Page 22 of The Other Half

“My whole life.”

“Oh yeah? I just moved here.”

“I figured,” he said, and I saw his lip quiver like he wanted to smile but it stiffened again. Betrayal had stolen his smiles. That thought sent a ripple of sadness through me.

“Yeah, I suppose you would have noticed having a neighbor sooner.” I had to stop myself from slapping my forehead. It had been a long time since a man had me so unglued and I was unraveling by the second while we drove down the road. “You’re Jake, right?”

“Yep.”

He’d already said that when he got out of the truck and I felt even dumber. “I’m Cassie.” It wasn’t so much a lie, since my nickname was Cassie, but it felt wrong introducing myself to him with a name I hadn’t used in a decade.

“I know,” he answered, and I fought my inward groan. Of course, he did. He’d said that when he pulled up as well.

“I’m up for the summer just trying to make some money. Jo gave me the job at the Ox. It was my first time bartending.”

“I figured,” he said, and that lip lifted just a hair again. But no smile formed while we turned onto my road.

The more I talked, the quieter he got, which made me nervous, so I talked more. “You said we’re neighbors? Where do you live? Like right next door?”

“Yep.”

“Cool. It’s pretty on the lake. My cabin leaves a lot to be desired, but I’m trying to fix it up. Hey, thanks for the save from the snake and the porch, by the way. That was you, wasn’t it?”

“Yep.”

“Well, thanks. If you hadn’t come, I was sure it was going to strangle me while I was stuck in that step.”

He snorted. “It was a pine snake, not a boa constrictor. It was just trying to get out. You weren’t in any danger.”

“Oh,” I answered, and wished that I could say something right. Why was he so intimidating? I mean he was hot, like stupid hot, but I’d spent a lot of time with celebrities, models, and other hot guys and none of them had gotten me this flustered. However, none of them had been mutes, so there was that.

He turned the truck down my driveway, and we wound through the trees until his lights shined on my little cabin.

“I really appreciate the ride. My feet hurt, but I really had to get home to Poppy, so I was walking.”

“Poppy?”

“My dog. You saw her the other day.”

He snorted again and something resembling a chuckle slipped out. “I don’t think you can call that thing a dog. It looks more like a squirrel mated with a bat.”

“Hey!” I laughed and crossed my arms as we pulled to a stop. “She’s beautiful! I tell her that every day.”

“Looks more like Musky bait than a dog.”

“Musky bait? What’s that?”

“A Musky is a fish and some people use small animals as bait to catch them. She looks like she’d be the perfect size.”

My mouth dropped open, and I struggled to respond. But then I saw a glimmer of mirth flashing in those blue eyes lit up from the dashboard lights. “You’re a dick. She’s not Musky bait! And what kind of person fishes with live animals? Disgusting!”

“I’m teasing. I never would, and I think it’s just an old wives’ tale that people do, but she certainly would fit the bill.”

“That’s beyond awful.”

“Yep.”

After getting a few full sentences out of him we were back to one syllable again. Damn it. I found I enjoyed multiple-syllable Jake much better.