Home is Where the Heart is (4 page)

J
ordan made his way through the tavern to where his childhood friends were sitting. He wondered if Nick and Gabby were together. From the sight of them right now, they did look pretty sociable together, and at this stage, he had seen it all. Six years was a long time to be gone. Anything could have changed in the time he was in Miami making a career for himself.

Gabby sipped at her mug of beer, twirling a strand of her thick black hair around one finger. “You should just make your move on Cassie while you still can,” she said to Nick. “With Jordan back, who knows how much longer she’ll be available.” She wasn’t happy about Jordan being back, but she knew Cassie and Jordan had a history together, and sometimes, that triumphed over everything in life—whether she liked it or not.

Nick was flabbergasted. He didn’t understand. “Why would I ask Cassie out? She’s my friend; I don’t like her like that.”

Gabby shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know; I guess I figured you just liked her.”

“She’s my friend,” he repeated. “That’s all.”

Gabby turned slightly so she was looking straight at Nick. “Well, why else would you always be there to support Cassie and Jake throughout all these years if you weren’t harboring a crush on her? A normal guy wouldn’t do that. I’m sorry; I guess it just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Nick took a mouthful of his beer, his shoulders sagging. “I don’t know. I thought I was helping out my best friend who couldn’t physically be here for his family, and so I stepped up for him. Maybe by me just being there for both Cassie and Jake, it would feel like a part of Jordan was also there too, since he and I were so close, ya know? It probably sounds silly.”

Gabby shook her head profusely, placing a hand on his shoulder. “No, it doesn’t sound silly—well, maybe a little, but it is also very sweet. You should know you don’t owe anything to Jordan enough to stand by and support his child so he can go off and chase his dream. If anything, he owes you for all you’ve done for his kid. It should have been him taking care of his family, not you. Cassie, Jake, I, and
especially
Jordan are so very fortunate to have found an incredible friend in you.”

Before Gabby knew what was happening, Nick was leaning in toward her and kissing her tenderly on the lips, but in the most elusive way. He didn’t want to overstep his mark as her friend, just in case Gabby didn’t want it. Gabby actually liked it in an unexpected way. She was kissing her very good friend. She had never thought about kissing Nick before, so why was she suddenly enjoying being kissed by him now instead of pushing him away? It just didn’t make much sense to her, but she didn’t care. She was stunned, but now she understood what all the girls who had kissed him were going on about when they would tell her he was a great kisser, because it was most definitely true.

Gabby suddenly realized where she was and pulled away from Nick, still in total shock from what just happened.

She didn’t say anything.

She
couldn’t
say anything.

Instead, she just sat there brooding over the kiss she just delighted in with someone she had considered a friend since they were kids.

“I like you, Gabby,” Nick said without holding any of it back. “I like you a lot, and I just thought you should finally know the truth. It’s not Cassie I want—it’s you.”

Before Gabby could respond to his declaration, someone she least expected to show up interrupted them with an upbeat grin on his face.

“Hey, guys!” Jordan said, pulling up a barstool and straddling it.

Nick was the first to return the greeting. Obviously, he was glad to have the interruption and Gabby didn’t seem to mind either.

“Jordan! I heard you were back in town. It’s good to see you, man.” He smacked Jordan on the back in welcome.

“Yeah, I wish it were under a lot better circumstances, but it’s good to see you too. We will have to catch up sometime before I leave.”

“Oh, yeah. How is your Dad doing?” Nick asked with concern.

“He’s doing a whole lot better now. He should be out of hospital in a couple of days.”

Gabby piped up and asked her own question, skipping straight past any form of greeting. “Did you happen to see Cassie tonight?” she asked out of pure nosiness.

Jordan’s eyes moved in Gabby’s direction. “I said hi to her as she was heading out the door. She seems really good.”

“Uh-huh,” said Gabby sarcastically. She bet he would like to see her again; she just hoped Cassie didn’t feel the same way. Her friend didn’t need his presence in her life, not when she had worked damn hard to get him out of her head in the first place.

“Well, it was really nice to see you again, but….um, I have to go. Are you coming too, Nick? You said you’d give me a lift so I wouldn’t have to walk home by myself.”

It was a lame excuse, and Gabby had walked home alone countless times before, but she didn’t want to play catch-up with her best friend’s ex-boyfriend. She was team Cassie all the way.

Gabby hoped Nick would take her teeny, tiny, subtle hint and realize she didn’t really want to spend the rest of the evening making small-talk and reminiscing with a guy who left her to pick up the pieces when he broke her best friend’s heart.

“Yeah, I’ll take you home. You want to leave now?”

Gabby nodded her head in response, prompting Nick to slowly rise from his sitting position on the bar stool, slapping Jordan on his shoulder in a friendly way.

“It was good to see you, man. Give me a call before you head out of town and we’ll grab a beer together,” said Nick, while Gabby turned toward the exit and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, you too, and a beer would be good. You still got the same number?”

“Sure do. Shoot me a text sometime. Anyway, I’ll catch you around,” Nick hollered at Jordan while following Gabby toward the exit, leaving Jordan all alone at the bar for a mere minute or so before people began hounding him for a photo or autograph.

The following morning, while Cassie was getting ready for work and running around after Jake trying to get him ready for school, Nick burst in through the front door with an enormous smile on his face and an extra-effervescent pitch to his voice when he announced his arrival.

