Loved Bayou (Martin Family Book 1) (7 page)

Chapter 12

I stared at Jacob's angelic face, wondering why in the world he wanted to come into my house when I just told him I was sick.

"I'm sorry I made you go the other night," he said, in a rare vulnerable tone. "I've waited three days to bring this over here to you." He lifted the stool, which drew my eye to it.

"I'm not taking that," I said.

My stomach was still cramping, so I paused to let an especially bad wave pass. Jacob reached out and touched my shoulder. "Let's go inside," he said, reasonably. He gently pushed his way inside, balancing the stool in one hand as he turned me with the other. "I won't stay if you don't want me to," he said, following me into my living room. "I'll just help you get settled in."

I sickly sauntered back to my spot on the couch, and fell onto it, not caring a bit that I probably looked like a hot mess. I reminded myself that it shouldn't matter because I was mad at him, anyway. I closed my eyes, feeling a bit like I was on a ship that was tossing about at sea.

"Do you have a heating pad?" I heard Jacob say. It seemed like he was standing close to me, but I didn't open my eyes.

"For what?" I asked, deliriously.

"For your stomach," he said. "It might help."

"I don't have a heating pad," I said.

"I'm gonna go get you one," he said. "I'll be right back. Don't lock the door behind me even if you're mad. The heat's gonna make you feel better."

"I'll just call my mom to bring me one," I said.

"Why when I'm right here?" he asked.

I felt his hand come down on my forehead. I was startled by it, and I opened my eyes as I flinched. Jacob was sitting on my coffee table regarding me with a sweet half smile. I gave him a tired smile as I closed my eyes again. He kept his hand on my head, using his thumb to stroke my hair.

"I'll just go get it so you don't have to call your mom. I have one at my house from when I injured my shoulder. It'll take me five minutes."

"I'm gonna lock the door behind you," I said. It was obviously an empty promise, and I delivered it weakly.

"No you're not," he said. "You're gonna stay right here and wait for me to get back. It won't be a miracle or anything, but it'll help."

I smiled at him without opening my eyes. "Thank you," I said.

With that, Jacob stood and headed for the door. I peeked at him while he was walking away and smiled inwardly at how I was comforted by the thought of him coming back.

"I'll be right back," he yelled without looking back as he opened the door. I glanced around the room once he was gone and saw the stool sitting along the wall. It wasn't the place I would end up putting it, but I loved having it in my house, and I probably wouldn't beg him too hard to take it back. Even through the sickness, I felt happy. I remembered the way he'd been staring at me when he had his hand on my head, and I experienced a feeling of genuine gladness because I knew he cared. I could see it in his eyes.

I might have briefly fallen asleep, because it felt like Jacob was gone for all of three seconds before he got back. I thought he had forgotten something and come back in, but I could see that he had a heating pad rolled up in his hand as he made his way to me. He found the nearest outlet, turned on the heating pad, and sat on the edge of the coffee table, holding it.

"I'm gonna lift up your blanket so I can put this under there," he said.

I had the blanket draped over my shoulders like a hospital gown that closed in the front, and Jacob was poised to lift up one side. "Thank you for bringing this," I said, lifting my arms to allow him to hand me the flexible, square pad.

"Can I stay, for a little while, Alex?" he asked, touching my forehead at my hairline again.

I nodded. I agreed because I wanted him to and I knew if I told him to leave, this time he would. He stood up and went down the hall like he owned the place, and I didn't say anything to stop him. I liked the way he looked in my house, even in my out-of-it state of mind.

He sat down on the coffee table holding a wet washcloth. "Wipe your face with this," he said, handing it to me.

I took it from him and used it to wipe my face. The warm water felt so good that I did my neck and arms while I was at it. "You're amazing," I said sleepily as I handed him the washcloth.

He took it and went back to the bathroom to put it away.

"Sit up for a second," he said when he got back into the living room. "I want to sit on the couch with you. You can put your head in my lap."

"I'm not gonna be much company," I warned.

