AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twelve
By the timethe party died down and everyone headed back to the shore to change into dry clothes, Holly was completely exhausted. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had that much physical exertion all at once. But, even though she was sore and tired, she felt good. Better than she had in a while, at least.
Seeing her friends again, letting loose and forgetting about all of her problems— it all eased the suffocating stress. That stress wasn't gone, not by a long shot, but at least for now, she could breathe a little again.
When she hugged Chan and Mel on her way out, she squeezed them extra tight. She had been really nervous about coming to the little shindig, but now she was glad she had bitten the bullet and joined in on the fun. Not only had she gotten the chance to catch up with friends and family she hadn't spoken to in far too long, but it also helped her rediscover a part of herself she had long ago buried.
Now she just had to try to hang onto that part of her this time.
Walking out to her car, she noticed something amiss almost immediately. Her car wasn't sitting right, and when she reached it and looked at the tires, she wanted to burst into tears. She hadn't gotten a chance to get to the body shop and have the new tire put on her car yet.
And now, sitting right where she left it, was her precious Jag with the spare having gone flat. Why was it, when she thought things were going so well, the universe had to throw something else at her, just to screw things up again?
One step forward, two steps back. That appeared to be her motto for the year.
Laughter caught her attention. Her head jerked up to see Jake walking out of the cabana, dressed in his police blues again. He was talking with another guy, but after a moment, they went their separate ways. Jake got halfway to his cruiser when he glanced over and spotted Holly, the two of them locking eyes.
He must've seen something in her frantic gaze. He stopped mid-stride, then pivoted to head in her direction. Jake caught sight of the problem almost instantly and let out a short laugh as he shook his head.
"If it's not one problem, it's something else, right?" Jake asked. His tone wasn't mocking, though, just trying to keep up her spirits a bit. "As if you don't have enough going on with getting the inn all sorted out."
Holly let out a snort of her own. It was like he had read her mind. However, he didn't know about the other problems she had been having. Still, she couldn't believe she had never made it over to the body shop to get the new tire on. It was ready. They had called her and told her so. She had to drive over, pay them, and get it put on.
But of course, that problem had ended up at the bottom of her list.
"Want a ride home?" Jake offered.
Holly chewed on her bottom lip as she considered it. She wasn't so sure she wanted to spend much more time in proximity to Jake, but what other option did she have? Her mother was no doubt asleep by now. And her cousins had left ages ago.
Sure, she could ask Mel or Chan to take her home, but she didn't really want to impose on them either.
So, finally, Holly nodded. "I don't have to ride in the back, do I?"
This time, when Jake laughed, it was a full-bodied one that echoed around them. He grinned at her, and his eyes shone much brighter. "No, you can sit up front. But if you're a bad girl, I might get out the handcuffs!"
Holly's cheeks flushed at the implication. Quickly, she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and let Jake lead her toward his cruiser. Holly had never ridden in a police car before, and she marveled at the layout.
"So, how's life in Miami?" Jake asked as they cruised down the highway. He glanced over at her; his curiosity was more than evident in his eyes.
Holly shrugged, fighting to keep her expression neutral. She still hadn't gotten the courage to tell anyone about her life falling to pieces, and this still didn't seem to be the right time to do it. "Wonderful. Will and I are very happy. The kids are doing better than ever."
"I'm sure they miss you terribly. How old are they now?"
"Gabby just turned twenty-six. Sean is twenty-five now, with a three-year-old daughter of his own."
Jake nodded. His attention was firmly on the road ahead of him, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. Somehow, the relaxed demeanor from this evening had slipped away. "They grow up so quickly, don't they? Mine are eleven and thirteen now, and I swear it was just a few weeks ago they were still crawling around in diapers."
"I didn't know you had kids," Holly said, her eyes wide. She hadn't noticed a ring on his finger, and he hadn't mentioned anything about being married or having kids earlier.
But then, neither had she. The conversations all night had stayed light and surface level. The only intimate things they talked about were things from their pasts, shenanigans, and hijinks they had gotten up to in their youth.
"Yep. A boy and a girl. They live with their mother in Naples." Holly didn't need to look at him to know how much that hurt. She could hear the pain in his voice. He missed his kids so much.
"How long have you been divorced?" Holly found herself asking. Then, she mentally chastised herself. It wasn't any of her business. And if she didn't want people prying too deeply into her personal life, didn't they deserve the same respect from her?
But Jake only shrugged. If the question bothered him, he didn't show it. "It's been a couple of years now. Three? Four? I don't know. It's been long enough."
Holly nodded. He didn't sound too broken up over his divorce. Maybe time really did heal all wounds? Maybe in a couple of years, she wouldn't feel a stabbing pain in her heart every time she thought about Will or the kids or the life she'd had back in Miami.
