Back To You - A Second Chance Romance

Hopefully, this wasn’t the type of woman he had grown a taste for, but then, Jake hadn’t even bothered to properly introduce the girl, so I wasn’t sure.

The way the woman was able to draw his attention away spoke volumes, but then I had to put myself in check. Jake wasn’t mine, and I had no right to feel jealous. Not even a little bit.

But still, I did.

“Jake, I’m going to go,” I interrupted. “I’ll see you at the safety demonstration later.” The last thing I wanted to do was stand around and watch some fanatic fall gush all over him. I had better things to do with my time, and my sandwich was growing stale.

Jake shook his head. “No, wait. Don’t go.” He reached for my arm to keep me from leaving, and I found myself trapped, unable to make my getaway.

Portia, who had already cut me some pretty catty looks, stuck her nose in the air. “Who is this, Jake?” She looked down at where he held me and then leaned in close as if she were offended by the contact. Jake had made no attempt to brush her off. Are they dating? Have they dated? He didn’t mind the woman’s touch or her proximity.

He has to have a past with her. Maybe that’s how she’s his club president.

“This is Kate.” Jake finally remembered his manners. I smiled and waited for him to finish with how we knew each other, but he left it at that.

I couldn’t believe that he failed to mention that we had known each other most of our lives and dated. But maybe he didn’t want her getting jealous.

I brushed it off. “I’m just a consultant.” I could tell by the snooty look on her face that she had no interest in me. She was all about her main man, Jake. She even had a shirt with his name on it, and instead of a necklace that read Portia, hers spelled out “Jake” in gold and diamonds. Who does that?

Jake continued. “Well, she’s being humble, really. Kate is the foremost expert on the Amazon, and therefore, the most important person on this set. She’s consulting our director for continuity and authenticity. She’s really the smartest person I know too. You two would get along great.”

I highly doubted that and tried not to take it as an insult.

Portia looked bored. She cleared her throat, and Jake’s expression of excitement faded.

“Oh, forgive my manners. It’s been such a long morning, and I’m already beat. This lovely lady is Portia Mason. She’s my fan club president, and I guess you could say she prides herself on being an expert of—well, of me.” He gave a charming laugh, and Portia giggled.

She tried to play humble, with her expression and the hand she kept near her chest if only to draw more attention to it, but she was eating up the praise he gave her. “You know it, Jake.”

“That must be an exciting pastime,” I said, not knowing what else to say, but it didn’t matter. She could barely see me due to her Jake Storm blinders.

She gave him a sly look, then brushed her hair back from her shoulder. “I have interviewed him three times, and I insist he keeps me updated as his likes change. I mean, I am the voice of the fans, so we have to keep them fed. They just love it when I get new info, and well, Jake is always such a dear to oblige. No matter how personal.”

“And you wouldn’t believe the questions they like to ask me,” Jake said, shaking his head. “She’s not kidding. It gets extremely personal.”

“Well, of course, silly. You’re their biggest fantasy, and they want all of the most intimate details to make those fantasies more realistic. Boxers or briefs, and his nightly rituals. Does he sleep in the nude, and such things as that. I’m like a walking Jake Storm trivia book.”

The whole thing made me want to puke. Asking him about his underwear and personal, intimate details. I hoped he didn’t oblige. Disgusting.

“When are you going to give me another item for that charity auction we spoke about? The Angels are foaming at the mouth to get ahold of some of your more intimate items. The biggest request is your boxers, of course, but I keep telling them to keep it classy. A worn T-shirt will do.”

“I’ll have to dig through my hamper,” he said with a chuckle. Then suddenly, there was a light in his eyes as if he’d just had the best idea ever. “Portia, you should have Kate as a guest on your podcast.”

I got a sinking feeling and hoped that the woman would find an excuse or tell him it was an awful idea. Instead, she gushed, her mouth gaping as she put her hand to her chest and nearly fell all over Jake. “That’s such a great idea,” she said, turning to me. “Oh, you simply have to do it. I’m sure you see a lot of Jake on set. And you could spill all of the tea.”