“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Em. You know I never would.”
She looked down at the fort floor. “I just don’t want to talk about it.”
“Why not?”
She rubbed her eyes and swallowed.
“Hey, it’s me.” He tapped his chest. “You can say anything to me. You know that.”
She stared at her lap and moved her hands over her denim shorts.
“Look at me,” he whispered. “Please.”
When she met his gaze, her striking golden-brown eyes wereglistening with tears. “If I spend the money from the sale of the house or my inheritance,” she began, her words quivering, “that means they’rereallygone—forever.” Her voice broke as a sob tore from her throat, and she covered her face with her hands.
Jake’s heart fractured at the sound of her agony. He held her against him. “It’s okay. I’m here,” he murmured in her ear. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Emily wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
He rubbed her back and rested his cheek on her head. “You’re not alone,” he whispered. “I’m here for you always. I mean that.”
Jake closed his eyes and held her close while he breathed in the sweet scent of her shampoo mixed with the orchard and listened to the cicadas and frogs sing. When Emily relaxed against him, he felt his nerves finally settle down. Everything seemed to be right in his world, and he felt like she belonged in his arms.
She sniffed and moved her fingers through his hair at the base of his skull, and the sensation sent electric pulses dancing through his veins, causing him to draw her closer.
He stilled when that action registered in his mind. He’d consoled her dozens of times after she’d lost her parents. The first few nights, he’d held her for what felt like hours while they sat on her sofa. But that was platonic. When he’d had her in his arms four years ago, they were only friends.
But this moment felt different. It felt...
Romantic.
And suddenly the urge to kiss Emily overcame him.
They’d never kissed. He’d hugged her thousands of times over the years, and he’d never even thought about kissing her, even when his buddies at school asked him if he and Emily were secretly more than friends.
But at that moment, he found himself wondering... if he lifted her chin and tasted her pink lips, would she kiss him back? If he raked his hands through her long, thick, wavy hair, would she push him away?
His hands began to tremble as he wondered what he should do with them.
As if she could read his thoughts, Emily wriggled out of his arms, sat up, wiped her eyes, and forced a smile. “That’s enough of that.” She slid toward the ladder. “Let’s go for a night swim,” she said while disappearing through the floor and down the ladder.
He scrubbed his hands over his face and tried to get his wits about him.
Emily would never want him as more than a friend. He needed to suppress those foreign thoughts before they destroyed their friendship.
After a few deep breaths, he shoved himself through the hole in the floor and descended the ladder.
Emily squinted up at him. “You look a little pale. You okay?”
“Yeah.” His voice sounded rough, and he cleared his throat. “I’ll take a rain check on that swim. I think it’s time to head to bed.”
She frowned. “When did you become such a fuddy-duddy?”
“We have a lot of work ahead of us, so it’s probably best that we get some rest.”
They walked in silence back through the orchard toward his parents’ house, though his mind was anything but quiet. His thoughts raced at a million miles an hour.
When they reached the path that led to his house, she gave him a little wave. “Good night,” she said softly before continuing toward his parents’ house.
