Page 28 of Falling for Red
“Asking for permission.” Jake bites his lip. “Such a good girl.” I shake my head, blushing while texting.
Claire Moore
See you then. Your place? Gabby is with her dad, but I’ll be arriving with your friend Jake.
Nicholas O’Malley
Not at my place. Long story, but my sister’s friend owns a house on the lake and offered it to us for the party. I’ll text you the address. And Jake Schmidt?
“Is your last name Schmidt?” I ask, looking up from my phone, feeling embarrassed I didn’t ask yet.
“Yeah.”
Claire Moore
Yes. That Jake.
Nicholas O’Malley
Good guy. Tell him Chad and Chris will be there too.
I hit the thumbs up reaction. “Nicholas wants me to tell you that Chad and Chris will be there.”
“Nice!” Jake squeezes my hand. “I’m sure you’re still getting used to small town life, where everyone knows everyone’s business.”
“Still getting used to it, yes. Same Chad whose truck got pranked?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh … small towns.”
Leaving the diner, he asks, “Could you share an ice cream?”
“Aren’t you full?”
“That’s why I’m offering to share.” The smile on his face. I can’t get over how much of a Golden Retriever he can be sometimes. I’ve never dated a guy like this. “I feel like we have to do it,” he says. “It’s the fourth.”
“We can share an ice cream as long as it’s not Superman or mint flavored.”
“Should we get vanilla?” He winks.
“I’m open.” I smirk, liking the thought of what a relationship with Jake could look like.
Jake grabs my chin, leaning down for a firm kiss. “Isn’t today the best day?”
“It’s really nice. You’re doing a good job of keeping my brain off.”
He grumbles before whispering, “I know, look how nice you’re being to me.”
I swat his chest, and he chuckles, leading us to the ice cream shop on the corner of Main Street.
“Sea salt caramel?” he asks, and honestly, that is the perfect choice.
“My favorite.”
We wait in the line, and he stands behind me hugging me tight. This is a fantasy. Almost seventy-two hours of not being a mom. Not needing to work.
What will this be like when reality kicks back in?
