to tell his dad, but he knew he was grinning like an idiot and couldn’t stop as he said, “I’m not changing my mind about her, Dad. And I doubt I ever will – I’m in love with her.”
He was relieved when his dad grinned back at him, but he had to push on and add, “I’ve asked her to move in with me.”
His heart hammered in his chest as he waited for his dad to speak. It wouldn’t change anything if he didn’t like the idea, but it was important to Jake that he should. After a few moments, he said, “I know it’s kind of fast. But…”
“It is,” his dad agreed. “But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. When you know, you know, right?”
Jake felt himself relax. “Yeah, and I know.” He looked over at Savannah and Jo again, and then turned back to his dad with a smile. “Wait, hold on. You were already staying over here with Jo when I first arrived in town, right?”
His dad chuckled. “That’s right. And we probably moved even faster than you and Savannah are doing.”
Jake loved the way he smiled when he looked over at Jo and added, “And if I could go back and do it all over again, I’d move even faster still.
” His smile faded. “The only word of caution I’ll give you is don’t rush her.
From what I’ve seen of her, and from what Sadie and Harvey have told us about her, she hasn’t had it easy in life.
It might take her a while to get used to knowing that she’s landed on her feet now – with you. ”
“We’ve been taking it steady,” said Jake, “even though I know it doesn’t look that way.”
“Doesn’t matter how it looks from the outside, son. You know what you’re doing. Just remember that I’ve got your back if you need me, okay?”
Jake had to swallow a couple of times as his throat constricted. He punched his dad’s arm and said, “Yeah. Thanks.”
“And do you guys want to stay in the house? Is that the idea?” his dad asked.
“We do. But it’s going to take some working out. I don’t want to just throw Josh out on his ear, and Savvie doesn’t want to let her roommate Tiffany down either. We’ll figure it out – it might take a while, but we’ll get there.”
They both turned when Harvey came to join them.
“Did I hear you right?” he asked. “Are you trading roommates?”
Jake gave him a puzzled look.
“Well, it seems to me like you’re finally getting the hang of things and moving Savannah in with you. And no, I’m not being nosy. I just pay attention,” he added with a wink. “So, it seems to me like you could do a straight swap.”
“A straight swap?” Jake’s dad asked.
“Yeah. Send Savvie over to live in the house in town with Jake, and Josh can move into Savvie’s apartment — with that colorful girl.”
Jake had to laugh. “That colorful girl? That almost sounds as though you might like her. Up until now, I’ve only ever heard you call Tiffany ‘that city girl.’”
Harvey shrugged nonchalantly. “I went into the salon the other day.” He ran his hand over his head.
“I might not have much hair left, but what’s there grows a bit wild these days.
Usually I just take the trimmers to it myself, but …
” He chuckled. “But if the girls can have a spa day, I don’t see why I can’t.
I took myself in there and asked her to cut it for me. She did a good job as well, I reckon.”
He reached up to tug his ear. “Turns out she even has a little trimmer for these things.”
Jake couldn’t help laughing at that.
“Anyway. She might be from the city, but she’s all right, that one. Best of all, she has young Savannah’s back. And that’s a whole lot more important than whatever the color of her hair might be.”
“It’s true,” said Jake’s dad. “She’s been doing Jo’s hair since she arrived in town, and Jo thinks the world of her.”
Jake tensed a little when Sadie came to join them. He liked her, but he had to wonder how she might feel about Harvey’s suggestion. She was thrilled that Josh had come to live in Summer Lake, and he knew she was pretty protective against anything that might put him off staying.
Harvey didn’t seem to have the same concerns. He turned to her with a grin. “Hey, honey bun, you like that Tiffany girl, don’t you?”
Sadie gave Jake and his dad a wary smile before asking, “Why, what are you up to now, Dad?”
Jake chuckled when Harvey winked at him. “I was just telling Jakey here that they should do a roommate swap.”
“Oh!” Sadie’s eyebrows shot up. She looked at Jake then over to where Savannah was now laughing with Jo about something.
Jake let out a breath when she smiled. “I take it that means things are going well for you two?”
He nodded.
“I’m glad. She deserves some happiness.”
“That’s what I said,” Harvey told her. “And she couldn’t do any better for herself than this guy – he’s a good ’un.”
“And I couldn’t do any better than Savannah, she’s the best.” Jake knew Harvey didn’t mean it that way, but it kind of sounded as though Savannah was lucky to have found him.
As far as he was concerned, just because life had been kinder to him than it had to her, that didn’t mean there was any kind of inequality between them.
He felt like he was the lucky one – and he needed them to know.
Sadie smiled. “I think you guys are perfect for each other. But what kind of roommate swap … oh!” Her eyes grew wide.
“Tiffany’s Savannah’s roommate.” She turned to Harvey.
“And am I right in guessing that this roommate swap is your idea?” She shot Jake a quick smile.
“Don’t worry, I’m not upset about Josh needing to move out – more concerned that someone is meddling where they shouldn’t, right, Dad? ”
Harvey chuckled. “I wouldn’t call it meddling, honey bun. I was only making a suggestion, and it seems like a pretty smart one to me. She’s a good girl, that Tiffany.”
“She is,” Sadie agreed. “But our opinions aren’t the ones that matter. It’ll be up to Josh what he wants to do – and Tiffany. I can’t see her taking too kindly to being told that she’s getting a different roommate.”
“You might have a point there,” Harvey agreed. “She’s feisty, that one. I doubt she’d be happy being told what to do in any sense.” He shrugged. “Like I said, I was only suggesting.”
Jake left them to it and went to join Jo and Savannah in the yard.
He loved that the two of them were getting along so well.
Jo had kids of her own, but she didn’t see much of them.
Didn’t get along all that well with them from the impression he got.
He’d asked his dad, and he wouldn’t say anything against them, but Dalton at the gym had told him that Jo’s daughter, Mallory, was disliked by all the staff at the restaurant and the lodge – after just one weekend visit.
He just hoped that Jo and Savannah might become friends, might even come to fill a role in each other’s lives that was empty otherwise.
Just before he reached them, he inhaled sharply when the words mother-in-law and daughter-in-law ran through his mind.
He hadn’t thought he wanted to get married any time soon.
Not that he was against the idea, just that it was something for farther down the road. But …
His heart buzzed with happiness when Savannah saw him and a huge smile lit up her face. “Have you seen the bluebird boxes?”
He nodded happily, already thinking he’d have to make some for the yard at home for her. He might not be in any hurry to get married, but he was eager for her to move in with him, and he knew that when the time came Savannah was the only woman he wanted for his bride.