Page 16 of Fight for Me
Her faraway expression tugged at Jake’s heart.
“So, what do your parents do?” he asked, desperate to learn more about her. The sadness that flickered through her eyes was unexpected.
“My dad is a doctor, a surgeon, actually.”
Jake let out a low whistle and leaned back, propping his feet up on an empty chair. “What kind of surgery?”
“Cardiothoracic,” she said, wincing like she’d said a bad word. “He’s the surgeon-in-chief at Vanderbilt.”
Wow, Jake thought, though he didn’t expect that was the response she wanted.
“I’ve heard they have hard schedules,” he offered instead, trying to tread carefully.
Lexie picked at the soggy pieces of her cone.
“Yeah, they do. He wasn’t around much when I was growing up, but I think that was intentional.”
Jake frowned. “What about your mom?” he asked, hoping for a better answer.
“Well, she was a waitress when she met my dad, and I’m pretty sure he married her just to make my grandparents angry—his one act of defiance.” Lexie cleared her throat, her attention returning to her bowl. “She died in a car accident when I was fifteen.”
Jake felt like he’d been punched in the gut. How was he supposed to respond to something like that? He cleared his throat and leaned his forearms on the table, filling the silence with motion.
“I’m sorry. I’m really on a roll with my questions tonight.”
“It’s okay,” she said, offering a sad smile. “How are you supposed to know if you don’t ask?” She stood and tossed the dregs of her ice cream cone into the trash. “I should probably call it a night.”
Jake watched her gather her things, feeling her impending absence more keenly than he’d like. He reached out on impulse and caught her hand as she passed his chair, surprised by his own audacity.
She stopped and looked toward where his fingers looped around hers.
“I’m really glad you came. I’ve had fun,” he said, lifting his gaze to her face. Those brilliant green eyes drifted up to his and lingered.
“Yeah, it was fun,” she said. “I’ll see you at work, okay?” She gently pulled her hand free and walked toward her car, then slid inside.
Jake forced himself to stay seated, knowing that if he stood, he’d probably do something stupid—like try to stop her. He watched her back carefully out of her parking space before pulling onto the main drag. Then he flexed his fingers a few times, noticing a sticky spot where he’d held her hand.
It was proof she had been there.
Proof there was hope after all.
“Where have youbeen?” Olivia asked, looking up from the textbook in her lap.
Lexie pushed the door shut behind her and dropped her purse onto a kitchen chair. “Playing soccer with Jake.”
“Doing what with who now?” Olivia asked, setting down her pen and giving Lexie her full attention.
Lexie sighed. “It wasn’t a big deal, Liv. He helped me with a story, we played soccer, and then we got ice cream.”
Olivia blinked several times before closing her book and swinging her feet off the couch. She patted the now-empty cushion with her hand.
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to need more information.”
Recognizing when she needed to fold, Lexie sank down beside her friend and started talking. When she mentioned kicking the soccer ball around the empty field, Olivia laid a hand on her arm.
“Lex, please tell me you know he was flirting with you.”
“What? No, definitely not,” Lexie said, though she felt guilt creep up her neck anyway. “It was just good fun.”
