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He flips through channels on TV. I’m mostly still with my eyes closed, enjoying the closeness between us. Every day I draw closer to him, and I feel like he lets his guard down, allowing himself to be closer to me.
The words he spoke earlier float back into my mind.“I haven’t had much luck with women in my past.”
I wonder who hurt him and how. My eyes flutter open, and I find him watching TV. His face is relaxed. His eyes shift, and I close mine back so I don’t get caught watching him. He gently kisses my forehead. I think he thinks I’m still sleeping. Snuggling into his chest, I do just that. Drifting off to a peaceful sleep.
Chapter 33
WhenIwakeupsuddenly, I have no idea where I am. I start to panic, but before I can even get one of my legs swung over to plant a foot on the floor, strong arms tighten around me.
“It’s okay; you’re okay.” Jack’s voice instantly calms me.
I must have been in a deep sleep. Looking out the window, I see the sun is still up, but only for a couple of more hours. I stretch and sit myself up on the sofa.
Jack shifts around so we sit side by side. “You were knocked out.” He smiles.
“Thanks for being my pillow,” I reply with a grin.
“I’m going to have some coffee. You want some?” he asks.
I nod. “Sure. I need to get up and move around for a little bit.”
Standing, he leans down and steals a kiss before heading into the kitchen. I could get used to this side of Jack.
After stretching, I stand and walk into the kitchen. “I wonder if we can get into the apartment before dark. I’d like to see if anything is salvable.”
He looks over at me while he fills the coffee pot. “The stairs aren’t safe. We can use the ladder and go through the window, but I want to clear the glass off before we try it.”
“Okay, it’s worth a shot.”
“Yeah, I just don’t want you to get your hopes up. It burned hot and fast.”
My nose wrinkles at his response. “You’re probably right, but I still want to see for myself.”
Jack smiles and shakes his head with amusement. “I’d expect nothing less.”
Walking behind me, he runs his hand down my back as he passes. “I’ll go out there and work on cleaning the glass up.”
“Okay. I’ll be out with the coffee when it’s finished,” I reply.
Jack slips on his jacket and boots before heading out the door.
In his bedroom, I grab the shoes and jacket Irene bought me. I slip them on when I’m back in the kitchen, hoping to be ready to go outside when the coffee is ready.
The coffee pot chimes, indicating it’s finished brewing. I search cabinets for cups and grab two mugs before filling both. Extra sugar for Jack, of course, and a splash of cream for us both.
I have to juggle the two mugs while opening the door. Jack is coming down the ladder as I close the door behind me. He hurries over to help, and I hand him the cup I made for him.
Taking a sip, he says, “Just how I like it.”
“Extra, extra sweet,” I reply jokingly.
“C’mon. I have the glass cleared so we can get inside. It’s a mess though.”
He turns and heads back towards the ladder. We set our coffees down on the driveway. I’ll do good to manage the ladder without anything in my hands.
“You first,” he says, motioning up the ladder.
I start up the rungs, looking down to see if he’s behind me. He holds the ladder steady from the bottom. At the top, I climb through the window before spinning around to poke my head back out. I grab the top of the ladder to hold it for him. I’m unsure I’m actually helping, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. He makes his way up the ladder and through the window much more quickly than I did.
