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light. Past the patio was a sizable pool, and all the landscaping made it feel just as raw and organic as the front.  
    “There’s a hot tub up there.” He gestured to another stone patio secluded by plants. “And way over there will be a garden one of these days. I just haven’t had time to set it up yet.”
    I didn’t know why, but seeing all he’d achieved in my absence caused my throat to thicken with emotion. “It’s absolutely perfect, Jake.”  
    “Come on, I’ll show the rest of the house.”   
    Leading me to the other side of the patio, he took me through a set of double doors to the master bedroom. Aside from the large sleigh bed and nightstands, the room lacked other furniture. The same wood flooring had been carried throughout the house, and a few random pieces of clothing were scattered across it.  
    “Sorry,” he muttered as he began picking the pieces off the floor.  
    “You do remember we used to be roommates, right? This is nothing,” I teased.
    He looked up, a gleam of recognition and humor in his eye. “You’re right.” Then promptly dropped the clothes where he stood. “Come on, Kit Kat.” He threw an arm over my shoulder. “I’ll show you to your room.”   
    My stomach fluttered from his closeness, but I laughed as he ushered me down the hall. The first room we came to was filled with a bunch of boxes. A couple surfboards stood on end in the corner, and a desk was stacked high with papers and random junk. His arm slipped from my shoulder and he pulled the door closed.  
    “Storage,” he muttered, but I caught a glimpse of embarrassment I didn’t like. Why would he care about that? Especially with me—the girl who couldn’t keep up with laundry to save her life.  
    The second door was a guest bath, but I only caught a glimpse before we moved to the end of the hall. I peered into the living room off to the left and realized we’d come full circle.  
    “And this one’s yours.” He opened the last door on the right, and I followed him inside. My immediate impression was that it was too girly to be a part of Jake’s house. A four-poster bed stood in the center of the pale blue room, and a white down comforter was spread on top. The room was cast in a soft glow from the large window, and it looked so relaxing I realized for the first time how tired I was.  
    “You have your own bathroom,” he said, pushing past me to open another door on the right. “I’ve put some things in there for you. I wasn’t sure how long it would take you to unpack.”  
    “Thank you,” I said softly. I was taken aback. He’d always been there for me, but there was something so domestic and personal about picking out someone’s toiletries that I would’ve never expected from Jake. I’d lived with Kevin for over two years, and he’d never once done anything like that for me.  
    A woman’s voice called from the living room, and I turned just in time to see a petite blond enter the room. “There you guys are.”  
    She threaded her arm around Jake’s waist and peered at him adoringly. “Hey,” she whispered. But it wasn’t a normal whisper. It was a comfortable one—one that told me they were more than friends.  
    “Katie, this is Grace.” He smiled down at her, but when he looked back to me, his brows furrowed, and I knew my shocked reaction must have been plastered all over my face.  
    I cleared my throat and shook my head a little. “Nice to meet you.”
    “Nice to meet you, too,” she replied, but her eyes were fixed on Jake. “He’s told me so much about you.”
    “Good things, I hope?”  
      “Of course.” She glanced at me a second before turning back to Jake. “I just saw John pull up outside.”
    He clasped his hands together and smiled at me. “Perfect timing. Katie, where are the keys to the truck?” He flashed his white teeth and held his hand out expectantly.
    “Why?” I asked, my eyebrows knit together as I tried to recover from the fact