The Will(56)

He bunched his jacket in a fist, walking further into the room and asked, “How many sundaes did Ethan eat?”

Conner grinned. “Three.”

“Terrific,” Jake muttered.

Conner leaned against the island and his grin died. “Just sayin’, Amber was a total bitch all night to everybody.”

Time to get her ass back to Josie. She might not have been sunshine and light after the last time she was with Josie, but at least that bought them having her quiet and reflective for a day or two.

“I’ll have a word.”

“Have twelve,” Conner replied. “Ellie got fed up with it. Told me she wanted me to take her home. Took a lot to talk her out of it.”

Jake wished he hadn’t. That would mean they’d make out and whatever the f*ck they were doing in Conner’s car, not on Jake’s couch.

“Said I’ll have a word, Con,” he reminded him.

Conner nodded then grinned again. “How was dinner?”

“Josie’s the shit,” Jake replied, tossing his jacket on the island and moving to the fridge.

“You into her?” Conner asked and Jake came out of the fridge with a bottle of water and gave his eyes to his son.

“We havin’ a heart to heart while your girl is in there watchin’ TV?”

Conner’s grin got bigger. “Just askin’, seein’ as Ethan said she’s mega pretty.”

“You’ll see for yourself Monday night. We’re goin’ over there for dinner. And, heads up, she’s concerned you don’t eat vegetables. She’s a class act but she’s also Lydie’s granddaughter. Lydie’s been riding your ass for years about eating your greens. Josie laid it out for Amber within half an hour of meeting her. She won’t hesitate over vegetables.”

His son’s grin didn’t waver. “I’ll brace.”

Jake shook his head, moved to his boy and grabbed him around the back of the neck for a squeeze.

Then he let him go and muttered, “Get back to your girl.”

Conner lifted his chin.

Jake moved to the door to the hall but stopped, turned back and called his son’s name.

Conner turned to him too. “Yeah?”

“Pick one,” Jake said quietly. “Think about it, think long and hard and pick right. But cut the others loose. You’ve had your fun. Now it’s time to make a choice and cut the strings so you aren’t draggin’ them all with you only to eventually drag them down. You with me?”

Conner had no smile when he started, “But, Dad—”

Jake cut him off. “Trust your old man. A woman’s heart is fragile and it’s precious. Don’t be that * who kicks it around.”

He watched his son swallow.

“Now, you with me?” Jake prompted.

He hesitated, but only a couple seconds before Conner replied, “Yeah, Dad.”

Jake nodded. “Good. ’Night, Con.”

“’Night, Dad.”

On that, Jake went up to his room.





Chapter Nine


Alas



The next day, I drove up the lane to see only Jake’s truck in the drive, Jake in the back of the bed arranging boxes.

Boxes of Gran’s clothes.

I swallowed as I brought my car to a halt behind his truck.

That morning, Jake had called me and suggested that it might be less traumatic for me if I wasn’t around when he and the guys were working.

This was a kind suggestion (as Jake, I’d learned, was very kind) and thus I’d agreed. I then phoned Mr. Weaver to ask if he wanted to spend some time in the office, even though it was a Sunday, and I could come over and sit with Mrs. Weaver.

He’d taken me up on the offer, so as Jake suggested, I was out of the house by the time he came. Before I’d left, I’d taken the time to write out detailed notes and tape them to pieces of furniture, lamps and knickknacks that I remembered used to make up the den but had been disbursed throughout the house so Jake’s “boys” could put them where they were supposed to be.

I’d also left money so Jake could order pizza.

Now, it was after one in the afternoon and he was the only one left.

I watched as he jumped down from the bed of his truck as I got out of my rental car, slammed the door and moved to him. I did this thinking that he could even jump down from a truck in a way I found attractive. I also did it thinking that everything about Jake Spear was attractive, most especially the entirety of his gallant and candid behavior the night before, not to mention his being amusing and thoughtful.

“What’s shakin’, Slick?” he called on a grin, making his way to me.

At his words, I stopped thinking of Gran’s clothes in those boxes, grinned back and stopped close to him. “I’m uncertain how to answer that since nothing’s shaking, Jake.”

His grin spread into an attractive, white smile.

Then he did it. Reaching up a hand, he slid it along the side of my neck to the back, pulling me gently forward so he could move in and kiss my forehead.

I would vastly prefer he kiss me somewhere else, felt this desire sweep through me with almost the strength it had the night before when he performed the same maneuver, and felt it equally difficult to quash the impulse to tip my head back to give him a different target.