4. Jake
CHAPTER FOUR
jake
My traitorous eyes kept wandering toward the guest house while I prepped dinner.
I wasn’t even sure what I was hoping to see.
Caitlin walking out of her front door? Caitlin cooking dinner for herself and Whitley, or dancing with her in the living room?
It had been a couple days since they moved in next door, and I hoped they were settling in okay.
Sunbeams filtered through the window, the panes casting shadows over my kitchen. I was in the middle of chopping vegetables when I caught a glimpse of movement in the guest house windows.
A sharp pain radiated through my hand as I nicked myself with the tip of the knife.
“Fuck,” I muttered, lifting my hand to inspect the damage. A small red bead welled on my finger, and the knife clattered onto the cutting board as I heaved out a sigh, abandoning the food to clean the wound and put a bandage on it.
I really needed to get a grip. If watching out my window for Caitlin didn’t make me a stalker at the very least, it also clearly wasn’t doing me any favors health-wise.
The last thing I needed was to lose a finger because I was distracted by my friend’s older sister.
Besides, she just got a divorce from the man she’d been with since college.
It was foolish to think she had—or would even develop—romantic feelings for me.
I was also technically her landlord now.
There had to be some ethical or moral line that I shouldn’t cross, even if I wanted to.
But I couldn’t deny the pull I’d felt for Caitlin since I met her at SGU. Perhaps I was an idiot for harboring feelings all this time.
Frustration coursed through me as I thought about the day we found out Adam served her divorce papers. On Valentine’s Day. Her birthday.
“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Ellison pulled me into a hug the moment I stepped through the front door.
“Happy Valentine’s, Ellie girl.” I leaned into her, balancing a tray of store-bought sugar cookies in my hand. Pulling away, I looked around for Colter. “Where’s the big man? I’ve gotta give him his V Day smooches.”
She pointed toward the kitchen, shaking her head with a laugh. “He’s in there. Go crazy.”
“Perfect.” I headed in that direction, calling out, “Oh, Colty! C’mere so I can give you a kiss!”
“You put your mouth on me, and I’ll seriously punch you. My wife’s the only one who gets to do that,” he yelled back.
“Aw, but she said it was all right. Why do you deprive me of your love? And on Valentine’s Day, no less.” I pouted my lips and gave him big puppy dog eyes.
All I got in return was an eyeroll and the middle finger.
Laughing, I asked, “Where do you want these cookies?”
He pointed to an empty spot on the counter. “You can just set them there.”
“Roger.” I put the tray down then headed back out to the living room where Reid, Isa, Mikey, and Juniper were watching a basketball game. “Whatcha got on?”
“Basketball,” Isa replied. “I think it’s college. I’m not really sure what’s going on, but it seems like it’s a good game.”
Someone knocked at the door, pulling us away from the television.
“That’s Hayden and Sierra,” Ellison squealed as she jumped up from her chair to answer the door. She seemed more cheery than normal, and maybe a little nervous. She and Isa were conspiring about something. I was sure of it.
“I’ll go get some drinks for everyone.” Reid cleared his throat and made his way into the kitchen.
“How’s everyone been?” Sierra asked, to which we all gave varying responses of well.
Everyone made small talk. Hayden, Mikey and I discussing sports, and the girls talking about whatever they liked to talk about, until Reid came back to hand out mimosas to all the girls and beers for the guys.
“I’d really love to go to a Wranglers game,” I said, going back to my conversation after cracking open my can.
“Even though they’re probably going to suck as much as they did last year?” Mikey patted me on the back.
Hayden shrugged. “At least he’s loyal.”
Before Mikey could add anything else, Colter cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.
“So, I’m guessing you’re all wondering why we wanted to host a party today,” Ellison started to say. “And no, it’s not because we just like Valentine’s Day.”
Sierra coughed and said something that sounded a lot like, “I knew it,” under her breath, and Hayden started laughing.
What the hell is going on?
I didn’t have to wonder for long, because Colter blurted out, “We’re having a baby!”
The whole room erupted into chaos, cheers and congratulations floating around the space.
“When are you due?” Isa had launched herself at Ellison, being the first one to wrap her in a massive hug.
“End of August.”
I started counting on my fingers. “Wait, does that mean…” A laugh ripped out of my throat. “NFR baby?”
A stupid grin spread across Colter’s face as he nodded. “NFR baby.”
