Dawn of Forever (Jack & Jill #3) (26 page)

*

Lake parked in
one of the guest spots several houses down from AJ’s.

“Brilliant. Now what?” she mumbled to herself while checking her hair in the rearview mirror.

The bathroom request wasn’t going to work twice in the same day. It was a house, not a 7-Eleven. She decided the best plan was to question the neighbors first and maybe he would see her outside in the cold and invite her in for a cup of hot coffee or cuddling with him under a warm blanket.

Three strikes in a row, no one was home. At the fourth house, an elderly gentleman named Marvin Housby told Lake his wife, Greta, might know something, but she was in the bathtub with strict instructions to not disturb her. He grumbled something about “damn new toys.”

Lake froze midway down the Housby’s driveway. Both Jackson’s and Cage’s garage doors opened. A truck with tinted windows pulled into Cage’s garage. Jackson opened the door to the most offensive vehicle Lake had ever seen. Just as he started to get in, he zeroed in on Lake. She could feel his laser stare from across the street. However, the hunky guy getting out of his truck stole her attention, and so did the girl getting out of the passenger’s side.

Jackson stalked toward her with a menacing scowl. His approach seemed to catch Cage’s attention as he stood inside the garage looking at her. She considered fleeing for the Housby’s front door again and begging Marvin to let her in to wait for Greta.

“Little Jones girl, what the hell are you doing?” Jackson stood toe-to-toe with her, using his height advantage and deep voice to intimidate her. His freakishly defined muscles and tattoos did that all on their own. He didn’t need to invade her space too.

She gulped. “I’m seeing if anyone in the neighborhood went to the funeral.”

Jackson looked over his shoulder at Cage still watching from his garage.

“He was there. I thought you and Luke talked to him earlier.”

“Well, uh … we did, but he’s not ready to talk about it.”

Jackson squinted a bit then nodded once. He seemed to be thinking something that he wasn’t willing to share with “Little Jones girl.”

“I think snooping around the neighborhood is a bad idea.”

“Why?” She lifted her chin.

“Because it’s not safe.”

She looked around. “You live in a retirement community, in Omaha. I think I’ll be fine.”

He groaned or growled. It sounded much more like a growl, an angry animal growl. “Stubborn women. I can’t handle any more of you in my life.” He grabbed her arm. “Let’s go.”

“What? Wait!” She tried to keep up as he dragged her toward Cage. If there was truly a God, he’d keep her upright and not let her land on her face in front of her dream guy—whom just so happened to have a beautiful girl with two legs standing next to him.

“Young buck, here.” He handed Lake off like a piece of property then dug into his jeans pocket. After he retrieved what looked like a couple hundred-dollar bills, he shoved them into Cage’s coat pocket, ignoring his look of utter confusion. “I have to run a few errands. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

The blonde with bangs that kept falling in her face like a sheep dog, gawked at Jackson. If she was a girlfriend, she sure didn’t hide her attraction to Mr. Watch After Little Jones Girl.

Cage’s gaze shifted to Lake. “Are you on probation?” He grinned.

She could not have been more embarrassed by the situation. If Jackson weren’t so menacing, she would have thrown a full-blown conniption fit for being treated like a prisoner. But as she looked at the newly-assigned warden, she couldn’t find a good reason to protest.

“Apparently soliciting isn’t allowed in this neighborhood. Mr.
Knight
has made a citizen’s arrest.” She glared at Jackson. “Your sister would
not
approve of your behavior.” Looking back at Cage, she smiled. “Jillian likes me. We’re sort of best friends.”

He nodded, looking at Jackson.

“I’m out of here. Just … watch her.” Jackson shook his head and stalked back to his garage.

“Hi, I’m Lake. Prisoner for the night.” She held her hand out to the girl.

“Emily.” She shook Lake’s hand.

Lake gestured to Cage’s coat pocket. “Have you two had dinner? If not, I think my captor just paid for delivery.”

Cage smiled, flaunting those damn dimples. Emily was one lucky girl. Lake’s quest to add more images of Cage to her fantasy collection took a turn for the weird and a bit creepy in the presence of Emily.

*

Cage ordered pizza
while Lake shot off a quick text to Luke informing him of her temporary house arrest. He replied with one word: figures.

With a prolonged stare, Emily noticed Lake’s leg the moment she pulled off her boots, but she didn’t say anything so Lake decided to not address it either. Cage deserved a break from talking about her leg, boobs, or the death of her boyfriend.

“Pizza will be here in forty minutes.” Cage tossed his phone on the sofa and sat next to Lake.

Emily took a seat in the black leather recliner.

“So did the Housby’s know where Jillian is?”

“Oh, well …”

His quick observation as to why she had been roaming their neighborhood caught her off guard.

“Greta was taking a bath and Marvin didn’t seem to know anything. I’ll check back with her.”

“Who’s Jillian?” Emily asked, focused on her phone as her thumbs tapped the screen.

“She was my dad’s girlfriend. I told you that.”

Emily nodded, still not deeming his response worthy of her undivided attention. “I just didn’t remember her name. The one who got the mail in her panties and red rain boots?”

Cage grinned, looking at Lake. “Yes.”

Lake laughed. She missed Jessica and the thought of her being alive and infiltrating the lives of Cage and his father was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It was obvious Cage and AJ cared about her, but she belonged in San Francisco with Luke and Jones and the entire Jones family.

“I hope I’m not interrupting your evening.”