"I'm not expecting you to entertain me, Alex. I'm just gonna sit here and watch TV while you get some sleep. Will the TV bother you?"

I shook my head as I sat up to make room for Jacob on my couch. He positioned some pillows where I'd be comfortable, and I fell onto his lap, feeling like I had hit the lottery of Sickland.
If you're gonna be miserable, at least do it in style.
I smiled at my own delirious thoughts as I settled into my lottery winnings.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked.

"That I like being sick if it winds me up on your lap."

"If it winds you up here?" he asked, sounding amused by my choice of words.

I peeked up at him since I knew he was smiling, but I didn't make it in time—it had already faded. "Well, I don't like you being sick," he said. "You scared me to death when I opened your door."

"By how I looked, or that I tried to make you leave?"

"Both, I guess."

"Because I was planning on making you leave, even if I was well."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically.

"You deserved it," I said.

There was a pause before he said, "I know."

He started rubbing my head with his fingertips again, which made me sigh. "It's starting to get warm," I said snuggling into a comfortable position. My arm was out of the blanket, and Jacob placed his free hand on top of it. It was the most comfortable I'd been in the last 24 hours, and I was so thankful he was there.

"I'm sorry I made you leave like that the other night," he said. "It wasn't because I didn't want you to be there."

I smiled weakly, keeping my eyes closed. "You don't have to explain," I said.

"I was not expecting to be okay with hanging out with anybody," he said rubbing my head.

"You're okay with Cole," I said.

He hesitated before saying, "It's not really the same thing, Alex."

I peeked up at him because I wanted to see his facial expression. He was staring down at me.

"It's not the same thing," he repeated.

I sighed and reached up to grab his hand, which was resting on my head. I guided it down so his palm was cupped around my cheek. I held it there, feeling like I had the best sleeping arrangement ever. "I'm probably gonna close my eyes for a minute," I said, sleepily. "The remote's right there."

"I see it," he said. "Just get some rest. I don't have anywhere to go."

I woke up to Jacob shaking my arm.

"Someone just walked in," he whispered.

I had no idea where I was at first, so I sat up, feeling disoriented. I adjusted to face Jacob, squinting at him while trying to figure everything out.

"Who's this?" I heard my mom's voice say.

I glanced toward the door to find her standing there, holding two grocery bags and wearing a concerned expression.

"My name is Jacob Fox," I heard Jacob say from beside me. I felt the couch move as he stood up to greet my mother.

She made no move to shake Jacob's hand or otherwise greet him. "Did you know he was here?" my mom asked, looking at me. She wore an impassive expression as if she was ready to call the cops.

"Of course I did. He just came over. He was sitting here while I tried to sleep for a second."

"Well, I thought you might be sleeping," she said. "I would have come over earlier, but I figured you needed to rest. I was trying to be quiet when I came in, but you were sitting up on the couch. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, Mom. I'm actually better. I think my stomach's feeling better. I think I might have gotten a little nap."

"You got about four hours," Jacob said, causing Mom and I both to look at him.

"Four hours?" I asked, in utter disbelief. "What time is it?"

"It's two-thirty," my mom said. "Did you know he was here, Alex?"

I let out a humorless laugh as I rubbed my face. "Yeah, I knew he was here, mom. His name's Jacob. He brought me a heating pad for my stomach." I turned to look at him. "I think it worked," I said, sleepily. "I'm feeling a lot better."

He gave me an almost imperceptible smile that melted my heart. "The sleep probably helped."

I smiled back at him.

"Excuse me, how do you two know each other?" my mom asked.

"He bought that house down the street," I said.

"When I talked to you this morning, you didn't mention having your friend over," my mom said, still acting skeptical about his presence.

"I didn't know he was coming," I said. "We're friends," I said, trying to say whatever it took to make her stop freaking out. "It's not the first time we've met. We hung out a few times before this—like that night when we went froggin' with Cole."

She nodded as if comforted by the reference, but I could tell she wasn't delighted with him being there.

