Page 15 of An Unexpected Turn
“Good morning, honey! I hope the twins didn’t wake you.”
I smiled at my aunt as I shuffled into their kitchen.
“I was up, actually trying not to wakeyouup from jumping too hard.”
One of the great things about the basement apartment was the open space. I cued up a boisterous cardio workout on my phone and had plenty of room to run back and forth. I’d checked out the gym in town, and while it looked modern and clean, it was full of too many people I already knew from school and around town. I missed the anonymity of my old gym in Brooklyn and the unspoken rule of no conversation during workouts.
“Nope, not at all. There are weights and bands down there too, if you’d like to use them. If you want to come to Pilates with me, let me know. I don’t blame you for not wanting to go to the gym in town.” I laughed at the cringe twisting her mouth.
“The gym is a little too small and friendly. I don’t mind working out at home. When my condo is finally ready, I’ll have the space in my living room to do whatever I want.”
I loved my family but hated feeling like a nomad. As the water beat down on my head in the shower, I’d been daydreaming about the shower rack I wanted to buy for my own bathroom. The house was great, the basement apartment was spacious and comfortable, but it wasn’t mine. Although my aunt and uncle gave me all the privacy I wanted, I was still antsy to be on my own.
The twins rushed down the stairs when the doorbell rang.
“Goodness, if I could only bottle that energy.” Aunt Maya sighed, tightening the band around her low ponytail before heading to the door.
“Mike, come in.”
Mike and Jake crossed the threshold, Mike almost tiptoeing inside as Jake pulled my aunt into a hug.
“Thank you. Before Keith got called in, I planned a whole bunch of errands today, and I know my son doesn’t like spending his Saturdays in the hardware store.”
Mike rolled his eyes when his father glanced back at him.
“No problem. This isn’t the arcade that Keith planned for them all today, but the boys have a ton of games to keep Mike busy enough to pass the time until you finish what you need to get done.”
“Yes,” Aiden said before rushing up to Mike. “We have a ton of games for you to be here all day! Come on!” He yanked Mike up the stairs by his hand until they disappeared on the second floor.
“Why don’t you go with Jake?” my aunt suggested, drawing slightly widened eyes from both of us. “I’m sure you don’t want to deal with three loud boys all afternoon, and didn’t you say you wanted to pick up a few things for the condo?” She waved a hand at us. “Go. I’ll stay back and make sure they have snack refills.”
“I actually do need stuff, but I wouldn’t want to impose.”
He shook his head, his lips curving into a warm smile.
“Not at all. Plenty of room in my truck, and I don’t mind the company if they aren’t asking how long this will take and can we go home now.”
I chuckled and nodded. “I’ll do my best. Let me get my purse, and we can head out.”
My aunt was sending me out to spend the afternoon alone with Jake. Seemed innocent enough, yet didn’t feel that way. But I did need stuff for the condo, and while I loved my little cousins, getting out of the house on a Saturday while they both screamed at the TV screen seemed like a great idea.
Maybe an afternoon together doing boring things would take the power out of this pesky pull I’d felt toward Jake whenever I was within five feet of him.
When I spotted him leaning against the truck as if he’d stepped out of a suburban cologne ad, my high hopes crashed pretty quickly.
“I shouldn’t be that long at the hardware store, and I can take you anywhere else you want to go,” Jake said as he opened the passenger side door for me to climb in.
“Thanks, but I think I’m good. And besides, I’m sure after living with a teenager full time you’d like a little solitude on a weekend.” I rubbed at my arms to quell the sudden shiver. “September gets cold fast up here.”
A nervous chuckle fell from my lips, my shaking having nothing to do with crisp fall temps and everything to do with sharing such a small space with Jake.
He stepped into the driver’s seat, flashing me a grin. The car smelled like spicy sandalwood, how I imagined Jake’s scent would be if I climbed onto his lap and nuzzled into the crook of his neck. I cleared my throat and shook my head, trying to erase the intrusive thought from my brain.
“As I said, I don’t mind your—the company.” His wide smile shrank to a sheepish grin. “I wouldn’t want to be in that house with all three kids either. My son gets very passionate about video games and never realizes how loud he’s yelling.”
“He’ll fit right in with my cousins, then. Aunt Maya must own earplugs.”
He chuckled, low and husky and unfairly sexy.
