"Somebody on US-1 is about to have a nice surprise," Jake said.
I turned to look at him and realized he was staring into the distance, watching Preston's car just as I had been doing. His profile. I had memorized his precious, flawless features over the years, but things were different now. Now, I had the right to stare.
"I would never have been so confident without you," I said.
It was the truth. I felt secure, like I had the upper hand in the Preston situation. I would not have felt like this if it weren't for Jake. The way he had come in and taken control was so very appealing. I had never seen this side of Jake. He was a loyal friend who would stand up for those he loved, so I had seen times when he showed a protective element with his personality. This was different, however. This time, he was fierce. I thought back to the fear in Preston's face when Jake stood up to him. I continued to watch him as he stared at the car until it was out of sight.
He barely had to move his head to focus on me—he just shifted his eyes my way, wearing a hopeful half-smile. It took my breath away.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I nodded. "I was just thinking that I never would feel this safe right now if you hadn't shown up when you did." I let out a long, slow sigh. "So, thank you for coming."
Jake reached out to wrap an arm around my shoulder, and I collapsed onto the side of his chest. "He's not going to do anything," he assured me.
He was so sure of himself that I effortlessly trusted him. "That's sad about that box," I said. "I thought I would return it to Mr. Keeling and have him make something else, or give the money to someone who needed it. I had big plans for what I was gonna do with it. I hate to see that kind of money go to waste."
Jake was doing his best to keep up, but there were multiple things he didn't understand about my statement.
"Who's Mr. Keeling?" he asked.
"The jeweler who made the bracelet," I said. "There was a bracelet in that box. I mean, I think there was, at least. I'm pretty sure. If that's what was in there, it was worth thousands of dollars. I hate to see it just getting thrown by the wayside on US-1."
"Did he tell you that?" Jake asked. "What was in there or how much it was worth?"
I shook my head. "One of the girls in my small group, Beverly, did. She told me this morning. Dan Keeling is her dad. He owns a jewelry store. Bev's the one who told me about the bracelet. I know that's what was in there, because there was a Dan Keeling sticker on the ribbon."
"And you think it was worth something?" Jake asked.
I shrugged thoughtfully. "That's what Beverly said."
"Did she say how much?"
"She mentioned ten, but I don't—"
"Ten-thousand?" he asked, cutting me off.
"She said that, but she's thirteen. She wasn't even supposed to mention it to me."
"Are y'all gonna stay outside forev… oh, hey, Jake."
My mom had come out of the house, and was half-way across the side yard before she saw that Jake was standing beside me instead of Preston. My mom stared at me with a confused expression, wanting me to explain. I thought for sure that they would've been watching us from the house and would have, at least, seen him pull up, but she seemed genuinely surprised to see Jake.
"Hey, Mrs. Hall."
She glanced around the driveway, obviously looking for any sign of Preston.
"He had to be going," Jake explained.
"Oh, really?" Mom asked, still really thrown off. "Lunch is ready, and we were gonna get started."
"Y'all can go ahead without us," I said.
She seemed to notice for the first time that Jake had his arm around me, and her face shifted to one of concern. "Is everything okay?"
I shook my head absentmindedly. "I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think Preston was a very nice person," I said. "I think he was a creep."
"Like dangerous?" Mom asked, instantly looking to Jake.
"No ma'am. He's not going to hurt anybody," Jake said. "He is a creep though. Don't buy into it if he tries to come by again or if you see him when you're out and about. Don't even talk to him."
"Oh, my goodness, what happened?"
"Nothing Mom. He had been following me, that's all. He's just mad because I broke up with him. Jake took care of it. There's no problem. Just don't talk to him if you happen to run into him or whatever."
"You won't run into him," Jake said.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, feeling thankful for his protection and assurance.
He shifted to stare down at me. He gave me a little smile. "I'll look for that box on my way out of town. I hate thinking of it being wasted."
"I hate it, too," I said. "Let's go look for it. I'll ride with you, and then we can come back for lunch. You can eat with us."
"Look for what?" Mom asked.
"Preston left a box on the top of his car and he drove off with it on there," I said.
"That bracelet?" Mom asked.
"How'd you know about it?"
"He showed us a picture of it," Mom said.
"Beverly said it was worth a lot of money."
"Oh, I can imagine," Mom agreed. nodding. "It had diamonds and everything."
Jake looked at me. "I certainly don't want you to have it, but it would be irresponsible of us to just let it drive away without going down the street to look for it."
"I agree," I said. "Goodness knows I don't want it, but I hate to see that kind of money go to waste. I mean, if we knew somebody who needed it found it, that would be one thing, but it might just get picked up by a street sweeper."
Jake gave me a sweet grin before leaning down to place a little kiss on my cheek.
"Are you two…" my mom trailed off, not finishing her question as Jake and I both looked her way.
"Yes, ma'am, we are," Jake said. "I'm sorry. We forgot to mention that."
