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“Well, he did help.”
Elena laughed. “Okay. I can believe that.”
“How would you feel about taking the afternoon off?” Jacob asked.
Elena raised her eyebrows at him and then turned to Becca again. “Did you talk him into that, too?”
She laughed. “No, but I think it’s a great idea.”
The older woman was already unfastening her apron with a smile. “I already made dinner. I sent some down to the gate for Slade and yours is in the fridge,” she told Jacob.
“Thanks.”
Becca loved that he came and kissed Elena’s cheek, making her blush. “I want to borrow your kitchen.” He laughed when she narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll have it all cleaned up and back to normal by morning for you.”
She wagged her finger at him. “You’d better!”
She opened a drawer and took her purse out before turning back to Becca. “I hope I see you again soon.” She leaned in closer and spoke in a loud whisper, “You’re good for him.”
Becca felt her own cheeks flush at that. She smiled back, and then closed her eyes when Elena hugged her. She clung to her for a moment; she felt real, she felt like home, and Becca was sad when she let her go.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Becca’s cheeks flushed when she realized that must mean that Elena was expecting her to stay the night – with Jacob. They’d talked about that this morning, but so much had happened in the few hours that had passed since then, she had to wonder if it was a good idea.
Would it be better to make the most of it if she wasn’t going to be here for much longer – or would it be more realistic to end things with him before they even started?
After Elena had gone, Jacob came and closed his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. She pressed her cheek into his chest, knowing that it was already too late to think about being realistic – whatever might happen between them, it had already started, and she really didn’t want it to end.
Chapter Eleven
“I think I should go and take a look at Fred now.”
Jacob’s heart sank. He’d done the best he could to keep Becca distracted all afternoon. He felt like he’d succeeded, too. He’d sent Elena home with the intention of asking Becca to give him a cooking lesson. He had no desire to learn. But she’d sounded enthusiastic when they’d joked about it on the phone. And she made no secret of the fact that she loved his kitchen.
It’d turned out that he was as bad a pupil as he’d warned her, but that was okay. She was as good a teacher as she claimed, too. They’d laughed. He’d messed up a lot. She’d been patient and sweet with him. He almost envied her kids at school. He felt like he grew two feet taller whenever she praised any little detail that he did get right. He’d seen it with Ava at the tree lighting and with her pupils at the carol concert – she was a born nurturer.
They’d eaten in the study again. He could see himself getting used to spending his evenings in there with her. He’d even rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher afterward without a word from her. That had earned him a kiss.
But now, her smile had disappeared again. He knew that she felt she had to face reality. But he didn’t want her to have to – or at least, he’d rather that this became her new reality. He didn’t want her to have to deal with all her problems – he’d rather solve them for her. But he still didn’t think that she’d let him. Didn’t think she’d be comfortable with it. The irony wasn’t lost on him that while most of the women he’d known would have loved for him to solve all their problems – especially the ones he could solve with his checkbook – and he’d never once wanted to do that before now, Becca just wouldn’t be comfortable with it, and it was all he wanted to do.
They walked hand in hand out to the garage, and he stood back while she opened the door to her car and got in. It broke his heart to see a single tear run down her cheek as she stroked the steering wheel. He’d never been a sentimental man, but he felt for her in that moment.
She looked up at him with a sad smile. “I know I’m being stupid.”
“No!” He squatted down beside her and rested his hand on her leg. “It’s not stupid. You’re not stupid. It’s only because you care.”
She nodded. “I do. I’ve had Fred since I graduated from high school. I don’t know how that must sound to you.” She looked around the garage.
The Range Rover sat not far away. He also had a Corvette that he liked to drive with the top down in the summer. Xander’s Impala sat in the far corner. He’d had that since he graduated high school, too. But he kept it because it was a classic, not because it was his only means of transport and he couldn’t afford to upgrade.
Becca raised an eyebrow at him. “I could have bought something else, something newer at some point, but I hung onto him because he was reliable.” She laughed. “I’ve always said that he keeps me warm and keeps me safe and takes me wherever I want to go – because it’s always been true.”
“I get it, Becca, I really do. And I was serious, you know. If you don’t want to scrap him, you don’t have to. He can stay here.” He looked around the garage. Even though there were several vehicles in there, there was still room for at least a dozen more.
She gave him a sad smile. “Would you mind if I take you up on that? Just for a while, until I get used to the idea.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.”
