Page 46 of The Second Kiss
Mom shuffles the cards and then deals them around the table. “We play for chores or favors. Everyone writes a couple of chores on a piece of paper. Each round the lowest hand gets stuck with whatever chores are in the middle.”
“You're kidding,” Jacob laughs. He must think I have the weirdest family ever.
“Nope.” Dad passes out little pieces of paper.
I think for a minute, then write, ‘take my night for dishes’, and ‘vacuum my bedroom’. I glance at Jacob. He's staring at his pile of papers in perplexed concentration. I look away before he catches me watching him. There are a bunch of things I’d like Jake to do for me. None Nothing I want to share with my family. I write ‘change the oil in my car.'
I lose the first round. I can’t concentrate with Jacob sitting beside me, so I end up with Tyler's dirty laundry and cleaning Matt's biohazard room. Yuck. Kendra's is nicer; it just says, 'movie night.' It'll be fun to have a girl's night with just us. I unfold Jacob’s paper. It says, ‘breakfast in bed’. I blush. I can’t help but think how much I would like to serve Jacob breakfast in bed.
Matt sees my face and snatches the paper from me. “Breakfast in bed?" His eyes gleam mischievously. "Whose bed, Jake? Hers or yours?”
Dad shoots Matt the look he reserves for convicted felons and people who drive too slow in the fast lane. Jacob's ears turn pink. I want to crawl under the table.
Jacob keeps his focus on his cards. “It was all I could think of. It can be breakfast anywhere, okay? You can just buy me breakfast.”
“Good move. Then you don’t have to eat Jess’s cooking.” Tyler shoves a bite of pie into his mouth.
I give him a dirty look. “I'm an excellent cook. I made that pie you’re downing right now.”
Tyler stops mid-forkful. “Great, now I’ve been poisoned.”
“Keep it up, and you will be,” I growl back at him.
Mom pounds the cards on the table as she shuffles for the next hand. “Can we get back to the game? I’ve got a long list of chores I want done, and I’m feeling lucky.”
We play until it gets late. Jacob ends up with my oil change. Dad gets my turn with the dishes. Tyler opens ‘foot rub and pedicure’ from Mom. “Tomorrow after shopping, it’s you and me, bud,” Mom wiggles her bare toes for emphasis as Tyler groans.
Jacob stands up. “I need to go before I end up with something worse than that.”
“I'll try not to take too much offense to that," Mom slides the cards back into the box and gathers up the extra pieces of paper. “It's late, stay here tonight.”
“Yeah, then Jess can give you breakfast in bed tomorrow. Just don’t let her cook it,” Tyler says. I resist the urge to stick my tongue out at him.
“That sounds great,” Jacob glances at my dad, “but I have to be up early.” He gathers up his things and stands by the door. He hugs Mom. “Thanks for an excellent dinner and thanks for taking care of my family while they’re here.”
"My pleasure. On both counts. I can’t wait to see your mom and the boys,” Mom says.
“Me neither,” I answer, mostly so Jacob will notice me before he leaves.
He punches my shoulder lightly. “Try to take it easy on my brothers, okay, Jess? I didn't realize what you were capable of until I saw that tackle you made at the end of the game today.”
"You know me," I try to imitate Kendra's coy smile. "I like to keep people guessing."
Jacob shakes his head. "And I'm guessing my brothers have no idea what they're walking into."
twenty-three
Brothers
Ilook up from my book, glance down the road, and re-read the same page for probably the hundredth time. I’m sitting by the living room window, pretending to read, mostly just waiting. The Ricks boys and their mom, Trina should be here by now. The anticipation is killing me. It’s been a long time since I saw Gage or Nathan. I wonder what they look like. I wonder what it’s going to be like to have them around again.
The roar of Jacob’s car brings me outside. I stand on the edge of the porch and lean out to see. My stomach clenches in anticipation as the car turns down our long driveway.
“Mom, they’re here,” I yell over my shoulder. I should go into the house and come out casually when Mom calls me. I can’t do it. I want to be here when they get out of the car. Mom comes out on the porch, and we both watch the car pull in front of the house.
Jacob gets out first. He waves to us and walks around to open the door for his mom. From the back passenger side, a guy who seems to be all legs climbs out. He’s blond, and he’s wearing a dark blue t-shirt and basketball shorts. It has to be Nathan; blue eyes like his mom’s, pale, and he’s gotten tall.
The other door is slower to open. Gage untangles himself from the rear seat and steps out, blinking and yawning. He's a younger version of Jacob, but his hair is darker and longer. It curls up around his ears. He has his mom's blue eyes too, but they stand out against a darker complexion. Despite the rain, he isn’t wearing shoes. He has on a pair of low-rise jeans and a black t-shirt that’s tight enough to show off a muscular, though not so well-defined chest as Jacob’s.
