Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [88]
Jake whispered to Katy, “Most of the time she thinks Mom is her sister, and I’m Grandpa.”
“You always looked like him,” Katy whispered.
Once Minnie was seated, Ann smiled at Katy. “I’m so glad you came tonight. I’ve missed you.”
Katy had always appreciated Ann’s gentle manner. Rumor was she didn’t have any backbone, and that’s why she allowed her only daughter to traipse off to OSU and why Jake went wild. With his dad gone, there was simply no discipline. Katy tried to rein her thoughts back to the conversation. Ann was asking polite questions, inquiring about Katy’s work and skirting around Grandma Minnie’s periodic interruptions with a practiced skill that was both sad and heartwarming. Sipping water from a sunflower-patterned glass, Katy listened to Ann’s summer plans for a fruit and vegetable stand, and cast smiling eyes Jake’s way, pleased with him for returning home to help his family.
Before she left, Katy and Ann planned for Katy to stay with Grandma Minnie one day a week. If that worked, they might extend it to two days and include some cleaning. Around eight o’clock, Jake offered to walk her to her car.
Taking her gloved hand, he said, “How about you start the heater, and I’ll join you for a few minutes. We haven’t had any time alone.”
Instantly, Katy remembered times they’d sat in his truck after a date and talked. Sometimes they kissed, but he’d always remained a gentleman. Would he keep his word tonight, about not kissing her until she was ready?
Inside her car, he took her hand and leaned close. “Thanks so much for helping with Grams.”
“We’ll get along fine. She remembered me for an instant.”
“She loved you. Back when we were in high school, she encouraged me to date you.”
Resisting the nostalgic pull, Katy drew her hand away, taking hold of the steering wheel. Light shone through the living room windows. Everything inside had been faintly familiar yet different. Jake’s dad was now gone, Cal was married, and Erin was away at college. Jake seemed changed, too, older and more mature. But should she trust him? It would be so easy to fall under his spell.
Take it slow, Lil had warned, in spite of her earlier matchmaking. Did Lil know something about Jake she wasn’t sharing? Or was it just Lil’s way to hang on to the doddy house dream?
Katy glanced over. “What really happened to your eye?”
The corner of his mouth quirked. “I just collided with something.”
She arched her brows. “Did you know David had a similar accident?”
Finally he replied, his Amish-Dutch accent thicker than usual, “It’s a good thing you dumped him. He’s a real hothead.”
“He started it then?”
“He came to the church one night after the crew left. I tried to reason with him, but in his condition it was useless. I’m surprised he even made it home without ending up in some ditch.”
Her pursed lips slackened. “He was drunk?”
Jake nodded.
“But everybody thinks he’s such a nice guy,” Katy protested.
Jake looked hurt. “Everyone makes mistakes.”
She considered his statement. David Miller had gotten drunk and started a fight because of her mistakes. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “I know what you’re thinking. That I used him to get the doddy house. But I wanted to find out if I was over you, too. I hoped my dates with David would turn into more.”
He touched her cheek. “Thanks for your honesty.”
She dropped her hands in her lap and stared at him, blinking back threatening tears. Silence hovered between them, and she knew instinctively when he thought about kissing her. She saw his inward struggle, but he refrained.
Should she ask him more about his relationship with Jessie? Would there ever be a more fitting time? Before she could trust him, she needed to know exactly what she was forgiving.
But he spoke again first. “The doddy house has always been your
dream. I want you to enjoy it. Although I made mistakes when I was out on my own, it helped me find my way. I want that for you, too. It will help us in our relationship.”
It seemed contrived now to