“Yeah, it poured when we walked from Roxy’s. Otherwise, I would’ve come back here.”
“It couldn’t have rained much,” Mom repeats. “We slept with the windows open. I had to water the plants this morning. Everything was dry.”
“No, it poured, Mom,” I say.
“What’re you two arguing for?” Dad mutters.
“And why are you goin’ to Sherry’s?” Grey asks. “Math ain’t mathin’. Stace wants to cheer her up so you wanting to go along makes zero sense.”
“I have something I want to talk to her about,” I reply.
And suddenly, the already present potent scent of Jase is even stronger just as there’s a knock on the front door.
“Come in!” Mom calls in a singsong voice.
Jase comes in and stops behind me. Directly behind me. So close I feel his body heat.
Though his presence feels extreme, I don’t turn around and do my best to not let on I feel anything but indifference.
But I’m feeling many more things besides indifference right now, and I refuse to let any of them penetrate.
“Since when do you knock, Jase? And especially now that you’re family almost officially, you certainly don’t have to knock when you can smell that the rest of us are here having food. You’re in time for breakfast.”
Now I feel the warmth of his breath on my ear and neck, so I walk to the kitchen, not looking back, returning with a plate and a set of cutlery, intentionally not looking at him, though knowing his gaze is on me.
“You didn’t bring a plate for Jase?” Mom asks, and her expression says,I raised you better than this.
“It’s okay, Carrie. I ate. In fact, you don’t need that plate, Bay. I brought your breakfast. I was cooking it when you slipped out without saying anything…” He lets that hang, reprimand in his voice.
I look at him and sure enough, he’s holding a plate covered with foil.
I roll my eyes. “No thank you, I have a craving for Mom’s pancakes.”
“Bailey,” Mom hisses with disapproval.
I shoot her a look that stops her cold. Because I’m a grown woman and this shit is new but it’s already old. She seems to get it, saying nothing, eyes lighting with recognition, but this doesn’t stop her mouth from tightening.
Grey speaks up. “So… stating the obvious, you slept at Jase’s but you two haven’t made it official.”
“If it’s obvious, why bring it up?” I mutter.
Grey’s eyebrows are up high and he’s looking at Jase. It’s like I’m missing something here.
“Still can’t touch her without getting zapped,” Jase replies. “Though she can touch me…”
And the way his voice drops when he says that,grr. More sexual warfare.
“Did or did it not pour rain last night, Jason?” I ask.
“Yeah, it was rainin’ cats ‘n dogs. Why?”
The others at the table exchange glances as I give my mom a look.
Grey still has his eyebrows up, eyes on Jase and I don’t understand what sort of communication is going on right now, but there’s something between them.
Dad gets up. “I’m runnin’ to town for an errand.”
“An errand where?” Mom asks.