Fixer-Upper (7 page)

Jasper took one, bit into it, and moaned. After he swallowed, he said, “And here I thought Dakota was exaggerating.”

“I would never lie about this,” said Dakota. He was reaching for another one.

“You can eat some later,” Jake said, flattered and pleased but worried for the state of Dakota’s stomach. “You’re going to make yourself sick if you eat the whole pan right now.”

Dakota’s bottom lip protruded in an honest to God pout, but he did withdraw his hand. “Fine,” he said, staring mournfully at the bars.

“I promise I won’t let anyone else eat them,” said Jake. “You can have them all.”

Dakota beamed. “You’re the best,” he said. “I’m holding you to that.”

Jake wondered if it would look suspicious if he brought Dakota lemon bars every day for the rest of the job.

THERE WAS
shade and soft grass and absolutely no breeze. His clothes stuck to him in places, and his hair curled like he’d just left a steam room. He’d sat down for a brief break, and he’d woken up who knew how much later. He didn’t want to pull out his phone and check the time, ruin the little bubble he had going. He was exhausted, even after his impromptu nap.

Groaning, he dragged his hands down his face, smelled the dirt and outdoor scent, and wrinkled his nose. He’d fallen asleep on the job. Mortification flooded him. What would Dakota think?

“Sleeping Beauty awakens,” said a drawling voice from overhead.

Jake jerked in surprise, head colliding with the trunk of the tree he was lying under. “Ugh,” he moaned, clutching his head. “I’m so sorry,” he said a minute later, once he’d composed himself somewhat.

Dakota towered over him, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. “No apologies necessary. We had a bet going to see how long before you collapsed. Won fifty dollars. I should be thanking you.”

“You were betting on me?” demanded Jake incredulously.

“The bags under your eyes keep growing. You’re like the Energizer Bunny, but you had to stop sometime. All in fun, no worries.” He proffered his hand. “Come on. We’re all gonna go out for drinks, why don’t you come along?”

“I can’t go out like this,” argued Jake, accepting the hand offered despite that. He was pulled to his feet in one smooth yank. “I smell, and my clothes are filthy.” He resisted the urge to touch his face and feel for the bags he knew were there. He’d been working hard and sleeping little. There was just so much to be done.

“You can stop off and change first. You wouldn’t be the only one doing that.” Dakota looked down. “Can I have my hand back, or do you need it?”

Jake looked down and yep, that was his hand, holding Dakota’s. Why hadn’t he let go? He did so then, dropping it quickly, tucking the offending appendage into his front pocket. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“Stop apologizing for everything,” admonished Dakota, pressing his large palm to the center of Jake’s back—an action he had been doing more and more since Jake’s confrontation with Kevin—and steadily pushing him out of the trees and into his yard. “You do know you’re paying us. You don’t have to work. You don’t have to apologize for not working. You can take a day if you need it.”

Jake didn’t want to take a day. If he took a day then that would be one less day he’d get to see Dakota. It would be a day spent alone, with nothing to occupy him but the sinking sensation of time passing. He’d maybe grown a bit attached to Dakota, developed a bit more than a crush.

It wasn’t his fault.

The man was engaging and intelligent and very attractive. He smiled at Jake, his face crinkling with it. He talked to him with real interest, and he paid attention to what was said. He made sure Jake drank and ate when he’d rather skip it to keep working.

He’d bewitched Jake, and Jake liked it. He didn’t want it to stop. He was so close to happy. He looked forward to waking up and coming to the house, and not just because it was a distraction from boredom. He didn’t want this to end.

“I don’t need a day,” he said. “I don’t want one.” The week and a half following his concussion had been more than enough time off.

Dakota let it go, and for that Jake was more than a little relieved. Then he thought about what Dakota had said. “I’m not the Energizer Bunny,” he said, affronted. “You should give me half of that money.”

Dakota’s eyebrows shot up. “I should give you half of my winnings?”

“You wouldn’t have won without me,” pointed out Jake. “Think of it as punishment for betting on me.”

“I’m not giving you my winnings,” laughed Dakota. “Nice try, though.” He reached out a hand and plucked a twig from Jake’s hair, tossing it aside. “I’ll text you the address, yeah? Meet there in an hour.” He opened the door to his truck and climbed in, not even waiting for Jake’s response.

