Page 43 of Jacob
A giggle leaves my throat. “I’m just excited,” I lie. It’s way too early to even mention anything remotely Jacob-related. My hopes for us are sky high, but I have a niggling feeling I’m being too optimistic. Owen may never be okay with me moving on with Jacob. I ignore the pain in my chest, not wanting to consider that.
“I might get my house sooner than I thought.” I lift my shoulders to my ears, giddy at the prospect. “I’ll get a pay rise, which means I will be able to save more money and have an even bigger deposit.”
“About that.” My dad puts his knife and fork together neatly on the plate like resting soldiers. “We want to help you.” He pushes his glasses up his nose.
“No,” I gasp.
“Yes,” he says firmly, with a nod of his head. “We have been saving and we want to help.”
“You can’t do that.” I wave my hands in front of me, brushing off his offer.
“Yes, we can, and we are. You are our only daughter, and we want to help.” He looks at Mom and smiles.
“I might cry.” I laugh and sniff at the same time to hold back my overwhelming gratitude.
Pushing herself away from the table, my mom starts clearing up our plates. “Happy tears, I trust.”
My dad removes himself from the table, too. “Plus, we are doing it for selfish reasons. You still have hundreds of books stacked in boxes in your old room. We want them out.”
“I’m going to convert one of my rooms into a library. With a proper old-fashioned ladder and everything.” I reach for my phone when it alerts me to an email. Checking the screen confirms my suspicions. It’s from Jules, a super-fan it would appear, and someone who has been messaging me since I started my hand lettering video channel.
“I’m guessing I’ll be helping you build the library?” My dad wanders into the kitchen.
“Oh, yeah, one hundred percent you will,” I giggle.
I tap open the email, and read it quickly, then reply to her request to meet up for a coffee to discuss me giving a hand lettering lesson at the local art group she’s started. She’s been emailing repeatedly, and I’m hoping if I agree then it will stop her from emailing so much.
I close down my email and add our meeting on Tuesday at The Cove Coffee Shop into my diary.
No sooner have I sent it than a reply has landed in my inbox with aPerfect, see you then.
Great, another thing off the list is done for this week coming and I’m keeping my fingers crossed Jules likes my tutorial ideas.
“Pudding?” My mom pops her head around the kitchen door.
“I’m going to skip dessert. I want to head home and have an early night.” I grab my things and make for the front door.
Leaving my childhood home, I look back over my shoulder at my mom and dad. They still look cute together. She’s so petite compared to him. I’m sure she’s shrinking as she gets older.
“Congrats again on the job, sweetie,” my dad calls.
“Shh. It’s our secret for now.” I wink. “Love you two.” I blow a kiss and begin the half-mile walk home.
I’ve never made it back so fast.
Because I have a phone date with Jacob.
I feel like a giddy teenager again.
“Hi.” I lean back on my bed and bend my arm behind my head to prop myself up.
Jacob grins at me down the camera and I grin back and we both start laughing.
“Why am I so nervous? Are you nervous? I feel hot all over suddenly,” I admit.
“You have no idea.” He mirrors my position.
“Show me your bedroom,” I say.
