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He took the wine and two bottles of beer from the refrigerator, then brought them to the table. Sage brought him a corkscrew and four glasses. He opened the wine, then filled the glasses. He picked one up and handed it to Ember.
“Here you go.”
They exchanged another gaze that was more than a casual glance. “Thank you.”
He held up his bottle, and she tapped it with her glass. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, Jake.”
Chapter thirty-three
"Like where the hell is Jake?"
Ember thoroughly enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with the O’Connells. Jake had a wonderful family. The meal was delicious with so much food that even after the eight of them stuffed themselves, there were leftovers that would last for days.
After dinner, they paired off and playedTaboowith Ember and T.J. pairing off. Sawyer and Sage were a team, which seemed slightly unfair, since in spite of their dueling they were definitely connected. As were Jake and Genny who played together. The last pair was Jacob and Lucy. After two hours of raucous, and a bit bawdy, play, Sawyer and Sage won with Jake and Genny in second place. Ember and J.T. came out on the bottom, which wasn’t surprising. They didn’t know each other and couldn’t draw on past experiences or mutual references. But they all had fun. And Ember hadn’t laughed so much in quite some time. She also blushed a few times at some of the references. She loved theO’Connells.
They ate pie while they played. Lucy brought the two berry pies, and Genny and Sage had made pumpkin and apple. They drank wine and beer. And Jake and J.T. both had a couple of shots of bourbon.
After the game, Lucy said her goodbyes, hugging and kissing everyone, even Ember. Then Jacob walked her to her car.
J.T., who’d had the most to drink, was a little buzzed. He hugged everyone too, kissed Genny on the cheek, then left for the barn and his loft. When Jacob came back in, Ember said her goodbyes and Jake walked with her to her car.
He opened her car door for her and she smiled. “I believe that was the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever had. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you were here. Although, you and J.T. sucked atTaboo.”
She laughed. “We were totally at a disadvantage. Up against two sets of twins and a pair of lifelong friends.”
“Alright. I guess that’s an acceptable excuse.”
She didn’t want to leave. But he was standing with his hand resting on the open car door, and it was time to go.Why don’t you remember me, Jake?She smiled again. “Go get some rest.It’s been a long day and you must be tired.”
“I am. Or I will be now that everything has calmed down.”
She sighed, then got into the car. “I’ll see youtomorrow.”
“Have a good night, Ember.” He closed the door, then gave her a little wave. She watched him walk to the porch and then wait for her to drive off. She did, slowly, wanting the day to last a few moments longer.
She drove the mile to her house and went inside. The first thing she noticed was it was really cold. She’d left the heater on, but it wasn’t running. She went to check the thermostat. It was still set at Seventy-two. She lowered it to see if the heat pump would come on, but it didn’t.
She looked at the woodstove and wondered how long it’d been since it was lit. Probably years. Aside from that, there was no wood. Keeping her coat on, she wrapped a fleece throw around her shoulders and sat on the couch to contemplate her options. Should she spend a long, cold night and call Jake in the morning? Or should she bother him now and ask him to leave his nice warm house to help her?
It had been a really good day. And part of that was because Ember was there. Jake had teased her aboutTaboo.But considering she and J.T. barely knew each other, she did pretty well. She was smart and funny. And he loved how she got embarrassed a couple of times by the family's sometimes inappropriate remarks. When the O’Connells got together and the alcohol flowed,they became a sarcastic group with a raw sense of humor. Even Lucy threw in a few zingers.
Everyone was in bed, and Jake turned off the lights before heading to his room with Rosie at his heels. She jumped onto the bed while he changed into his pajamas. He thought about reading. But the busy day, coupled with a beer or two too many, he was worn out. He got into bed and turned off the light.
He put a hand on Rosie’s head. “Good night, girl.” Rosie groaned.
As he felt himself drifting off, Jake’s phone rang. He fumbled for it on the bedside stand, then sat up when he saw the call was from Ember.
“Hello?”
“Jake.”
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry. And I never would’ve called you. But it’s so cold in the house.”