“No. I just picked Emily up from the airport. Her boyfriend is a buddy of mine and his flight into Omaha got delayed, so I picked her up so she didn’t have to wait there.”

Best news of the night for Lake. Football player fantasy was officially back on.

“You both live in Omaha?”

Emily looked up. “No. I’m from Minneapolis. Eddie and I attend Texas A&M. His family lives here, so we’re spending part of our break with his family then we’ll spend the second half with my family. I haven’t officially met his parents, so I wanted to wait for Eddie before going to his house.”

Lake nodded.

“Eddie was my running back last year and my roommate. He was injured in the last game of the season. He’s done playing football. Emily wanted to transfer to Texas so he followed her.”

“Romantic, huh?” Emily winked at Cage.

“No comment.”

“He felt bad you know?” Emily gave Cage a sad smile.

“He should have. My new roommate has a weird obsession with Minecraft.”

“No. I’m talking about your dad. Eddie really wanted to be at the funeral, he just couldn’t get the travel arrangements made with the busy holiday weekend.”

Lake sank back into the couch. Emily had breached a subject that was not up for discussion, at least it hadn’t been earlier that day.

“It’s fine. The whole thing was kind of a blur. I couldn’t even tell you who was or wasn’t there. Except—” Cage hopped up when the doorbell rang. He paid for the pizzas then set them on the counter.

“I think there may be a few cans of beer still in the refrigerator and maybe a can or two of Coke. Help yourself, ladies.”

Emily grabbed a beer and slice of pizza before planting herself back in the chair, giving her phone more attention.

“We can eat at the dining room table if it’s easier.”

Lake shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me.”

He grabbed his glass of water and one of the pizza boxes then motioned toward the dining room. Lake followed, not questioning why they didn’t just sit at the small table in the kitchen.

“So you are definitely a pleasant surprise tonight.”

Lake felt her skin heat from his compliment that took her by equal surprise.

“Thank you. I haven’t been anyone’s pleasant surprise in a long time. Probably not since my mom found out she was pregnant with me.” She gave him a small smirk. “I wasn’t exactly planned. I honestly don’t think any of my siblings were either. Our parents just can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. Even now, after five kids, they embarrass us with their excessive PDAs.”

Cage laughed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “What do they do? Are they retired?”

“No. They own a bed and breakfast in T—” She grimaced. “Times Square.”

“In Times Square?”

“Uh … yeah, that’s in New York.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Lake blushed from her own crazy statement.

“I just didn’t realize there’s a bed and breakfast
in
Times Square.”

There probably wasn’t.

“I meant in walking distance.” She looked for confirmation on his face that a walking distance bed and breakfast was feasible.

His forehead still held lines of confusion.

“Or driving distance.” She nodded. Surely that would pass as a plausible explanation.

“So basically they have a bed and breakfast within the state of New York?”

No. Tahoe.

“Yes.” She nodded again.
Dammit. Dammit. Dammit Jones!

“So you must do more than play football. What are you studying?” She needed a subject change, STAT.

“I’m in elementary education.”

“Holy shit, you’re kidding?”

“Um … nope. I’m not.”

“You like kids?”

He chuckled. “I do. I think it’s a requirement for my major.”

Lake shoved a big bite into her mouth, chewing on it as well as thoughts of the perfect—no, beyond perfect—guy before her. Getting a job was no longer an option. She would go home and spend at least forty hours a week dreaming about Cage Monaghan.

“Girlfriend? Oh God…” she covered her mouth and finished chewing “…did I say that out loud?”

Cage had a cool persona. He never fumbled his words or acted nervous or awkward. Yet, he wasn’t cocky. He was the guy that was truly “all that” but had no idea.

“No girlfriend right now. Just casual dating.”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Me too.” Her nod shifted into a head shake. “Actually, that’s a lie. I’m not casually dating or dating at all for that matter.”

“Really? I’m surprised.”

She returned the “come on, be serious” look. Her, look-at-my-leg-or-lack-there-of speech hung on the tip of her tongue. She swallowed it back down. “I’m a bit of a handful.”

Cage laughed, the kind of laugh that felt like the warm sun on a bikini-clad body sprawled out on a beach in Southern California—not that she had done that since the accident. But she still remembered the feeling.

“I kind of gathered that from the two hundred dollars cash in my pocket. Babysitting you pays much better than teaching.”

The doorbell rang again. Cage’s brow furrowed. “It’s too early for Eddie to be here.” He excused himself from the table. Guys his age didn’t do that. Lake quickly added manners to her He’s Perfect list.

“I’ve posted bail, Sis. Time to go.”

She narrowed her eyes a fraction at Luke, just enough that only he would detect her displeasure. “How did you get here? I have the rental car.”

“They’re called cabs, Lake. There’s a ton of them in New York too.”

She loved her brother, but that remark earned him her best fuck-you smile.

“Thanks for dinner.” She stood and tossed her napkin on the table.

“Thank Jackson.” Cage grinned.

“Nice to meet you, Emily.”

“You too.”

“I’ll have to look up your parents’ B&B in Times Square when I’m there next time.”

She ignored the look she knew Luke gave her behind her back. “Yes, the one in driving distance of Times Square.”

Cage chuckled. Luke did too, but his was condescending.

“Here.” She tossed Luke the keys. “Go warm up the car. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“One minute.”

“Go.”

“Oh … have you talked to Dodge and Lilith?” Cage asked.

Luke shook his head. “Who’s that?”