The guileless blue eyes widened. “But Mom, don’t you like Jake?”
The unexpected question punched the air from Emma’s lungs. “It doesn’t matter if I like him.”
“Yes, it does.” Jeremy’s worried expression heaped guilt on top of her anxiety.
“I like him.” Emma pushed the words out. “He seems…nice.” Inwardly she winced at the generic description. One that didn’t begin to describe the man whose unexpected appearance at the library the day before had turned her world upside down.
The answer seemed to satisfy Jeremy, however, because his sunny smile returned. “I like him, too. A lot.”
That was another thing Emma was afraid of.
Jake turned off the ignition and stared at Emma’s house, wondering how he could convince her to let him tackle some of the minor repairs around the place. It had been difficult enough to get her to agree to let him spend time with Jeremy.
Window boxes filled with yellow flowers and rose bushes planted along the stone foundation added homey touches but couldn’t hide the peeling paint or the porch that listed to one side.
As he got out of the car, the front door flew open.
“Hi, Jake!” Jeremy hurtled toward him.
“Ready to do some fishing?”
“Yup.” Jeremy nodded vigorously. “I found a pole in the shed. It was my dad’s.”
The announcement stripped the air from Jake’s lungs. He wanted to be there for Jeremy, but what if his efforts only succeeded in bringing back painful memories for Emma?
Then you’ll be out of their lives in a month,
he reminded himself.
For some reason, the thought settled like a weight on Jake’s chest. What was the matter with him? He didn’t form attachments easily and yet somehow, Emma and her son had already worked their way under his skin.
“The trunk is open. Go ahead and load up your stuff,” Jake instructed. “I have to talk to your mom.”
“Okay.” Jeremy headed for the car. “She’s inside.”
Jake rapped on the door but didn’t wait for an invitation before going inside. Emma might have had trouble keeping up with general maintenance on the outside of the house, but on the inside, pale yellow walls and white crown molding gave the interior a warm, welcoming look.
The foyer branched off in several directions so Jake picked the one that he guessed would lead him to the kitchen.
His heart tipped at the sight of Emma standing in the middle of the room, hands propped on her slender hips as she stared down at an enormous wicker trunk. Tendrils of honey-streaked hair had escaped the wide gold clip at the nape of her neck and framed her delicate features.
Jake fought a sudden urge to smooth them back into place.
He’d deliberately scheduled some time with Jeremy right away—before Emma could change her mind—but the pensive expression on her face pinched his conscience. It was clear that even though Emma had approved the fishing trip, she was having second thoughts about letting her son go.
He braced a hand on each side of the doorway. “I did knock.”
Emma visibly started at the sound of his voice. “Jake.”
Finally. Jake had started to wonder if she would ever drop the title and call him by his first name. He nodded at the trunk. “Do you need some help with that?”
“Thank you.” Emma’s polite mask fell back into place. “It is a little heavy.”
“Where does it go?”
“Wherever you have room.” Wherever
he
had room?
“You want me to take this along?” Jake had to be sure he understood.
Emma nodded. “I packed a few things in the picnic basket for you and Jeremy.”
A picnic basket? It was closer to the size of a laundry hamper.
Jake clamped down on a smile. Even with his rusty social skills, he knew it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to point out they were only going to be gone a few hours. “What’s in it?”
“Juice boxes. Oatmeal cookies.”
“Healthy.” Jake hoped that Jeremy would have room for an ice-cream sundae on the way home. “Disposable washcloths.”
“Always a good idea.” When Jake saw Emma’s frown, he decided it might be wiser to simply smile and nod.
“I don’t have bug spray,” Emma said. “Did you bring some?”
Jake had a hunch he was being tested. But fortunately, he knew the correct answer. Emma wasn’t the only one who had come prepared.
“It’s in the tackle box. Right next to the first-aid kit.”
The flash of startled approval in Emma’s eyes had
Jake silently thanking the mother of twin boys who’d been standing behind him in line at the sporting-goods store. She’d overheard Jake talking to the cashier about his upcoming fishing trip and handed him the little white box.
