“Several times a week. The more I come, the more I want to. I’ve gotten pretty close to a lot of the residents. Plus, Dominion is here, so I want to keep an eye on him.”
“Dominion?”
“Oh, Mr. Uriel. Dominion is his title at church.”
Jake just nodded, and Charisse breathed a sigh of relief, glad he didn’t ask any more questions about it. She knew better than to talk about the Celestia world to outsiders.
“So do you come on Sundays, too?”
“Sometimes. I go to church in the morning, and then my family likes to have dinner together afterwards.”
“Do you have a big family?”
His question caught her off guard. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who was interested in anyone else.
“Not really, just my parents and my brother, Zeph, and his wife. We’re pretty close, though.”
“That’s nice, wish my family was like that.” Jake’s tough exterior slipped for a moment and his vulnerability gave Charisse pause. She stared at him, wondering how she should respond.
“What’s your family like?” she asked, wanting to show she cared, and hoping the question wouldn’t upset him.
“It’s no Hallmark movie like yours, that’s for sure.” He didn’t usually mind talking about his messed up home life, but for some reason he was embarrassed to explain it to Charisse.
When he didn’t elaborate, Charisse took the hint and changed the subject. “So are you coming in tomorrow?”
“Yeah, maybe after church.” His expression was deadpan.
Charisse fumbled the tray she was cleaning, and it clattered to the floor. “You go to church?”
Jake chuckled. “Nah, never been. Maybe I should go with you.”
Charisse’s eyes grew wide with shock, and Jake cackled at her stunned expression.
“Just kidding, babe! I’m usually up too late on Saturday nights to roll out of bed before noon on Sundays. There’s a killer party happening out by the old sawmill tonight; maybe you should go with me.”
Risse rolled her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Her church wasn’t exactly open to the public. Like all half-angels, Risse attended services at a church that was exclusively for Celestia Divisa and their families. While Jake could definitely benefit from a church service, Charisse wasn’t at liberty to invite him to hers, and his tone made it obvious he was joking about her going to his party.
“Sorry, I have other plans,” she retorted and left it at that.
Jake’s curiosity instantly flared. Did she have a date? She never did say whether or not she had a boyfriend. A girl as gorgeous as her probably did, though — some pretty boy who’d take her out for a nice dinner then to the movies for a chick flick. He’d probably hold her hand in the theater and give her a chaste kiss on her front porch before telling her something sappy that would make her swoon. How could a guy be satisfied with that? If he was taking her out, he wouldn’t make it past dinner without trying to get his hands in her pants. Not that he was interested in a Pollyanna like her, anyway.
“There’s not much else left to do until dinner except check on the residents and see if they need anything. I have to leave soon, so you might want to see if Nancy wants you to shadow someone else. That is, if you’re staying.”
Being there hadn’t been too bad, especially with Charisse for company, but Jake wasn’t too keen on hanging out with one of the nurses for the rest of the afternoon, so he decided to check out for the day instead.
“Nah, I’ve got that party to get to, so I think I better bail.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see you around then. It was nice to meet you.” Charisse held out a hand and offered a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Uh, yeah, it was nice to meet you too.” Jake shook her hand awkwardly, stumbling over the words.
Charisse turned to leave then pivoted back. “You know your way back to Nancy’s office from here?”
“Oh, sure, yeah. I’m good.”
Charisse nodded and walked away, and Jake’s eyes followed her as he gulped down his attraction. What was it about her that made him want to be somebody different?
Jake walked back to the front office and clocked out then knocked on the director’s door.
“How did it go, Jake? Did Charisse show you what to do?” Nancy asked as she ushered him in to her office.
“Yeah, she’s cool.” Jake perched on the arm of the chair in front of her desk.
“Were the residents friendly?”
Jake chuckled, remembering how eager some of them were to tell him their whole life story. “Yeah, no worries there.”
“Good. I expect you to stay in their good graces, Jake. This is their home and you are a visitor here, so treat them with respect. Is that going to be a problem for you?” Mrs. Hariden stared him down like a prison warden, the bright, purple color of her crisp suit dress and her helmet of curled and sprayed gray hair her only concessions to personal style.
Her office was just as cold and impersonal with plain beige wallpaper, utilitarian vertical blinds, and a large desk that was adorned with nothing but filing trays and office supplies. A rack of brochures and a map of the facility decorated the walls.
Jake shook his head.
“You’re welcome to come whenever you like, but dinner time from 4 to 6 is when you’d be most useful on the weekdays, and lunch or dinner on the weekends.”
“Is that when Charisse comes? I mean, will I be working with her?”
Nancy raised one eyebrow and gave him a curious stare before responding. “Yes, that is when Miss Arella usually visits, but you aren’t here to socialize with the other volunteers, Mr. Henley, you’re here to assist the residents. Is that understood?”
Jake nodded, distracted by the mention of Charisse’s last name. He mouthed her full name under his breath, noticing how it rolled off his tongue like a silk scarf sliding over skin. Charisse Arella.
“So, will we see you tomorrow then, Jake?” Nancy interrupted his musings.
