Page 29 of While You're There
His smile faded slightly, but he didn’t protest. “I know. I remember. Can I please sleep over at your place tonight though? We can stay at my house tomorrow. Maddie will be at prom, and my parents are staying in the hotel where they’re hosting the after-prom party. We’ll have the whole house to ourselves.”
Her breath caught at the earnestness of his request. She hadn’t let him stay over on Tuesday night, then he’d been in Virginia on Wednesday and Thursday. “Of course you can. When you’re home, you’re mine.”
“I’m always yours now, beautiful.”
“Always.”
“Hey, baby,” Jake greeted her as she walked in through the side door of Clinton’s. Tori stifled a yawn with the back of her hand even though she wasn’t actually tired. Rhett had insisted they go to bed early last night after treating her to two full-body, toe-curling orgasms, so she had gotten plenty of sleep.
“Our Golden Boy actually let you drive yourself to work today?”
“Ha-ha. Good morning to you, too.” She rolled her eyes as she approached the computer system behind the bar of Clinton’s to clock in for her Saturday morning shift. “And yep, he sure did. He just got back from Virginia yesterday morning, then we had appointments all day. He’s exhausted, so it wasn’t hard to convince him I could drive myself six minutes into town.”
“That’s right. Your doctor appointments were yesterday. How’d that all go?” he asked as he leaned against the back bar and hooked one ankle over the other to assume the traditional Jake and Rhett bartender stance.
“We got off to a rough start. Just douchey doctors and some pushback I wasn’t expecting,” she clarified when Jake arched one eyebrow. “But then we met with an amazing doctor, and she was totally on board with my plan.”
Jake nodded solemnly and shifted his weight. “So you’re going ahead with surgery?”
Tori looked up from the computer and returned his gaze. She wanted him to see that this wasn’t something she was taking lightly. “Yes. Ideally sometime this summer. Then I’ll have the second one around the holidays. I know it means I’ll miss a ton of work, and Mike will probably have to hire someone in my place. But it’s really for the best…”
Jake’s brow furrowed. “Hey, I know that, baby. I’m not questioning you. Or judging you. I want this for you. I want this for both of you, honestly. I’m your friend before I’m your manager. You know that, right?”
His sincerity struck a nerve. Tori quickly turned back around to the computer to finish clocking in before grabbing a collection of pens for her shift. She hadn’t expected to have this type of conversation with Jake today, especially not this early in the morning. She avoided his gaze as she fiddled with the ties of her apron.
“This is stupid,” he muttered. “Don’t try to act all tough and hold me at arm’s length in typical Tori fashion. I’m the one who picked you up off the damn floor at the Valet House when you got the call a few weeks ago, baby.” He rolled his dark hazel eyes, then gave her a pointed look. She didn’t react to his declaration.
“Can I at least give you a hug?” he huffed, clearly frustrated with her lack of response.
Tori didn’t reply, but she shifted over two steps so he could wrap her up in his strong, bulging arms. Their contact cut through all the awkwardness of the last few minutes. He squeezed her almost too tightly as she rested her cheek against the worn fabric of his Clinton’s T-shirt. The edges of his ink peeked out from the cuff of the sleeve on his left arm. She felt him kiss the top of her head as he continued to hold her, right there in the middle of the restaurant at six-thirty on a Saturday morning.
She inhaled his unmistakable Jake scent. He had been wearing the same cologne since high school: equal parts woodsy and floral. He smelled like an overpriced preppy clothing store. Even though she teased him about it, she secretly loved it. That scent always took her back: it transported her to memories of driving to football games with the top off the Jeep, of bonfires on weekends and carpooling to school, of stealing his hoodie in class.
Jake had attended Hampton High for his last two years of high school, and they had been as thick as thieves during that time. Although they both had Rhett, he had stable parents, beloved grandparents, a little sister, and a real home. Jake and Tori were each other’s family their junior and senior years of high school.
Their bond seemed unshakeable until she broke up with Rhett the summer before college. She had broken his heart, and she had dented her friendship with Jake in the process. The breakup was bad enough. But then the real damage happened a few years later. Jake became even more distant when he realized his two friends were still hooking up but refused to confide in him.
He muttered something into her hair before he finally loosened his grip.
“Uh, come again?” she asked, smiling as he scowled down at her. She knew why he was scowling. This display of tenderness was out of character for her fiancé’s tough-guy best friend. There was a distinct comfort to being held and loved by a friend who had been in her life for so long.
“I said, you know I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you, baby. Even if Rhett’s not home. Especially when he can’t be here. I’ve got you.”
“I know that. You’re the best, Jake.” She squeezed him one more time for emphasis before starting to pull away from his hug. “Ya know, marrying Rhett is sort of like getting two husbands for the price of one. You’re like my rowdier, bisexual backup husband,” she joked.
Jake cringed at her jab. “Please donotsay that in front of him. You know he’s not good at sharing.”
“Don’t remind me.” Tori rolled her eyes at the memory of one of their drunken escapades from years ago. Jake was right. Rhett was even-headed most of the time, but he was way too possessive when it came to her. He obviously hadn’t enjoyed himself the night they let Jake watch them fool around in the hot tub, but that didn’t stop the memories from makinghertop ten list.
“You don’t think that’s why he hasn’t asked me to be his best man yet, do you?”
The question came out soft and vulnerable. Tori stilled, feeling slightly whiplashed from the quick change of tone. “Jake.” She sighed, drawing out his name in an attempt to comfort him. “We’ve only been engaged for two weeks, and he’s been so stressed trying to pack, move, graduate, take care of me, plan a wedding, and get things set up in Virginia. I feel like I’ve barely seen him myself. Cut him a little slack. I’m sure your very own best man proposal is coming soon.” She poked him right below the ribs to elicit a laugh. Her finger rebounded off a tense coil of muscle on his stomach instead.
“Hey, maybe he won’t forgetmyring,” Jake goaded, recalling how Rhett had proposed to Tori spur-of-the-moment, sans engagement ring.
“Or the condoms,” she deadpanned. It would be a long time before anyone let Everhett Wheeler forget about the one and only time he wasn’t actually prepared.
Jake smirked at the jab at his best friend’s expense before going soft again.“This back-and-forth shit sucks, huh?”
