Page 96 of Fish Out of Water

“I know,” Robbie replied. His voice was tight. There was no love in it tonight.

Jake stayed in the living room while Robbie went to the door. Polite, stiff hellos bounced off the high ceiling. The warmth from the central heating felt stuffy now, and Jake shrugged off his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair before snapping it up again to hold onto. He didn’t want to look like a slob in front of Robbie’s parents. That wasn’t helping Robbie at all.

“Mother, Father, you remember Jake Wynn,” Robbie said, leading them into the room.

Jake smiled and waved. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Eaton. Great to see you again.”

The senior Robert glared at Jake, his eyes blank behind their glasses, but recognition flickered across Madeleine’s scrutinizing expression. “Yes,” she said coolly, offering Jake little more in greeting than a passing nod.

She turned around to survey the house, Jake’s gaze catching on the red soles of her black heels. She was wearing a skirt today in the same matte black as the sweeping trousers she’d had on the first and only other time Jake met her, and her sheer brown tights were a little too perfect. If Jake found out she opened a new pair to wear every single day, he wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised.

“Well, son, why are we here?” Robert asked, clearly exasperated on behalf of both himself and his wife. He adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms.

“I want to talk about my future here,” Robbie said, “now that you’re renovating the bookstore.”

“The cafe,” Madeleine corrected him. “We’re referring to it as the cafe now so we don’t slip up once it’s finished.”

Jake rolled his eyes. He couldn’t help it. Then he glanced sheepishly over at Robbie, hoping he hadn’t noticed. Robbie had his gaze trained directly ahead at his parents, unflinching andyet terrified all at once. He looked like he was deciding whether to run or stand his ground and fight, and Jake hoped—prayed—that he would stick to his guns.

He took a step closer to Robbie in the thought that it might help bolster him, but Robbie sidestepped away. He hadn’t told his parents aboutthemyet. Was he afraid they would figure it out on their own and get even more upset?

“As you may know by now,” Robbie continued, his voice warbling ever so slightly, “Jake will be leaving once his aunt’s house sells.”

“Your aunt is selling?” Madeleine asked.

“Yeah,” Jake said. “I mean, yes, she is.”

Madeleine and Robert exchanged glances that made Jake’s heart do somersaults.

“It’s in the Clam district, yes?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Excellent property there.”

Jake shrugged. “I guess. It’s not a very big house, though, and it’s old.” After spending weeks trying to extoll the virtues of the place, underselling it to the richest people in town seemed ridiculous, but that didn’t stop him.

Robbie didn’t stop him either. Robbie didn’t say anything, and judging by the expression on his face, which was now queasy and checked-out, he’d lost all the bite that had led him up to this crucial moment.

“All right, Robert, what is it?” The senior Robert asked, tapping the sole of his black oxford on the floor. “Let’s get on with this before it’s too late.”

But it was already too late. Robbie snapped his gaze up to meet his parents’ again. Madeleine moved over to the velvet sofa, picked up a book Robbie had left on one of the cushions, and dropped it unceremoniously on the coffee table,an unmistakable little grunt of disgust spewing from her parted lips.

One book. One book was out of place in Robbie’s beautiful house. It was more than the elder Eatons allowed in their own house, obviously, but it was only one book.

“I just want to ensure I have a place at the cafe once it’s open for business.”

“You’ll be running it, dear,” Madeleine told him.

Another cold, aching shiver ran down Jake’s spine. The way she said that term of endearment, the way it burned as the last letter left her lips, made him want to run to the nearest bathroom, kneel on the heated floor, and retch.

Robbie gave a stiff nod. “I was only thinking…”

Come on, Robbie. Jake clenched his fists at his sides.Do it.

“I think now is the perfect time to take a sabbatical, maybe do a bit of traveling. As I was saying, Jake is leaving soon, and I thought I might go with h?—”

“Why?” Robert interrupted, cocking his head as though he was genuinely confused. “Why would you want to do that, son?”