TRUSTING JAKE: MONTGOMERY HEROES OF ALASKA

by Becca Monroe

  His hand covered mine on top of the table, and the contact sent goosebumps across my skin. Why couldn’t I stop being attracted to someone who treated me like crap? It must be a habit for me, which wasn’t a positive cycle of behavior I wanted to continue.

  Mike smiled at me with a strange look of concern. “Delaney, I didn’t tell you, but that cake you made, wow! How did you come up with the recipe for that?”

  Josie waved to the server who sauntered over, her eyes looking at Jake as though he was on the menu. “Hey Jakey,” she said.

  I wanted to barf, truly I did. Instead, I slid my hand out from under his and he leaned back on the bench, looking uncomfortable. “Hey, Michelle. Can we get another order of wings for the table?”

  Josie piped up with way too much enthusiasm laced in her words. “And two shots of tequila-the Don Julio stuff for me and Delaney.”

  “You guys are in luck, the silver is buy one, get one free, so you can all enjoy.” She leaned down just enough that her huge breasts spilled out a little over her much too small tank top. “I’ll get those wings for you right away, Jakey,” she whispered.

  Josie shouted sarcastically. “Thanks for taking my order too, appreciate you!” I couldn’t help but laugh, and Mike just stared at Josie with an amused grin. “Seriously, women are ridiculous. When I have a male server, he doesn’t unzip his pants and lean toward the table to show me how big his titan is. That’s unnecessary. Besides, you’re dating one of her best friends, which is even more messed up.”

  Mike almost choked on his beer. “Did you just call a man’s sex organ, a titan?”

  “It’s what it is,” she said, poking him in the ribs with her elbow.

  Jake put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Brittany and I are not dating.”

  “Screwing then,” Josie said.

  I hated everything about this conversation. The thought of Jake with Brittany in any form of nakedness bugged the crap out of me. Hank dropped off the shots and I took two little glasses off the tray at the center of the table.

  “We aren’t screwing either,” he said. “We haven’t been for weeks.”

  Josie tipped her beer to him. “Finally wised up. See, Mike, miracles happen.”

  “Can we not talk about my sex life in a group setting please,” Jake asked.

  “I agree!” I said. “How do I do this?” I asked Josie, examining the glass.

  “Lick your hand, put salt on it, lick the salt, take the shot, then suck on the lime.”

  “Wait, you’ve never done a shot of tequila before?” Jake asked, sounding surprised.

  I wearily shook my head and Mike laughed. “That isn’t unexpected. Delaney, you are a good girl, it’s one of the many reasons I adore you, my friend.”

  “Have you eaten today?” Jake asked again.

  He was annoying me with all his questions. “What are you drinking now?”

  I ignored him, licked my hand, and continued, just as Josie explained. The shot burned going down, but I wasn’t about to allow Jake to see my reaction to the liquor. I smiled with the lime peel in my mouth and they all laughed, even Jake.

  A few minutes later, Brittany and her friends showed up. She headed straight for our table. “Jake, I left you a message tonight. You didn’t respond.”

  He waved his arm around the table. “I’m out with friends,” he said.

  Josie stared at Brittany, not trying to hide the disdain she had for her, and I kept my eyes on the table, deciding to take the other shot, not wanting to hear anything cruel flow out of her mouth.

  “Server girl here is a friend now?” Brittany quipped.

  Mike sat up and slammed his beer bottle on the table. “That’s enough out of you. Go play with your minions and leave the adults alone.”

  She kneeled by Jake and ran a fake nail down his cheek. He pulled back in disgust. “You weren’t complaining the last time I ran them down your back,” she whispered.

  I took the second shot as my anxiety piqued and started coughing instantly.

  Brittany smirked at me. “Lightweight.” With that, she stomped off.

  Jake looked over at me with concern in his eyes. “You okay?”

  Josie handed me a glass of water. “Easy there, tiger. Two shots in less than five minutes isn’t a great idea.”

