Fearing he’d say the wrong thing, Jake took a step back, his body sagging with defeat. He watched as Bree approached his mother with timid steps, watched as she knelt on the tiled floor and wrapped her arms around Della. An arrow of pain pierced his heart, followed by a rush of anger. Austin was a real fucking asshole.
Setting his jaw, Jake left the two women in the kitchen and raced to the porch, only to encounter the cloud of dust left behind by Austin’s pickup hightailing it outta there.
Cursing, he snatched his smokes from the pocket of his button-down, lit up, and inhaled deeply. Shit, he didn’t need this family drama, not when his entire future was hanging in the balance.
He spent the next hour chain-smoking on the porch, wondering what the hell was going on in that kitchen. But he trusted Bree. He knew without a doubt she wouldn’t do anything to upset his mother, and when the two women emerged onto the porch a while later, he realized he’d done the right thing by letting Bree take the reins.
Della’s face was red and splotchy, but she was no longer crying. If anything, she looked utterly resigned, but she offered Jake a genuine smile when she saw him. “Well, you tried,” she said quietly.
“You okay?” His voice came out gruff, his touch somewhat awkward as he reached for his mother and hugged her tightly.
“I’m fine.” Her sigh warmed the crook of his neck. “Your brother needs more time.”
He stiffened. Christ, he was so damn tired of hearing that.
Della stepped out of the embrace and turned to Bree. “You really don’t mind giving me a ride home?”
“Of course,” Bree said warmly.
“I’ll take you,” Jake protested, already making a move to put out his hundredth smoke.
“It’s all right, honey.” His mom smoothed strands of hair from her forehead. “I’d like to spend some more time with Bree, if you don’t mind.”
Bree touched Della’s arm. “Why don’t you wait in the car? I’ll be there in a sec.”
Jake watched with unease as his mother descended the porch steps and headed for Bree’s Lexus. After she’d settled in the passenger seat, he tore his gaze away and focused on Bree. “What happened?”
“We talked.”
“And?”
Bree just shook her head.
Aggravation shot through him. “You’re not going to tell me?”
“It’s not my place,” she said simply.
Although her secrecy irritated the hell out of him, he had to respect her for it. And it warmed his fucking heart that she’d spent the last hour comforting his mother, a woman she hardly knew.
And whose fault is that?
Guilt sliced into his gut as he realized how true that was. Although he and Bree had dated for three months in high school, he hadn’t bothered introducing her to his family. Hadn’t invited her over for dinner, hadn’t even told his parents about her. Partly because he was ashamed of his father and didn’t want Bree anywhere near him, but that wasn’t the only reason for keeping her at a distance.
Truth was, he’d always known their relationship wouldn’t last, and he hadn’t wanted to explain to his family why Bree had stopped coming around.
Now, he found himself regretting it. Bree had really helped him out today, preparing lunch, trying to arrange a reconciliation between Della and Austin, listening to Della cry for the last hour. That went above and beyond what a casual lover ought to do.
“Can I take you out to dinner tonight?” he blurted out.
She blinked in surprise. “What?”
“Dinner,” he said roughly. “Carlotta’s again, if that’s what you’d prefer.”
Her blue eyes heated at the mention of Carlotta’s.
“In the main room this time,” he qualified. “Surrounded by other people.” When she didn’t respond, he shifted awkwardly. “Like a real dinner, Bree.”
“Why?”
The question had his chest clenching with pain. “I thought it’d be…nice.” He swallowed. “Or if you want, you can come by later and we’ll put on a movie or something.”
Her expression displayed pure and utter disbelief. “Why?” she said again.
Fuck, he was totally blowing this. And really, what was he doing anyway? When he’d seen Bree at that auction, he’d wanted nothing more than to sleep with her again. Not date her, for fuck’s sake.
So why did her visible reluctance cut him to the core?
“You’re right, dumb idea,” he mumbled. “My mom’s waiting, so you should probably go.”
She touched his arm before he could dart off, her fingers curling over his sleeve and sending a jolt of heat to his biceps. “Thanks for the offer,” she said gently, “but you know that’s not what this is about. We’re not dating, Jake. We’re just…”
“Fucking,” he finished in a flat tone. Realizing he sounded like a sulky loser, he cleared his throat and flashed her a grin. “I was looking for a way to thank you for being there for my mom, but you’re right, dating isn’t our thing. I’ll just show you some gratitude later. In bed.”
The relief that flooded her gaze stung. “I’ll come over tonight,” she said.
And then she bounded off toward her car.
She hadn’t kissed him goodbye.