Pretty Sweet - Christina Lee Page 0,12

of the reasons Jesse and I were so close. He didn’t hold back on his friendship or affection with me. He never had. He made me feel safe and loved, even if only in a platonic way.

Sheesh, get a grip, Seth.

Luckily, I managed to fall asleep again for a few hours. It was Saturday, so I had to work that night. When I woke up from my nap, not having come all over myself in my sleep this time, I sat at the piano and practiced a couple of Paul Bley pieces I wanted to play in the Underground that night. Jesse and I got together some playlists, and we were planning to work on some more and rotate through them.

Around noon I finished getting ready for the day and found myself in my SUV, driving to Rose City Assisted Living. There was no real reason for me to be there, and I knew it was weird to like hanging out with old people, but I wanted something to do and, well, if I was being honest, I’d admit I wanted to see Bonnie. I was curious if she’d say anything about last night.

I parked my car and went to check in at the front desk.

“Hey, Seth. How are you?” Anne asked. She was a pretty black woman, with a shaved head and a kind smile. “I didn’t realize you were coming in today.”

“I wasn’t, but I brought my kit and thought I’d see if anyone wanted their makeup done.”

“You’re so sweet. I wish my son would find a nice boy like you. I’d introduce you, but he lives in Seattle. Keeps getting his heart broken.”

My cheeks heated. “I’m sure he’ll find someone.” I signed in, then headed toward the TV room. It was fairly empty, which made sense, considering it was a Saturday. Apparently, everyone had more of a life than me.

I was about to go into the music room when I heard a familiar voice. Well, two familiar voices—Bonnie and Jake. I had no idea what made me do it, but I tried to duck into the music room to hide, just as they walked around the corner down the hallway. I bumped into a small shelf set against the wall, knocking over a few books and a board game. The people in the room looked at me. “Sorry,” I whispered. I set my makeup kit down and frantically cleaned up my mess.

I was still kneeling when Bonnie and Jake walked into the room. I looked up at Jake, who almost tripped over me.

“Shit. Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” he said, and I wished I could disappear. Melt into the floor and never see him again.

“Oh…hey. Sorry. I knocked this stuff over and was cleaning it up. I’m not in the habit of sitting on the floor in the middle of an entryway. I mean, duh. Why would I? And obviously I was cleaning up a mess and—” Oh my God. Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! “I should go.”

Bonnie smiled. “That was quite the explanation.”

Jake held his hand out to me, and I stupidly stared at it for a moment before latching on and letting him help pull me to my feet. His grip was warm and strong but not too tight.

Bonnie said, “I forgot my lunch and my wallet at home this morning. Jake was just saving his mama’s butt.”

“Oh. That’s nice of him. I was bored, so I thought I’d see if anyone wanted to get their makeup done, but it’s pretty deserted.”

“Well, that’s their loss,” she said.

My eyes darted to Jake. He was looking at me with his brows pulled together and little wrinkles on his forehead, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of me.

“I really should go. I’ll leave you guys to it.”

I went to walk away, but Jake’s deep voice stopped me. “I was leaving too. I’ll walk out with you.”

I was caught between having a silent celebration and wondering if he could somehow see into my head. Like he knew I had a sex dream about him and had come all over myself. “Oh. Yeah. Okay.” My cheeks were hot.

“See you boys later,” Bonnie said before hugging Jake. “I love you,” she told him.

“See you tonight,” he replied, then turned to me. “Ready?”

“Mm-hm.” I nodded.

We started walking down the hallway. It seemed extra long and maybe like it was getting longer and longer as we walked.

“Thanks again for coming over last night. It means a lot