I felt like I needed to further explain so she'd relax already. "He came by to bring the stool I bought from him, and he saw that I was sick. He brought me a heating pad, and I'm glad he did because it helped."

"I guess I'll be going," Jacob said. I couldn’t blame him since my mom wasn't necessarily rolling out the red carpet for him. She was seriously looking at him like he might have taken advantage of me while I slept.

"He's staying," I said. I turned to look at him. "Can you stay a little while longer?" I asked with my best hopeful expression.

"I'll be here now," my mom said.

"And so will he," I said. "If he can."

"I'm gonna go grab something to eat while you and your mom catch up," Jacob said. "I can stop by later, maybe."

"I want you to stay now, if you can. Mom's got a bunch of groceries, so you can just eat here." I paused and smiled at him. "Thank you for skipping lunch so you could sit with me." I focused on my mother who had just started heading to the kitchen with her bags. "He skipped his lunch so he could sit with me," I said, loudly as I flopped back onto the couch. "And he brought me a heating pad that made me feel better. He's my new friend, and I wanted y'all to meet each other anyway. Can you please make him a sandwich or something?"

"Oh, no, please don't do that," Jacob said, extending his hand to tell her to stop. "I'll go pick something up while you two catch up." He shifted to look at me when he said, "I'll come back a little later."

"Stay," my mom said from the kitchen. "The least I could do is make you a sandwich after you skipped your lunch to sit with her."

Jacob looked at me as if gauging the situation, and I smiled. "You can go if you need to," I said. "But I want you to stay." I put the back of my hand to my mouth as if to tell him a secret. "And my mom's harmless," I whispered. "I slept through our whole visit," I added, as an extra argument for him to hang out a little longer.

"I slept a little, too," he said.

I patted the seat next to me, and Jacob sat down.

"I don't really do moms," he said, glancing at me with a concerned expression.

"She's just
my
mom," I said as if that should solve everything.

"I'm trying to maintain a reputation here," he said. "She's wary and wants to avoid me just like I was trying for."

"First of all, you're not trying for that anymore… I thought we already established that. And second, she was wary at first, but she warmed up to you in about two seconds." I gestured toward the kitchen. "She's in there making you a sandwich right now.

"I don't want her to make me a sandwich, though."

"Why not? Aren't you hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like sandwiches?" He smiled, knowing where I was leading with my questions. His smile was still barely there, but I loved the sight of it so much that I reached out to put my hand on his face. I just couldn't stop myself. He let me hold it there until my mom yelled from the kitchen to see if he liked mayo, at which point, he pulled back, just enough to cause my hand to fall. He told my mom he wasn't picky and that she could make the sandwich however she usually did.

Chapter 13

"I'll bring that to the truck," Jacob said as I pulled the heating pad out from under the blanket, unearthing myself at the same time. It felt amazing to shrug out of that warm cocoon. I smiled, feeling somewhat human again. I was still sore and weak, but it was so much better than before I fell asleep.

I rolled the heating pad the same way Jacob had it when he came in, wrapping the cord around it before handing it to him. I could tell he was reluctant about sticking around, and I felt bad for pushing him. "It's okay if you have to leave," I whispered. "I don't want you to, but I'd understand."

"I'll go put this in the truck," he said, looking somewhat uncertain about whether he would or wouldn't be coming back.

I smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you," I said, in a way that implied I thought he might be leaving. "It really helped."

"I'm glad."

I pointed at the stool. "I'll talk to you about the stool later," I said, "but I like it, so just go ahead and leave it here for now."

He rolled is eyes at me a little as he stretched his back by puffing out his chest. It was glorious, and I quickly glanced away. "Okay, I'll leave it here for now," he said sarcastically.

I reached out and pinched his leg, since he was being playful. I heard my mom working away in there and knew she was about to serve him his food. "You better go if you're not coming back," I whispered.

His eyes roamed all over my face as he hesitated for a second. "I'll come back," he said. He shifted his attention to my mom, and so did I to find that she was looking straight at us.

