Page 43 of You Wish
“Kissing up a storm. It’s so hot, the icecaps in the Alps are melting.”
“Grandma,” Jake threatened, but he couldn’t hide his shit-eating grin. He’d just gotten a blowie by the prettiest girl in Texas. Twenty-year-old Jake wanted to clap Present Jake on the back. Maybe give him a high five. But he didn’t want to embarrass himself even more. “A gentleman never kisses and tells.”
Joy waved a dismissive hand. “You don’t have to say a word. I saw it all unfold, even took a video of it for the socials.”
“Um, can you not post those,” Georgia said, panic making her voice raise an octave. “I am already in deep with my bosses and that will throw them over the edge.”
“Blackmail Book it is, then.”
Jake wasn’t sure what a Blackmail Book was, but by the horrified look on Georgia’s face she did—and she wasn’t happy about it.
“How long were you there?” Georgia asked.
“Long enough to see that lip lock,” Joy said with a grin that said she was already planning the wedding. “Why? What did I miss?”
“Nothing,” the words rushed out of Georgia’s mouth.
“Nothingsure has your face heated red enough to roast a coffee bean,” Joy said with a snicker.
“Guess we know why the barn hasn’t been finished. Too busy playing kissy face instead of hammering nails,” Rachel said, leaning against the frame, arms crossed and an exasperated look spreading across her face.
Jake shot her a glare. “Don’t you have something better to do?”
“Not when free entertainment shows up in the middle of my day,” she said, tilting her head toward Georgia. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Guess you like keeping busy, huh?”
Georgia froze, smoothing her hair back from her face. He knew she was trying for polite. “I was just helping.”
Rachel’s tone softened, but only just. “Sure. Helping.”
“Alright, enough,” Grandma said firmly, swatting the air like she could chase the tension away. “You two can flirt on your own time. Right now, I’ve got a barn that looks like raccoons had a square dance in there, and it needs cleaning. Chop, chop.”
Jake cleared his throat, grateful for the save. “Let’s head to the barn.”
They all walked single file, with Georgia hiding in the back. When they walked into the barn, the large space felt incredibly small with all of the various types of tension in the air.
Jake turned around and smiled. “You heard the woman. Grab a broom, Rach. Georgia, you take the paint cans. I’ll stack the boards.”
Rachel lifted a brow. “Oh, so now you’re in charge?”
Jake grinned, mischievous. “Somebody has to be. Lord knows you’ve been bossy enough for three people your whole life.”
Rachel gasped in mock offense. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Jake said, hauling a plank over his shoulder. “Bossy. Since the day you were born. Remember when you made me play ‘tea party’ with your dolls? In a fairy costume?”
Rachel’s lips twitched despite herself. “You looked good in pink. Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy it.”
“And the costume was your idea, Jackey,” Joy added.
Georgia pressed her lips together to hide a laugh, but Rachel’s sharp glance in her direction made her straighten and busy herself with paint cans. Jake noticed, and his jaw tightened.
“Back off, Rach,” he said evenly.
“I didn’t say anything,” Rachel replied, sweeping the dust with exaggerated innocence. “I just think it’s funny how fast things change around here.”
Grandma clapped her hands again, cutting through the tension. “Lord have mercy, if I wanted drama, I’d turn on one of those soap operas. Get to work, all of you.”
For the next half hour, the barn was filled with the sounds of sweeping, stacking, and the occasional muttered jab. Jake and Georgia worked side by side, and although their hands brushed more often than not, sending jolts of heat between them, Georgia did her best to keep her distance.
