AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Despite his best effort Jake couldn't maintain his serious expression at the sound of her laughter.
“Maybe you should consider going into politics. With that charm of yours who knows how far you'd go. You could end up in the White House, too.”
He knew Charlie only meant to tease him, yet her words struck a sour chord in him. Politics held no interest for him despite his parents' best efforts. Although it was a big part of his family history, he had no intention of following that path.
The smile that had tugged at his mouth died. “I'll stick with what I'm doing.” Jake stopped the Escalade next to Charlie's Jeep in the parking lot. “Washington doesn't interest me. Too much BS.” Jake opened his door before she could respond hoping she'd take the hint. It didn't work though.
“Really?” Charlie stepped down after he pulled open her door. “I figured your family had a gene for politics.”
Her tone remained light and jovial but he knew she was only half joking. Everyone in America knew that the Sherbrookes had been involved in politics for years.
Jake crossed his arms across his chest. “That gene must have skipped me. Maybe my sister Sara got it.”
“Speaking of politics I thought every member of the President’s family got Secret Service protection. Where's yours?”
In the five months since he told the Secret Service to take a hike, no one had commented on their absence. Obviously, Charlie was more astute tha
n most. “I refused their protection about two weeks after my father took office. I couldn't stand having them around.”
“You can do that?” Charlie's voice echoed the surprise on her face.
Jake let his arms relax and hang by his sides. “Nobody has before, but yeah.” He didn't intend to say anything else on the matter.
***
The battery powered alarm clock on her nightstand read midnight but Charlie stared at the ceiling wide awake. Her body cried out for sleep but her brain hadn't gotten the message yet. It knew Jake slept one floor below, and snapshots of their kiss kept playing through her mind. The feel of his lips on hers and his hand on her skin were forever burned into her memory. Yet that alone wasn't what kept her awake. The pull she felt toward him was what kept her up. She didn't need or want a man in her life. Letting someone in like that only made you vulnerable. Just look what it had done to her mom. No matter what she wasn't going to end up like that, and she knew she'd find herself in the exact same spot if she wasn't careful around Jake. Granted some of her first impressions of him seemed wrong, but that didn't mean he wasn't a heart breaker, especially considering the different worlds they lived in. Though he seemed like a nice guy, he didn't know what it was like to work for what you wanted. He'd always had everything handed to him. She doubted there was single thing in his life he'd ever wanted to do that he had not been able to do.
How much longer will he be here anyway? A few days? Maybe a week tops? I can handle that. Fed up with tossing and turning in bed, Charlie tossed off the covers and headed downstairs for a snack. At this time of night everyone would be in bed so she didn't bother with a robe, besides it wasn't like her boxer shorts and tank top didn't cover everything.
A battery-powered lantern on the kitchen table provided the only light in the room. Though the generator gave the house power, they'd limited its use to the appliances to conserve gas. If they ran out of gas and the generators died, they'd lose her mom's cooking, something no one wanted to do without.
Charlie finished making a sandwich and was about to cover the peanut butter jar when she heard someone enter the kitchen.
“I'm not the only one up.” Jake's voice sent a tingle down her spine. Dressed in a white sleeveless t-shirt and sweatpants, he looked devilishly handsome.
At first she stood there staring at him, her mouth dry and her pulse quickening. Finally after what seemed like an eternity she pulled her eyes away from him. “Just making a snack. Want one?”
“I'll never turn down food.”
She could feel his eyes on her as she started making another sandwich. Though she didn't usually think much about her appearance and what men thought of her, she couldn't help wonder how Jake saw her. If his kiss was anything to go by, he liked what he saw. “Strawberry or grape jam?” she asked holding up the jars.
“Surprise me,” he answered dropping into a spindle-backed chair.
Charlie spread a thin layer of her mom's homemade strawberry jam on Jake's sandwich then added a handful of chips to both plates before carrying them over to the table. “Enjoy.” She placed one plate in front of Jake before sitting in the chair next to him.
For several minutes they ate in silence, but she sensed every move he made. Her body seemed to be on high alert just waiting for the moment when his arm would brush against hers or his knee would bump against her leg.
“Couldn't sleep?” Charlie asked, looking for a way to distract herself from the fact she wanted to pull the sandwich from his hands and kiss him.
Jake shook his head no. “Too much on my mind.”
Had he been lying in bed thinking about their kiss too? Did he want to repeat it as much as she did or had he already forgotten about it? Did recovery issues occupy his thoughts instead?
“Same here,” she said even though he hadn't asked why she was up.
Pushing back her chair, she was about to ask him if he wanted anything to drink when he reached for her hand. The slight touch sent her heart racing and she swallowed down the nervous laugh she felt rising in her throat.
“About this afternoon,” Jake said interlacing their fingers.