The conversation and congratulations continued, Isa grumbling that Reid kept it a secret from her and him in turn joking about her having a big mouth. Mikey made a joke about Colter having daddy energy, which made us all groan and roll our eyes until Colter quieted everyone down.
“Should we all toast to a happy, healthy, preg—” Colter’s toast, cupcake in hand, was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. Concern riddled his features when he looked at the caller ID. “Sorry, baby, I need to take this.”
“Who is it?” Ellison asked.
Colter whispered in her ear, and both of them disappeared into the bedroom, leaving the rest of us shocked and unsure of what to do next.
The group of us shifted awkwardly on our feet until Juniper asked the question I was sure all of us were wondering.
“What’s going on?” Her brows furrowed.
Isa chewed on her bottom lip as she replied, “I have no idea.”
Quiet tension enveloped the living room as we waited for our friends to come back out.
Hayden finally broke the silence. “Hey, you just finished your guest house, right, Jake?”
Thank God. Something happy again.
“Sure did! It looks super nice. We could have a housewarming party next,” I replied, the words tumbling out of my mouth. “Gotta get some furniture in there and make it all homey, but it should be usable in the next couple of months.”
“That’s awesome, man.” Reid clapped me on the back. “I’m sure you’re really proud of it.”
“Yeah, I am. Might need some help decorating it from you ladies, though.” I laughed, hoping to lighten the mood. “It’d look like bachelor pad 2.0 if I was the one decorating. Probably not that appealing to the people I’m trying to reach.”
“Oooh, yes please!” Isa nodded. “I’m not a professional interior designer or anything, but I love decorating.”
Despite my attempts, the air was still tense, but fortunately, Colter and Ellison emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later.
A heavy sigh fell from Colter’s lips as he stepped back into the living room. “Sorry, guys,” he bit out, his voice sharp and harsh.
“Is everything okay, man?” Reid asked what I was sure the rest of us were thinking.
“It was Caitlin.” Colter’s jaw hardened.
A million thoughts raced through my mind. A million different worst-case scenarios.
What happened? Is she hurt?
Did something happen to Whitley?
“Adam just served her divorce papers.”
I shook my head, dispelling all my thoughts as I headed back out to the kitchen. My job was to make sure Caitlin was comfortable and felt at home in the guest house. To make sure she had everything she needed as a tenant. Nothing more, nothing less.
This time, when I got back to work, I purposely avoided looking across the lawn, and forty-five minutes later, I successfully had a meal waiting for me at the dining table with plenty of leftovers to last the week.
Unfortunately, the moment I sat down, a loud, repetitive beeping pierced through the air.
The fire alarm in my house wasn’t going off, so it had to be the one in the guest house. My heart started pounding in my chest as I threw on a pair of boots and barged through my front door.
Sure enough, the sound increased in volume as I approached the guest house.
“Caitlin?” I called out, but the door didn’t open. I rapped my fist against the wood a few times but still received no response.
Fuck. A million different scenarios carved their way through my mind.
What if Caitlin was hurt? What if there was a fire and the whole house was about to go up in flames? Where was Whitley while all this was happening?
I put my hands on my head, trying to think of what to do. I could keep pounding on the door, but if Caitlin was hurt and couldn’t get there, that would do me no good.
I could call the fire department, but who knew how long it would take for them to respond.
I could kick down the door, but then I’d have to fix it.
“Caitlin!” I yelled. “Cait!”
Either the fire alarm drowned out my voice, or Caitlin was seriously hurt and couldn’t get to the door. Regardless, I needed to get in the guest house to make sure everything was okay.
Think, Jake, think.
Pacing back and forth, I let out a string of curses before it finally dawned on me. I had a spare key to the house. It was underneath one of those fake rocks.
Taking the steps two at a time, I squatted to grab the key, then I popped back up and returned to the door. I pushed the key into the lock, turning it until I heard the satisfying click.
I’d imagined a lot of things going on behind the door, however, the last thing I expected to see when I threw it open was Caitlin in only a towel.
She was fanning the smoke that billowed out of the open oven with one hand while the other held the fabric shut.
Water dripped from the ends of her dark hair, pooling on the ground in a puddle.
I cleared my throat to get her attention, and she spun around at the sound.
A high-pitched scream came out of her mouth, but her free hand flew to her chest when she realized it was just me. “Oh my God! Jake you gave me a fuck—I mean, freaking heart attack! What are you doing?”