“Uncle Nick!” Jake threw himself into his arms.

Nick bent down to his godson’s level. “Good morning, buddy. Are you ready for school?” He ruffled his curly hair.

“Yep!” Jake exclaimed with a big, toothless smile, his arms stretched out around Nick’s neck.

“Or he will be, once he brushes his teeth,” Cassie added with her hands to her ear as she fixed her earring, walking into the entranceway of the three-bedroom duplex she and Jake resided in.

“You heard your mum—you better go make your teeth all nice and shiny.”

And with that, Jake was jumping out of Nick’s hold and running off in the direction of the bathroom.

Once Cassie heard water running, she knew he was doing as he was told.

“Thank you again for agreeing to take him to school. I’ve got to be at the bakery early this morning so I can get a head start on a cake for one of the special functions we’re catering,” she said, giving herself a once-over in the hallway mirror hanging on the wall near the door. She took a moment to fix the lustrous pink lip-gloss on her lips.

Nick got back on his feet, ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, and studied his friend vaguely.

“It’s no trouble. There’s one good thing about having my own business—I’m the boss. I can pick what time I start depending on how busy I am. Besides, I love Jake as if he’s my own child; I would do anything for that kid.”

As Nick uttered the words, Cassie smiled precipitously and said, “And he loves you too.” She tapped him on the shoulder as she passed him, and he followed her into the kitchen where she finished gathering a number of items to put into Jake’s school bag, including his Lightning McQueen lunchbox and matching hat. “We both love you and are so very appreciative to have you and Gabby present in our lives. I honestly don’t know what I would do or where I would be without you.”

“Speaking of Gabby, do you expect to hear from her today?” Nick asked out of the blue. Cassie’s eyes lit up in surprise. Nick didn’t usually bring up anything involving Gabby. She wondered why he would want to know whether she was talking to her today. She shrugged one shoulder, feigning nonchalance as she took the elastic band from around her left wrist and used it to tie her long blonde hair together into a high, twisted bun.

“Well, I haven’t yet, but the mornings are usually frenzied enough without the added bonus of a conversation with my best friend. But I’m sure I will be seeing her later. She usually stops by before work for a quick chat and to grab a coffee to go. Why?”

“No reason,” Nick said meekly, but his face told a different story. Cassie could see something was up.

Now she was really intrigued. What had happened last night after she left? “What’s up? Am I missing something that happened between you two after I went home last night?” she asked him in a straight-to-the-point tone, watching his body language as she rested her hands on the kitchen counter in front of her. His body was still as a statue, and all she could see was his eyebrow tremble slightly. Damn Nick and his poker face. She knew she wouldn’t get anything from him now, so there was no point in trying to pull it out of him.

“Oh, you mean besides running into your former boyfriend? Nope, nothing out of the ordinary. By the way, are you okay?” Nick asked, changing the subject. She hated when he did that. He wouldn’t be able to avoid whatever it was he was trying to forever though. One way or another, she would find out the truth.

“About Jordan, you mean? Of course I’m okay. It’s not the end of the world just because my ex-boyfriend has come to town. I got over him a long time ago.” Who was she kidding? With any luck, she hoped it would be Nick. She prayed he couldn’t see right through her words. Now wasn’t the time to let her friend know how she was really feeling. No one could know she got that ticklish feeling when she saw Jordan last night. It had to remain her little secret—at least for a little while anyway.

“Besides, with his busy career and all, I’m sure he won’t be back for very long.” Who was she trying to convince now—Nick, or herself?

He let out a little chuckle. “You obviously don’t know very much about the NFL. He’s not playing right now, because it’s not in season. He could be here for a while—at least until training camp starts. Are you sure you’re really okay? You know I can read you like an open book, right? You don’t have to hide your true feelings from me. I can handle however you feel, even if you were to admit you still like him a little bit. It would be fathomable anyway, considering your long history together, and the way your relationship ended.”

By now, Cassie and Nick both knew what ‘okay’ really meant, and also what Nick was actually talking about—Jake.

Both were standing quietly in the kitchen when Jake came running in, showcasing a big, beautiful smile with sparkling teeth and fresh breath to prove he had done a good job.

His hands were on his hips as he looked up at Nick. He was his role model, a father figure of sorts—despite the obvious difference in physical appearance and the fact Nick wasn’t related to Jake except for being his godfather and Cassie’s friend.

“I’m ready,” he proclaimed proudly with his arms stretched out wide.

“Well, then it’s off to school we go,” Nick burst out with enthusiasm as Cassie handed him Jake’s backpack and followed them out the door.

That was the end of the conversation, and Nick knew he would just have to take his friend’s word for it that she was okay with Jordan being home, even though deep down, they both knew Cassie was scared as hell.

Gabby rushed in through the doors of Patty-Cake Bakery where Cassie worked, sending the tiny chimes above the doors tinkling throughout the shop.

Cassie sent a smile in Gabby’s direction, wiping her flour-covered hands against her floral-print apron from her position at the coffee machine behind the front counter. She loved it when her friend popped in for a visit before work.

“Hello, best friend. I’m guessing you’re after your usual pick-me-up?” Cassie asked with a huge smile, referring to Gabby’s favorite morning latte she always ordered.