Page 11 of Forever, Finally

Jake had a bad feeling that living with Lily was going to be a unique brand of hell, so he was grateful when he had to work the next day. Twenty-four hours away from her would go a long way to restoring his equilibrium. At least that was the plan. When he walked into his house the following morning and found her cooking breakfast in his kitchen, he had to re-evaluate his strategy.

She stood in front of the stove, turning bacon. She wore brightly colored scrubs—teal pull pants and a print shirt, white shoes and no jewelry. Her still-damp hair had been pulled back into a braid. She looked beautiful.

As he paused in the utility room to pull off his boots, she called out a greeting.

“I can’t remember the last time I got up early enough to cook eggs and bacon, so be sure to put a star by this day on the calendar.”

“I’ll do that,” he said, hating how just the sound of her voice made his chest tighten. A midnight call to a car fire might have robbed him of several hours of sleep but it had done nothing to impede his libido. Damn it all to hell if he didn’t want Lily just as much this second as he had when he’d left.

“How was your shift?” she asked.

“Good. Busy.” He walked into the kitchen and headed for the sink to wash up. “Nobody got dead.”

She smiled at him. “I’m glad.”

“Me, too.”

He scrubbed his hands, splashed water on his face and reached for a towel. From there it was a short walk to the coffee.

“Did you get any sleep?” she asked.

“A few hours.”

“You could go to bed for a few more,” she pointed out as he filled a mug to the very top.

“Too much to do. What happened yesterday? Did you get everything lined up?”

“I did.” She motioned to the table, then served the breakfast. “Even as we speak, large fans are drying out the floor. The carpet is completely destroyed, but the hardwood seems okay and because the water went through so quickly, most of the sub flooring was spared. I have a new water heater coming in and if all goes well, I’ll be back in my house in about ten days.”

He was torn between needing her gone for the sake of his sanity and never wanting her to leave.

“Sounds good,” he said as he picked up his fork. “You got a lot done.”

“You left me the names of really good people. After my insurance agent got over the shock of what had happened, she sent out an adjuster and we’re all set to go.”

Lily sat opposite him and picked up a piece of bacon. “Once again I owe you.”

Jake scooped up eggs and shook his head. “We’re even. I can’t remember the last time anyone cooked me breakfast.”

“If you dated women who were old enough to cook, that would be a start. Or you could go over to your mom’s house. She would be delighted to have you around.”

“No thanks,” he said. “It’s enough that I live across the street and two houses down from my mother. I don’t need to be running over there every morning. She already thinks I don’t have enough of a life.”

Lily smiled. “You love the attention.”

“Sometimes.”

His dad had passed away ten years ago, leaving Jake the man of the family. He’d been in his twenties and more than willing to take on the responsibility. After all, how much could there be? He was the baby of the family. His three sisters were happily married and his mother had been ruling the world since before his birth.

But upon the death of his father, she’d alternated between fiercely independent and a need to cling. In a moment of weakness, Jake had made an offer on the house he now lived in and had set himself up for a lifetime of living within shouting distance of his mother.

“She’s terrific,” Lily said. “It’s not as if she ever just bursts in on you.”

“Right. She always calls to say she’s on her way over. Never mind that I might want to go out or have company.”

Lily raised her eyebrows. “Ooh, sleepovers. That could be a shock. After a night of amazing passion you wake up to find your mother in the doorway.”

“It’s never happened.”

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