Chapter 7 #2
Red, hot fury exploded in her chest when each room was cleared and she could only come to the realization that he wasn’t here. Jacob lived in a more wooded area of Copper Creek. The landscape wasn’t exactly easy to traverse when one was healing from multiple fractures.
She clenched her hands into fists and stormed out of the house only to nearly collide with the man in question.
Hallie gasped and overcorrected which sent her back against the house.
Her legs were unsteady but whether from the surprise or her fury, she couldn’t be certain.
Jacob didn’t seem any angrier than he’d been when she left, but his expression remained contemplative even if his eyes seared into her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, bite in her tone as she drew closer to him. Her focus swept over his body, searching for any indication that he’d done something stupid like overworking himself.
One solitary brow rose and there was something in the way it added to his angry stare that made the breath catch in her throat. “Excuse me?”
She collected herself as quickly as she could and wagged a finger at him. “Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?”
“Don’t flip this on me. You’re in trouble and you know it.”
This time he narrowed his eyes. “Am I now?”
“Yes, you are. You left.”
“So did you.”
She scoffed. This man was so infuriating. “I left because I needed a break.”
“Well, so did I.”
Hallie threw her hands into the air. “You can’t just up and leave without help. You were in the hospital—”
“I’m not an invalid, Hallie. I’m fully capable of—”
“You’re going to overdo it and ruin any chance you have at getting back in the arena,” she hissed. “And you know it.”
He scoffed but couldn’t seem to maintain his stare. She’d struck a nerve. Good. “Since when do you care? You’re the reason we’re in this predicament. We’re stuck together while I heal.” He spat the word like it was poison.
She gasped. He’d actually said it. He’d actually admitted that he blamed her for his situation. Of course she’d known there was probably an underlying belief, but to hear him vocalize it did something to her heart.
It seized up and stopped working for longer than should have been possible. She could feel the blood draining from her face only for it to return with a vengeance and make her go red-hot. Words failed her. But the threat of tears did not.
Hallie spun around and charged for the door.
Jacob sighed and called out, “Hallie—”
She didn’t bother slamming the door. He’d need to come in and even if she was furious with him, she wasn’t going to make him go through extra effort to enter. Her hands shook as she prepared his lunch with the food she’d purchased at Sal’s.
It felt like she’d attempted to swallow a golf ball for how hard the lump in her throat seemed to get. This wasn’t going to work. Staying here under his roof while he resented her would inevitably destroy their friendship beyond repair if it wasn’t already happening.
“Hallie,” Jacob’s soft voice startled her and she couldn’t hide it when she flinched at the sound of his voice. She refused to look at him, though. Right now, she just needed to get the courage to tell him she’d leave. That she’d find him someone who could stay here in her stead.
He was close, though he hadn’t moved into her line of sight. The heat of his body at her back nearly had her gasping but he didn’t touch her.
Thank goodness he didn’t touch her.
Every nerve was on edge. After the confession, the stress of worrying about his well-being, telling her friends the mess she’d made, and now this argument, Hallie wasn’t sure she could take it if he offered her one of his famous hugs.
One of the hugs that could always make the bad disappear.
“I’m sorry.” Jacob’s voice was hoarse. “I shouldn’t have said—”
“It’s not wrong, though,” she rasped.
“Yes, it is.” This time it came out stronger. “None of this is anyone’s fault. I’m…” He heaved a sigh and the temptation to look at him fully tugged at her. “I’m not in a good place right now.”
Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she gripped the countertop to ensure she didn’t do something stupid.
Like face him and pull him in for a hug she most definitely needed—a hug he probably needed as well.
“I’m sorry, too,” she whispered. “For what it’s worth.
I need you to know that.” Slowly, she glanced over her shoulder toward him.
He looked so worn down. So… broken. Her heart lurched, twisted. Seeing him like this did strange things to her. A muscle in his jaw feathered as he looked away when he spoke again. “I can’t say that I like the situation I’ve found myself in, but there’s nothing else I can do.”
“I could find someone else to stay here—” she started, but one sharp look from him had the words dying in her throat.
“No.”
“But—”
His jaw tightened further. He couldn’t exactly shake his head while dealing with the brace, but she could see just how much her offer bothered him. He confirmed it when he muttered, “I might not like having a babysitter, but if I’m forced to have one…” he met her eyes steadily. “I’m glad it’s you.”
There was no arguing with him. She could read the truth in his eyes, hear it in his voice. Hallie nodded because there was nothing else she could say or do.
“I’m going to try to do better,” he promised, “to rein in my temper.”
She blinked several times, unsure of how to respond. Thankfully, he saved her from having to do anything when he glanced down at the plate she was working on. “Is that peach cobbler?”
Hallie followed his focus. “Yes,” she whispered.
“It’s my favorite.”
“I know.”
“Thanks, Hallie. For everything.” Jacob slipped away before she could say anything else.