Page 43 of Take Me Home

Jake saluted in greeting to the freshly introduced inquisition team, then turned to me with a delighted smile. “There you are!” He leaned down and gave me a hug, holding his hands behind my back so he didn’t drip soapy water on me. Mid-hug, he pulled back and kissed my cheek, hard enough that the tender insides of his lips made contact with my skin. In my state of shock, I turned my face to catch the edge of his mouth, the corners of our lips overlapping for a haphazard kind of kiss. My breath left my body, my stomach fluttering. What the fuck was going on here? I must have jumped because Jake gave me a sheepish grin as we separated, his hazel eyes amused. Aunt Susan and Aunt Rosie looked on, smiling like the cat who ate the canary.

“Hey!” I finally managed, bewildered. “You’re early! I thought you were going to the lab all day.”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I went early. Nobody was there, so I got a lot done,” he shrugged.

“Oh, okay. Good,” I said, still recovering and breathless. We were standing pretty close together, making me have to crane my neck to look at him. “I guess you met my family?”

“Yeah, some of them. You weren’t kidding though. There are a lot of you,” he said conspiratorially. My aunts tittered at that. Of course, he was charming the shit out of them.

“Jake sure seems to know his way around this kitchen,” Aunt Rosie said, cocking her head with a quizzical smile. I knew exactly what she was getting at:is Jake sleeping over at the house with you?I needed to quash these rumors before they bloomed.

“Um, yeah, well, he lives out here and comes up the house to eat sometimes. Everyone on the team does,” I said, smiling sweetly. I turned back to Jake, determined to free him from this sticky situation. “Jake, did you get something to eat, or did they just put our guest straight to work?”

“Oh, honey, he just jumped right in and started helping. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. A real fine boy,” Aunt Susan said, practically devouring him with her eyes. I looked to Jake, who just shrugged again.

“Let’s fix you a plate,” I said, handing Jake a towel for his hands and pulling him by the arm to the sandwich spread in the dining room.

“Nice meeting y’all!” Jake called as I dragged him away. I ignored that he’d said y’all, even though it was the first time I’d ever heard him do it. As soon as we were out of earshot, I squared him up in front of me.

“I am so sorry about them,” I said. “Good God, you’ve got lipstick on your cheek.”

Jake reached up to feel his cheeks, a bemused smile on his face. I snatched the towel from his hands, holding it up. “Can I?”

He extended his chin into my outstretched fingers so I could wipe his cheeks. “I can’t help it. I’m auntie catnip,” he joked. Just for funsies, I squished his cheeks together, shaking his face.

“If I didn't know any better, I’d say you liked it,” I teased, letting him go. “There. I think it’s gone. I’ll put the towel away. Fix yourself a sandwich and meet me outside. Blow a whistle if you get trapped in the 10 seconds that I’m gone.”

Jake laughed, catching me by the arm as I walked away and lowering his voice, leaning down to my ear. “It’s really fine. Your family is nice.”

I tried not to show how thrilled I was to have him whispering in my ear, instead choosing to shake my head at his comment. I steeled myself before entering the kitchen again, knowing my aunts were about to lay into me with questions.

I found all three aunties huddled together, whispering. I threw my arms around their backs, breaking up their circle.

“What are we whispering about, hmm?” I asked.

“Oh, Darcy, you’re no fun,” Aunt Sally moaned. “You know good and well what we’re talking about.”

“I’m sure I do,” I replied. “And I’m here to tell you to go easy on the Spanish Inquisition.”

“Don’t you think he’s handsome?” Aunt Susan launched, fanning herself.

“He seems like a very nice boy, Darcy. A big improvement over Rob,” Aunt Rosie said. I pressed a hand to my forehead.

“Okay, that,” I pointed at Aunt Rosie, “That stops right now.”

“Don’t get so worked up,” Aunt Sally said, patting my back. “We just want you to be happy.”

“Darcy, that boy’s sweet on you,” Aunt Rosie added. “You’re young. Enjoy it.”

I took in a deep breath, letting it out in a short snort. “Thank you. I know you mean well. But I’m serious, don’t grill him like he’s rotating over a spit. You’ll scar him for life. You’re lucky he’s a good sport.”

“I bet he is good at sports,” Aunt Susan chuckled, setting the rest of them off, too. With that, I dropped the towel in the hamper under the counter.

“You three are incorrigible,” I sighed before heading off to make my own sandwich.

Outside, I had Jake sit with Uncle Bill and me.

“I’m Jake,” he said as Bill shook his hand.

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