He had a point. She didn't know what else she was going to do, but she would drive herself crazy and probably Brett, too, if she stuck around the house all day. "Fine, I'll go," she said slowly. "In fact, this could be our date."
Jake immediately shook his head. "No way. That's the two of us alone for a meal and at least one hour of conversation. Where's Brett?"
"He's having some oatmeal."
"Is that why it smells like cinnamon?"
"Maybe. But don't get too excited. It's out of a box."
"Any extra?"
"You seriously want oatmeal?"
"I seriously do," he said with a laugh, as he walked into the house and headed for the kitchen.
As soon as Brett saw Jake, he jumped out of his chair to give Jake a hug, reminding her of how good Jake had been with the kids waiting to see Santa. He'd always loved working with children—something she'd forgotten about him. Back when they were teenagers, he'd volunteered to coach youth leagues in football, soccer, and basketball, and he'd always been great with his little brother. If Paul had ever needed anything, Jake had been right there, even if it was just to tell him a silly joke or make him smile.
In fact, they'd often bonded over the fact that they both had younger siblings to look out for. Tyler and Paul had only been a year apart in age, and there had been more than a few times when they'd taken them out for pizza. Unfortunately, Paul had been sick for several years so more active sports like snowboarding or sledding had been out of the question. But Jake hadn't cared. He'd willingly give up a more extreme adventure if Paul could join for something less strenuous. That caring trait had been one of the reasons she'd fallen for him in the first place. That, and the fact that he was really good-looking, funny and charming.
She frowned, telling herself not to get carried away. He'd had a few bad traits, too—one, in particular. He couldn't be trusted.
But once again she was going back into the past, and it was time to stop doing that. She moved over to the stove and spooned some oatmeal into a bowl, added some fresh blueberries, and set it down on the table in front of Jake.
He put his heavy coat around the back of his chair and took a seat, giving her a really sexy smile, his gaze filled with a promise of pleasure that he'd never failed to deliver on. But that pleasure was not happening now…or ever, she told herself firmly.
"You're not eating?" he asked, as she sat down at the table and sipped her coffee.
"I already ate." She turned to Brett. "Do you want anything else?"
"No. When is Mommy coming to get me?"
"I'm not sure, but we're going to have fun today." She put a bright smile on her face. "We're going to play in the snow and ride a sled. Would you like that?"
Brett gave a vigorous nod of his head. "When are we going?"
"Very soon. Why don't you see if you can use the bathroom before we leave?"
Brett slid off his chair and ran out of the room.
"Has he been asking about his mother a lot?" Jake enquired.
"A couple of times this morning. But he had fun at the carnival last night, and I'm sure the snow park will distract him today."
"It will. I'm surprised you forgot about it."
"I've had a lot on my mind."
"I know. I'm sure you've been thinking about Kelly nonstop."
"I have. I tried to ask Brett a few questions, but he was no help. I asked him if his mom had a friend. And he told me her friend was a purple unicorn, who flew into the sky."
Jake smiled. "Sounds like a fun friend."
"He also told me that he's going to ride an alligator in the summer, his mom is getting him a horse, and his teacher, Miss Lane, has red hair like mine."
"It's like two truths and a lie," Jake said. "You have to decide which two are true and which one is a lie."
"Or it could be three lies."
"I don't know. Maybe Kelly is getting him a horse."
"The only one I believe is that his teacher might have red hair."
He scooped another spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth. "Let's play. Give me two truths and a lie about yourself."
"I don't have time for games."
"There is always time for games," he told her, reminding her of how many times he had stolen her away from her books to play a silly game or go somewhere fun.
Jake had definitely expanded her world. He had pushed her to try things she never would have tried. But look where pushing those boundaries had gotten her—a world of pain.
"Come on," he said, bringing her focus back to the present. "Let's play."
"You already know way too much about me."
"We'll see if I still do."
She hesitated. It was kind of silly, but on the other hand, it was probably better than talking about their pasts. "Okay. Let's see." She thought for a moment about the life she'd lived away from Jake's view. "I ran naked through the quad at the University of Colorado in Denver."
"Interesting." He gave her a thoughtful look. "What else?"
"I won a contest and got to sing on stage with the Jonas Brothers."
"That's two."
"While I was training to be a nurse, I had to go to the morgue one day, and when I pulled the sheet off a corpse, he moved his foot. I screamed and went running out of the room." She smiled. "That's three. What do you think? Which ones are true, and which one is a lie?"
"I believe the morgue story," he said slowly. "The lie is either singing on stage with the Jonas Brothers or the naked