Jake watched him pull away and then got in his car and headed home to make himself look good in an impossibly short amount of time. His shower might just have set record-breaking speeds.

Matt leaned on the doorjamb of his bedroom, watching Jake debate which shirt he should wear. “What’s the occasion?” he asked.

“The guys invited me out to a bar.”

“The ‘guys’ or one guy in particular?”

Jake sent him a look. Matt sauntered into the room and picked up a gray long-sleeved Henley. He tossed it at Jake. “Wear that with your dark jeans and your old Converse.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

“Come with me,” said Jake, blurting it out before he could think about it.

Matt sat down on the bed, right on top of Jake’s clothes. “I won’t cramp your style?”

Jake pulled the gray T-shirt on. “We both know I don’t have any style to cramp.” His words were muffled by the shirt covering his face.

“How much time do I have to get ready?”

He pulled his phone to him. “I was supposed to leave five minutes ago.”

“Guess I’m going like this,” said Matt.

“Guess so,” replied Jake, tugging his jeans on. He turned in front of the mirror. “This does look good.” He could see Matt rolling his eyes in the mirror’s reflection.

He moved quicker after that, hustling them out of the house and into Matt’s car. Matt grumbled about being made to drive, but Jake knew he didn’t mind. He directed him, using Apple Maps, and after several wrong turns and no little confusion, they finally found the bar.

The lot was packed with vehicles he was used to seeing sitting in front of his house. His gaze went right to Dakota’s truck, and the fluttering rolling feeling in his stomach increased.

Breathe.

He wished he’d worn a jacket so he could stuff his hands in its pockets.

“Calm down,” said Matt, prodding him toward the door with a hand on his back. “You see him every day.”

“That’s work.”

“I’m not arguing with you.” Matt opened the door and practically shoved Jake through. He stumbled a little but righted himself quickly and looked up to see Jasper and Dakota grinning at him.

He headed toward their booth and scooted in beside Dakota, leaving Matt to sit next to Jasper. “Hi,” he said.

Dakota laughed. “Hi,” he said. “Didn’t know you were bringing a friend.”

“I’m Matt,” said Matt, thrusting his hand forward for a shake. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to finally meet you in person.”

“Oh, really?” Dakota shook his hand and looked at Jake. “You talk about me with your friends?”

Jake could feel his face heating up. It felt like someone was holding a flame to his cheeks.

“He talks about you all the time,” said Matt, getting to it before Jake could try and defend himself. “You’re teaching Jake here to become quite the landscaper, I hear. Gotta say, I’d pay to see that.”

There was a drink in front of him, and without thinking Jake grabbed it up and took a large sip. He had a feeling the night would continue on in a similar vein, with Matt dropping hints left and right and barely covering them up. Maybe he shouldn’t have let him come.

“You’re drinking my beer,” said Dakota.

Jake pulled the glass away from his mouth, looked at it. He turned to Dakota and held it out. “Do you still want it? I’m sorry.” He couldn’t believe he’d drank his drink. Who did that? Apparently Jake did. He felt like banging his head into the table in frustration.

He shook his head in response. “No, you drink that one. I’ll get a new one.” He made Jake move so he could stride to the bar.

The second he was out of earshot, Matt and Jasper started laughing. “Oh my God,” gasped Matt. “Have you lost your mind?”

Jasper was shaking his head, pressing his fist to his mouth to try to muffle his giggles. “You two are like watching a sitcom. I honestly don’t know if it’s the most frustrating thing I’ve ever witnessed or the funniest.”

Matt clapped his shoulder. “I’m thinking a bit of both.”

“I don’t think any of this is funny,” protested Jake, honestly horrified to the very core of his being. “I keep acting like an idiot. It’s embarrassing. I want it to stop.”

“Just tell him you like him,” said Jasper, wiping underneath his eyes with his thumbs.

Jake really didn’t think it was that funny. He wished he was surprised that Jasper knew, but he knew he’d been less than subtle with his crush. He was surprised Jasper thought he should tell Dakota, though. “Does that mean he’s interested?” asked Jake, trying to sound casual as he doodled squiggly shapes in the condensation on his glass.

“No,” said Jasper, “he’s just been insisting on working with you all the time because he admires your work ethic. And he frequently gives his drinks to guys he doesn’t like. Not to mention arranging gatherings at bars so he can chat with all of his fellow workers. He’s a social fellow like that.”

