Buried in My Past (Jamie Kendal Book 1) by Eva Mackenzie

Author:Eva Mackenzie [Mackenzie, Eva]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Craven Ink Press
Published: 2020-02-05T16:00:00+00:00

Drew

Drew watched as Jamie slammed the fridge closed with her hip and balanced two beers and some butter in her hands. He wasn’t sure if he was smiling as she approached the table and freed herself of the drinks. He opened them both and slid one to her waiting hand. The faint outline of a bruise stained her hairline.

“How’s the head?” he asked.

“Better.” She looked through her lashes up at him. The food smelled amazing and tasted even better. She obviously enjoyed cooking. Roast beef with potatoes and carrots. A real home-cooked meal.

“Where did you learn to cook like this?”

She shrugged. Her blouse, open at the top, revealed a small gold necklace sliding down into her shirt. Her skin was flush, tan. He tried not to notice, but he was failing.

Why am I here? he asked himself—not for the first time.

“I’d really like to speak with your dad,” she said, looking across the table at him. Her green eyes were not dull or glassy like they had been earlier. She looked rested and full of energy. He could think of a way to work that off—if he were thinking about that, which he wasn’t.

He nodded at her. “He can be cantankerous.” Drew took another bite. The beef melted in a myriad of flavors on his tongue.

“I was going to ask you who you got it from,” she teased with a smile. Was she playing him? This was a different woman than the one he’d observed the past few days. Why the sudden change?

“Absolutely,” he agreed. “But he’s worse.”

Her eyebrows shot up, and she slowly shook her head. Free golden hair brushed past her shoulders and down her back.

“How long are you planning on staying in Cedar Lake?”

“At least until I know my mother is better.” She frowned. He watched as hair moved to block her face, and his hand twitched with the desire to reach out and smooth it back.

A soft cry sounded under the table. A black cat arched into his leg, purring loudly.

“Jax,” she announced.

“Why not visit more?” Drew pried softly. He was on shaky ground now. She shifted in her seat and pushed some lettuce around on her plate before speaking.

“I tried to leave this place behind me when I went to college. Talking to Lillian was a reminder that this place still existed, and it was sometimes—painful, I guess,” she finished, then met his stare. And there it was, as if seeing her for the first time. A fragility buried deep, only evident in her gaze. It flashed so quickly he wondered if he’d even seen it.

He was, after all, an only child, but he knew what it was to lose someone you loved.

“My mother didn’t talk about herself often. She was always concerned about me.” Jamie’s voice was low and laced with regret. He wasn’t sure when the conversation tilted to her mother. It would seem she was a professional at deflecting personal questions. He wondered if she knew she was doing it.

“As parents should be,” he said.

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