Leah hoped Charlie wasn’t only saying that to make her feel better.
“And he shouldn’t have told you, Jake,” Charlie added.
She agreed wholeheartedly.
“Why didn’t you bring Gavin to Gray’s wedding?” Jake asked.
Because I was too much of an idiot to realize I cared about him as more than a friend.
“He wasn’t around.” She didn’t feel like explaining how their relationship had taken a sudden turn yesterday, and besides, it wasn’t a lie. Before Jake could pursue the topic, she changed the subject.
“Do you know if Sara and Christopher are coming out this way soon?” she asked, refilling her iced tea from the pitcher on the table.
Jake added another blueberry muffin to his plate before he spoke. “Last time I talked to her, they planned on coming next month.” He broke the muffin in half and had it almost to his month before he stopped. “You’ve got company.” He gestured toward the door behind her with his chin.
She turned in her seat. “Morning,” she greeted. Leah allowed herself a moment to soak in his appearance, and the memory of him playing volleyball without a shirt rushed forward. She needed to put some thought into how she might be able to get the gray T-shirt he wore now off at some point before the day ended.
Before exchanging pleasantries with either Jake or Charlie, Gavin kissed her cheek and then sat in the empty chair next to her.
“Nice to see you both again,” Gavin commented before yawning.
“Someone needs caffeine.” She’d had her fair share already since waking up. The iced tea in her hand was her fourth since getting out of bed. “Do you want a coffee or an iced tea?”
Rubbing his eyes, he shook his head. “My stomach can’t handle any more caffeine right now. Room service delivered a pot of coffee this morning, and I drank the entire thing. Maybe later.”
“Only one? You’re a lightweight,” Jake jokingly tossed out. “I had twice as much before I showered today.”
She’d never seen anyone ingest more coffee than Jake and his wife. She’d watched him finish one cup already, and who knew how many he had before she joined him, so it was quite possible he wasn’t exaggerating about the amount he drank before getting showered.
“It was a big pot,” Gavin offered.
“Sure it was,” Jake teased.
Gavin might not realize it, but her cousin’s teasing was Jake’s way of letting her know he liked the guy. Although not 100 percent accurate, more times than not when Jake and the other male members of her family liked someone she dated, it was a good sign. No one who had met Benedict or Harry liked either of them. Those relationships had turned out to be the two worst she’d ever had.
“What are your plans for the day? Charlie and I are taking the boat out for a few hours. Aunt Judith promised to watch Garrett while we’re gone. You’re welcome to join us.”
“Promised? More like insisted,” Charlie said. “I get the impression she’s anxious for grandchildren.”
Charlie’s comment was spot-on. Ever since Uncle Warren’s first grandchild had been born, Mom had been saying how much she was looking forward to becoming a grandmother some day. Since she had none yet, every chance Mom got she spoiled the four little boys who’d been born to Leah’s various cousins instead.
“You should come. It’ll be fun,” Charlie added.
She’d gone sailing more times than she could count with Jake on the sailboat he kept moored at Cliff House. If they didn’t already have plans with Curt, she’d have accepted. Or maybe not. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t know if Gavin enjoyed being out on the water or not. It was another one of those things they’d never discussed. For all she knew, he might get deathly seasick every time he stepped on a boat.
“Thanks, but Curt invited us over,” Leah replied.
“Wish you’d asked sooner. I haven’t been sailing in a couple years,” Gavin replied.
Answers that question. Gavin might not enjoy being on the water as much as she did, but he liked it enough to want to go today.
“I’d say we should do it tomorrow, but we’re heading up to North Salem in the morning.” Jake drained the liquid in his mug and reached for the coffee carafe on the table.
Both Charlie’s mom and older brother still lived in North Salem, and they tried to visit as often as possible.
Jake poured more coffee into both his and Charlie’s mugs before adding cream and sugar to his and mixing it. “We should be around again before the summer ends and the boat goes into dry dock. Let’s plan on going then.”
It might be jumping the gun to make any future plans for them, but she didn’t care. If something came up between now and then, she could cancel. Jake wouldn’t take it personally. “Just call and let us know when you’ll be here.”