The Match (It Happened in Charleston 1)

“That’s what I’m hoping for.” He smiles, and my stomach turns inside out.

“Anyways, I just decided that if I’m never going to be good enough for them, I might as well have them be disappointed in me for doing something I love rather than living a life that makes me feel like crap.”

He reaches up and runs his hand through my hair. The look on his face says he’s wanted to do that all night—maybe even since he met me. “Evie, let me say what your parents are too stupid to recognize: you’re an incredible woman.”

I’m not good with compliments. It’s either because I’m not used to hearing them, or because I’ve heard so much criticism over the course of my life that I can’t believe the good things people tell me, but either way, I want to throw my hands up and bat away those compliments like I’m Babe Ruth. “Eh. I’m messy, and forgetful, and I don’t like greens.”

Jake’s eyes grow serious, and I’m

sure he’s about to try to convince me of my merits, so I stand up abruptly and smooth out my shirt. “It’s getting late. I better call an Uber. Charlie’s getting antsy.”

Jake lifts his brows and glances around me. I follow his gaze to my traitorous dog who’s curled up in a comfy little ball by the porch railing. “You’re right. He looks super anxious.”

“Yep. This is how he manifests anxiety. He looks chill, but believe me, inside, he’s fit to be tied.”

Now, run, Evie.

Jake grabs my hand and pulls me to a stop. “Why are you getting squirmy again?” He stands up and invades my space.

“I’m not,” I lie. I’m squirming because Jake is the first man in a long time that I’ve wanted to look into my eyes and convince me that I’m worth something. I really can feel myself falling for him, and falling in love with someone on a first date is definitely not slow material.

“Stay with me tonight,” he says quietly. Well, that’s definitely not going to help anything either. “Not like that. I just mean, stay here tonight. We can stay up all night talking, or watching a movie, or whatever. I just…I won’t get many chances like this to spend time with you without Sam, and I want to take advantage of every minute I get.”

I should go home. I should NOT stay.

Ohhhhh, but I want to stay. Staying sounds like a dream. And Charlie does look awfully comfortable. What kind of a heartless terrorist would I be to wake my sleeping pup when he looks that comfy?

Jake squeezes my hand, willing me to say yes. I’m opening my mouth to say just that when our attention is distracted by the sudden buzzing of his phone.

He lets go of my hand and darts to his phone. Noticing the number, his eyes flash worry at mine. “It’s Jenna’s parents.”

“Answer it!”

He puts the phone to his ear, and I can see the worry and dread filling his face. “Will. Is everything okay?” He listens for a minute, giving away no hints of what Will is saying. I wish I had asked him to put it on speaker. Is Sam okay? Did she have a seizure?

There is a silent panic I’ve never felt before welling up in my heart.

Jake mumbles a few mmhmm’s and then says, “I’ll be right over.” He hangs up, and his shoulders relax. “She’s fine. She didn’t have a seizure, but she wants to come home.”

I sigh, feeling deep relief. What is this feeling? I’m worried about how my heart seems to be tying itself to not only Jake, but his daughter. “Whew. That’s good.”

He gives me an apologetic smile, and I already know what he’s going to say, so I hold up my hand. “Don’t apologize. I was going to decline your offer to stay, anyway.”

He gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe me one bit. “Yeah, okay.”

“I was! Jacob Broaden, I am a Southern woman of great moral principle. If you think I can be easily seduced by your pretty blue eyes, you’ll be sorely disappointed.”

He laughs and wraps an arm around me, pulling me up close to him. “Come with me to get Sam. I can drop you off at your apartment after.”

“You sure?”

He smiles and nods slowly before releasing me. He helps me gather all of my things, and Charlie, and the extra food bag that looks suspiciously less like “an extra steak” and a lot more like a full bag of groceries. I should turn him down, but…I don’t want to. I think I even see the box of tampons I opened earlier on the top, and I smile to myself.

Chapter Twenty-Five

JAKE

Evie and I pull up outside of Jenna’s house, and the door immediately flies open. Out comes Sam and Daisy, waving to Jenna’s parents who are decked out in stupid matching robes and slippers. They have their initials monogrammed on them (the robes and slippers), and they are giving Sam a pitying look as she barrels toward my truck.