Page 6 of Home to You
Jake’s eyes met mine for a fraction of a second before his jaw tightened and he looked away, giving me the most impersonal nod I’d ever seen. “Ma’am.” His voice was flat, dismissive.
That single word hit me like a slap, and I felt my cheeks burn as if he’d actually struck me. I had to dig my nails into my palms to keep from flinching.
Not Eden. Not Ms. James. Just … ma’am. Like I was no one. Like we hadn’t spent an entire summer tangled up in each other, whispering filthy promises in the dark. Like he hadn’t once told me he loved me.
I forced a smile that I was sure didn’t reach my eyes, hoping Carol wouldn’t notice my reaction, and took the empty seat across from him, keeping my gaze firmly on the paper in front of me, my heart thudding like a gong in my chest.
Carol started talking about fire permits, food trucks versus catering, and her idea for the chili cook-off and volunteer shifts, but I couldn’t focus. Not really.
Still, I made myself take notes, my eyes trained on the agenda even though every cell in my body was hyperaware of the man sitting across the table.
Around the table, four other committee members, including Lily, Soraya, the music teacher, a school counselor named Vera, and someone from the Parent Teacher Organization whose name I hadn’t caught, flipped through their packets, nodding along and interjecting their ideas.
“We’ll need to finalize a list of auction items by the end of the month,” Carol told Soraya, who nodded.
“I was thinking about hitting up the Turner family again this year,” Soraya responded. “I know we said we didn’t want to tap that well too often, but I heard through the grapevine they havea new head of philanthropy who is looking to diversify their charitable giving contributions.”
“Sounds good,” Carol said, making a note on her sheet.
Jake cleared his throat and spun slightly in his seat to face Soraya. “My brother Colt said to sign him up for a trail ride for the auction.”
I blinked as the face of Jake’s younger brother—the third of five boys—jumped into my mind. I’d been too busy obsessing over running into Jake again after all these years that I hadn’t really given much thought to the rest of the Mercer boys.
Colt was barely twenty years old the last time I saw him, all toothy grins, boundless energy, and a really infectious personality. I remembered him tailing his oldest brother around like a puppy that whole summer. Jake tried to pretend he was annoyed by Colt’s constant presence, but I frequently caught his warm smiles whenever Colt turned away.
Jake must’ve felt my eyes on him because he flicked his gaze toward me for a brief second. His brows furrowed slightly before he dragged his attention back to Soraya.
“Last we spoke,” Carol continued, addressing Jake directly now. “You mentioned a barn might be available?”
He gave a curt nod. “The space will be cleared out by the end of the weekend. You’ll have full access starting Monday. Either I or one of my brothers will be available to help with setup and teardown.”
His voice was deeper than I remembered. Rougher. I felt goosebumps bloom on my skin.
“That’s great,” she said, shifting her attention to me. “Eden, you’ll work with the Mercers on getting the barn set up—tables, chairs, that sort of thing—and making sure our physical auction items are onsite the day of the fundraiser. Do you have access to a truck?”
Jake shifted in his seat with a sharp, annoyed-sounding huff, his fingers tapping on the arm of his chair.
Across from me, Lily’s eyebrows rose, and she tossed a “what’s that all about?” look my way.
I shook my head minutely and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “Uh … no. I drive a Mini Cooper.”
Carol waved away my concern. “Not a problem. We’ll get you set up with a rental.”
“Great,” I said, forcing a smile.
Not a single thing about any of this was great. It was my worst nightmare. Well, my second worst nightmare given that I’d already lived through finding out my husband and best friend were fucking each other.
“Perfect.” Carol moved on, assigning someone else to food and beverage coordination, but I tuned out after that, my attention focused on Jake’s every movement. The scratch of his pen on paper. The way he drummed his fingers against his thigh when Carol droned on about permits. The clean scent of his soap mixed with something distinctly masculine that made my mouth go dry.
My eyes flicked up to catch him staring at me, his dark eyes intense and unreadable. For a heartbeat, I saw something flicker there—anger, maybe, or something deeper—before his expression shuttered completely. He dragged his gaze away and ran a hand over his stubbled jaw, the muscle there jumping.
Nope. This isn’t just going to be awkward at all,I thought, scribbling aimlessly in the margins of my packet.Not awkward at all.
CHAPTER FOUR
Cole burstout the door of the school with his backpack hanging halfway off one shoulder, sneakers skidding slightly on the concrete as he barreled toward me. I barely had time to say hello before he launched into a play-by-play of a science experiment his class was doing, something about volcanoes and baking soda that I’d be hearing more about over dinner, guaranteed.
“Hey, bud,” I said, ruffling his hair when he finally paused to take a breath. “That sounds real cool, but I’m gonna need you to press pause for a bit. I have to check in with your teacher real quick.”