“Oh, um, yeah, probably.” He didn’t have anything else to do, and Charisse had mentioned she’d probably be there. Might as well get his hours out of the way as soon as possible.
“All right, just make sure you clock in and out so we can keep track of your hours. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Nancy dismissed him with a nod, and Jake left the office.
He still had a few hours before the party, so he decided to head home and do a little cyberstalking.
Chapter 3
Jake’s house looked cold and empty as he drove down the long, stone-lined driveway. Of course, with its dark, gray slate exterior, deep-set mahogany doors inlaid with decorative iron scrollwork, and massive chimneys crowning each end of the house like castle turrets, the place always looked cold and lifeless to Jake. The spotlights highlighting the manicured shrubbery did little to soften the facade. All the windows were shrouded with heavy draperies, so no light could escape from the inside, even if someone was home to turn them on.
Not that anyone ever was. Jake and his father were the only residents, and Jake’s father spent most of his time at the office. A housekeeper came and went several times a week, but usually when Jake was at school. He’d rarely ever seen her. He thought her name was Maria, but he wasn’t positive.
He pulled into the third slot in the four-car garage, next to his father’s shiny, silver Porsche Boxster. The convertible sports car was a toy his father played with a couple times a year when the erratic Indiana weather and his workaholic schedule just happened to coincide favorably. The spot reserved for his father’s everyday car was customarily empty. It didn’t really matter that it was a Saturday; his father was probably playing a round of golf with his partners or wining and dining a client.
Jake shuffled into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of chips and a soda to chase down the sandwich he’d picked up on the way home. White marble counters stretched endlessly around the kitchen, their empty expanse broken up only by the gleaming spotlights shining down
on them from the fixtures under the glass-front cabinetry. A bowl of fruit on the island was the only sign of life, but even that never changed. The housekeeper replaced the uneaten pieces with fresh ones before the first blemish appeared. The scent of orange oil and bleach overwhelmed his nostrils.
There was no note from his father, but Jake wasn’t expecting one. His father had never been the type to communicate much with his son. He made sure someone looked after Jake’s needs, but it was rarely himself. Ever since Jake was old enough to get his license, the housekeeper who used to take care of Jake had been replaced by the woman who glided in and out of their house unseen, leaving a wake of spotlessness as the only evidence of her existence.
Jake carried the food to his room and clicked on his laptop then settled himself on his bed. He told his phone to play his favorite playlist then connected it to his stereo system, the volume so loud the speakers vibrated on the walls. His fingers tapped out Risse’s name on the keyboard, but he didn’t know the proper spelling, and Google didn’t have any suggestions. He played around with a few more variations till he finally found some results.
The first listing was a Facebook page, and Jake eagerly clicked on her name but was disappointed to see a private page with nothing visible but her profile picture. Nevertheless, he stared at her smiling face for a few moments before clicking back to the search results. The next entries looked more promising — a Twitter account, a YouTube channel, and her blog, Risse’s Pieces. He clicked on the blog and scrolled through her last several entries, but it was all girly stuff — hairstyles, makeup tips, pictures of fancy manicures.
He watched a couple of the shorter videos just to see her smile and hear her happy laughter. The view count was impressive, and he could see why. Risse was magnetic. She was bubbly and sassy, and her videos were actually pretty informative. Jake knew if he ever needed to learn how to fishtail braid or camouflage an unsightly blemish, Risse would have the perfect tips to make it seem easy.
Everything about her made you want to know her, be with her… touch her. He imagined himself running his fingers through her long, blonde hair, pulling out the fancy up-do she had just created and letting her soft locks cascade over her narrow shoulders.
Jake shook himself out of his daydream and paused the video, clicking over to the About Me page on her website. Her bio was too vague to satisfy his curiosity, but it had links to her other social media sites, so Jake followed the links to her Twitter and Instagram accounts, shamelessly scrolling back weeks and months into her past, amused by her witty posts, enthralled by the brief glances into her private life, and captivated by her genuine goodness. Her feed wasn’t cluttered with hundreds of selfies like those of most teen girls he knew. Instead, the few pictures of her usually included friends or family members and were more often silly than self-glorifying.
Jake picked out her brother and parents in a wedding photo taken a few months prior and was distressed to discover that the stern-looking man in a police uniform was most likely her father. Jake would probably never get a chance to go out with her if her father had anything to say about it. One look at Jake’s records and Risse would be off-limits forever.
The sun had gone down, draping the room in long shadows, so Jake turned on the bedside lamp. The warm glow made the large room seem smaller, cozier, and with Risse’s internet persona for company, for once Jake didn’t feel quite as alone. He was careful not to respond to anything she posted, though. No hearts or likes or retweets as evidence of his perusal.
For a brief moment he wondered if she had done the same thing — surreptitiously checked out his online presence — but he doubted it. She said she had plans tonight, for one thing. That, and she obviously wasn’t as fascinated by him as he was by her.
Jake sighed, annoyed at his own behavior. Why was he so interested in this girl who clearly didn’t like him? There were dozens of other girls who would jump at a chance to go out with him. In fact, he was sure there would be several of them throwing themselves at him tonight. He was usually satisfied to pick the prettiest one and feed her bites of his attention, like a kid tossing pieces of bread to the fish, in hopes of snagging one later.
