Page 46 of An Unexpected Turn
It was hard to run from disaster when you didn’t want to be anywhere else.
TWENTY
PEYTON
“Claudia. Enough.”
I scowled at my phone screen. It was barely eight in the morning on a Sunday, but I’d been up for a couple of hours—if I even slept at all. Her eyes twinkled even on the spotty video, as she rested her chin on her hand and smiled widely while I went through the painful dinner at my uncle’s house that ended with Jake cornering me in the bathroom.
“This is the best.”
I shut my eyes at the shrill of her squeal.
“This is just the hot thing I wanted to happen to you up in the country.”
I shook my head, fidgeting on my couch as I tried in vain to get comfortable.
“I’m still in New York State, not the country.”
“Honey, I was there.” She tilted her head and clicked her tongue against her teeth. “It’s the country.”
“And by hot thing, you mean hot mess. I’m waiting for my uncle’s best friend to take me somewhere to talk about how we can’t keep our hands off each other.”
“And then keep doing it.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Okay, okay. My excitement isn’t helping you. Answer this for me, if you take your uncle out of the equation, what is so awful about the guy you’re into wanting you back? You’re both adults. And the sexual tension between the two of you was delicious, so live a little and enjoy it.”
“What if I can’t help Mike in school because I’m dating his father and they think I’m trying to give him special treatment?”
I bristled, thinking of having to fight for credibility to do my job once again, especially after the fight Mike had just gotten into. I’d watch him, but I couldn’t have eyes everywhere to stop it from happening again.
Worrying about my students was nothing new, but my concern for Mike went deeper than usual. I was privy to more of his backstory, but maybe Jake wasn’t the only Russo I focused on too much.
“Couldn’t they already make that argument since he’s a family friend of yours? I understand that you want to be cautious, but if you stepped back a little, maybe you’d realize that it’s not such a big deal.”
“A lot easier said than done.” I rubbed my temple, wishing it were that easy to revel in new passion without dreading casualties or repercussions.
“Did he say where he was taking you?”
“No, just to be ready at eight thirty.” I flicked my wrist to check the time. The minutes had inched by so damn slowly since I’d gotten out of bed. I’d already been fully dressed for an hour.
“You never said how you got through the rest of dinner last night.”
“I didn’t,” I sighed, draping my hand over my eyes. “I came back downstairs, apologized to my uncle, who, as usual, let me off too easy, and told everyone I wasn’t feeling well. I managed to make it out the door before Ron asked for my number.”
After those kisses from Jake, I couldn’t stay at that table and not squirm in my seat for the rest of the night. I’d get a call from my aunt or uncle or both, asking how I was feeling at some point today. I was a terrible liar, but Uncle Keith always gave me the benefit of the doubt on everything.
There was no way to step back and not see the complications.
But there was no way I could step back from Jake. Not anymore.
“This is totally like one of those Hallmark movies, except you never see the couple get to third base in front of a kitchen sink. So, it’s even better.”
“Goodbye, Claudia.”
“Love you ...” she sang as I poked the screen to end the call.
I’d been reading into every touch and lingering glance between Jake and me for months, starting with our reintroduction in the parking lot. I’d blown it all off as my mind playing tricks on me, that he was just the nice, helpful, molten sex-on-legs Jake that I remembered, and I blamed my vulnerability for my growing attachment to him.
It seemed impossible to me that Jake wanted me back and was probably why my uncle hadn’t noticed anything between us yet. Or maybe, like me, hedidsee something but brushed it off because his best friend and his niece together were too ridiculous of a notion to seriously consider.
