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Jake breathed a silent sigh of relief. Abby, not a date. He shouldn’t feel that connected to anyone after three days, but he couldn’t help it. Jake grabbed the bag from Austin and unpacked deli sandwiches, chips, and cookies. “Dang, Austin, how many people did you plan on feeding?”
Austin laughed and snatched up a sandwich. “I guess I went a little overboard. I can never decide what I want so I just get it all. “So, you and Erin…”
Jake choked on the huge bite he’d just taken and grabbed for a bottle of water to wash it down. That didn’t take long.
Austin laughed at Jake’s discomfort.
“Laugh it up, buddy.”
Austin raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry, man. Tell me about your weekend.”
“What makes you think there’s anything to tell?” Jake wasn’t sure what Erin wanted her boss to know. Besides, their date felt like something private, just between them, and he didn’t want anyone else to intrude on that memory.
“I saw Erin this morning. There’s definitely something to tell.”
He couldn’t help but grin. Maybe she’d let the cat out of the bag herself. “I like her.”
“Of course you do. Everyone likes Erin.”
“No, I mean I like her, like her. Why haven’t you introduced me to her before now?”
“Oh, well that’s a different story.” Austin’s brow furrowed and he paused, as if considering his response. “I guess with her being so busy with school and taking care of her family, I didn’t think about it.”
Speaking of family. “I met her father.”
Austin’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
That reaction surprised Jake. What didn’t he know about Erin’s family?
“She’s been really great with her father and sister. I don’t know how much she told you. I don’t want to betray a confidence.”
Jake figured it was safe to talk to Austin. She’d clearly opened up to him about her private life and her family struggles. “She told me a lot. Told me her mother died when she was eighteen and she’s basically raised her sister ever since.”
“That’s right. Her father has been in a bad way for a long time, and Erin had to step in and be mother and father for her little sister.”
The pride in Austin’s voice mirrored his own. “Not every eighteen-year-old would do the same.”
“Family is really important to Erin. She wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Jake pondered what Austin said, and ran almost every minute of their two dates through his mind. Erin’s family was important to her. Like his was to him. That’s what had been missing when he was with Lindsay. In the two years they dated, he’d never met her family. Granted, they lived on the East Coast, but Jake didn’t think she’d even seen her parents more than once or twice in the time they were going out. And while he wished he could see his family more, they stayed in touch through phone calls, texts, and FaceTime when he couldn’t visit.
Maybe he’d finally found someone who felt the same way he did. But that raised a new concern. Austin had a professional relationship with Erin and Jake didn’t want to jeopardize that. “Is this going to be a problem, me dating Erin?”
Austin scrubbed his mouth on a napkin. “No, man, I think it’s great. She just finished up her degree. I only hope I don’t lose her right away.”
Jake nearly choked again. “Why would you lose her?”
“I can’t imagine she wants to spend the rest of her life working as my office manager. She got a degree in social work. There are a lot of options for her now.”
Jake pondered that fact. Erin getting her degree meant she might find a job outside of Laguna Beach. And then he’d be right where
he was when Lindsay left him. But he wasn’t ready to give up on Erin just yet. He’d just have to give her enough reasons to stick around. “Her family is here. I imagine she’ll look for something close to home.”
“Or you can give her a reason.” Austin wiggled his eyebrows and they both laughed. Little did Austin know how close to the truth he’d come.
They finished their lunch and Austin headed back to his office, leaving Jake alone again to ruminate on Austin’s advice. He had certainly given Jake plenty to think about. Most importantly, he wasn’t going to let the grass grow under his feet when it came to Erin.
He pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons. How was lunch?