I smiled at him. "What, with everything else that's going on…" I said before trailing off. I glanced at Mom. "We'll talk about it when we get back," I said. "But I think Jake and I should drive up the street just in case we can find that bracelet."
"Let's do it," Jake said.
"Should I get my keys?"
He shook his head. "I'll drive."
Chapter 19
"I can't believe we found it," I said, staring at the small gift box in Jake's console.
It had fallen off of Preston's car at a busy intersection. I thought it might have even been hit by a car or two, but it seemed no worse for wear.
"Seeing it fall made things a little easier," Jake said, smiling at me.
We had caught up with Preston at a gas station that was just up the street from my parents' house. I noticed his parked car from a distance, and Jake and I both kept an eye on it. The craziest thing was that the gift box was still on top of it—I knew right where it was, and I could see it, even from far off.
Preston had just come out of the store, and he got into his car, completely ignoring the box.
"He looked straight at it, and he left it up there," I said.
Jake had seen Preston, and he was holding back in traffic so that he could follow Preston without being noticed. We followed him from a few cars back. I was watching him like a hawk, so I saw the exact second that the box fell. He turned right at the next big intersection, and the box slipped off of the car and rolled onto the street, looking like garbage that had been kicked up under someone's tire.
I told Jake it had fallen, and he was able to change directions at the last second so that he could turn left instead of right. He pulled into the parking lot of a QuickLube.
"I'll be right back," he said, leaving the truck running as he stepped out of it.
"Do you know where it is?" I asked.
With a nod, Jake closed his door. I turned in my seat and watched as he walked to the corner, waited for a moment while the traffic passed, and calmly but quickly jogged to the middle of the intersection where he stooped down and retrieved the box. He waved at oncoming traffic as a gesture of than
ks for slowing down for him.
"I can't believe he parked and got out of his car and still just left it up there," I said, staring at the box. "It's one thing, driving off with it up there to prove a point, but to notice it up there and still let it fall off into the road... just weird."
"That's probably why he stopped," Jake said. "Just so he could get out and look at it. So he could be proud of himself that he didn't care whether it was on there or not." He shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn’t really matter. We got it back."
"I don't even want to look at it," I said. "I didn't want it to get lost or go to waste, but I also don't want to see it. I don't even want the money. The thing is, I could use a couple of lights and some other stuff for my studio, but I wouldn't even want to use his money on it."
"I'll give you eight for whatever's in the box," Jake said. "Then you can spend it on your studio and not worry about it being anyone's money but mine."
"Eight what?"
"Eight-thousand."
"You can't do that," I said.
"Why not? It might be worth ten, you've already said that. In that case, I'll come out ahead."
"Even if that bracelet is what is in there, which is uncertain, and if he paid ten-thousand-dollars for it, which is unlikely, you wouldn't be able to get that much back for it. I'm pretty sure Beverly was exaggerating, anyway."
"Okay then, how about I just give you eight-thousand to buy things for your studio, and you give the box to the women's shelter. They can resell it or try to take it back to your friend, the jeweler."
I stared at Jake from across the console.
He glanced at me when I didn't respond right away.
"You're funny," I said.
"I'm not being funny," he insisted. "I'm serious. I would love to do that."
We had caught up with Preston only a short distance from my parents' house, so it only took us a few minutes to get back. Jake parked next to my car. He put his truck in gear and killed the engine, but neither of us moved to get out right away. His windows were darkly tinted, so I knew my family couldn’t see us, even if they were looking out the window, which they likely weren't.
"You're so incredibly sweet for even making an offer like that, but—"
"But, it's perfect," he said. "Basically, I get to feel like I'm donating to charity and helping out a promising, up-and-coming photographer."
"Oh, so it's a selfish act," I said, nodding.
"Precisely."
I squinted at him, shaking my head. "I'm not so easily tricked," I said.
He shrugged. "It's a good thing I'm not tricking you."
"You know what I mean," I said. "You can't make me think you stand to gain anything from giving me money for whatever's in that box."
He regarded me with a sweet, serious expression. "Oh, but I do stand to gain something," he said. "I want to buy you things for your studio so that every time you use them you'll think of me. It really is selfish when you think about it." He smirked at me. "Every time you use that stuff, you're gonna think about how much you love me. It'll make you love me a really long time."
"Believe me," I said in a breathy laugh. "You do not need to buy stuff for that."
Without skipping a beat, Jake thrust the console into place in the seatback before leaning over to grab me. I gasped with surprise as he pulled me into his arms. He situated me on the seat next to him as close as I could get without being on his lap. My leg was leaning into his, but it wasn't enough. He manually repositioned me, pulling my back toward him where my backside was against the side of his leg. He held onto me, hugging me against his chest. I looked up, gazing at the side of his face from extremely close range.
I had never felt so safe in all my life. If I had been alone in dealing with Preston, I would have been in a completely different situation right then, but as it stood, I felt worry-free and completely at peace. I might as well have been sitting on an actual cloud with harp music playing in the background.