  “Please let me out,” I whispered to Jake when the coughing stopped. “I need to go to the restroom.”

  He stepped out and caught my arm. “You going to be okay or need me to walk with you?”

  I waved him off and headed to the bathroom, then went to the backroom where Hank was sitting working on the books. “Delaney? Everything okay?”

  “Can I head out through the backdoor? Is that all right?” My vision was a little blurry, and I was feeling a little light on my feet. Part of me was thinking this is what it was like on a boat in the middle of the ocean with high waves crashing all around.

  Hank’s quizzical look made me feel like a teenager in eleventh-grade biology. I was certain any moment he was going to scold me about passing notes in class. “Is someone giving you trouble?”

  I shook my head.

  “You okay to get home?”

  I shook my head again, knowing I shouldn’t walk home in my condition. Brittany was right about everything. The server girl was nothing more than a scared lightweight. “I’ll give you a ride, no problem.”

  “Thanks, Hank.”

  He smiled. “Give me a minute.” He disappeared into the bar area and came back a moment later. “Okay, let’s get you home, little lady. I just needed to let my team know I was stepping out for a moment.”

  Hank dropped me off at my house. Normally, after Josie and I met for a drink, she would drop me, or I would walk. I lived two blocks away, but in my tipsy state, and the cold temperatures, I knew it wasn’t a good idea. He didn’t ask a bunch of questions, just one. “Saw Brittany. She giving you trouble again?”

  I didn’t respond. Everything she said was accurate. She may be a cruel person, but sometimes those people were the ones who spoke the most truth. I hated that was the case and longed for a time when kindness was the stronger superpower.

  Jake

  What the hell was taking her so long? Fifteen minutes after she left, there was no sign of her. “Can you go check on her?” I asked Josie.

  “Shit, yeah. I’ll go check.”

  Hank walked to the table. “I dropped Delaney off at her house a few ago. She wanted to leave and needed a ride. You upset her?” He directed his question to me.

  “No, she took two shots and asked to go to the bathroom.”

  “Brittany, that woman is a menace,” Mike said.

  “I just wanted you all to know, she’s home safe.”

  “Thanks, Hank.” We need to head over and look at her heater. I don’t want her there another night without heat. I threw a twenty on the table and we made our way out.

  Josie gave us both hugs and headed for her truck. “I have early training tomorrow, but I just text her and told her you guys were on your way over. Make sure she’s okay for me.”

  “Will do,” I said.

  Delaney

  Josie texted me and said Jake and Mike were on their way, and yet here I sat with a comforter wrapped around me for warmth, yoga pants, NYU hoodie, my hair in a messy bun on top of my head, no makeup, and my hand wrist-deep in a gallon of cookie dough ice cream.

  I wasn’t positive the ice cream was an excellent combination with tequila, but I didn’t care. My attire? Not the best look either, but hey, I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. Mike knocked on the door and smiled when I answered it, still holding the gallon of ice cream. “Oh, cookie dough, my favorite,” he said, reaching for it.

  I smiled back at him. “Hang on, and I’ll get you a spoon. Please save me from eating all of it,” I teased.

  Jake looked me up and down and stepped inside. “Holy shit, it’s freezing in here.” He walked over to the thermostat as Mike made his way to the heater. “It’s forty degrees
in here,” Jake said in an irritated tone.

  “I’m aware. It’s been cold, but I got a little more firewood for the stove tonight, it should be okay.”

  Jake put his hands on his hips, an amused grin taking over his handsome face. “Not too cold for ice cream though?” He said, nodding at the tub of heaven in my hands.

  I shrugged. “It’s my favorite.”

  Mike shut the heater door and stood up, walking to me. “Motor is toast on the heater. We will need to get a new one tomorrow. I can make the trip, grab one and get it installed,” Mike said.

  “How much is that going to run?” I asked, trying not to appear worried.

  “I can get you one for around a grand,” Mike said.

  “That much?” I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, but money would be a factor in the next couple of months, and saving every penny I had, was the only way to keep running from Matt.

