Jacob didn’t glance back at her over his shoulder which made her wonder if maybe she was wrong. If he hadn’t heard her enter, there was no reason for him to change the channel so quickly. Perhaps he’d been scrolling through the channels after all.
Slowly, she made her way toward the kitchen counter and placed the bags on the counter. “Anything good on?” she called out to him.
Jacob twisted to cut her a look. “Same old stuff. Where were you?”
She gestured toward the bags. “Errands. What do you say we do something fun tonight?”
He frowned.
Hallie tossed her head back with a laugh. “Don’t look so concerned. You have to admit that the stuff on TV isn’t cutting it. We can only watch so many reruns ofThe Office.”
“I’ll have you know I have the biggest crush on Dwight.”
She balked at that, then snorted and shook her head and deadpanned, “Funny.”
Jacob glanced to the bags, his lips twitching with rare amusement. “Okay, so what are you suggesting?”
“I’ll give you three guesses.”
He rolled his eyes which prompted her to laugh again.
“Okay, okay.” She grinned at him as she started pulling things from her bags. “I got puzzles, books, and games. Then I thought it would be fun to make some cookies.”
When Jacob didn’t immediately shoot down her ideas, her grin widened. This was a win.
Jacob begrudgingly got to his feet and came closer. “Okay, so what’s first.”
Warmth unfurled in her chest at his willingness to try. It left her speechless if she were honest with herself. She’d fully expected him to push back but maybe now that things had started to settle, Jacob was finally accepting the way things were headed.
She pulled out a puzzle that depicted a pair of cowboys on horses looking out at rolling hills with a sunset casting them in shadow. It was a beautiful puzzle but it wasn’t until she showed it to him that she realized picking this one might have been a mistake.
Jacob wasn’t a cowboy in the traditional sense. But at the moment he wasn’t able to ride at all. She watched him carefully as he studied the image on the box. His expression remained unchanged and she couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“I’ll make us some lemonade,” she offered.
He blinked over at her. “Okay.”
Twenty minutes later they were seated at the table with the border of the puzzle completed. Every so often, she glanced up at him. The creases between his brows had deepened the longer they worked and she leaned forward. Jacob tensed but didn’t pull back when she pressed a thumb to those lines.
One side of her mouth quirked upward and she settled back into her chair. “You’re pretty good at this,” she mused.
He grunted.
She glanced at him again. “You know, I realized something today while I was picking out these puzzles.” Hallie watched him for a reaction but saw nothing. “Despite how much time we’ve spent hanging out over the years, I can’t think of one hobby you have.”
Slowly, his eyes lifted to meet hers. “I compete.”
“That’s your job. Not your hobby.”
He continued to study her for long moments. Would he agree? Would he give her a tidbit of information?
Apparently not.
She blew out a breath. “What do you like to do when you’re not competing?”
“I practice.”
This time she rolled her eyes. “Okay, what do you do when you’re not practicing and working? You have to find enjoyment insomething.”