As if he had that thought about background music at the same time I did, Jake started the truck adjusting the air conditioner and turning up the radio. It was on an alternative rock station, and whatever was playing was chill and rhythmic, like a mix of folk and electronic music. The sounds of it tickled my ears, and the sensations of that mixed with the proximity of Jake Reynolds caused me to let out an uncontrollable shiver, shaking from the shoulders up.
Jake held onto me tighter, pulling me close. I was so near to him that I stared at his neck and cheek from only inches away. His big arms wrapped around me tightly, and I hugged him back, squeezing his wide chest. I knew what was under that shirt, I had spent enough hours staring at and accentuating every line of his muscles when I was working on his pictures in Photoshop. The thought of what it looked like made me ooey and gooey.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
There was no way in the world I could answer that question truthfully. I was not going to say, 'your body'.
"Nothing."
"Tell me."
"Nothing. Just your abs," I said since it was both the truth and a funny thing to say.
Jake laughed gently, and it made his chest shake. I relished in the feel and the movement of his warm body under me. "Like my abdominal muscles?"
"Yes."
"What were you thinking about them?"
I reached down, sliding my hand between my side and his stomach, showing him the place that had brought all these feelings to mind. "I could feel them right here, and that made me think of your pictures. I stared at them on the screen for so long that I'm pretty much an expert on them by now."
He chuckled again. "You're an expert on my abs?"
I nodded against his chest, and he rubbed my shoulders, holding me closely. "I'm basically an expert on abs in general," I said. "I could give anyone a six-pack with the right brushes and blending tools."
"Do you mean to tell me I was ripped in those pictures because of something you did in Photoshop?" He shifted, looking at me seriously and waiting for my answer.
I couldn’t help but laugh. "No, not with you," I assured him. "That was all natural."
"What about the other guys in the shoot? Did you have to give them abs?"
"I touched up everybody's stuff," I said. "Whiter teeth, smoother skin, no stray hairs. I even whiten the whites of eyes. Stuff people don't even notice." I reached up, putting my hand on his face. "Not yours though," I said. "Yours were already perfect."
He knew I was kidding, and he gave me an easy smile. The funny thing was that it wasn't far from the truth. I barely had to do anything to Jake's pictures. He gave me two pats on the back and let out a reluctant sigh. "We should probably go inside," he said.
I nodded, agreeing even though I didn't feel much like moving. "Thank you," I said, even though I was certain I had already said it. "Thank you for coming here."
Jake put his hand on the side of my face, staring straight into my eyes. "K.K., you don't have to thank me for that."
"I want to," I said.
He grinned at me thoughtfully. "Have I told you I love you? Have I said it enough that you know it's the truth?"
I nodded shyly.
"Because I do," he said. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life."
I blinked slowly, trying to take it all in, take a snapshot of this moment.
"Are you tired?" he asked, holding me like I was something precious.
I nodded. "I am, but that's not why I closed my eyes. I was remembering everything about this moment. You, this, the things you're saying, and just the way I feel. It's so perfect. I was just taking a picture of it."
"You don't need to take a picture," Jake said. "Because it's never going to stop. We'll just have moments like these forever. We'll keep this on repeat."
"That's a great thought, but in a few seconds, you're going to open your truck door, and we're gonna walk into my parents' house, and the moment will be over."
Jake didn't say anything to that. He just shook his head a
s if reassuring me, and then he reached out and popped his door open. I sat up, shifting to stare at him as he turned and climbed out of his truck. He stood in the open door, smiling at me and holding out his hand. Those dimples. Seriously, I had no idea when or how I would ever get used to him looking at me that way.
I grinned at him as I let him have my hand. He pulled me out of the truck, positioning me in front of him before closing the door. He lowered his head, nestling his face in the crook of my neck.
"See?" he whispered, close to my ear. "We're out of the truck, and the moment's not over." He nibbled the edge of my ear, and I took in an unsteady breath.
"I do see that," I said in an airy whisper once I could breathe.
He took a step, and with the way I was positioned in front of him, the movement caused me to take a step as well.
"And now we're walking into the house, and the moment's still not over," he said.
He was still speaking close to my ear, and it caused my stomach to clinch with anticipation and excitement. I scrunched up my face even though he couldn’t see me. He took another step, and then another, holding me tightly in place in front of him as we slowly made our way to the house. Once we got to the door, he ducked, kissing me again on the cheek before letting me go. I turned around in his arms and was just about to grab his hand to walk inside when my dad opened the door.
"We've already eaten," he said. "Y'all missed it."
"They didn't miss it," Mom said, coming up behind him. "There's plenty."
Reid ran up to us as we made our way into the house. He was holding a toy tractor, and he stood in front of Jake, thrusting it upward as if wanting Jake to take a look at it. I saw the instant Reid's little expression shifted as he realized Jake wasn't Preston. He tilted his head, staring at him. Mom must have given everyone else a heads-up that Jake was there because no one else seemed surprised to see him, but Reid's precious face looked genuinely perplexed.
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