  Jake glanced at Mike, then back to me. “I have a way of getting one for about half of that. Let me make some calls tomorrow, but pack a bag. You can’t stay here tonight.”

  “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “You can stay at my place, I have a guestroom, and it’s seventy degrees in my home. I don’t want you freezing to death.”

  I knew I was shaking my head in objection way too dramatically, but there was no way I was going to sleep under the same roof as Jake. Not a chance in hell. “No, absolutely not. You hated me until this morning. The last thing I want to do is invade your home. I won’t do that.”

  His hands dropped to his side as his eyes met mine. “You aren’t invading anything. I won’t allow you to stay here when it’s almost freezing. It isn’t healthy for you, and there is no reason you can’t sleep comfortably at my place.”

  My eyes pleaded with him, but I tried to keep the urgency out of my voice. “That’s not a wonderful idea and I…”

  Jake’s voice was deep and commanding, cutting off my sentence. “Damn, Delaney, just pack a bag, please. Momma would kill me if I left you here, knowing the situation. The guest room is down the hall, I won’t even see you.”

  Mike crossed his arms and watched our banter back and forth, as though he was watching a championship tennis match.

  “Oh, okay then.” Why did I sound like a kindergarten student trying to voice my thoughts?

  Jake’s eyes closed, and he hung his head in frustration. “That isn’t what I meant. I want to see you, but I just think,” Jake took two steps toward me and gently tugged on the front of my hoodie. “Can you just pack some things and stay at my place tonight? Please?”

  “You want to see me?”

  Mike laughed. I could tell he was trying not to, but he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Wow, you two are more entertaining than anything I could watch on Netflix.”

  Jake glared at him. “You can take off. I’ll get her to my place.”

  He laughed again. “Alright. Delaney,” he said, and tipped his ball cap. “Always a pleasure.”

  I smiled and handed him the gallon jug of ice cream and a clean spoon. “All yours, please save my hips from the damage I’m trying to do by finishing it.”

  He took the container and threw his head back, laughing. “You’re an honorable woman. Be sure you drink a couple glasses of water before bed and take some aspirin. You’ll thank me in the morning. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” I said. Mike always made me laugh. Jake, not so much as he glared at his friend.

  As soon as Mike closed the door behind him, Jake turned his attention back to me. “Can you please stay at my place tonight? I would feel better knowing you’re safe and warm. You need a good night’s sleep too.”

  Jake was a good person. I saw the way he cared for the people in his life, but until today, I wasn’t one of those people. His turnaround, while better than hostility, was also making me uncomfortable. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  “Let’s just say that I want to be a better man.”

  I laughed at that because it was ridiculous. He was already a fantastic human being. “You’re a wonderful man, but you were just always a wonderful man who hated me.”

  He took a deep breath, and his eyes held mine. “I never hated you.”

  “Then why did you treat me like you did?”

  “Can you get your stuff, so we can head to my place? It’s at least a thirty-minute drive from here. We can have this discussion on the ride over.”

  “Okay, give me a second to grab a few things, and I’ll be ready to go.”

  Jake

  My mind was screaming at me-keep your distance. That is what you should do, and now she will sleep less than a hundred feet away from you all night. Smooth.

  “Jesus, I’m a complete idiot,” I said aloud.

  Delaney walked back into the living room. “Why are you an idiot?”

  I shrugged, not knowing what to say. “No reason, just talking to myself.”

  “Ah, so I guess we both do that sometimes,” she said.

  Her comment made me break into a genuine smile as she grabbed a small bag from out of the front closet and placed a framed picture inside, with a large manila envelope and some clothes.

  “I guess we do. You ready?”

  “Yes, I think so. I have a shift tomorrow at ten. Can you drop me? Usually, I just walk, but being at your place will change that.”

  She bent over the kitchen counter to grab something and the perfect view of her toned backside made my knees feel week. I looked away immediately, trying to ignore my body’s reaction to her. “Not a problem. I’ll get the heater sorted out tomorrow, and hopefully, you’ll be back in your place tomorrow night. How are you feeling after those shots?”

