Page 80 of Five Alarm Kiss

“Hey.” Jake slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. “No one was hurt and things are replaceable.”

“I know,” she sniffed. “It’s just?—”

“Unimportant. Shit happens. You move on.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters to me.”

I matter to him?

“You have everything?” he asked.

Laurel nodded. She’d retrieved the invitations and had also packed a few personal items. She’d already brought clothes to Britt’s last night. Plus, she could always borrow some if she needed. Due to their height difference, pants would be too long, but in shorts and shirts, they wore close to the same size.

Her phone chimed. She closed her eyes with a sigh, making no move to look at it.

“Aren’t you gonna check that?” Jake asked.

“I’m sure it’s just my mom wondering when I’m bringing the invitations.” Since he was watching, she took her phone out of her pocket and glanced at it.

Mom

Are you on your?—

“Yep.” She stuffed it back into her pocket without reading the rest.

“Where does she live?” Jake asked.

“Eagle.” It was a ritzier suburb of Boise.

“That’s on the way,” he said. “We can swing by there before I drop you off at Britt’s.”

“No!” The word came out harsher than she’d intended.

He raised an eyebrow. “It’s no problem, Princess.”

Laurel’s phone chimed. No doubt, her mom again.

“It’s not on the way to Britt’s,” she argued. “It’s past it.”

“They’re both north, aren’t they? So, on the way,” Jake reasoned.

His questionable logic made her bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. “You’d have to backtrack.”

He shrugged. “It’ll save you a trip.”

Her stupid phone chimed again. Definitely had to be her mom, annoyed that she hadn’t immediately responded.

“Jake, really. I can go la?—”

A third chime rang out.

“Oh, my heck! Really?” Her mom was going to drive her crazy.

Jake mimed tipping his invisible hat. “Lockwood limo at your service.”

She did laugh this time. “Okay,” she relented. She’d have Jake stay in the car, run in, run out, and that would be that. There was no way she was going to subject him to her parents.

Fishing her phone out of her pocket, Laurel sent off a quick message before her mom could text again… which she would.

Chapter Twenty-One

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