15. Jake: My Worst Nightmare

Chapter fifteen

Jake – My Worst Nightmare

I feel my body go taut as a bowstring as I release mom from the hug and give her a questioning look, accompanied by an accusing one. Feeling betrayed, I step back and look at both my mom and little sister, not acknowledging the presence behind me. Still hoping it’s a mirage or my mind playing tricks on me, I stare at mom, feeling hurt and shocked. I thought she was on my side in this.

“You didn’t tell me we’d be having company,” I say accusingly.

My mom raises her brows at my tone, and Bella wears the most helpless look I’d ever seen on anyone’s face.

“Jacob, please don’t use that tone with me. We were supposed to be here alone, without company. But someone got a little excited about visiting you, let it slip, and now she can’t get rid of the unwanted company who decided to tag along. ”

“Mom!” Bella cries out, glancing behind me with an apologetic look.

Mom has never bothered to hide her great distaste for Sophia. Ever since she found out the truth about what Sophia did to me, Mom has never missed the opportunity to show she’s not her biggest fan.

“What? It’s the truth,” mom grumbles and makes to enter the car, barely acknowledging Sophia’s presence.

Taking a calming breath, I turn around to face Sophia. She looks as beautiful as ever, her features softening as our gazes collide.

“Hi, Sophia. Been a while,” I greet her politely, wishing to get this done and over with quickly.

“Hi, Jake. You look good. How have you been?” She smiles pleasantly. That smile used to be the highlight of my day. She has a beautiful smile that never ceased to make me dance to her tune. But staring at her now, thankfully, I feel nothing.

She seems to realize this too, and her smile falls a little, but she holds it up, trying to seem unaffected.

“I’ve been good.”

“What are you doing here? Why did you tag along?” I cut straight to the chase, not wanting to make unnecessary small talk.

“Jake, come on!” my sister protests. I had almost forgotten her presence.

“It’s fine, Bells. It’s to be expected,” she says, smiling sadly. I scoff inwardly. She isn’t sad at all. She only wants Bella to feel sorry for her and make me out to be the bad person.

“Could you excuse us for a minute? Please, Bells?” She pleads with my sister softly, her expression a perfect blend of sadness and worry. But I know it is all a facade.

“What do you want, Sophia?” I’m not in the mood for her games.

“I’ve missed you, Jake. I haven’t heard from you in a long time.”

“I wonder why?” I bite out sarcastically. “Now, tell me. What exactly are you doing here with my mom and sister? You know your presence isn’t appreciated, obviously,” I say, regarding her with narrowed eyes.

Something flashes in her eyes, and her pleasant smile turns sour.

“Heard you got a new girlfriend. I wanted to come see things for myself.”

I wipe my face blank of every emotion, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of her words getting to me.

“I’ve kept my family waiting long enough. If you’ll excuse me.” I nod and turn to move towards my car when her voice stops me.

“Would you really leave me here to find my own way in an unknown environment?” she replies, angrily. I make to leave, denying her a response, because I plan to do just that - leave her there. Her phone chimes and she speaks hastily, stopping my departure.

“Don’t you want to meet my fiancé?” she says, her voice coated in sugar. I stop, facing her again. She wears a smug expression on her face, eyes glowing wildly. If she thought I’d be jealous over that piece of information, she’s gravely mistaken.

“And why would I want to do that? What do I care?” I answer her, keeping my voice even, not an ounce of emotion seeping through.

“Are you not jealous?” she asks haughtily.

I snort and her eyes flash with anger.

“Jealous? And why would I be jealous of your engagement, Sophia? Listen to me: I meant it when I told you it’s good riddance. What you do now or who you spend your time with has nothing to do with me. I simply do not care. I see no reason why I should care about who you want to spend the rest of your life with. Accept my congratulatory message on your engagement,” I finish, ending with a sarcastic smile.

Her lips curve into a snarl as she is about to respond when yet another voice sounds right behind me.

“Babe?”

If I hadn’t been conversing with Sophia all along, I would definitely be convinced she had a pleasant expression on her face all along.

“Hi, baby,” she says to the guy now standing beside her, looking in between us suspiciously.

“What’s going on? Is there any problem?” he asks, sizing me up.

“There’s no problem, baby. Jake’s just an old friend. Isabella’s elder brother. Alex, Jake. Jake, Alexander Parker. My fiancé.” She makes the introductions, ending Alex’s own with a kiss on the cheek and a little giggle while eyeing me smugly as if to gauge my reaction.

Unmoved, I extend my hand to shake with Alex, who takes it with narrowed eyes, his grip too tight for usual handshakes .

“Alexander Parker, nice to meet you.” I scoff inwardly at his formality.

W ish I could say the same for you.

“Jacob Reynolds,” I reply, squeezing his hand even tighter, making him immediately release his grip. Childish, Jake, childish. But I don’t seem to feel bad about it.

“Well, have a nice day, you two. ‘Till we meet again.” I nod my greetings at them and am about to leave when Alex’s voice stops me.

What’s with these two, stopping people when they obviously want to leave?

