Sweet Liar (Candy #2)(87)

Jonah glanced up, and when our eyes met, my heart sputtered.

“Hi.” He said the word hesitantly with an uncertain smile.

“Hi,” I replied, gripping the molding of the doorway to prevent myself from running to him and throwing my arms around him. He hadn’t contacted me in months. I had no idea how he felt or what he wanted from me, if anything.

“You look great,” he said, his grin falling away as he watched me.

I tried to hide my disappointment at our stiff reunion. “Where have you been?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Lots of places. I traveled around mostly.” He looked at his mother. “Then I came back here and rented an apartment.”

“What? When?” Lorraine asked, sounding as bewildered and hurt as I felt.

He cleared his throat. “A few weeks ago.”

My mouth fell open.

Lorraine asked in a wounded voice, “You’ve been here for a few weeks?”

Jonah nodded, looking abashed but not surprised by her reaction. “I wanted to be settled somewhere on my own before I saw you.”

“Where is it?” she asked.

“Near the center of town by the old mill.”

She smiled hesitantly, holding back the scolding I could see brewing in her eyes. “You’re doing okay?” she asked instead as she placed her hand on his arm. “We were all so worried.”

He smiled down at her. “I’m fine. Sorry I worried you.”

Then he looked up at me, and my stomach tightened at the impact. It had been so long since I’d had those eyes focused on me.

My father smiled at Jonah. “I want you to understand that even though you have your own place, this is your home too.”

It surprised me to see my father being so welcoming. He hadn’t spoken much of Jonah, although he’d listened patiently when Lorraine did. Looking at my father now, I could tell he liked Jonah. By the expression on his face, I’d say he even admired him a little. He was right about this being Jonah’s home too. Even if Jonah no longer loved me the way I loved him, I still wanted him to feel welcome here because he deserved a family as much as I did.

After welcoming him back, my father excused himself and gave me a look that said I should do the same so that Lorraine could have some time with her son. I went back into the kitchen and my father disappeared into the office.

As I stood there staring at the vegetables I’d cut when I had no idea Jonah was living in this town and about to come through the front door, my eyes blurred with tears. I was so happy he was back, and so disappointed that I hadn’t touched him or held him yet. I didn’t even know if he wanted me to.

***





I picked at my dinner. Across the table, Jonah’s appetite wasn’t affected by any awkwardness the way mine was. Throughout the meal, we kept catching each other’s eyes and darting our gazes away again. I couldn’t get a read on him, and each bite I took sat like a rock in my stomach.

“Candy and I made dinner together,” Lorraine said, sounding pleased. “She liked my pot roast so much when I made it for her, she asked me to share the recipe.”

“You sure she likes it?” Jonah asked, pointing to my full plate.

Lorraine looked at me, and her brow furrowed with worry.

Jonah put down his fork. “If you’re not hungry, maybe you’d like to go for a ride?”

I stilled. “A ride?”

With a hesitant smile, he nodded.

“Where?” I asked, a potent mix of panic and excitement settling inside me.

“Anywhere.”

I swallowed against my nerves. “Okay.”

Lorraine smiled at us, but my father gave me a worried look. He knew I’d been hurting over Jonah. He didn’t want me to hurt any worse, and honestly, neither did I.

As we put on our coats, I wondered if Jonah wanted privacy so he could tell me straight out that he no longer had feelings for me. The thought made me want to hide in my room, because I didn’t want to hear him say it, even if it was true. But there would be no running away. I wanted this chance to be alone with him too badly to back out, no matter what it might cost me.

Jonah lightly pressed his hand to the small of my back as we walked to his Jeep. Then he opened the passenger door for me the way he always did. We were quiet as he drove down Lorraine’s long driveway.

“You’re back at your old school,” he finally said as he turned onto the dark road.

He wasn’t surprised to see my father and me living with his mother, and he knew where I went to school. He must have checked up on us, even though he hadn’t been in contact.

“Yeah. Ironic, isn’t it? Back in the place I couldn’t wait to leave.”

“It’s different this time, though.”

“Yes. Very different,” I agreed.

He glanced at me. “Anyone giving you a hard time?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

“I don’t doubt that,” he said with a smile in his voice. He breathed out slowly, and I could feel his gaze shifting between me and the road.

“I saw Heather a few days ago.”

My gaze shot to him. His words hurt whether he realized it or not. He saw Heather before me?

He must have understood my reaction because he quickly added, “I only drove over to her house after I found strangers living in yours.”