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“In a sec.”
I poured my coffee, wrapping my fingers around the mug as I sat at the table he’d already set, with a vase of pretty pink flowers in the center. It was a surprising, lovely detail. “Where did you get these from?”
Pausing before transferring the food to our plates, he shot me a quick glance. “What, the flowers? From the garden. I have quite a few out there, you know.”
I looked out the window, at the rain pelting against the window, then back at Jake. His hair was damp. I’d thought maybe he’d had a shower, but no, he’d gone outside, in this awful weather, to pick flowers. For me. It was so sweet and cute, and it made me feel ridiculously touched. “In just your boxers?’
“Sure. Mrs. Richardson loves an eyeful on Saturday morning.”
“Cheeky,” I giggled.
I was still smiling when he brought the plates over and there was that hitching feeling again when he smiled back.
“I’d forgotten you were such a good cook.” The words tumbled out before I could stop myself, and I stiffened. Referencing the past. Acknowledging our history. No. Bad idea.
“Well, one of us had to be, and since you were absolutely shit at it, I had no choice.”
It was said in a light, teasing tone and I responded in kind. “Hey, I make a pretty decent banana bread!”
“People tell you that, do they? Aww, that’s so sweet of them.”
His eyes were laughing at me, so I picked up a piece of bacon and threw it at him. It bounced off his face, landing on his plate, which made me giggle again. This was fun. More fun than I would have expected, since quiet, brooding Jake was all I’d known for the past ten years—when I’d seen him at all, that is.
“Tell me something.”
“What’s that?”
“What would you be doing this morning if I wasn’t here?”
“Jerking off while thinking about you.”
I rolled my eyes. “So sweet. That was sarcasm, by the way.”
“Come on, you love it.”
He was right about that, but I wanted him to answer my question and not get off topic. “Seriously.”
He shrugged. “I’d probably be at Gabe’s, although maybe not so much now, with Ally in the picture.”
That made me frown. “Huh? Ally loves you.”
Another shrug. “I don’t mean it like that. Just that I don’t wanna cramp their newlywed style, I guess.”
That left me wondering what else he might be doing today if I wasn’t here. Working in the yard later if the weather cleared up? Going to the mall? Seeing a movie? All of this by himself? It seemed pretty grim, but it looked like my question had made him retreat a little, so I didn’t pursue it. I just said, “That’s fair,” and went back to eating my breakfast.
Then I felt bad because it seemed to have put a dampener on his good mood. Lucky for him, I knew just how to lighten it. I waited until we’d both eaten as much as we could, then I said, “Ten.”
His eyes on me, he pushed his plate to the side, leaned back in the chair and wrapped his fingers around his coffee mug. Quirking his brow, he said, “I think it’s eleven, actually.”
I tilted my head to the side, making a big show of counting on my fingers.
“You forgot the second one in the shower,” he said, when I was done.
“Oh. Yeah.” I hadn’t forgotten. How could I? I was just toying with him.
“Trying to mess with me, Emma?”
“Please. I wouldn’t dream of it,” I lied.
