Built To Last

With the men deep in a conversation about an ongoing project, Megan leaned over and whispered. “So, how long have you been dating Jake?”

“What’s today, Monday?” Erin counted on her fingers. “Three days? Four?”

Megan chortled and the men’s heads snapped to them and Erin and Megan giggled. After the men returned to their conversation, Megan leaned over and whispered again. “Four days? I thought maybe Jake had been keeping you a secret for a while.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because of the way he looks at you.”

Her heart raced. It was one thing for Erin to think she knew how Jake felt. But it was another thing altogether when one of Jake’s friends noticed. She looked to Jake, who met Erin’s gaze at the same moment. He tilted his head to listen to Ryan but kept his eyes locked on hers. After a moment, he shifted back to his friend and Erin turned back to Megan.

Megan waved her hand in front of her face. “See, I told you. That look was dreamy.”

Erin couldn’t help but smile. Maybe having Ryan and Megan join them wasn’t so bad after all. She and Jake may not be able to talk about Lindsay, but Erin could get the scoop. “You’ve known Jake for a long time?”

“A while, yes. He actually introduced me to Ryan.”

“Didn’t he look at Lindsay the same way? He proposed to her, after all.” Was it too much to hope that what Erin and Jake shared was unique.

“Lindsay was all wrong for Jake. She was nice, don’t get me wrong. We spent a lot of time together, the four of us. But she didn’t want the same things Jake did, and we all knew it. Except Jake. I guess it’s true what they say—love really is blind.”

Erin didn’t know what to say. They didn’t want the same things, either. At least she didn’t think so. Jake wanted to settle down. She’d spent the last ten years stuck with responsibilities. She was ready for something else. Somewhere else.

Why couldn’t she have met Jake two years ago, when she was stuck in Laguna Beach for the foreseeable future? Why did she meet him now, right when her future was about to start?

When the waiter delivered their meals, the men wrapped up their conversation and the four of them enjoyed a lively dinner.

But as much as she enjoyed dinner, the thought that she couldn’t be what Jake wanted lingered in the back of her mind.

Chapter Ten

DINNER HADN’T GONE at all like Jake had expected. From the moment Erin stepped into her living room, he was mesmerized. But something bubbled just below the surface, a tension that he couldn’t yet put a name to. When she asked about Lindsay on the way to dinner, he figured they’d spend dinner hashing out the details of a relationship that was well and good behind him.

He sensed her reluctance when Ryan approached the table but she had welcomed his friends quickly. That went a long way with him that she wanted to get to know the people that were important to him. Lindsay had tolerated his friendship but had always preferred to have him to herself.

Now that they were back at his truck, he was more confused than ever. She didn’t take his hand when he climbed in the truck. As a matter of fact, she kept pretty much to her side of the cab. The silence on the ride to her house grew strained. Had he messed up?

When Jake parked in her driveway he didn’t turn off the engine. “Is something wrong?”

She looked to him, confusion swirling in the depths of her green eyes. “No, nothing. I just have a lot on my mind.”

If only she could share it with him. He sensed she wanted to, but something held her back. Something she was afraid to say… or something she was afraid for him to hear. Either way, he wished she would say it and then they could deal with it together. He clasped her hand in his. “Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“It’s nothing, really. Just me. This has been such a whirlwind.” She smiled at him then, but it was forced, and didn’t reach her eyes. A sadness washed over her. One he didn’t know how to fix. “I really like your friends.”

As much as he’d rather she revealed what troubled her, he allowed her this change in subject. At least for tonight. “I’m really fortunate to have Ryan. He’s been invaluable to the business. And he’s a good friend.”

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nbsp; “I liked Megan. I wasn’t sure I would.”

The fact Erin was uncertain surprised him. “Why not?”

“She just reminded me of some of the people I went to high school with. You know, like some of the ones on the reality show Abby was on. But Megan wasn’t like them at all. She was really sweet.”

“She is. She’s really good for Ryan.”

After another silent minute, knowing he wouldn’t get anything more out of her tonight, Jake turned off the engine. He rushed around the truck to open her door and helped her to her feet.