“You’ll be seeing more of us, actually. There’s an old friend I’ll be meeting in town. Our paths might cross again.”

I shrug, inwardly rolling my eyes.

“Good luck with that,” I answer, while leaving, not sparing them a glance.

I puff out a breath and jump into my car, a loud silence descending.

Bella turns to look at me worriedly from the passenger seat, her eyes telling me how sorry she is. “I’m sorry, Jake. Sophia said she was sorry and really wanted to talk to you. She feels bad, you know?” Mom groans in the backseat behind Bella, who rolls her eyes.

“It’s fine, Bells.” I try to assure her.

“So, when do I meet your girlfriend?” mom asks, her voice perking up and Bella squealing excitedly.

“Yes, Jake, when do we get to meet her? I would love to have breakfast, though. I’m starving,” Bella adds .

I sigh, debating on how best to tell them the truth. I turn the car toward The Dynamic Trio, the street busier than when I left it. Briefly, I wonder which one Aurora is currently in among her three shops.

The plan is to take them to Toasty Tunes - a breakfast diner around the block on another street.

“Ooh, is that a café beside a pastry shop?” Bella says in awe, squishing her face against the window like a little kid.

Turning to me, she asks, “Do you think they have pancakes there?”

“I don’t know, Bella, I’ve never even been in there. It’s called the Crust and Crumb Café so I bet it will. But I’m taking you to another place around the corner called Toasty Tunes. It’s a breakfast diner so I’m sure they will have lots of pancakes.

“Well, let’s check this one out. We’re right here!” she exclaims.

I swallow, wondering why a coffee shop situated beside a pastry shop has fascinated her so much. I veer off the road and turn towards the shop’s parking lot. There are only three cars in there, probably tourists. Linking hands with mom and Bells, I hold my breath as we walk to the pastry shop.

Given the lack of cars in the lot, I’m impressed at how many people are eating, their children playing around, chasing one another, and having a great time. I realize it must be the ambiance as much as the food or treats. No other diner has this much space for families right in front of their shops. It’s actually quite charming.

“The owner must be smart, adding this space for the children to play, and their parents to keep watch.”

I grunt in agreement.

I wonder what Aurora’s reaction will be if she sees us. As we enter, a bell chimes cheerily above us. Eyeing an empty booth, we grab it, mom and Bella taking the bench opposite me. Almost immediately, a cheery waiter comes to our table to take our orders.

“Good morning! Welcome to The Crust and Crumb. My name is Noah. How can I assist you today?” he says, in a genuinely happy-to-help voice.

“Good morning, Noah. Do you serve pancakes please?” my sister asks, hopefully.

“Of course we do.”

“Perfect!” Bella exclaims, while picking up the colorful menus from the table.

“Is there anything I can get you started on as you make your choices?”

“No, just be back in a few, dear,” mom replies, as Bella is busy making googly eyes at the menu.

“Bro, what do you want?” Bella asks, facing me.

“Just whatever you’re having, Bella.”

“What about you, mom?” she asks, turning to face mom.

“The same, whatever you’re having.”

She claps excitedly and places a hand on her chin as if making a serious decision. The action makes me smile. It’s a family tradition for Bella to pick out everything for us whenever we go on an outing. It always made her feel special as a kid, and the tradition never stopped. It’s hard to believe she’ll be getting married soon .

Two minutes later, the waiter is back. “Hi! Have you decided?”

“Yup! Three plates of Nutella Delight Pancakes, one espresso with little sugar, a mocha, and a latte,” she rattles off.

“Alright, ma’am. Are you sure I can’t get you started on anything yet? Juice, maybe?”

“No, thank you, Noah. We’ll just wait for our food.”

Bella and mom begin to talk about the ongoing preparation for the wedding while we await our orders, and I zone out, allowing my gaze to roam absentmindedly around the shop.

And before I can stop myself, I catch my thoughts leaning toward that infuriating owner. Bella’s voice pulls my focus back to the booth.

“What did you say, Bells?” I ask, grateful for the distraction. Being in her café, I know why my thoughts have been leaning towards Aurora this morning, and I refuse to dwell on it.

“I asked you when we’ll be meeting your girlfriend. Isn’t she supposed to be here already?” Bella asks, looking at me curiously. “I haven’t even seen you call or text her. Is she coming at all?”

I deflate at her words. It is now or never. I swallow thickly and sigh. I open my mouth to tell them the truth but get interrupted by Bella.

“It’d be great if she could attend my wedding. Then Sophia could bring Alex as her date, and you could bring your girlfriend. Tell me about her. What’s her name? Is she pretty? Of course, she’s pretty. Does she live here? Are you getting married?” Bella fires questions at me in rapid succession, growing more excited by the second.

I laugh at her excitement, forgetting for a second that I’ll have to break her heart by answering all her questions in the negative, that there was never a girl to begin with.

Thinking of how to start, I get interrupted again, but not by Bella this time around.

“Here is your order! Enjoy your food!”

I look up, surprised to see Aurora, who is staring at me with murderous eyes.