10. Lydia

10

LYDIA

J ake ended up stopping by his parents' house for a few minutes before coming to my place. It gave me plenty of time to put fresh sheets on the bed and make sure the bathroom was clean. It'd been years since anyone had stayed in that room.

When Jake arrived, he said he only needed a few minutes to unpack, so I sat in the living room to ensure he didn't need anything before I went to bed. It wasn't long before I heard his footsteps marching down the hardwood stairs.

"There's food in the refrigerator if you get hungry," I called out, waiting for him to turn the corner into the kitchen.

He searched for me and smiled when he spotted me on the couch. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Lydia. I could easily get a hotel room if you need me to."

I waved him off. "I know you have the money for it, but there's no sense spending it if you have a place to stay."

Jake sat down in the brown leather recliner across from me and sighed. He'd removed his flannel button-down and had changed into a simple white T-shirt. What I really thought was funny was how unkempt his dark hair looked from wearing his baseball cap earlier.

"I love the hair," I teased. "What if the paparazzi were here and took pictures of you looking like that?"

He ran a hand through it and laughed. "I wouldn't care. Now if Daphne were with me, that'd be a different story. She couldn't stand it when I dressed down."

There were some things I'd like to say about her, but I decided to keep them to myself. "Yeah, how's that going?" I asked. "Is she moving here, too?" I dreaded the thought.

Jake stared at me, his expression confused. "Why would she be moving here?"

I shrugged. "Uh, because she's your girlfriend. I believe she wanted to get married the last time I spoke to you." The room fell silent, and he only stared incredulously at me.

"Lydia, where have you been? I ended things with Daphne right after last Christmas."

My eyes flew open in shock and I gasped. "What? How did I not know this?"

He lifted his hands up in the air. "I have no clue. It was all over the internet. She was not happy with me."

I grabbed my phone and typed in his and Daphne's names in the search bar. I couldn't believe what I saw when all the articles were loaded; they were about their breakup. Before I could say anything, Margaret's words echoed in my mind. After I was sent back in time, it wasn't just my life that was altered. It made me want to know what happened to them.

"Why did you end it?" I asked curiously.

What shocked me more than anything was how much of a relief it was that he wasn't with her anymore. Daphne didn't love him; she loved his fame. Anyone with eyes could've seen that.

Jake leaned his head back and sighed heavily as he looked up at the ceiling. "We were too different." He lowered his head and gave me a sad smile. "I know I shouldn't complain about how my life is. Believe me, I have everything I could ever want. I'll never have to worry about money again, but sometimes I miss the simplicity of my life here. Daphne was all about the publicity and being on display twenty-four seven. That's not how I see my future." He scoffed. "I want things to slow down, not be more chaotic. Besides," he added, smirking at me, "you didn't like her anyway. I thought you'd be happy we broke up."

It was hard not to smile. "I am, actually. You need someone who isn't so high maintenance."

He chuckled. "That's for damn sure."

"Are you dating anyone now?"

"No," he answered, his piercing green eyes on mine. "I spent this whole year concentrating on winning tournaments. Now that I've done that, I want to take a break."

I held my arms out wide. "And what better way than at home? You're just in time for all the wintery fun, too."

"Exactly," he said, his grin widening. "We always looked forward to December when we were younger."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Maybe for me and Hailey; you not so much. You hated when your parents made you watch over us at the winter festivals."

"Yeah, okay, maybe when I was thirteen, and you two were ten. But as we got older, things changed. We became friends. I've missed being around the past couple of years."

"And you were missed," I told him.

He cleared his throat and glanced down at the floor. "Speaking of festivals, do you want to go with me to the Triple C on Friday like old times?"

My stomach fluttered excitedly, and I knew I shouldn't feel like that. I was supposed to be choosing between Max and Ben. Jake wasn't one of the paths. There had always been an attraction to Jake, but he was considered off-limits. His sister was my best friend, so I never thought there could be anything more between us. Besides, I doubted he saw me in that way.

"I can't," I answered.

His brows furrowed. "You are going, aren't you?"

"I am. I wouldn't miss it for anything. It's just . . . I have a date."

"Oh." He opened his mouth to say some more but stammered on his words, which I found interesting. I'd never seen him flustered before.

"Does it surprise you that I have a date?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, not at all. I wasn't told you were seeing someone."

"It's new," I said quickly. "It's a guy I met two years ago; his name is Max. I ran into him again this morning and he asked me out on a date. I thought going to the Triple C would be fun."

Jake leaned forward in the recliner and rested his elbows on his knees. "Okay, so you're busy Friday. What about Saturday for the Winter Bash? The last time we went together, I think I got drunk . . ."

"And you fell in the pond," I finished, laughing.

He ran a hand over his beet-red face. "Yeah, that happened. It was hard turning down the free beer."

After he'd finished college and become a local celebrity, the breweries giving out beer samples at the Winter Bash kept handing them to him. They were all excited to have him around and endorsing their drinks.

"Do you want to go together on Saturday?"

I bit my lip sheepishly. "I can't. I'm meeting someone there."

Jake's eyes widened. "Is this someone other than Max?"

He made it sound so scandalous. I'd never gone out with two different men within a weekend, but it did appear that way. Then again, I was supposed to choose either Max or Ben.

"Yes," I confessed and held up a hand quickly, not knowing why I was even explaining myself. "But I'm meeting Ben with Violet. We're going to talk to him about putting some of his photos in the gallery."

Jake narrowed his gaze. "So, not a date?"

With pursed lips, I stared at him inquisitively. I had to admit, I was curious about why he was asking so many questions. He'd never shown that kind of interest before.

"Why does it matter if it is or isn't?" I asked.

He held up his hands in defeat. "Hey, I have to make sure any guy you go out with is good enough for you."

"I'm a pretty good judge of character, Jake. I don't need help, unlike someone else I know." I batted my eyelashes at him so he knew I was talking about him.

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled, waving me off and getting to his feet. "But I took your advice and ended things with Daphne last Christmas. I think I did well this year, making the right choices."

I stood and smiled at him. "I couldn't agree more. It's good to have you home."

The reflection of my Christmas lights twinkled in his green eyes. "I'm glad to hear you say that." His eyes never wavered from mine, making my heart pound like never before.

"I'm going to head to bed," I said, grabbing my snowflake blanket off the couch and wrapping it around my shoulders. "I'll call Violet in the morning to see if she's working. If she is, I'll stay home and after we look at the houses, I'll go to the gallery."

Jake nodded once. "Sounds like a plan. Thanks again for everything."

"You're welcome. Good night."

"Good night," he said, his voice low and smooth.

Turning on my heel, I made my way down the hallway to my bedroom, and I could hear his footsteps as he went upstairs. It was strange having him back and staying at my house. So many things had changed with him, all because I traveled back in time and did things differently.

When I got to my room, I sat on my bed and removed the mistletoe, gently laying it on my dresser. It shimmered and I smiled. I was curious to see what happened next.