‘Hello,’ I reply as I kick off my socks.
I sit on the edge of the bed and look down at him.
‘You don’t have to do this, you know,’ I point out.
So much for standing firm on the bed thing.
He shrugs.
‘I don’t mind.’
I hesitate for a second, then slide under the duvet, lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling.
‘Everythin’ okay downstairs?’ he asks, picking up on something.
‘I think so,’ I reply. ‘Cordelia asked me to be her bridesmaid.’
‘That’s great,’ he replies. ‘Right?’
‘Hmm,’ I say thoughtfully.
A few seconds of silence and then…
‘Tell me about your family,’ Jake says.
It catches me off guard.
‘My family?’ I reply.
‘Yeah,’ he says. ‘Makes sense we get to know one another, in case anyone asks…’
It’s more plausible than them asking if he knows where we keep the towels in my apartment.
‘My parents live in Kent,’ I reply. ‘They’re still together, still annoyingly happy – and by that I mean they’re happy, but they annoy each other. My sister lives nearby with her husband and two kids. I see them all often.’
He listens, genuinely interested.
‘It’s nice that y’all are close,’ he replies.
‘It is,’ I reply. ‘We always make the effort for birthdays, Christmases, Sunday dinners as often as we can. What about you?’
‘My parents split when I was young,’ he replies. ‘My dad’s family are English. He came back here to be near them. My mom stayed in the States. That’s where I grew up, where I’ve lived my entire life.’
‘And now?’
‘My mom passed away a few years ago,’ he says quietly. ‘My dad’s not well. He’s in a nursing home not far from here.’
I feel something ache in my chest.
‘That’s why I’m moving to England,’ he adds after a beat. ‘And why Rosewood. Why I’m doing all of this. So I can be close by for him. Things aren’t great.’
I nod slowly, even though he can’t see, because I don’t know how to say what I want to say. My heart goes out to him.
‘I didn’t realise things were that bad,’ I reply.
‘Most folks don’t lead with the heavy stuff,’ he replies.
‘How is your dad finding it?’ I ask.