“I thought he was going to kiss you!”
The words rang in Emily’s ears. Suddenly she found herself drifting into a daydream, trying to imagine what it would feel like, taste like, for Jake to kiss her. A shiver zipped through her belly. “Nope. No way. Jake has never, and will never, want to kiss me.”
Andi’s furrowed brow smoothed out, a sparkle dancing in her eyes. “I predict that you two get together.”
Emily’s heart raced, but she tried to keep her expression calm. “I’m telling you, Andi, it’s not gonna happen.” She saw the guys begin to descend the porch steps and saunter toward them.
“When it does, I will take agreatamount of joy in saying, ‘I told you so.’” Andi hugged her and whispered, “Chin up, my friend.”
And before Emily could say another word, the guys walked up to them.
After saying good night, Andi and Seth climbed into Seth’s pickup and motored toward the orchard exit.
“What was that about?” Jake asked as their taillights disappeared into the dark.
Emily jammed her hands into his jacket pockets. “What?”
“You know.” He gestured around her. “You and Andi looked like you were having a pretty intense conversation when Seth and I came over. What were you talking about?”
“Nothing.”
“Huh.” He moved his fingers over his scruffy throat. “It looked like something to me.”
She shrugged and hoped her cheeks wouldn’t flush. “It was... top-secret girl stuff.”
“Top secret, huh?” His gorgeous smile came out to play. “Like the girl talk you had with Ms. Riley?”
“Yup. Exactly.” She wagged a finger at him. “If I tell you, then I’ll break Girl Code, and I’ll get in trouble with all my friends.” She frowned dramatically. “Trust me. We don’t want that to happen.”
He chuckled, and she enjoyed the sound. “If you say so.” Then the corners of his lips began to fall, and his blue eyes seemed to search her eyes. “Why don’t you want to teach painting in an open-air workshop?”
She swallowed a sigh and looked out toward the orchard. She couldn’t possibly tell him how being back in Splendid Lake made her feel so... emotional. All the time.
“You should do it,” he pressed. “You’re such a phenomenal teacher. Just think about it, okay?”
“Okay.” She turned toward him, and that intense expression that had surprised her earlier in the evening flickered over his face once again. She stilled as Andi’s words echoed in her mind:
I thought he was going to kiss you!
Her pulse pounded. She’d been dreaming of his kiss since she was sixteen. Maybe their time had finally come!
Kiss me, Jake. Please!
He took a step closer to her, and she thought her heart might beat out of her chest. Reaching over, he pushed her hair behind her ear with his fingertip, and his featherlight touch sent goose bumps chasing each other down her arms. “Well, I... Good night, Em.”
Before she knew it, she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
“Good night,” she said softly before starting down the path. When she realized she was still wearing his jacket, she spun to face him. “Hey, your jacket.” She started to shuck it.
“Keep it,” he called. “I have more jackets. It looks better on you anyway.”
Her stomach quivered as she hugged the jacket to her middle. “See you tomorrow.”
A small grin lit up his face. “I’ll be here.”
“We did it! We got it painted!” Emily sang while dancing around the barn. “It looks amazing. Just plain amazing!” She rushed over to Jake and gave him a high five.
It was Friday, and Andi and Seth had left for Hickory earlier that day to spend the weekend with family and celebrate Seth’s grandmother’s eightieth birthday. Jake and Emily had eaten breakfast with his folks before heading to the barn to finish up the last small details. They’d teased each other and laughed all day long, only stopping to eat a quick lunch and supper. He couldn’t help but think that he and Emily made a good team—areallygood team.