“You’ll need one of these,” she’d whispered.
Jake had glanced at the red cross stamped on the cover—and then at the price tag. “Ten dollars for Band-Aids and antibiotic ointment?”
“Ten dollars for peace of mind,” the woman had said with a wise smile.
Without another word, Jake had tossed it into the cart. Now he was glad he had.
Jeremy skidded into the kitchen. “I’m ready, Jake. Let’s go!”
Chapter Nine
E
mma laced her fingers together to stop them from shaking. She wished she could take back her decision. Wished that some things could stay the same.
But she forced a smile on the outside so her sensitive son wouldn’t suspect that she was crumbling on the
inside.
“Did you remember your jacket?”
“I have a sweatshirt. It’s not cold out, Mom.”
She caught her lip between her teeth. “I guess you’re right.”
“Why don’t you get in the car, Jeremy?” Jake suggested softly. “I’ll be right there.”
“Okay.” Jeremy ran over and locked his arms around her waist. “Bye, Mom!”
“Bye, sweetheart.”
Jeremy squirmed in her arms and Emma forced herself to let go. Now if only she could hold herself together a few more seconds until Jake left.
Only he didn’t leave.
“Are you all right?”
“I’ll be fine.” When they returned.
“I remember when I was a kid, my mom always
wanted to know one thing if I made plans to do something.
Details.
” Jake reached down and picked up the wicker basket. “Of course I didn’t realize at the time that her ‘one thing’ really meant a lot of things. I thought I was getting off easy.” He flashed the smile that never failed to set her pulse racing.
Emma wanted to return his smile. She stared at a point over his shoulder instead.
“Since Jeremy doesn’t know what we’re going to do this evening, I’ll fill you in,” Jake said, as if she’d asked. “We’re not taking a boat out on the lake. Abby offered the use of her dock at the lodge. I’ll make sure Jeremy wears a life jacket, since you mentioned that he doesn’t know how to swim. I can though, by the way.” He handed her a piece of paper. “Here’s my cell phone number. Feel free to call. Just to say hello, if you want to.”
Jake had read her mind.
Emma didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified. And she could see that he wasn’t poking fun at her concerns, he was trying to ease them. Emma wasn’t used to having someone who could read her thoughts so easily. Wasn’t used to letting someone
close
enough to read her thoughts.
“Thank you.” She focused on the number written on the piece of paper, silently willing him to go, but it was clear Jake wasn’t finished with her yet.
“Now it’s my turn to get some details from you. What time would you like me to bring Jeremy home?”
“How about eight o’clock?” Two hours should be more than enough time to catch a few fish, Emma reasoned.
“All right.” Jake tilted his head. Studied her. And then, “Would you like to come with us?”
Emma didn’t think she’d heard him right. “With you?”
“Sure. I don’t mind and I’m sure Jeremy wouldn’t, either.”
Emma was tempted by the invitation. But the whole idea behind the mentoring program was to give Jeremy an opportunity to spend time with the mentor, not the mother.
“No, you two go ahead. Male bonding and all that.” She ran damp palms down the front of her khaki skirt. “I have a project I’m working on for Abby.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” She wasn’t. Not at all. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“I’ll take good care of him, Emma.”
“I know you will.”
Surprise flared in Jake’s eyes but Emma couldn’t blame him.
She’d surprised herself.
“When can we go fishing again, Jake?”
“I’m not sure.” It was the second time Jeremy had asked the question since they’d left Mirror Lake Lodge, and now that his house was in sight, he was eager for an answer.
The porch light flickered a welcome as Jake parked the car in the driveway. Had Emma spent the entire evening staring out the window, counting the minutes until they returned?
Jake had made a point to get Jeremy home early. He knew what it had cost Emma to turn down his invitation to go fishing with them. She could have gone along and kept an eye on her son, and yet she hadn’t wanted to get in the way of “male bonding.” The last thing Jake
wanted to do was damage the fragile trust she’d placed in him.
“I’ll have to check with your mom first.”
“You can talk to her now.” Jeremy unbuckled his seat belt and bailed out of the car, leaving behind the faint but unmistakable scent of fish in the air.