I grimaced, my lips pressing into a thin line. “I heard the fire alarm, and you didn’t answer the door when I knocked and yelled for you, so I got worried. What exactly happened here? Where’s Whitley?”
Caitlin’s eyes rolled toward the ceiling as she huffed out a breath.
“I was making dinner.” A sheepish look flashed across her face.
“I decided to take a quick shower after I put the food in the oven, but I guess the timer didn’t go off.
And, well, I’ve never been great at keeping track of time, so here we are.
Whitley’s in her room playing. She’s fine.
Other than the fact that we don’t have dinner now, and she’s probably going to get cranky. ”
We stared at each other for a brief moment, me trying not to let my eyes wander up and down her body.
Her brows pinched. “Wait, how did you get in here anyway?”
I held up the key. “Spare key.”
“Right. T-that makes sense. Given you’re the owner of this house and all.” As if she was suddenly aware of her lack of clothing, redness crept into her cheeks. “Anyway, I should probably get dressed and figure out what I’m going to do for dinner since I’ve burned it to a crisp.”
The words left my lips before I could stop them. “Come over to my place for dinner. I made a ton of chicken, vegetables, and rice.”
“Jake, no.” Her head shook aggressively at the offer, and I wasn’t sure if I should have been offended or not. “You’ve already done so much. Heck, you’re literally letting us live in your house rent free. I can’t accept dinner from you, too.”
“What are you going to do instead?” I asked.
Her face paled, and her mouth gaped, opening and closing like a fish. “I’m sure I can figure something out.”
A small chuckle escaped my lips, and her eyes narrowed.
“What?”
My lips curled up in a grin. “You always let your pride get in the way of asking for help, Cait.”
“I do not.”
“Oh, yeah? Then prove it. Bring Whitley over and have dinner at my house. Let me help you.”
She opened her mouth like she wanted to argue but then clamped it shut. “Fine. But just this once. To prove I’m not letting my pride take over.”
Not if I can help it, I thought, but I simply nodded in agreement.
“Let me get dressed, and then Whit and I will meet you over there.” She must have noticed the doubt slipping into my expression, because she added, “Promise. I won’t bail on you.”
“I’m holding you to it.” I looked over my shoulder one last time as I stepped out the front door and made my way back across the lawn to my house.
Less than ten minutes later, a gentle tap, soft as a whisper, came from the front door.
I practically bounded over to it, only pausing with my hand on the doorknob to take a deep breath and compose myself so I didn’t look like an overeager puppy dog.
When I swung the door open, Caitlin’s lips curled up into a subtle smile.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“Come on in.” After staring at her a moment too long, I stepped to the side to allow her and Whitley to pass by me.
Whitley’s blonde curls were pulled back into little pigtails that bounced as she skipped into the house.
“Hiya!” she squealed, spinning around before latching onto my leg.
“Hello, Miss Whitley.” I patted her head. “Your hair is pretty.”
“Thanks!” It came out more like tanks, and she whipped her head toward Caitlin, saying, “See, Mommy, I’m prettier than you today,” before immediately letting go and running away, heading further into the house.
“Whit!” Caitlin called after her with a laugh, but she was long gone. “I’m so sorry.”
I waved her off. “She’s fine. I don’t have anything she shouldn’t get into.” At least I didn’t think I did. I looked over my shoulder before raising my brows and pursing my lips.
“Mommy!” Whitley yelled. “I found something! Can I keep it?”
“I’m gonna go get her.” She squinted and pointed toward the hallway before brushing past me.
I nodded. “Probably a good idea.”
A muffled, “What did you find?” followed by an, “No, you should put that back, you don’t want that,” rose from the office before Caitlin and Whitley emerged from the hallway.
A chuckle rose from my chest as Caitlin rolled her eyes at her daughter’s antics.
“She’s in her get into everything phase, apparently.
She’s so curious and loves learning, so I can’t really be mad, but if she’s in an unfamiliar place and I don’t have an eye on her, I swear she’d get into all sorts of trouble.
” She paused for a moment. “Thanks again for inviting us over, even though it was totally unnecessary and probably an inconvenience to you. Sorry about that.”
“Try again,” I said.
“Pardon?”
“You don’t have to apologize. I invited you over because I wanted to. Not as some kind of favor or because I felt like I had to.”
“Sorry.” She defaulted to apologizing again before realizing what she said. “Thank you.”
“That’s better. Come on. I made enough to feed a whole army.” I gestured toward the kitchen and dining table.