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I watched numbly as he gathered the last of his equipment, driving it up the ramp and into his truck. Then he hopped in, pulled out, and waved as he disappeared down the street.
Holy shit.
It was a full minute before I could move my legs again. Even then, I could barely feel them. I glided my way back to the house, still not entirely sure of what just happened.
All I knew was the whole thing had been incredible.
Did that really just happen?
I knew it had, because my heart was still racing a mile a minute. I could still feel Jacob’s lips against mine. That perfectly hard body, radiating warmth and heat beneath my open palm.
Yes. It sure did.
I could still smell the scent of him on my body. I could still taste him! Best of all I could close my eyes and recall the feel of him, especially the touch of his hand on my face. The pads of his fingers had lingered so tenderly against my cheek, it sent shivers of excitement rocketing through me.
Back on the front porch, I stared down at the bag of groceries like I’d never seen it before in my life. It took a second or two to get my bearings, and then I remembered:
Tate.
My stomach did a slow somersault. I only had a couple of hours before the mechanic got here. I still had to clean the house, take a shower, prep the kitchen…
Whatever it was that just happened with Jacob, I’d have to consider it later. Hell, I was even looking forward to considering it later.
But first things first.
Eight
SERENA
“And that was it? He just never came home?”
I shrugged, twirling the last of my angel-hair pasta onto my fork. “It wasn’t really his home at that point,” I said. “If it ever was to begin with.”
Tate sat across the kitchen table from me, looking a thousand times more cleaned up than the last time I’d seen him. After ogling him throughout the meal I still didn’t know which I liked better: seeing him clean or dirty.
“His father was gone by then, and his mother still lives clear across the country,” I went on. “Maybe he spent his teenage years in this house, but between school and practice and friends, he was rarely here to begin with.”
We’d been talking about David, of course. But other than playing basketball together, the mechanic who graduated with him barely knew my stepson. Come to think of it, we were in the same boat in that regard.
“He lived here for a while after his dad left, but his heart just wasn’t in it,” I continued. “I couldn’t really blame him. One night he sat down with me and asked for tuition to study in Florida. Aeronautics. Daytona Beach.”
“And you sent him?”
“For a while, yes. His father refused him, and I was in a position to help. Plus he’d never asked me for anything before.”
“You did a good thing,” Tate reiterated. “Not everyone in your position would’ve done that.”
I nodded appreciatively. “It cost me everything, though. Very quickly I was in over my head.”
“You’re still in over your head,” Tate pointed out.
“Yeah,” I agreed sullenly. “About a semester and a half later the school called, looking for David. Apparently he hadn’t been going to classes. He met some girl from Bolivia who was in Florida on a student visa, and followed her home. He’s been there ever since.”
“And he never even called you?”
“No, but I called him once though. He said he was sorry. Something about falling in love.”
Tate bunched up his napkin and wiped the corners of his mouth. “He’s a self-centered asshole,” he grunted. “Always was. Never passed the ball. Never did anything on the court but the bare minimum.”