"It's almost ready," she said.

Jacob lifted the heating pad. "I'm gonna take this to the truck, and I have a business email to take care of, but I'll be back."

"Well, it'll be waiting for you when you're done," my mom said.

"I appreciate it." He glanced at me. "I'm coming back in here," he said like he almost couldn’t believe it for himself.

I smiled. "Yep." I got to my feet, letting out a long relieved sigh that I didn't feel so terrible anymore. "If I can get through the last twenty-four hours, then you can get through an hour with my mom."

"She's staying an hour?" he asked like that was a deal breaker, although I knew he was kidding.

"Don't worry, I'll kick her out if she tries any funny business."

"Should I be scared?" he asked, looking around nervously.

I smiled, knowing he was still joking even though he was probably really nervous. I put my hand on his arm and regarded him with a sincere expression. "You'll like my mom," I said. "And she's gonna love you." I watched his chest rise and fall as he took a breath.

"I'll be right back," he said.

I glanced at my mom the second the door closed behind Jacob, and I saw her making an extremely confused expression. I let out a nervous giggle as I walked over to stand beside her. By the time I got to the kitchen, she was leaning against the counter, regarding me with an impassive stare. As if that wasn't body language enough, she crossed her arms.

"What?" I asked.

"
What?
" she said in disbelief. "I thought you were sick and alone over here, and I come in to find… well, to find you on the couch…" she hesitated and gestured to the front of the house in the direction of his truck. "… with Neil Fox's son."

"His name's Jacob."

"What is this
Jacob
doing in your living room, Alex?"

"I told you," I said. "He's my friend. He came over to drop something off, saw I was sick, and wound up staying. I'm glad he did. He brought me a heating pad and rubbed my head till I fell asleep. It helped."

"He rubbed your head?" she asked.

"Yes, mom he rubbed my head, and it helped."

She leveled me with a concerned, motherly stare. "Did he try to take advantage of you, Alex?"

I scrunched up my face. "No, Mom. If anything, I'm the one forcing myself on
him
."

"I should hope not, young lady."

I sank my face into my hands and gave it a good, hard rub as if doing that would somehow make my mom understand where I was coming from. I sighed and stared straight at her.

"I'm not saying anything's gonna happen between us, because right now we're just friends, but I like him, Mom. I like him a lot."

She sighed, staring at me with a worried expression. "Please be careful, Alex."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because we don't know him. All we know of him is all that drama with his family." She sighed again. "A family says a lot about who a person is."

"No it doesn't," I said irritably. "We are who we choose to be. He's not defined by his parents or their choices. He's his own person. A good person."

"How do you know that?" she asked. "Debbie went over there to bring him some stew, and he was
not
happy with her. She put a lot of effort into packing it up and bringing that over there, and he just treated her like he wished she wouldn't have bothered."

"Because he just wanted to be left alone," I said. "Everyone in his life has hurt him or left him or both," I said, felling like I had no other choice but to take up for him. The urge to defend him was insane. "He's trying to protect himself," I continued. "He's angry with humans and confused about God, and honestly, after all he's been through, I don't blame him."

My mom continued to wear that mask of worry, and she shook her head slowly as if I had somehow just proved her point. "I don't want you falling into bitterness like that, sweetheart."

"I'm not falling into anything, Mom." Her hand was on the countertop, and I paused and laid my hand on top of it, regarding her with an expression that I hoped came across as sober and clearheaded. "You're taking what you know about Jacob, and basing your judgment on that," I said, looking directly at her. "But I see something different. I see him for what he is, which is not at all what everyone thinks. He's a good man, Mom. I honestly believe God put me in his life to help him out of whatever he's going through."

"I don't want you getting hurt, Alex."

"He's not trying to hurt me," I said. "He's just trying to keep me from hurting him."

She sighed and shook her head like she didn't know quite what I was saying.

"God put him in my life, Mom."

