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He laughed. “Well, I can honestly say that my emotions are fine, too. But thanks for the concern.”
“Look around you,” she said. “This place is—”
“This place is a beautiful home.”
“It would be if you could call this a home. It’s desolate. It’s like you’re living in a shell of a house. There’s no sign of home anywhere in here.”
“Well, sorry I don’t decorate because it’s unnecessary for me.”
“It’s not about picking out curtains, it’s about actually living. Waking up and living a happy life. You just function. Go to work and come home. That’s it.”
“That’s all I’ve ever done.”
“That’s not true,” Erica said quickly. “You had a life, a happy one. At least you did before Jeanine left you.”
That hit hard. She had left him a year ago, and it still hurt. He’d built this place to have this idea of home that his sister was currently shoving down his throat. A home with a wife and kids. All of which he’d mapped out in a future with Jeanine, only for her to leave for bigger and better things. Now he was the chump stuck with the house and no family to put in it.
Technically she’d left him while he was still in construction on the house. He remembered being so excited to tell her they’d finally gotten the drywall up and it was time to pick paint colors, only to find she’d had her bags packed. She’d taken his sense of trust, his dreams for the future, and the ring. Which was fine. She could have it. All of it. Because Jake didn’t need her for a future. Or paint colors. He had his place and a job he liked, and that’s it.
He. Was. Fine.
She was a risk he shouldn’t have taken in the first place. And he’d learned his lesson.
He glanced at the camper again.
Have I?
“I didn’t mean that to sound so harsh,” Erica said, backpedaling, because Jake realized it had been a solid minute and he still hadn’t responded. “You used to smile more. Losing Jeanine was hard on you, I know. But you are so . . . predictable. All the time. I want you to be happy, truly happy again. You should get out more. Spend time with friends. Make new friends.”
Oh, he’d made a new friend from an old friend last night. Seeing Laura in that moonlight had been a fantasy second to none. But she wasn’t just a risk—she was a walking time bomb. Ready to blow up everything in a moment and leave a trail of bloody hearts in her wake.
“I’m stable and responsible because I’m running a business,” he said.
“A business that’s not yours,” she countered.
“It basically is. I’m not trying to take over Walt’s business to be greedy. I want it to thrive when he retires, and I care about the place and this town,” he said. The thought of Laura crept into his mind again, reminding him just how much of a threat she was. City girl coming in, wanting bigger and better things and messing with everything he’d planned. Everything he’d promised Walt once upon a time. He’d taken Jake up on his idea to sell more home supplies but had insisted that the business stay local, stay true to the town and the people. And that’s what Jake would see through. Because he wasn’t going anywhere. He wished he could honestly believe the same about Laura.
No matter what, he couldn’t let everything Baughman Home Goods had grown into perish.
“And what if Baughman Home Goods isn’t going to be yours? What if Walt’s daughter stays and keeps the business? The entire business?”
“She won’t,” Jake said. “She wants the flower shop and has thirty days to make just that work. Walt left it up to us how to deal with everything in that time.”
He’d worked too hard with Walt to disappoint him. He wouldn’t let the business go to Laura purely for the fact that she could damage it. Baughman Home Goods was a staple around town—as was Walt’s reputation. He’d fight like hell to preserve both.
“And how’s that going?”
Jake shrugged. So far, it was okay. Laura was talking a big game but not stepping on the toes of the business. Yet. But when he didn’t say any of this out loud, his sister clearly caught that he was stalling and didn’t want to discuss this further.
“Fine.” His sister threw her hands up and let them slap down on the sides of her thighs. The sound echoed a bit, making Jake realize that maybe his place was a bit barren. “I don’t want to argue about your business.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“But I do want to argue about your personal life.”
Ah, Christ.
“Look, Jake, it’s been a while since you dated. There’s a lot of nice women down at the PTA that always ask me about you.”
