Page 1 of Loving Jake

ONE

Jake drove past the large Tudor home before parking next to the curb and shutting off the car’s engine. Had it really been four years since he had attended one of George Urbane’s infamous Fourth of July parties? Four years since he had last seen friends whom he once considered his closest in the world? He didn’t question why he had lost contact with the people he had considered family because he knew the answer. He knew all too well why he had had to leave, had to escape.

A familiar churning deep in his gut threatened to surface as he stared out the car’s side window, lost in a past better off forgotten. The day four years ago had been warm and pleasant, as was typical for Northern California in July. Over a hundred people had gathered for the annual celebration where the hors d’oeuvres were plentiful and the alcohol flowed freely, probably too freely, as several of the guys had ended up in the swimming pool by mid-afternoon wearing grass skirts with nothing underneath them. Some things you can never un-see, he acknowledged with a grin teasing the corner of his lips.

His thoughts sobered; it had also been one of those rare occasions that he and Brenda had not argued for most of theafternoon, at least not until George and Linda had made their announcement. They were expecting their second child. The second in two years.

The last he had heard from a source he couldn’t recall, his ex and her husband had two children and had moved to Arizona. She had found someone to provide her with what he could never give her, could give no woman. “I hope you’re happy, Brenda,” he whispered.

Shocked to realize he held the steering wheel in a death grip, he released his hands, mentally shaking from his mind the disturbing images of the past. Although his heart beat faster than normal, he was ready to go to the party and reunite with his friends. He was determined to leave the past where it belonged, in the past, and enjoy himself this afternoon. He retrieved a bottle of Cabernet from the trunk with a brief glance at the label. The name of a French winery was prominently embossed at the top. A grin curled the corner of his lips. George and Linda, like many of his friends, liked to boast that California wines were equal to French ones, and Jake liked to provoke them whenever he had the chance.

He brushed a wayward strand of hair from his forehead and placed his sunglasses on top of his head. His eyes flickered over the many cars lining the street. He recognized none of them. The flashy sports cars, that were once he and his friends’ sole preference for transportation, were gone. Range Rovers and Mercedes Crossovers stood in their place. Laughter bubbled inside of him. “Family vehicles.” He chuckled with a glance over his shoulder at the Ferrari, gazing fondly upon the expensive sports car, and was grateful it had only two doors and would never be considered a cross between a station wagon and anything else.

He strode down the sidewalk, his long legs revealed in a pair of chino shorts. The normal cowboy swagger that womenwatched longingly as he reported from around the globe was less obvious in a pair of shorts and leather sandals than when he wore his usual worn jeans and snakeskin boots.

Jake drew in a long breath of air before ringing the doorbell of the familiar two-story home.

“My biological clockis not ticking! I’m only thirty-one years old; I have plenty of time to have kids,” Kimberly exclaimed in exasperation. She looked at her sister and then over to Catherine, the wife of one of their brother’s best friends, who only shrugged in response, and then back at her sister. Why couldn’t Carly understand that not everyone needed to get married and have children before they were thirty as she had done. Her sister had chastised her the previous evening for not planning to bring a date to their brother’s annual Fourth of July party, and even though Kimberly had enthusiastically explained that she did not need male companionship to enjoy a party, Carly wasn’t convinced. As far as Carly was concerned, her older sister couldn’t possibly be happy without any prospects for walking down the aisle in her near future.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t date, Kimberly mentally defended herself, a deep scowl crinkling her forehead, but then, she forced herself to admit, she really didn’t. It’s just that she preferred to think of it as more of an extended, self-imposed, sexual dry spell, rather than her inability to meet a guy she was even remotely interested in. A cold shiver slid over her skin as she recalled two of the men she had dated in the past five years, each for much longer than should be considered mentally sane. Besides, she rationalized, she didn’t want to worry about entertaining someone when her family members did their best to takeadvantage of her photography skills, insisting she take plenty of photos during the party.

“Of course, I wouldn’t turn down mind-blowing sex with—" she mumbled and then halted in mid-sentence because something had diverted her sister’s attention elsewhere and Carly was no longer listening to her. “Carly, hello? Earth to Carly.”

“Wow. Don’t look now Kimberly, but I think the man to provide you with mind-blowing sex just walked in,” Carly exclaimed excitedly.

Half afraid of what she would find, Kimberly twisted her head to look over her shoulder at what, or rather to whom, her sister referred. And as quickly as she had turned, she spun back around again. Only now her heart threatened to pound out of her chest, and her mouth gaped open, and, for the life of her, she couldn’t seem to shut it.

Jake Taylor was here.

At her brother’s house.

At his annual Fourth of July party.

After four years.

Here.

Jake Taylor.

Jake.

Here, and the one man who had the ability to stir the passion within her with something as simple as a smile or a glance from his warm hazel eyes. The one man she had loved for almost twenty years.

“What is going on? What’s gotten into the two of you?” Catherine, the third in their trio, piped up.

“Jake Taylor just walked in. He’s one of George’s best friends, and he’s also a friend of your husband’s. He was out of the country last year and missed your wedding. Kimberly’s been in love with him since the eighth grade.” Carly moved to theedge of her seat, sat up straight, and peered over Catherine’s shoulder at the party’s newest arrival.

“I have not. How could you say such a thing?” Kimberly quickly sputtered, but not fast enough to prevent a heated blush from creeping up her neck and cheeks.

“Kimberly, give me and everyone else a break. You followed the guy around like a lovesick puppy as a kid. It wasn’t much better when we got older, only then you hung on his every word as if it was gospel. Everyone knew how you felt about Jake.”

“They did?” Kimberly searched her sister’s face for signs of her earlier teasing and found none. “Even Jake?”

“Of course, he did. He would have had to have been blind not to.” Carly waved her hand in a sweeping gesture.

She couldn’t have been that obvious, could she? Oh, who was she kidding? she inwardly cringed. The smug expression on Carly’s face confirmed it. Jake had known how she felt about him all this time, and it hadn’t mattered because he had never been interested in her. She was George’s little sister to him and nothing else. Always and forever the little sister. If Catherine hadn’t grabbed Kimberly’s arm, she would have made a run for it. And from Carly’s knowing expression, she knew it too.

“Okay you two, what gives? You know I’m the new kid on the block and don’t have a single ounce of dirt on anyone. So, spill it. I want details. Especially if you think this guy is a potential candidate to offer up mind-blowing sex. I will want details on that also, after the fact. Never hurts to learn a new thing or two,” Catherine added pointedly, with a smirk in Kimberly’s direction.

---