The Other Half (Door Peninsula Passions Book 1)

by Katherine Hastings

  “Yes,” Jake whispered back as Kyle set one in front of each of us.

  “How? How do you even eat it?” I spun the plate, knowing there was no way I could fit my mouth around it.

  “Keep both hands on your burger until the ride is over!” Kyle smiled.

  Jake picked his up and squished it down, brown BBQ sauce poured over the edges while he shoved it in his mouth. Staring at mine like I was ready to scale Mount Everest, I blew out a breath.

  “There are cheese curds in there,” Jake said with his mouth bursting full of food.

  “Cheese curds?” I quirked a brow. At this moment in time, anything with cheese curds sounded delicious. Following Jake’s lead, I pressed the burger down as flat as it could go and opened wide. Even as wide as my mouth could go, I could only get half the height of the burger inside. When I bit down, the flavors exploded, and my eyes closed again. Heaven.

  “Hmmm?” Jake asked with baited eyes we chewed.

  “So good,” I managed to mumble over the impressive numbers of foods in my mouth all at once.

  “Told you.” His close-lipped smile held his burger inside those impossibly perfect lips.

  Unable to speak, I devoured my burger until nothing remained on the plate but the remnants of some sauce. Groaning my discomfort, I leaned back and blew out a breath. It had been years since I’d eaten until I was full. That sense of satisfaction that came after a big meal was something I’d never forgotten but hadn’t indulged in since high school.

  “I’m so full.” I moaned. “Like... I might pop full.”

  “I’m hurting over here, too,” Jake admitted. “But good, right?”

  “So good. So, so good. You really may end up pushing me around in a wheelchair when I’m too fat to walk.”

  “If we keep this up, I may be wheeling myself around beside you.” He chuckled. When I started laughing, I stopped as the pain in my stomach from the movement threatened to send my burger back up.

  “You guys want another round?” Kyle asked.

  “I can’t fit anything else in my mouth tonight.”

  When I said it, Kyle’s eyes darted to Jake. I saw the scolding stare Jake shot him before Kyle turned around snickering. “I’ll get your check.”

  Flushed with embarrassment, I avoided his eyes when they darted to mine. Even though there were many, many things I thought about doing to Jake with my mouth, tonight would not be the night. With onion breath and a stomach pressing against my jeans, I’d never felt less sexy in my life.

  “Here you go,” Kyle said, dropping the check in front of us. Jake and I reached for it at the same time, freezing when our fingers touched.

  “I’ve got it, Jake. I said I’d buy you dinner after I made you throw yours back.”

  “No, I’ve got it, Cassie.”

  Was this a date? I still hadn’t figured it out. On dates, the man always paid in my world. So, if I let him pay would that make this a date? Hoping he felt the same way, I nodded. “Thanks, Jake. It was really good.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  After he paid, we made our way through the sea of green and gold covered baseball players. Every eye clapped onto my ass when we walked through. It didn’t go unnoticed, and I saw a scowl come over Jake’s face when he stepped between us, his glare sending their eyes darting to anywhere but me.

  He’s protective. Definitely a date.

  Feeling like I’d made progress tonight, I fought to contain my smile while we drove the mile home. When he pulled up in front of my cabin, I turned and leaned around Hank’s enormous head. “Thank you for a great night, Jake. That was a lot of fun.”

  “Yeah. It was,” he said, but this time he didn’t look at me. His eyes bore through his steering wheel while he wrung his hands around the wheel like a lifeline.

  Silence settled over us only broken when I cleared my throat. “Well, I guess good night.”

  No kiss. I shouldn’t have been surprised, and though part of me was grateful I wouldn’t be kissing him with onion breath, the other part longed to taste those lips every second more I spent with him.

  “Good night, Cassie.”

  I reached for the door and heard his sigh even over Hank’s panting.

  “Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow and I’ll make you fish?”

  Glad I was turned away so he couldn’t see the elated expression on my face, I bit my lip. “Yeah. I’m off Sundays and Mondays, so I’m free. That sounds really fun.”