Through the fringe of his lashes, Jake could see Jasper rolling his eyes. Beside him, Matt was snickering, head bent, thumbs moving swiftly as he typed something on his phone.

Dakota came back before Jake could properly think about what Jasper had said or even reply. Jake tilted his head to stare at the side of his face. Dakota had arranged this whole thing just so he could talk to Jake?

“What?” asked Dakota. “You can’t have this beer. I’m only so generous.”

“You owe me twenty-five dollars,” Jake said as a cover. “I could take that drink as recompense.”

He snorted. The foam from his beer clung to his upper lip. His tongue flicked out and licked it away. Jake’s insides squirmed, his gaze zeroing in on the motion. “I already told you, I don’t owe you anything.”

“How about I introduce you to Lincoln and his crew?” Jasper asked Matt.

Matt nodded eagerly. “I’d love that.”

They both scooted out of the booth and headed for Lincoln in the far corner, leaving Dakota and Jake alone. Jake stared after them, brows furrowed in consternation. That hadn’t been subtle at all.

Dakota gently bumped his side. “How’d you meet Matt?”

It took a minute for Jake’s brain to get with it, but it eventually managed. “College, we had some classes together.”

“And you two aren’t…?”

“Yeah, no,” snorted Jake. “Matt likes them big and with beards.”

Dakota tilted his head back as he laughed. Jake watched his throat work and felt like tugging on his shirt to get some air. “So Lincoln and him might hit it off.”

“It’s a possibility.” He resisted the urge to twist around to see if Lincoln and Matt
were
actually hitting it off.

Silence settled over them, both of them retreating into their drinks. Jake pulled out his phone and absently tapped at it, unlocking and locking it, pointlessly checking his e-mail. Dakota stared down into his drink, periodically sipping it, making agreeable little humming noises as he did.

It was awkward. Jake felt so awkward. His right leg began to bounce. His hand shook as it hovered over his phone. He hadn’t felt this awkward around Dakota since the beginning, and even then he’d had the work to distract him.

After an eternity of awkward silence, Dakota heaved a heavy sigh and set his drink down with a not so light thud. He turned in the booth to face Jake, draping one arm along the back and propping one ankle on his knee. “Do you
like
me?”

Slowly Jake mirrored his position, taking in Dakota’s serious expression, the intensity of his dark brown eyes. Crow’s-feet fanned out from the corners of them. Jake wanted to reach out and touch them, feel the lines beneath the tips of his fingers. He balled his hands into fists in his lap. “I do,” he answered, voice managing to crack a little on the second word. He cleared his throat. “I do,” he said again.

It was like watching the sun rise, not because it was bright, but because it was slow-spreading and beautiful to watch as a smile bloomed across his face. It faded quickly, though, and then Dakota was shaking his head in exasperation. “You know, I kinda knew, and I waited and I waited for you to say something, and you never did. You’ve been driving me crazy.”

Jake didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. “If you knew, why didn’t you say anything?”

Dakota knocked his knee gently against Jake’s. “No offense, but you’re kind of a mess, and then you told me you’d just gotten out of a serious relationship.
And then
I got to witness said ex, which turned out to be ex-husband, pick a fight with you. Then there was the concussion.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to ask you out if you weren’t ready for it, and the timing never seemed right.”

He wanted to be offended by that first part, but Jake knew it was true. He didn’t think he was any less of a mess currently, though. “Why say something now, then?”

“Jasper told me if I didn’t say anything, you’d just continue to pine away without saying a word. I paid a little more attention after that and came to the conclusion I agree with him.” He cocked his head to the side. “Did you not know that I liked you?”

Jake shook his head, physically unable to verbally answer. He was stunned. Dakota had liked him this whole time. Dakota had known Jake liked him this whole time. He didn’t know whether to be extraordinarily happy or to be peeved by the time lost.

Reaching out, his fingers hovered near Jake’s face. “May I?”

Jake nodded, staring wide-eyed at him. His heart pounded so hard he feared it legitimately might pound its way out of his chest. Dakota’s fingers were like ice against the hot skin of his flushed cheeks. Involuntarily he released a soft sigh, leaning into the gentle pressure as Dakota cupped his face.