Page 32 of The Boyfriend Gamble

“Yes, darling, home.”

Angus scooped up his abandoned backpack, and the family headed out.

That. That’s what I want. Teaching kids was great, but I wanted some of my own. And I assumed Josette did as well. Although I probably should check with her on that assumption.

An hour later, as I pulled into my driveway, my heart sank when I spotted her car.

Jesus, she’s your fiancée, you should be excited.And I was…to a certain extent. I was also tired and looking forward to having a burger with Jacob. Every night this week, I’d brought home fast food, and we’d sat on the porch and eaten together while I’d recounted my adventures of that day and he’d give me an update on the renovations.

Truthfully, I was in awe. Josette liked to watch renovation shows with me, and those projects always took weeks or even months.

Jacob maintained my needs were simple, and that’s why he’d be done at the end of next week.

That felt fanciful but, as of tomorrow, the master bedroom would be finished, and I’d be sleeping in the bed instead of in the tent.

I hadn’t told anyone of my irrational bear fear.

Well…not irrational. Just because there hadn’t been a bear attack in years didn’t mean they wouldn’t take a swipe at me, given half a chance.

“Felix.” Josette waved from the porch where she stood next to Jacob.

The front lawn and street were empty of vehicles save Jacob’s pickup truck, so obviously his crew had knocked off for the day.

Feeling like an idiot, I carried the bag of food along with the drink tray, with just two drinks, up the steps to the front porch.

Jacob caught my eye and gave me thewhat can we do about her, she’s my sisterlook that I now realized he’d been giving me for years.

A warning?

“Oh, you brought dinner.” Josette nabbed the bag and opened it. “Two big burgers and onion rings?” She wrinkled her nose.

Jacob snatched the bag from her. “Felix brought that for me. He’s taking you out to dinner.”

I blinked. “Uh, yeah. Stavros’s?” At least I wouldn’t need reservations at the best Greek restaurant in Cedar Valley.

Josette put her hands on her hips.

Jacob rescued the drink tray I was about to drop.

“But I wanted to go over the decorating with the two of you.” She offered a little pout that was, frankly, adorable.

I could never refuse her anything.

“We can stow the burgers and onion rings in the fridge.” I eyed Jacob. “Then we can do the interior decorating stuff, and then the three of us can go to Stavros’s.” The restaurant wasn’t all that romantic, so the three of us hanging there wouldn’t be too weird.

No, not weird at all.

Oh God.

Why did I feel like Josette was the third wheel? Because I’d looked forward to being alone with Jacob?

Quite possibly.

Quite probably.

And that was all kinds of wrong.

Chapter Six

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