He may have brought Jeremy home early but not exactly in the same condition the boy had been in when they left.
Not that he was, either.
A ribbon of light unfurled across the yard as Emma opened the door and stepped onto the porch.
“Hi, Mom! We’re back!”
“I see that.” Emma’s smile bloomed in response to her son’s enthusiasm. “How was the fishing?”
“Great.” Jeremy swaggered toward her, the fishing pole balanced on his shoulder. “We caught a lot, didn’t we, Jake?”
“We did.” They’d lost a lot more, but that had been his fault!
“Jake’s going to cook them up for us next time.”
If, Jake thought, there
was
a next time. Maybe Emma had changed her mind and decided that two hours, not four weeks, was enough of a “trial period.”
A breeze stirred the evening air and Emma’s nose wrinkled. “I think someone is going to need a shower before bed.”
“Okay.” Jeremy grinned and turned to Jake. “I had a lot of fun. Thanks, Jake.” He ran into the house, leaving them alone with the awkward silence that fell between them.
Emma backed against the door. Judging from the uncertain look in her eyes, Jake guessed she was torn
over whether or not to invite him in. He made the decision for her.
“I’ll get the rest of the things out of the trunk, but before I do, this is for you.” Jake held out a plastic cup.
“What is it?” Emma cast a dubious look at the contents.
“It’s an ice-cream sundae. At least it used to be,” Jake amended. The maraschino cherry that adorned the top had sunk to the bottom and the ice cream had changed from a solid to a liquid during the short drive from the Grapevine Café to the house. “Jeremy mentioned that hot fudge is your favorite kind.”
“It is.” Emma finally reached out and took the cup but she continued to stare down at the sundae as if she’d never seen one before.
“If it makes you feel better, we ate the oatmeal cookies first.”
Emma smiled and Jake felt the impact down to his toes. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, but it was the first time she’d directed it at
him.
It also gave him the courage to discover the answer to the question that had been chewing at the edge of his thoughts all evening.
“How did you do tonight?”
“It was…hard.”
She’d told him the truth, so Jake decided he couldn’t do any less.
“What would you say if I told you that I was just as afraid to take him as you were to let him go?”
Emma lifted curious eyes to his face. “What do you mean?”
Jake wasn’t sure if he could even put it into words. Sitting on the dock, listening to Jeremy’s laughter stir the evening air. Watching his expression when he reeled
the first fish in. Seeing those blue eyes light up whenever Jake praised his effort.
It had left him feeling…renewed.
Until now, Jake hadn’t realized the toll his undercover work had taken on him. The subtle change that occurred when a man grew so accustomed to the darkness that he forgot what it was like to live in the light.
Let Emma get to know you, Andy had said. But there were some things he couldn’t tell her. But he
could
tell her this.
Unable to resist this time, Jake reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned closer.
“I’ve never been fishing before.”
Chapter Ten
J
ake left Emma standing on the porch, trying to make sense of his words. And his touch.
Dazed, she made her way upstairs just as Jeremy emerged from the bathroom, his hair damp from the shower. With the dirt removed and a damp towel draped over his shoulder instead of a fishing creel, he looked more like her little boy. To Emma’s relief, he smelled better, too.
“Did Jake leave?”
Emma managed a nod.
“Did you like the sundae?” Jeremy spotted the plastic cup in her hand. “It was Jake’s idea.”
“That was very thoughtful of him.” She was beginning to see that’s the kind of man Jake was. The kind who talked about his faith with the easy confidence of one who believed it. The kind who took a boy fishing and invited his mother along in order to ease her fears.
If only the others could be put to rest as easily, Emma thought.
Jeremy darted into his bedroom and flipped on the
light on the nightstand. Emma followed, bending down to collect a trail of dirty clothes along the way.
“I’m glad you had a good time.”
“You can come with us next time if you want to.” Jeremy peeled back the comforter and dived beneath it. “We’ll see.”
Emma decided to save that particular discussion for later. She reached for the light switch. “Do you want this off?”
“Not yet. I’m going to read awhile.”