With the well-meaning women gone and her hands chafed from cleaning, she decided to bake. No sooner had she pulled down the ingredients than there was a knock on the back screen door. Jake stood there, gray through the old screen, and her heart, though she told it not to, still flipped inside her chest. He smiled timidly, like he didn’t know quite what kind of reaction to expect from her.
“Don’t you have a job?” she demanded with a frown. “Seriously, shouldn’t you be putting out fires? Rescuing babies and careless women from burning buildings?”
“What do you think I’ve been doing all morning? A hero’s work is never done,” he joked. “But actually, I’m burning through sick leave from my station in southern California while I’m trying to get hired on here.” He hesitated. “Can I come in?”
“I’m not stopping you,” she answered, cutting cold butter into cubes and trying to ignore the fluttering in her chest.
“It’s locked,” he said, rattling the handle on the screen.
“Oh, draw a line in the salt on the ground,” she told him.
He mumbled to himself but did as he was told, and when he tried the door again, it opened with ease.
“What kind of black magic do you cook up in this house, woman?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” She angled her body away from him as she measured pecans into a food processer.
“How’s Gigi?” he asked.
“She ordered me to stay home while she went to work, so …” Sadie shrugged.
“Of course, she did,” he said, laughing. “I don’t think a hurricane could stop that woman. What are you making?”
“Did you know the pecan tree can survive for more than a thousand years? Chocolate pecan pie is one of Gigi’s classic desserts. So, I thought it would be nice symbolism for her.”
“Why, because she’s going to live for a thousand years?” he asked with a laugh, popping several whole pecans in his mouth and leaning against the counter—too close for comfort, Sadie thought.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, shooing him away.
“I’ve never had pecan pie,” he said thoughtfully.
Sadie stilled and settled her glare on him.
“That’s blasphemy,” she said seriously.
“Listen …” He cleared his throat. “I need to—” But he paused, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck.
He had the eyes of someone who had a secret he didn’t want to share, and Sadie’s skin tightened. She wasn’t sure she could handle any more bad news.
The silence thickened until he shook his head.
“Can I help?” he asked.
“Don’t you have anything better to do?” she said, breathing a small sigh of relief.
“Yes,” he answered candidly. “The sale is going forward with Rock Creek House, but the place is a total disaster. There are a ton of supplies I need to get because as soon as it’s mine, there are a dozen projects I need to start. But I’m not in the mood, and I think you could use some good distracting.” Sadie rolled her eyes.
“Fine. You can keep me company,” she said, squinting as she dashed some cinnamon into the bowl. His steady presence soothed her nerves; she wasn’t sure that was such a good thing.
“Need a hand?” Jake asked.
“I don’t exactly trust your cooking,” she said, forcing lightness into her voice.
“I had to learn how to cook at the station,” he told her, sitting down at the breakfast bar and watching her work. “When you’re on probation at first, you’re basically everyone’s servant. You have to cook, clean, be on your best behavior.”
“Must’ve been hard for you.”
“Practically impossible,” he said, his eyes following her around the kitchen. “This is like watching a cooking show. Aren’t you going to narrate for me?”
“No,” she said, and surprised herself by laughing. Shaking her momentary mirth off like powdered sugar, she scraped cream cheese into the bowl and began to rub the mixture between her fingers to make a coarse meal. Seemingly unable to sit still, Jake came up behind her, hovering so close it was worse than if he was actually touching her. The back of her neck tingled, and her ears burned hot.
“What’s your secret?” he asked.
“Always stir clockwise,” she told him, adding the cold butter before spooning the whole mixture into a gallon plastic bag. Her apron strings tightened around her waist the closer he got to her.