  “Okay,” he said, and the insecurity that peppered his tones when he asked remained.

  “Should I bring anything?”

  “Um, maybe wine or something you like drinking? I only have whiskey.”

  “Okay. I’ll get us a bottle of wine.” I smiled, but he couldn’t see it with Hank in the way.

  “So, I’ll see you tomorrow. Like six-thirty?”

  “Perfect. I’m looking forward to it.” Trying to keep my heart from leaping out of my chest, I opened the door. The dome-light illuminated the truck and just before I climbed out, I looked over and saw him staring at me.

  “Don’t fall,” he said. The anxiety in his voice was absent now and that familiar grin lifted his lips.

  “Shut up, Jake.” I grinned back.

  “Night, Cassie.”

  Hopping out, I jogged back to my cabin. Just like last time, he kept the lights shining on me until I got safely inside. I waved at him from the door and the truck started up and pulled out. Poppy leapt up off the couch when she saw me, and I caught her in my arms.

  “Poppy! I’ve got a date! I’ve got a date with Jake!” I spun her in circles, kissing her face while I wondered what it would be like to kiss his.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Jake

  After I finished filleting the walleye I’d snagged off the dock an hour ago, I tossed the rest to Hank, who was licking his chops below me.

  “I shouldn’t give you this. You don’t deserve it. You had one job, Hank. One job. Bite me in the balls if I started staring at her with stars in my eyes. And what did you do when I did? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, Hank. Where were you on that one? Nice wingman you turned out to be.”

  Ignoring my taunts, Hank ate the remains of the de-boned fish and looked up at me hoping for more.

  “That’s all, buddy.”

  Taking the fillets inside, I popped them in the fridge before going to the sink to scrub my hands. I never cared if my hands smelled like fish, like they often did, but knowing Cassie would be here soon had me sweating to get everything just right. While I put on the third round of soap, I looked at the clock. Six twenty-five. I scrubbed harder. I’d already shaved and put on my best white t-shirt. After several back-and-forths debating about cologne, I’d opted against it, but slapped some aftershave on my skin instead.

  Five minutes.

  In five minutes, Cassie was coming to my house.

  What the hell did you do, Jake?

  Saddle meet horse.

  But it was too late now. Not only was it too late to call off tonight, it was too late to shove the feelings that had grown for her back inside. That damn icepick of hers had done too much damage. There wasn’t enough duct tape in the world to patch up all the cracks she’d made in my carefully constructed armor. Every look. Every laugh. Every accidental touch. Each one tore apart my resolve, begging me to toss away my inhibitions and swing my leg over the horse one more time.

  The sound of her car chugging down my driveway sped my heart up to speeds reminiscent of that time I went to Great America with Matt and rode the roller-coaster.

  Matt. Just thinking about him put one more patch over the armor Cassie had chiseled away. Thinking about Matt made me think about Nikki, and soon I slipped into a downward spiral fueled by fear and regret. Trying to stop myself before I hit bottom, I took a deep breath and looked out the window. That beautiful blonde climbing out of her car wasn’t Nikki. Not every woman in the world was a cheater and a liar. At least I hoped not because the way she looked tonight
in that little tank top and those jean shorts would make not kissing her even harder than it’d been last night. And last night was downright torture.

  Hank barked when he heard her knock.

  “Coming!” I called, trying to hold myself in position a few seconds longer so I didn’t look too eager.

  “She’s not Nikki,” I whispered before I pushed off to the door.

  “Hi.” She smiled when I opened it.

  “Hi,” I answered back.

  Hank exploded out the door and jumped around her, his excitement mirroring how I felt, even though I kept my emotions locked tightly inside.

  “Hey, Hank!” She knelt down and scratched his head. Like a boneless lump, he collapsed at her feet and rolled onto his back.

  “Come on in.”

  “Come on, Hank.” With one last pat on his stomach, she stood and waved him in.

  “Did you bring Muskybait?”

  A playful glare met me while she brushed by into the house. “No, I didn’t bring Poppy. Should I have?”

