“A must-have for every rock God!”
“The ink pre-dated the rock star bit,” revealed Jake with a grin. “But it fits the image, I guess. It’s all been done by a local guy. Danny.”
“I’ll bear him in mind if I ever decide I need a tattoo,” she giggled.
“You got any?”
“One,” she admitted. “And you’re not seeing it!”
“Ah!” laughed Jake. “Private ink.”
The music teacher blushed.
They drank their coffee in silence for a few minutes before Jake broke the silence by asking if her sink was ok.
“Actually,” she began a little hesitantly. “The bathroom sink is backed up now.”
“Want me to take a look at it after school?”
“Do you mind?”
“No. It’s on my way home. I won’t be able to stay long. My sister and my nephews are here this week. I promised the boys we’d go surfing later.”
“If you’re sure you can spare the time…”
“Sure,” he said, flashing her a smile.
As they stepped out into the afternoon sun at the end of the school day, a wall of heat hit them. Both cars were parked in the shade of the building but, as Jake started the truck, he noted that the temperature was 103F. With a sigh, he accepted that this was day one of the latest summer heatwave and began to really look forward to getting in the ocean as soon as he got home.
Having stopped off at the surf shop on the outskirts of town to pick up two new boogie boards, Jake arrived at the apartment about thirty minutes after Nicole. He bounded up the stairs two at a time then knocked on the door to her apartment.
Wearing a crop vest tee and denim hot pants, Nicole opened the door and welcomed him in.
“It’s as hot as hell in here,” she apologised. “AC’s packed in.”
“Could be the fuse or a circuit breaker,” suggested Jake. “I’ll take a look before I leave.”
Unblocking the bathroom sink didn’t take him long. Discovering it blocked with sludgy soapy hair, he felt his stomach heave at the smell.
“That should be it fixed,” he said as he scrubbed his hands clean with hot soapy water.
“Thank you so much,” replied Nicole, laying a hand on his shoulder. “I really appreciate the help.”
“My pleasure,” said Jake. “Now, where’s this AC unit?”
The heat in the small apartment was stifling even with the patio doors and all of the windows open. He could feel a trickle of sweat run down his back as he unscrewed the panel on the unit. It was the same make and model as the one in his own old apartment. Recalling the issues, he’d had with it in the past, he was fairly sure it was only a blown fuse.
“Want a beer?” offered Nicole.
“No thanks. A soda would be good though.”
“Coming up.”
As she passed him the glass, her fingertips brushed his. She smiled and dipped her gaze, murmuring, “Sorry.”
While he inspected the dead air conditioning unit, Jake was aware that Nicole was watching his every move.
“You need a new one of these,” he said, handing her the blown fuse. “You’ll pick up a replacement at Lowes. I’ll fit it for you when you get it.”
“Where’s Lowes?”
“Out on the Coastal Highway. At the intersection with Route 9 at Belltown. You can’t miss it.”
“I’ll take a run out there after school tomorrow,” promised Nicole. “Would you be able to fix it tomorrow night?”
“Sorry. I’ve family stuff planned for tomorrow. Wednesday though if we’re not too late back from JJL.”
“It’s a date,” said Nicole softly, turning the fuse over in her hand.
As Jake walked back to the truck, something about the way Nicole had spoken was making him feel uneasy. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have sworn she was coming on to him. Dismissing the thought as nonsense, he unlocked the truck and headed home, ready to cool off in the ocean with his nephews.
When he arrived home, he found Grey’s truck in the driveway. Lifting the two new boogie boards out of the back of the truck along with his book bag and guitar case, Jake headed round the side of the house. The sounds of children’s laughter greeted him before the deck was in sight.
“Afternoon!” he called as he stepped up onto the deck.
“Hey, you’re late, rock star,” called back Lori from her seat on the swing beside Kola.
“Sorry. Got held up,” he apologised, deciding against mentioning that he’d been helping Nicole. “Is this an impromptu Monday night BBQ?”
“Sure is,” said Grey. “We brought shrimp salad and beers.”
“What about surfboards?” asked Jake. “I promised Sam and Josh we’d catch some waves.”
“In the back of the truck,” replied Grey grinning.
“Let me dump my gear and get changed,” said Jake. “Why don’t you move this party down onto the beach?”
“We’ll need to grab some chairs from the garage,” countered Lori. “Poor Kola can’t sit on the sand.”
“Sand’s fine,” protested Kola, levering herself off the low swing. “I might need a hand back up though. Not as mobile as usual.”
She patted her large round baby belly and smiled.
“How long to go?” asked Lucy, who had little Linzi sitting on her knee.
“Six or seven weeks yet,” replied Kola. “Only going to get bigger and bigger. I’m already bigger than I was at full term with both the girls.”
“And even more beautiful,” added Grey as he moved to hug her.
“Right, I’ll meet you down there,” said Jake. “Boys, can you take the boards down and help take towels and whatever else Lori says we need.”
“Yes, sir,” said Sam, eager to help.
Wearing his favourite neon orange swim shorts, Jake followed the others down to the beach a few minutes later. The three older kids were already in the
