She stiffened. “What do you mean?”
His posture drooped some more. “I shouldn’t have asked you to leave me alone to talk to Claire. I just needed to try to get my point across with her.”
“Oh. Okay.” She hesitated, and once again she wondered if he had called Claire and asked her to come to the hospital. Of course he had. He still loved her, and the moment Emily and Jake had shared in the garage was only a fluke. He’d been caught up in the excitement of the cider and all their plans for the anniversary coming together. That was all.
Her face crumpled in a frown. “Good night.” She started up the stairs.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He snagged her arm, and his eyebrows lifted. “What’s up?”
She waved him off. “Nothing.” She pulled her arm out of his grip. “It’s been a long night. I think we both need some rest.”
“Hold on. Do you think you can hide your feelings from me?” He pointed between them. “I know that expression. You’re feeling something big. Tell me.”
You’ll only ever be his friend.
Claire’s words played on a loop in her brain, and she tried to ignore how her throat thickened.
“Just say it. You can always be honest with me.” His blue eyes pleaded with her.
She licked her lips. “Did you call Claire?”
His forehead creased. “What?”
“Did you call or text Claire and ask her to come to the hospital?”
He snorted. “No. Why would I?”
She studied him. Was he telling the truth? But why would he lie?
“Hey.” He touched her hand. “You really think I called her?”
“No...” She hesitated. “But if you didn’t, then how did she know to come to the hospital?”
“Her best friend is an ER nurse.”
She grimaced. How could she forget? “Jessica Watson,” she said.
“Exactly.” He studied her. “You really thought I called her?”
“I mean... I don’t know.”I hoped you didn’t.
“Come here.”
He opened his arms, and she burrowed herself against his chest.
She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat while her mind recalled how he’d almost kissed her earlier. Had they missed their chance? Would he ever try again? Or had he realized it was a mistake to almost cross that line?
Finally, he released her, and she held her breath, hoping he might actually consider giving it another try.
But instead, he touched her shoulder. “Good night, Emily.”
“Good night, Jake,” she said before he turned and headed toward the garage door.
Chapter 14
The sky was bright blue on Saturday, and the September morning air was crisp as Jake’s work boots crunched on the rock pathway leading from his house to his childhood home. After saying good night to Emily the night before, he fed the cat, took a long shower, and fell into bed. He was certain he was asleep before his head even hit the pillow. The stress of the day had worn him out. This morning he felt refreshed, and he planned to check on his parents before focusing on what he and Emily had to do before the orchard and market opened next week.
He’d spoken to Vince yesterday, and the seasonal workers were set to start picking the apples on Monday. Since that was taken care of, he could focus on the grand opening—as long as Mom and Dad were okay.