  “Well, you could have. She had fun playing with Hank yesterday.”

  “Maybe next time.” The words hit me like a mac truck. Next time. Yesterday I was avoiding this at all costs. Now I was excited hearing she was already planning a next time. “This is a really nice place.” She strolled through my house, looking at photos and examining the main rooms.

  “What were you expecting? A palace like yours?”

  “Shut up.” She laughed. “More camo. And definitely more dead animals on the walls.”

  “In here.” I waggled my brows and opened the door to the den. When she looked inside, she nodded.

  “Yep. Like that.”

  Deer and fish mounts lined the walls. My various camouflage hunting coats and suits hung on hooks. Wooden racks displayed a massive assortment of guns and bows that would make any hunter green with envy.

  She turned back to where I stood leaning on the doorframe. “It’s a bonified man cave. I guess I figured the whole place would look like this.”

  “My mother didn’t have a problem with my dad hunting, but she hated the mounts. So, they had a deal that my dad could do whatever he wanted in this room. He just had to keep the door closed.”

  “Valid.”

  We laughed while I walked to the big sixteen-point buck head overlooking the room. “Even though I bought the house from them and don’t have a wife to bark at me to keep it in one room, I guess I just kept up the tradition. My grandmother had the same rule with my grandfather, as well. The men in my family get one room, and the women get the rest of the house.”

  “Also, valid.”

  Our laughs deepened when she flashed me a knowing look.

  “Are these all yours?”

  “Oh no. These are my grandfather’s.” I gestured to the east wall. “And those are my father’s. And that wall is mine.”

  “As much as I hate the dead animals, I love that you have a family tradition and have your grandfather’s and father’s stuff up here. I think that’s awesome.”

  “Yeah. It’s pretty cool seeing a deer my grandpa shot decades ago.” I gestured to the big buck. “He and my dad taught me everything I know about hunting and fishing, so I always feel like he’s still with me when I’m out there in the quiet. My dad still hunts and fishes with me when they come up to visit a couple times a year.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  “What about your parents? Do you still see them?”

  It felt like the air got sucked out of the room. A heavy weight settled over her shoulders as her eyes dropped to the ground. “No. They died.”

  Shit. Way to go, Jake.

  “I’m so sorry, Cassie. I didn’t know.”

  “No, don’t apologize. You couldn’t have known.”

  “What happened?”

  Silence settled between us and I instantly regretted the question. Pain saturated the depths of her eyes and I wanted to reach out and pull her into my arms.

  “I can’t really talk about it. I’m sorry.”

  “No, don’t be sorry. I am. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, Cassie.”

  Pursing her lips, she forced a smile. We both shifted, and my eyes dropped to the wine bottle she clutched in her hand. It didn’t go unnoticed, and she hoisted it up in the air.

  “Wine?”

  “God, yes.” I laughed, blowing out the breath I’d been holding. “Opener’s in the kitchen.”

  We walked in together and I uncorked the bottle.

  “I don’t have wine glasses. I just realized that.”

  “No worries. These will work.” She gestured to the coffee mugs upside down on the drying towel beside the sink. Grabbing each by the handle, she flipped them up and held them out. I poured the red wine into the cups, stopping when they were nearly full. When she turned them around, her eyebrows shot to her hairline when she read the fishing quotes on them. Each cup had a man holding a fishing rod, and each had a different saying.

  “Which one do you want? ‘I’m a Hooker’ or ‘I fish so I don’t choke people’?”

  “I’ll take ‘I fish so I don’t choke people.’ It’s funny cuz it’s true.”

  Bursting into laughter, she handed me the mug. When she lifted the “I’m a Hooker” mug to her lips I nearly doubled over in laughter.

  “At least the fish is pink on this one.” She gestured to the pink fish dangling beside the word ‘hooker.’ “I like pink.”

  “I noticed. Your cabin looks like a bubblegum machine exploded in there.”

  She glared. “It’s better than camo.”

  “You know they make pink camo, right? Maybe we could try that out.”

