Summer's Last Breath

Part 21

Over the next week, I threw myself into volleyball. Games and practice were about the only times my thoughts weren't consumed with Jamie, wondering where he was and what he was doing. Every day I forced myself to refrain from texting him. I'd already told him I loved him after agreeing we should back off for a few weeks. I didn't want to add to my humiliation by suffering through unanswered text messages, again.


I was on my way to Ally's for a Gossip Girl marathon, and I happened to have taken the scenic route, the route that took me by Jamie's house. My dad had left the house a few hours ago on his way to oversee a training exercise, the biggest and most demanding one the guys had faced since Jamie's suspension. They'd been waiting for the right time—high seas, steady winds, all around challenging conditions. 


Before I realized my intention to do so, I pulled into his driveway. I sat there with the engine running, pondering whether I should go knock on the door, when it opened, and Mrs. Jacobs walked out. 


She pulled up short when she saw me. A line of disapproval marred her otherwise striking face. She looked just like Jamie. Or rather, Jamie looked just like her. Same pale green eyes, same midnight hair, only her features were much softer, classically feminine, the very embodiment of "natural beauty." And here she was, walking toward my Tahoe, looking comfortable in a pair of ragged cut-off denim shorts and a V-neck shirt that she somehow made look super stylish. I had no choice but to roll down the window, though I was pretty sure she hated me.


"Hi, Mrs. Jacobs." 


"Hello, Erin." Her tone was passive and cool. She slipped her sunglasses over her eyes, the thick tail of her braid hanging over one shoulder. "You doing all right?"


"Yes, ma'am," I responded woodenly, peering through the windshield for any sign of Noah or Jamie.


"How's your dad?"


Awkward small talk was just so awkward. 


"He's good," I nodded and tried to smile, but it was stilted. She was oddly intimidating in a way she had never been before. She'd been nothing but nice to me since Noah and I had been friends, warm even. But her demeanor was reserved today and I was sure it had everything to do with Jamie and the apparent trouble I'd caused him. 


"Noah's not here," she said, but she knew I wasn't here to see Noah. "Jamie was on the beach last I saw him."


Not quite an invitation to stay and chat, but she wasn't demanding I leave either. I killed the engine, sighing heavily. I really did want to see Jamie and now that she'd confirmed he was just on the other side of the house, it would be impossible to leave.


I crawled out of my Tahoe, watching her as she ventured into the garage. I should say something, I just wasn't sure what.


"Mrs. Jacobs?" I called, my keys dangling from my fingers. She stalled in the process of reaching for the handlebars of her bike. "I'm sorry about what happened with Jamie. I didn't intend... well, I didn't mean for him to get in trouble with my dad."


"Jamie's an adult," she said, wheeling her bike into the driveway. "I expect he'll have to live with the consequences of poor decisions."


Ouch. So that's how she viewed me—a poor decision. Guess I couldn't blame her. 


"Tell your dad hi for me." She smiled sweetly through the subtle threat. My dad and Mrs. Jacobs were friends and had been long before Noah and I were thoughts in their minds. If I thought I'd be able to get away with coming over here to check on Jamie without my dad finding out, she'd made it clear I was screwed on that account. Might as well make the best of it and go find him.