Prologue
Jake groaned as his grandfather placed his plate practically piled to the ceiling with breakfast foods in front of him. His grandfather always made too much food. "You waited too long, Jakey. That little lady I told you about went and got herself a beau."
Along with the copious amounts of food, his grandfather had played matchmaker his entire adulthood. Or maybe he should say tried. It hadn't helped. Here he was, thirty-four years old and with no prospects on the horizon. "I told you I don't need your help finding a girl."
"Do you have a girl?"
"Well. No." Jake felt the urge to squirm under his namesake's scrutiny. The elder Jake was a good man. A great man. But matchmaking wasn't his forte.
His only child, Jake's mother, had named her only son after his two grandfathers. He wasn't sure who picked Jacob for his first name. Michael Stone Jr., his dad, always told him that they put both in a hat and drew one out. Michael said he lost. So, Jacob Michael Stone was born.
His grandfather was still droning on about the "one that got away," and loudly too. He needed to take him to the audiologist. Although he would claim, loudly, Jake might add, he didn't need to go. At this rate, Jake was sure his neighbors knew all of Gramps' business.
"Look, Gramps. I need to go." He put down his napkin, pushed away from the table, and stood. He rolled down the sleeves of his shirt, buttoned the cuffs, and grabbed his suit jacket off the back of the chair. "I told the facility I would be there by noon, so I need to leave."
"I thought you were moving some of the patients here to the new place."
"We are, but it's not quite ready, and I have some paperwork to go over at the Seattle location before we can start transferring the patients next week. I still have some ambulance rides to schedule." He said his goodbyes and left out the front door.
The door to the apartment next door swung open, and a little girl tumbled out of it. She looked to be around two years old. "Whoa, Piantina!" A man grabbed up the child and held her to his chest. "I said no, Chloe girl. Wait on me."
"Lannnnnn," the girl babbled and stuck her fists in the man's cheeks.
"Getting better, sweetheart."
"Landon?"
Landon jerked his head around, and recognition lit his eyes. "Jake?"
Jake smiled. "Hey, man. Long time no see."
"Yeah."
Another man hurried out the door and nodded toward Jake.
"Daddy."
"I have to go, sweetie." He bent down and kissed the little girl's head. He turned to Jake. "I'm sorry to be rude, but I'm late, and my business partners are going to kill me. I'm Damon. Nice to meet you, but I have to go before it rains." He looked at Landon. "Tell Courtney to call Leslie if you guys can't keep her tonight. Bye." Damon was in his car and gone before anyone spoke again.
"Leslie?"
"Yeah, she, her husband," Landon's head tilted toward the road. He tickled under the girl's neck, and she giggled, "and their child live here."
A look of pure confusion crossed Jake's face. "I didn't know she was married. I thought you told me she couldn't have kids. Did she adopt?"
"Um. She's Damon and my..." His voice trailed off as a horn blew and a Ford Edge pulled into the driveway.
"Hey, handsome." A lady with strawberry blonde hair got out of the car and pranced. That's the only word Jake could come up with to describe the almost skip the girl had to her as she bounded up to Landon and planted a kiss on his cheek and snatched the girl, who must be Chloe, from his arms. Goodness, the little girl looked like the lady, except for a scar that ran across the woman's cheek. "Oh." She turned toward Jake. "Sorry. I'm Courtney." She moved Chloe to one hip and stuck out a hand.
Jake grasped it and gave a quick shake. "Jake."
"The grandson?"
"Yeah."
Courtney nodded and smiled slightly.
"Why are you here, Fragolina?" Landon asked her. "I thought I was picking up Chloe."
"Emergency. Jace called. Some equipment isn't working. I forgot which one."
Landon let out a groan.
"Sorry. I'll take Chloe, and you go to work."
"Yes, ma'am. You need to move your car."
"What? Oh, yeah. Sure."
"I'll do it." Landon leaned down and stared at the little girl. "You behave for your mama, you hear me, girly?" He chuckled, turned on his heel, ran to Courtney's new ride, and moved it before getting in his car and rolling down his window. "Great to see you again, Jake. Stephanie—" He stopped talking abruptly. "She would be happy to see you," he said softly. "Did you hear...?"
"I heard," Jake cut him off, and his jaw clenched shut.
"Okay. I have to go." Landon gave Courtney a peck on her lips through the open window and backed out of the driveway.
Courtney turned and buckled Chloe in the back seat of her SUV. "Nice to meet you, Jake, but I need to get my daughter home before it storms."
Jake's brow furrowed. "So you and Leslie's husband?" He winced. "I'm sorry, none of my business. That was extremely rude of me, and I have to get going as well. I have to be in Seattle by lunchtime."
The door to the apartment opened, and Gramps came outside. "JAKEY!"
Jake rolled his eyes and looked heavenward at the darkening sky.
"You forgot your briefcase! And I packed you a lunch."
"Thanks, but I was going to pick up something on the way," he grumbled.
"Nonsense! Waste of money when there is a perfectly good PB & J right here." He patted the bag. "I even cut off the crusts for you."
Courtney couldn't quite hold back the giggle that escaped. She looked to the ground as her shoulders moved with suppressed laughter.
"Yep. Thanks. I'll let you know if I have to stay there tonight." He grabbed his briefcase and the paper bag with his lunch out of his grandfather's hands. "Nice to meet you. Courtney, was it?"
"Yep. That's me."
"She's the one that got away," his grandfather practically yelled.
The earth could swallow him up at any moment.
"Bye," he mumbled and climbed into his car. He heard Courtney's laughter as he drove away.
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