  She pulled a face. “The only way I’m wearing pink camo is if someone dresses me in it after I’m dead.”

  “Well now I’m definitely getting you pink camo.” My grin widened, and her glare narrowed. “You hungry? Ready to try some fresh-caught fish?”

  “I am.”

  “Come on, I’ve got the grill going outside.”

  We walked together with Hank leading the way out onto the porch. The smoke from the grill drifted up into the amber sky.

  “Wow. It’s gorgeous out here, Jake!”

  “I got pretty lucky.”

  “Seriously! You’re right on the water! The lake is so beautiful and looks so clean. Can you swim in it?”

  “Oh yeah. People swim in it all the time, and there’s a little public beach area just up the way. Nothing better than a dip in the lake on a hot summer day.”

  “I need to try it sometime. But I have to hike a minute through the woods down to my water and I’m too scared to get eaten by a coyote.”

  “You’re not going to get eaten.” I laughed.

  We stood staring at my freshly mowed backyard. It stretched down to the small wooden dock jutting out into the lake. A few shade trees dotted my yard, and my mother’s vegetable garden off to the side had fresh plants since I’d been trying to keep it up.

  “This place is amazing.”

  “It’s been in the family for years. There’s no way we could afford waterfront property in Door County if it hadn’t been. Fucking rich people just keep gobbling it all up.”

  Her gaze dropped to the ground. “Yeah. That sucks.”

  “Developers keep offering me more and more for it, but there isn’t a dollar sign in the world that will make me give it up. I love it here.”

  “I can see why.”

  “Whose place is that next door, anyway? If you look on the land map, it’s just registered to some trust somewhere, but we’ve never seen the owners. Do you know who owns it?”

  “Huh?” she asked.

  “Your place. Does your family own it or are you renting it?”

  “Oh. Um. My grandpa set me up there.”

  “Is it his?”

  “Huh?”

  Scrunching my brow, I watched her shift her eyes to everywhere but mine.

  “Does your grandpa own the land? I’ve always wondered who owns it.�
��

  “I, uh, don’t know. He just told me I could stay here. Hank! Whatcha doing?” Cassie turned to where Hank was rolling around the yard with a ball. Hearing his name, he perked up and grabbed the ball in his mouth. “Come on, Hank!”

  He raced over to where she stood slapping her thighs and I tried to push aside her strange answer about the property. After sticking my foot in my mouth about her parents, I didn’t want to pry. Hell, it was probably their cabin, and my nosy questions just ripped open the obvious wound again.

  “I’ll start the fish,” I said to her while she tossed the ball for Hank.

  “Okay!” she called back.

  After getting the fish placed on the tinfoil, I set it on the grill and sprinkled it with seasoning before putting butter and a squeeze of lemon on it. The vegetable packets I’d made up earlier got tossed on the grill beside them. When everything was set, I grabbed my mug of wine and walked over to where she stood waiting for Hank to return with the ball. All I wanted to do was step up behind her and wrap my arms around her like I’d done last night, but I stopped myself and stepped beside her instead.

  “He’ll never stop, you know.”

  “Who, Hank?”

  “Oh, yeah. If you let him have his way, he’ll make you throw that ball until one of you drops dead.”

  Laughing, she took the ball from him again. “Last one, Hank.” With a grunt, she whipped the ball and Hank blasted off after it.

  “Not a bad throw.”

  “Thanks.”

  “For a girl.”

  When she turned to meet me, I was already smiling.

  “Dick.”

  “I’ve been called worse.”

  We exchanged another laugh. It had been startling to laugh when she first dropped into my life. But over the past few times we’d hung out, it started to feel natural again. It no longer surprised me to hear the sounds coming out of my mouth. She coaxed them out with such ease. For the first time in five months I started to feel like myself again... like I was going to make it and find that happiness that had walked out the door with Matt and Nikki. In fact, with Cassie, I felt better than myself.

  “Did you fish today?” she asked, then shook her head before I could answer. “Duh. Of course, you did. It’s cooking.”