Page 349 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

He spun around, slid his arms around her waist, and tugged her to him.

At the last second her eyes widened. He realized kissing her right now was a bad idea. Instead of acting and not thinking it through, he pulled her into a hug that felt so familiar his knees nearly gave out. Their cheeks touched.

There was still the option to kiss her for a moment, like a question left unanswered. Rather than push his luck, he slid his head alongside hers and held her close.

He found his eyes had shut.

Felt her sigh in his arms. Heard her breathy, “Well.”

He wasn’t sure what that meant, but she didn’t push him away. Yell at him. Slap him. All of which she probably wouldhave if he’d laid his lips on hers. Fifteen years, and he realized he’d grabbed her. Said nothing.

“Adelyn.” Her name was a groan from his lips.

Neither of them made a move to exit the hug.

“Jake.”

Fifteen years ago she’d hated to be called the shortened version of her name, while he’d loved being “Jake.” But neither had realized how quickly things could go bad.

She shifted. Jacob let go of her, his cheeks flamed. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have ambush-hugged you.”

“It’s different when it’s you.” She glanced aside, a slight smile on her face, and he heard a muttered, “Always was.”

Jacob shifted. He didn’t know what to say to that. He settled on, “How are you?”

They’d gone their separate ways, seeing each other only once after he was released from the hospital. She’d stayed under observation for longer. The last time they’d seen each other had been a disaster, what with her mom being there and all. Not knowing what to say to each other.

For so much of their relationship, they’d settled on a physical release rather than talking. He could argue they were just teens who didn’t know better. Or that proved how futile it was that they hadn’t had a foundation to stand on when things got real.

It also wasn’t something they could change now. He’d had to process it as part of his moving on from their shared trauma, but no one could erase the choices they made.

Fifteen years later, they’d never even spoken once since the hospital. Both of them laid low. Then she left town, and they’d lived separate lives.

Addie winced. “I’m…okay.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “I’ll be in town for a while.” She rolled her eyes, looking a lot like the teen he’d known and been smitten with.“A work thing.” She shrugged, but he didn’t believe it was at all casual.

“It’s good to see you.”

“You, too. Seriously.” She reached out again and lay a hand on his arm. “I didn’t mean to cause you distress. It is really nice to see a familiar face.”

Jacob nodded. “Nice to see an ally.” At least, it seemed like that might be the case still. Truth was, he had no idea if she’d be on his side or not.

She frowned at that but didn’t ask him to explain.

“It was unexpected, seeing you.” His voice remained soft. “But that doesn’t mean bad.”

She nodded. “I agree.”

A handful of questions sat on the tip of his tongue, but none emerged.

“I have to get a couple of things.” She motioned down the aisle. “Walk with me?”

Jacob turned his cart even though he only bought smoked paprika and olive oil in this aisle. He got plenty of exercise at home but didn’t need to do extra to account for additional calories. And what reason did he have to celebrate anything? There was never cause for cake. Not even on his birthday.

He had enough issues. Indulgence wasn’t one of them, at least not with food. Indulging in more than a hug with Addie? The desire for that had caught him unaware. Now he couldn’t get his equilibrium.

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