When the thudding started again and was dampened by the door to Jacob’s room being shut, she allowed herself the oxygen she’d been starved of and breathed in deeply. Then she climbed to unsteady feet and prepared for bed.
Tomorrow would be a new day.
They’d get back to normal.
And she could put aside all her longing once again.
Hallie exitedher room the following morning and stopped just outside of it to see Jacob’s door was still shut. She moved toward it and lifted a hand to knock but then hesitated. They’d stayed up late last night. Maybe he needed more sleep. She shouldn’t wake him if he needed the rest.
She headed for the kitchen and busied herself with cleaning up after yesterday’s activities. Dishes. Laundry. Vacuuming. Anything she could do to stay busy. When Jacob still hadn’t come out of his room by ten, she’d opted to put the muffins on the counter and wrote him a note. Muffins were a good breakfast and she could make him lunch whenever he was ready.
Then she retrieved her camera and headed outside. It had been a few days since she’d taken pictures. More than a few days. The last time she’d even pulled her stuff out was the night that Jacob had caught her with the pictures she’d taken.
It was time she got back to her normal day-to-day interests. Anything to keep her thoughts from drifting to the man inside that cabin.
The fall colors were starting to appear in the trees and shrubs on the property. Leaves were flitting down from the branches when a breeze tugged them free. She’d always loved the smell of Autumn. Even the air felt different and it wasn’t because of the cooler temperatures. It was something she couldn’t explain.
A squirrel scurried up a tree and she lifted her camera. The squirrel paused, its tail twitched and she pressed her finger on the button. The sound of the click sent the rodent darting off the tree and into some bushes.
Hallie grinned then continued on the trail. She took pictures of the landscape, the mountains in the distance, and when she got far enough, a picture of the cabin. Perhaps she spent too much time away from the cabin, because by the time she got back to the house guilt snaked through her gut.
Whether she’d wanted to admit it or not, she was avoiding Jacob. That was the main reason she hadn’t knocked on Jacob’s door. Her steps slowed as she got closer to the house, then her phone vibrated and she exhaled with relief.
“Hello?”
“Hallie? Oh good, we caught you. We’re just stopping by the grocery store and then we’ll be there.” Sammie’s voice came through the phone. “Caleb has the karaoke machine and all the cords but we wanted to pick up snacks. Any requests?”
She shut her eyes and placed a hand to her forehead. Right. She’d completely forgotten that their friends were coming by to sing karaoke. Jacob had agreed after a great deal of convincing. Hallie wondered if he’d still be up for it.
“Hallie?”
Clearing her throat, Hallie looked up at the house. “No. I don’t have any requests. Anything you want to get, I’m sure will be great.”
“Okay. We’ll be there soon!”
Hallie hung up the phone. They’d probably be here in under ten minutes if they were just running into the store for snacks. She took a deep breath and heaved a sigh. Then she headed for the house. Jacob wasn’t in the main living space so she was saved from having to tell him where she’d been. She hurried to her room and put the camera away.
But the second she put the box in the closet, she felt his presence. She didn’t have to turn around to know that Jacob was hovering in her doorway. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and when he said her name, she shivered.
“Hallie.”
There was a demand in that one word. One that allowed no argument.
She turned to face him and forced a smile. “How are you feeling today?” Hallie went from folding her arms to shoving them in her pockets. Her nerves were getting the better of her especially since he was looking at her like that.
Like he wanted to say something he had no right saying.
This had to be in her head. She was looking for things that weren’t there. All she wanted was to leave this room and start getting ready for their friends. She cleared her throat. “Jacob?”
His brows furrowed. “When you…” Jacob coughed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was still blockingthe door, preventing her from leaving. But then he took a step toward her and she had to fight the instinct to step back.
Too close.
Way too close.
She could smell his soap and something else.
Aftershave?
