Part 25
By Tekhne
Jacob wanted to pick me up at the airport, but Charlie insisted. I hadn't seen either of them since Christmas break, and I missed them both. When we pulled into the driveway, Charlie chuckled as he peered through the rain. I followed his glance to see Jacob, sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him, leaning against the wall of the house. Even under the porch roof, the occasional gust of wind blew the cold rain in on him, but of course, it didn't faze him. He ran out to the car and grabbed me as soon as I opened the door, twirling me about in the rain before he carried me to the porch.
"You know where the key is, Jacob. You could have waited inside," Charlie grinned, teasing him.
"That's true. But then I would have had to wait longer to see Bella."
He set me carefully on the floor just inside the door and kissed me before he asked Charlie for the keys to the cruiser so he could bring in my duffle bag from the trunk. I'd packed light, leaving most of my things in storage for the summer, so there wasn't much to carry. He placed the bag on the floor and kissed me again until Charlie coughed loudly. He pulled back and took my hand in his.
"I ordered pizza. I hope you don't mind." He grinned sheepishly at Charlie. "It should be here soon. I figured everyone would be hungry and I didn't want Bella to feel like she had to cook."
"Good idea, Jake. I'll get out the plates and something to drink while the two of you catch up." Charlie disappeared into the kitchen after that.
Jacob ran his fingers through my wet hair. "You're drenched. I should have remembered to bring an umbrella."
"You're all wet, too."
"But I'm not cold, and you are," he whispered. "You should take a hot shower and put something dry on."
I nodded and reached for my bag, but he beat me to it. "I'll carry it. You pick out something dry and shower." He followed me upstairs and dropped my bag on the bed.
"You know, I probably have some of your cut-off sweats here. You could put on something dry, too." I pointed to a drawer.
"You shower. I'll change and be downstairs when you finish." He winked. "I can even toss my clothes in the dryer."
When I arrived downstairs, Jacob was wearing cut-off sweats and one of his own tee-shirts. I sat beside him on the couch, and he began to untangle my hair and braid it while Charlie eyed us watchfully. He seemed about to say something when the doorbell rang. It was the pizza—the smell filled the house making me suddenly ravenous as he carried it through the room. I was torn between the pizza and leaning back against Jacob's warm body.
"Pizza's in the kitchen when you want it," Charlie called out. I interpreted his tone to mean 'stop touching each other and get up off the couch.' We complied, joining him in the kitchen.
Even at the table it felt as if some tenuous string connected me to Jacob. Charlie watched us in a way that made me feel awkward and uneasy. He noticed as we raised our glasses simultaneously to drink, dipped our crust into marinara sauce at the same time, even reached for the same piece of pizza, our fingers brushing together before we jerked them apart. He frowned as he watched us. I knew he liked Jacob, so I wondered what he was thinking to put that expression on his face.
Jacob must have been wondering, too, as he glanced from me, to Charlie and back again as we ate in what had become an uncomfortable silence.
Surprisingly, it was Charlie who spoke first. "So, Jake, how's the garage working out? Was it worth quitting school?"
"Business is good. I can charge a decent price and still give old Dowling a run for his money, and I'm closer than Port Angeles. We're paying an extra hundred dollars or more on the loan than we have to each month, so it should be paid off before the five years are up. Dad's pretty good at managing money, and even with the debt, there's more to manage now. He says that makes it easier." He sounded so serious. So mature. And then he grinned. "And I didn't quit school, Charlie. I took an equivalency exam. I've finished a semester of college classes online. I'm taking another class during intercession and three classes this summer." His eyes met mine, and he winked. "I'll be a college sophomore in the fall, along with Bella."
Charlie scowled. "Are you planning on going to California, too?"
Apparently, Jacob was feeling the same tension from Charlie that I was, and he struggled not to laugh in his relief and understanding of the situation. "Charlie, I just started a business and I'm paying off the loans. I can't just up and leave. That would be irresponsible. I'll be taking Internet classes. It's not the same as tinkering with cars, but Information Technology is probably a good investment. It gives me—options, as Sam would say. He's taking classes, too."
Still wearing a sour expression, Charlie narrowed his eyes and stared at Jacob. "Huh, Billy never mentioned that," was all he said before he began eating again. But the tension, at least most of it, was gone.