Page 45 of A Lonely Road
I nodded, letting him steer me along like an errant duckling. “Why would anyone do that? What was the point?”
Jake’s fingers tightened around mine and he said, “I don’t know. Maybe kids screwing around, a game of truth or dare gone wrong?”
“But the skirt,” I whispered. “And the flowers.”
He paused for a second. “When you were sick, there were flowers outside your door. Forget-me-nots. I thought maybeyou’d picked them from my yard and dropped them at the door when something happened, but then you were sick and it slipped my mind.”
“It wasn’t me. Someone was on my porch.” My lungs felt too tight to draw a deep breath.
Whoever it was I bumped into that day with Sam, I had a hard time believing that the break-in wasn’t related, not with the skirt front and center. After talking it through with Jake, I didn’t really think it was Shawn, but who else would've seen the skirt I barely ever wore except for whoever the guy in the crowd was?
And why the flowers? Was it a warning? A cruel prank? How the hell would anyone even know where to find my apartment? The uncertainty rattled me.
“Hey,” Jake said, unlocking his door to set my suitcase inside before cupping his hands on either side of my face. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I’ll keep you safe. Trust me?”
“Yes,” I replied, covering his hands with my own.
“Then it’ll all be okay. I promise.”
It was late in the afternoon by the time we finished speaking to the police. Every time panic spiraled upward from my stomach, Jake managed to ground me again. I absorbed his calm, let his steadiness settle my racing thoughts.
Sam stopped over to deliver bags upon bags of takeout. She hugged both of us tightly before she left. “You let me know if you need anything, got it?” she demanded.
I managed a faint smile as I promised that I would. Jake’s house seemed even quieter than usual after Sam departed.
“So, now what?” I asked.
Jake laced his fingers with mine. “Now we let the police do their jobs. I have an alarm system here, we’ll be safe.” He cocked his head at me. “Do you want to get in touch with your dad, let him know about the break-in?”
For a long time, I didn’t respond. Even without mentioning recent events, especially that panic attack, the fact that my apartment had been broken into would likely have him rushing to my rescue. I loved my father, but I didn’t particularly want him intruding on the bubble of contentment that had formed around us—even if that bubble might already be on the verge of popping.
“Not yet,” I said finally. “I don’t want to worry him. Nothing was missing from the apartment, except my notebook, which cost eighty-nine cents during back to school sales last year. There’s not even much written in there. It could’ve just been some kids messing around?”
“Yes, it definitely could have been,” Jake replied, but his reassuring smile looked forced.“You hungry? Sam brought enough to feed an army.”
“You do know the way to a lady’s heart,” I said, but first I leaned into him, drawing comfort from his sturdy, steady presence.
For once in my life, I wanted to trust that things weren’t as bad as they might seem. I’d been doing everything alone for along time. It felt good to accept reassurance from somebody else, especially if that someone was Jake. Even now, his hands stroked through my hair, soothing, establishing a connection that was reciprocated in how my fingers tightened in the sides of his shirt, the way I nuzzled my face into his chest.
A sudden, overwhelming flood of emotion washed over us both. I felt it ripple through my limbs, and Jake tightened his arms around me.
“I didn’t realize how boring life was around here until you showed up,” he said gently.
I gave a short laugh. “I think you must be a little twisted to enjoy all this.”
He drew back just enough to give me a knowing look. “Well, I’m not enjoyingthis, per se. But sometimes being twisted can be fun,” he murmured. “I think even you would have to agree with that.”
With my cheeks rapidly heating under his gaze, I smirked. “Truer words have never been spoken.” Then both of our phones signaled an incoming text. I got to mine first and laughed. “Sam says there’s aPrincess Bridemarathon on TV tonight and that it would take our minds off things if we need a distraction.”
Jake groaned in mock horror. “I had other distractions in mind, but I guess I could handle a movie night instead. It is a classic, after all.”
“You didn’t get enough ‘distraction’ over the last few days? I’m impressed, Mr. Lincoln.” I batted hishand away as he reached for me. “I would've thought you’d be looking forward to some actual sleep. Your stamina is truly impressive.”
“What can I say? I can’t get enough of you,” he said, lowering his voice to a seductive growl.
I shrieked with laughter when he lunged forward and slung me over his shoulder. Instead of heading toward the stairs, however, he brought me into the small lounge tucked on the opposite side of the kitchen, then bent to lay me on a worn leather sofa.
“Welcome to my Dude Lair.”