He just needed to get his mind off Charisse and pick an easier girl to catch. It was almost time for the party, so Jake changed his shirt and combed his hair then sprayed cologne everywhere that mattered. He certainly didn’t want to smell like a nursing home. As he entered the kitchen, he heard the back door open and braced himself for a conversation with his father.
“A little late to be heading out, isn’t it?” James Henley asked, a judgmental tone in his voice and a matching look on his face.
“A little late to be getting in, isn’t it?” Jake replied but instantly regretted it. Back-talking never helped matters when it came to his father.
“I was busy entertaining a potential customer, the owner of a multimillion-dollar company that could bring JH Industries into the next tax bracket, Son. That’s what I’ve been doing all day. But what about you? Did you waste the entire day playing on the internet, making worthless videos, or did you actually do something productive today, like try to bring up those grades?”
Jake withered a little under his father’s gaze, and he muttered out a reply. “I was at the nursing home doing my community service.”
James rolled his eyes as he loosened his tie and draped his sports coat over the barstool. At 41, he was still young enough that Jake could see the resemblance between his father and the man Jake was becoming. They had the same thick, brown hair and chiseled jaw, only James had a few crinkles at the corner of his hazelnut eyes. His physique was fuller — not fat, but not as trim as Jake’s teenage form. With all the similarity between himself and his father, Jake wondered if there were any parts of his mother in him. He didn’t remember what she looked like.
His mother had left them when he was a baby, and Jake sort of understood why. If his father treated her anything like he treated him, it was no wonder she took off before James had a chance to completely break her. Jake’s only question was, why didn’t she take him with her? She probably figured James could give him a better life, with all his wealth and influence. At least, that’s what Jake told himself when he was trying to come up with a valid reason for a mother to abandon her child.
No matter what he told himself though, it still hurt when he thought about her, so he tried to expunge her completely from his mind. As if she never existed. It didn’t always work, though. Thoughts of her had a habit of reemerging just when he thought he’d buried her memory forever.
James grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine chiller and poured himself a glass, raking a hand through his hair as he shook his head at his son. “You wouldn’t have to waste your time wiping old ladies’ butts if you’d stayed out of trouble in the first place. If you’re going to do something wrong, at least don’t be stupid enough to get caught. I have a reputation to maintain, you know.”
They’d had variations of this conversation a dozen times since the night of the incident, but this was the first time his father had complained about the community service assignment. Most parents would probably consider it a good learning experience, a good way for a wayward teen to give back to the community. After just a few hours at the nursing home, Jake could see how grateful most of the residents were to have him there, alleged hoodlum or not. Leave it to his father to see things differently.
“It won’t happen again, Dad.” Jake sighed, repeating his usual lines. “I learned my lesson. Nothing but the straight and narrow for James Henley’s son from now on. And the community service won’t leave me enough time to get in any more trouble.”
“Humph.” James dismissed his son with a grunt and headed towards his study. He didn’t bother to ask where Jake was going, so Jake didn’t bother to tell him. His parental apathy did make things a little easier sometimes.
Chapter 4
It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t really the truth either, Charisse admitted to herself as
she made her way out to the parking lot and climbed into her sunshine-yellow Beetle. She did have plans that night, but it wasn’t like she needed to leave right away. She still had several hours before she was supposed to meet with her friends.
She just needed to get away from Jake Henley. He was rude, crass, and heartless, and it took every ounce of kindness she had just to be polite to him. So why did the image of his devilish smile keep popping up in her mind?
Sure, he was handsome. Tall, lean, but filled out in all the right places. Great hair, killer smile. Too bad his personality was so repulsive. He was mannerless, egotistical, and cruel for no reason. The complete opposite of what usually attracted her to a guy. So why did she have the same fluttering in her stomach that she felt when she was with a guy she actually liked?
It was just a physiological response to an unnerving situation, she decided. Her body sensed her heightened emotions and responded to the stimulation. It certainly wasn’t attraction. Why on earth would she ever be attracted to a guy like that, no matter how cute he was? Charisse shook her head. How could she even think he was cute when he was so ugly on the inside? She forced herself to think of something else, anything else, besides her confusing reaction to Jake Henley.
She usually posted a new blog entry on Saturdays, so she let her mind drift to possible topics. She normally focused on beauty tips, but today all she could think of was how big an impact personality had on a person’s attractiveness. Her motto had always been, “Kindness is the best beauty product of all time,” but she’d never really done a whole post about that. The more she thought about it, the more excited she got. Why hadn’t she ever thought of it before?
She already had a huge fan base of devoted followers who trusted her for advice about everything from skin care to stress relief. It would be easy to start posting about more important things once in a while. Maybe her blog could actually do some good. Not that helping others look their best wasn’t important, but if she could help those same people be their best, well then, maybe her blog could be more like a ministry and not just a hobby.
Date with Destiny Collection: Angel Romance Series: Books 1 - 4 Page 15
