But she hadn’t fallen in love until the day she saw him with Pepper.
She’d come over to the Landry’s like she did most Saturday mornings, and found Jake lying on the living room sofa. He was wearing gray sweatpants and an Iowa Hawkeyes tee shirt, and there was a small black kitten curled up on his chest.
No one else seemed to be around, and Jake looked relieved when he saw her.
“Hey, Erin. Would you grab me the TV remote from that chair over there?”
She brought it over to him, and he thanked her. “I didn’t want to disturb Pepper here,” he explained, and Erin realized he meant the kitten.
She must have let her surprise show in her face, because he went on. “We found him out in the fields a few days ago. We brought him home but he’s been a little wild, not really letting us pet him, you know? Then I came back from my run this morning and laid down for a second, and he hopped up on me and started purring like crazy. And now he’s sound asleep.”
He grinned. “I guess I’m a sucker, but I don’t have the heart to disturb him. So thanks for getting me the remote.”
She just nodded, watching him turn on the TV and flip through the channels until he found ESPN. She stayed there a minute, watching the gentle way he stroked the kitten as he watched the sportscaster talk about college football. Then Allison came running down the stairs and the two of them went outside.
It wasn’t until that night, lying alone in her bed, that she admitted the truth to herself.
She was in love with Jake Landry.
If she hadn’t fallen in love with him then, she would have in the ninth grade when he stopped a bunch of older kids from teasing her. She’d gotten so good at being invisible that it didn’t happen very often, but that day in the lunchroom one of the seniors, Mike Schuster, had gotten the idea of stealing her baseball cap and playing keep away with it.
She was nearly in tears when Jake showed up. Mike took one look at Jake’s face and handed the cap back to her without a word.
“I hate guys like that,” was all Jake said afterwards.
She could hear in his voice how much he really did hate it—the cowardice and cruelty of bullies. She remembered his expression when he’d come into the cafeteria and saw what was happening.
And in that moment she was sure she’d love Jake Landry for the rest of her life.
The song was coming to an end. First the percussion dropped out, then most of the brass, leaving the piano and a lone saxophone. Finally it was just the sax, low and haunting and sweet.
She and Jake were swaying together in perfect rhythm. There was no stiffness now, no awkwardness. She was pressed against him, his arm tight around her and her hand clasped in his, and everywhere their bodies touched she felt heat.
She couldn’t be the only one feeling it. As the music ended she pulled back, smiling as she looked up into his face, never doubting she’d find awareness and warmth in his eyes.
Her smile slowly faded. Jake was looking down at her impassively, his expression just as cool and distant as it had been before they’d started dancing.
She went still, staring at him. Was it possible he’d felt nothing when he held her in his arms? Had she only imagined the connection, the electricity?
She turned away, focusing on the band instead and clapping mechanically. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jake clapping, too. He seemed detached, aloof, and it was obvious that whatever she’d felt during their dance had not been mutual.
She took a deep breath. That was how crushes worked, right? One person felt something and the other didn’t. She and Jake might be adults now, but the dynamic between them hadn’t changed.
It was still one-sided.
She was glad she’d had a chance to welcome him home, and she was glad she’d danced with him. It had been a walk down memory lane and a wake-up call at the same time. And the ice had been broken. If they ran into each other around town, she wouldn’t feel nervous or awkward anymore.
But it was time to put her old feelings behind her. She’d probably always be attracted to Jake, but she didn’t have to pine over him like the silly teenager she’d once been.
The bandleader’s voice broke into her thoughts. “All right, ladies and gentlemen, one of the guests has requested the chicken dance. So if you’re game, come on up here!”
She glanced at Jake, and this time his expression showed actual emotion. The emotion of a man who would rather be hung upside down in a pit of rattlesnakes than do the chicken dance.
At least in that they were on the same page.
“It’s okay,” she said. “If we get off the dance floor now, we won’t be sucked into the vortex.”
It was time to make her exit. She’d been planning to leave the reception a little early in any case, since she was meeting a client in the morning. Now was as good a time as any.