Page 41 of Hardcore Vanilla
“Hey Jake, Michael,” Justin said from behind them, making both of them turn. “We’re about to start a pool tournament downstairs, do either of you want in?”
“Sure,” Michael said. “I’m in.”
Jake shrugged. Might as well. “Me too.”
******
When Jake disappeared with Justin and Michael, Sharon was finally able to relax a little more. She’d felt his gaze on her all night and it had made it really hard to pretend she was just there as Lexie’s friend. Especially because she swore she felt judgment. She might be just a teensy bit sensitive to that kind of thing, she reminded herself.
He might just be watching her because she was fucking hot and he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.
More likely it was some combination of both.
“So, you don’t miss California?” Wendy asked. She’d been enjoying hearing about some of Sharon and Kate’s adventures on the West Coast – and so had Ellie. Poor Ellie had been a little overwhelmed by Wendy’s super friendly questioning, so Sharon had stepped in to deflect since she’d happened to be standing there when the conversation had started. Actually, concentrating on making sure Ellie was comfortable had helped Sharon too. It had helped distract her from wondering what kind of impression she was making on Jake’s mom.
“On days like today when it’s freaking freezing...?” Sharon waggled her head back and forth, making a face. Both Ellie and Wendy laughed. “Sometimes I miss the weather, but that’s it. Mostly it’s nice having all four seasons. I’m still holding out for some snow. It’s been solongsince I’ve seen snow. I’m dying to make some snow angels. Snowmen. Maybe start a snowball fight. And it’s a proven fact that hot chocolate tastes better after being out in the snow.”
“Sitting by the fire afterward feels better too,” Wendy agreed, smiling nostalgically. “I can’t tell you how many times our kids would go out and play in the snow and then huddle by the fireplace when they came back inside. It was their favorite activity.” She chuckled. “Of course, the fact that I always brought them hot chocolate and warm cookies while they were doing that probably didn’t hurt.”
That did sound pretty amazing and Sharon felt a little ache in her ribs as she pictured it. Wendy seemed like the kind of mom that had always done little things to take care of her kids and make them happy. It sounded like a scene out of a storybook, the kind of thing she’d always imagined when she was a kid but had never experienced.
She’d had to sneak out to play in the snow and then was usually punished for doing so on returning. The only acceptable snow activity for her growing up had been skiing, and only when she and her parents visited a lodge that was specifically dedicated to that. Usually because they were doing some kind of networking or there was an event happening. Sharon was a good skier – her parents hadn’t wasted any expense on buying her lessons the first few times they’d gone – but it hadn’t been as warm and fun as what Wendy was describing.
For the most part she’d hung out with the other people her age who were also at the Lodge and had a good time. It hadn’t all been bad. But she couldn’t stop the sharp stab of envy as she pictured what it had been like for Jake, Lexie, and Patrick. Because she didn’t doubt for a moment that Patrick was included in that little scenario; she’d heard enough stories of how he’d basically spent all his time with Jake growing up to know that.
A few minutes later one of Wendy’s friends came over to ask her something and she excused herself from the conversation. Ellie said she was going to see what was going on downstairs – they could hear voices and laughter coming from the basement door, which was open – but Sharon found herself drifting to the hallway and front room.
On the way in she’d noticed the photos up in both spaces but hadn’t stopped to look at them. Now that she was on her own she found herself drawn to them, especially after hearing some of Wendy’s stories about Jake and Lexie’s childhood.
This house - this family - was like something out of a sitcom, Sharon mused as she looked over the photos. The kind of family she’d watched on television but hadn’t really thought existed. She wasn’t surprised to see that Patrick was in most of the photos as well. From what she understood, his parents were nice but not very involved. They hadn’t even come tonight, although she didn’t know why. Just that they’d been busy.
If this had been her engagement party her parents would have shown up out of social obligation, but they wouldn’t have had fun in this environment. Actually, they wouldn’t have really known what to do with themselves. There was no networking going on, just genuine human conversation.
Would be kind of fun to see them trying to fit in though.
The photos down the hallway were all formal portraits from school or team sports (apparently Jake had played baseball in high school) but the ones in the front room were more interesting. Lots of photos of family gatherings and of Lexie, Jake, and Patrick as kids. There were a lot of candids and photos where it was obvious someone had just called their names to get them to look at the camera before taking it. The contrast to the very few, very formal photos Sharon’s parents had up in their house, which tended to feature fake smiles and stiff poses, was stark. She pushed those thoughts away though, they only made her feel melancholy.
Sharon bent down to see a photo of a teenage Jake and Patrick at Christmas, both of them showing off swords that they’d been given as gifts, and she had to grin. Everyone knew that Jake had accidentally given Patrick the scar on his face, but it was still something to see the actual photographic evidence of the weapon. Both of them were pretty cute, grinning at the camera as they stood in fighting stances.
“What are you doing?” Jake’s deep voice startled her, and she jumped up straight in the air, squeaking slightly, before spinning around to face him. He was leaning against the wide doorway of the room, hands in his pockets, and she had no idea how long he’d been standing there watching her.
“You scared the crap out of me,” she accused, scowling at him. Her hands came down on her hips. “What are you doing sneaking around?”
******
Jake shrugged as Sharon glared up at him. The truth was, as soon as Ellie had come downstairs without her, he’d had the immediate impulse to go looking for her. Actually, he’d been fighting that impulse as soon as she’d been out of his sight, but he’d been winning the fight up until that point.
She wasn’t where he’d expected to find her though. The other rooms still had plenty of people milling in and out, and he’d seen his mom talking to her friend Connie, but this front room was empty. People were welcome in it, but for some reason hardly anyone ever used it, except at Christmas when his parents put up the tree.
Finding her looking at pictures instead of in the center of things…
Well, it was kind of throwing him a little. Especially after the revelation of Michael’s perspective on Sharon’s behavior earlier.
“I was just wondering where you were,” he said, tilting his head at her. “Usually you’re right in the middle of everything. It’s much quieter when you’re not. Seemed kind of weird.”
A month ago, he would have made that statement in a rather derogatory way. Tonight, he was more curious than anything else.
“I just wanted to see the pictures,” she said with a shrug, turning back to look at them, although she didn’t bend at the waist for a closer look, the way she had been before. Which was probably for the best, because, despite the tights, seeing her standing like that had been giving him all sorts of inappropriate ideas. “I’ll be back to get my share of attention when I’m done.”