  “I’m a little woozy, but okay.”

  There was a beautiful painting on the wall by the front door, and I couldn’t help but notice another one by the kitchen. “These are amazing. Where did you get them?”

  She put something else in her bag and whispered. “I painted them.”

  Her response was so quiet, I wasn’t sure I heard her correctly. “You painted them?”

  The slight nod she gave didn’t surprise me, but the paintings were unlike anything I’d ever seen. The colors, the detail. Looking at them made me feel like I was standing there in person overlooking the picturesque views. “Is this Monashka Bay?”

  A small smile appeared on her face. “You recognized it from the painting. That makes me feel happy. The day I painted it, I was overlooking Monashka Bay from Gertrude Lake. I didn’t plan on painting a large scape, but the sun was shining and the day was so perfect. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

  I reached out for her bag. “I didn’t know you painted. You’re very talented.”

  A beautiful blush appeared on her cheeks. “Thank you.”

  “You could sell these. Tourists and locals alike would love them.”

  She giggled, and it was the cutest sound in the world. “Nobody would buy these. I was hiking up there alone one day and took my art stuff in my backpack. They are just ones I did to capture my memory of that day.”

  I knew the look I shot her was a little harsher than it should have been, but she needed to understand the dangers of being in the Alaskan wilderness alone. “You were hiking alone up there?”

  “I do because it’s peaceful. Sometimes, I just need that.”

  “It’s also dangerous. Up here especially. I understand the need to take some time alone in the outdoors, but promise me you won’t do that anymore. If you need to get away, let someone go with you, or at the least, let one of us know when you are leaving and due back.”

  She nodded, not saying anything else about my request, but I think she understood the concern. I hoped she did, at least. “Thanks for helping me. I don’t have any people up here.”

  I opened the truck door for her, and she stood there for a moment, mouth agape, staring at me. “You have all kinds of people up here. People just like you and everybody helps each other out. You only have to ask.”
>
  The surprised look on her face hadn’t altered in the slightest. “Do you always open car doors for everyone?”

  I tried to help her into the truck, but she shook me off and climbed in on her own. “Why does it surprise you I’m a gentleman?”

  “I’ve just never seen the gentleman piece, well, except with Brittany. You seem to treat her okay.”

  The grunt that uttered from my throat was annoying, even to me, and while I realized this was an annoying habit, I sometimes found in life, things deserved nothing more than a grunt. Discussing my routine bootie call with Delaney was not something I wanted to entertain, especially when all I could think about was wishing she was the one I called in the middle of the night. “Is that why you left the bar tonight? Because of the way Brittany was acting?”

  She waved her hand around like it didn’t matter. Yep, Delaney was still a little tipsy. “Okay, I’ll take that as a yes,” I chuckled. “How long has the heater been out?”

  “I don’t know, a day or so.” Delaney’s sweet eyes were lying, and she fessed up when I pinned her with a knowing glance. “Fine, it’s been out since last Sunday.”

  Frustration washed over me. “What the hell? That’s nine days without proper heat in your place. Delaney, you can’t live in Alaska without a sustainable heat source through the winter. You could get sick or worse. Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

  She turned her head away from me, gazing out the window. “Who was I supposed to say something to? The wood was fine, and I bundled up at night.”

  “You could have said anything to Josh, Mike or me, and a few logs of wood is only good for a few hours as the nights get colder. Maybe think about putting in a pellet stove for the long winter, I love mine.”

  She turned toward me. “We’ve barely spoken to one another since I moved here. It isn’t like we’ve been friends. Kind of awkward for me to say, oh, hey Jake, my heater isn’t working would you mind coming by and fixing it?”

  I knew she was right. Why would I think she would come to me about anything at this point? “True, but know that you can ask any of us for help. Mom, Josh, Mike, they love you. Momma even said this morning that she felt as though you were a daughter to her. She would be furious if she knew you were living in the cold like that.”