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He fell silent as they wound around through the thick woods surrounding her subdivision. Laurel Creek contained small patio homes built in the Creole cottage style. The development sat behind the grand Laurel Woods, a stately historic house turned into a bed-and-breakfast by Abigail Orgeron. Thick trees and the wildlife that accompanied the woods surrounded her house. Hopefully, Charlie would like the backyard with the squirrel feeder and the room she'd spent all day Sunday decorating with a nautical theme. She'd gone with bright sailboats instead of the predictable fire truck.
"Here we are," she said, pulling into the driveway.
Newly purchased ferns swung on the shady porch, and someone had left a bag with a gingham bow on her doorstep.
Charlie unbuckled himself and climbed from the car, his little face grave as he looked over the yard. "I never seen this house before."
"That's because I lived in an apartment the last time you came to Magnolia Bend. I just moved here in the spring. Do you like it?'' she asked, proud of the tended flower beds and pretty stacked-stone columns.
"It's fine," he muttered.
She ignored his less than enthusiastic response. "And someone left us... oh, dinner." She lifted the bag filled with storage containers that were still warm. Looked like spaghetti, French bread, and salad. Had to be Fancy's handiwork.
"I'm not hungry."
"Yet," she said, giving him a cheery smile while she unlocked the door.
Charlie carried a backpack with his underwear, socks, and a change of clothes. Thankfully, the social worker had emailed her the sizes she'd found in Charlie's closet, so Eva had picked up some new jeans, shirts, and a spare pair of sneakers for her brother. Fancy had already put in an order for the St. George's uniforms, borrowing a few items that had grown too small for Matt's two boys.
Eva pushed open the door and looked back at Charlie, who moved at a snail's pace up the walk. Just as he finally stepped onto the porch, Jake pulled into the drive.
He drove a red Chevrolet Silverado, sports package with flashy chrome and a fresh wax job. Firefighters had a thing about polished chrome and shiny trucks.
Jake hopped out, jogging around the side, only to come to a halt when he saw Charlie standing next to Eva.
"Hey," Jake said cautiously, still eye-balling Charlie.
"Hi," Eva said, not knowing whether to be aggravated Jake had poked his nose into her business or relieved to have someone else there to serve as a distraction. Either way, Jake looked especially gorgeous in the dying light of day, so that was something.
"Who's this?"
"I'm Charlie. Who are you?" her brother said, looking interested in the man standing at the foot of the steps, all trim and hunky in his uniform.
"This is Charlie?" Jake asked, lifting his gaze to hers.
"My younger brother," Eva said, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. Charlie stepped away, his eyes still on Jake.
"Oh, the third wife's kid. That's right. I didn't remember his name."
"Who areyou?"Charlie asked again.
"This is Jake. We work together," Eva said.
"You're a firefighter?" Charlie asked.
Jake nodded and gave Charlie a smile. Sticking out his hand, he made a fist. Charlie responded with a fist bump-a male ritual even a six-year-old obviously understood.
"What are you doing here?" Eva asked Jake.
"I'm on my way to work. Just thought I'd check on you," he said.
Eva made a face. Jake never checked on her. She had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the previously unknown Charlie. Just why Jake was so intrigued baffled her, even as something deep down inside lifted its head at the thought Jake might be interested in her life because she was more to him than a mere friend.
Maybe she wasn’t the only one affected by the kiss. Maybe...
No.
She didn't have the luxury to entertain anything different than what was. She and Jake were coworkers. They were friends. Nothing more. So she had to stop reading into every action Jake took.