I reiterated that point for two reasons: One, because it was the truth. I honestly believed I was divinely put in his path. And two, because it was the one thing that would make my mom back off about questioning it. I learned that along time ago. When I didn't want my mom to question my decision about something, I just told her God had put it on my heart. That always worked since my mom had a soft spot for God's will.

"I don't want to take away from how the Lord wants to use you," she said, right on cue. "I certainly do believe He puts people in our lives for a reason. I just don't want to see you get your feelings hurt, honey."

"He's the one who has his feelings hurt," I said. "I'm trying to help him."

My mom reached out and rubbed my arm. "You've always been sensitive to people's feelings," she said proudly.

"I also have a huge crush on him," I added, feeling guilty for letting her think it was all goodwill.

"Really?" she asked with wide eyes.

I nodded as I opened the pantry and stared into it. "I wish I had some plain crackers," I said changing the subject.

"I brought some," she said. "There are still a few things I haven't unpacked."

"I might try a popsicle first, actually," I said, going to the freezer and opening it absentmindedly. "Cam brought these by." I hesitated. "I can't even remember if it was last night or this morning."

"It was today," she said.

I unwrapped the popsicle and held it by the stick as I stuck the top section of it into my mouth. I was dehydrated and had a bad taste in my mouth, which made it even more wonderful. I gestured to the sandwich on the bar. My mom was a champion sandwich maker; she always cut it in half diagonally and had it looking like it came from a café.

"Thanks for doing that," I said.

Just as the words left my mouth, the door opened and Jacob came inside. There was nothing I could do to contain the smile that spread across my face. I was so happy he was in my living room, I felt like I wanted to giggle. He saw me grinning at him, and returned it with a cute half-smirk as he walked toward me.

My mom pushed the plate toward him as he approached. "Here's this," she said. "Alex will probably just start with a popsicle."

He glanced at me and I held my pop out to him as if to cheers him.

"Feeling better?" he asked, now that I was up and around.

"So much," I said with a sigh. "You have no idea."

"I appreciate you coming by here this morning," my mom said as Jacob took a bite of his sandwich. "It makes a mama feel good to know someone was looking after her baby." She paused and reached out to run her hand over my hair. "I don't think I realized how bad it was when I came by last night."

"I tried to fake it so you wouldn't worry, but it was terrible," I said. "I'm so glad I didn't get into an accident on my way home from Lafayette."

"Honey, you should have called your father," my mom said, but I was too preoccupied to even listen to her because I instantly regretted my reference to a car accident. "I think it was the breakfast," I said, changing the subject. "I'm much better now, though."

"Give that a few minutes to settle before you go trying to put a bunch of stuff on your stomach," Mom said, pointing at the popsicle.

I nodded as I took another bite.

"You said Jacob brought you a stool…" Mom said in an effort to make conversation.

I smiled and waved at her to follow me, and we both went to check it out while Jacob finished his sandwich. "He does all kinds of woodwork," I said, knowing Jacob could hear. "Kitchen stuff and everything. He sells it online."

"What sort of kitchen stuff?" my mom asked, peering at Jacob from where we were standing.

He swallowed his food and wiped his mouth with a paper towel before saying, "Cutting boards, utensils, bowls… I do small furniture pieces, but nothing big."

"He thought about making a guitar," I said, feeling proud of him."

Jacob gave me a secret little look that said he felt shy about my bragging, and I just shrugged at him, saying it was too bad.

"That's neat," Mom said. She ran her fingertips over the seat of the stool "If you made this, I'm sure you could make a guitar."

"Oh, he made this like ten years ago," I said, still feeling proud.

"Well, I'll have to look at your stuff," she said, sounding impressed.

Jacob bowed slightly in a thankful gesture before taking the last bite of his sandwich. He sat back in his chair, regarding us from across the room. "I appreciate the lunch," he said. "I should probably get back, though. I have some work to do."

"Actually, I'm leaving," my mom said, with a hand out to stop him. I watched as she crossed to the kitchen. "I just wanted to bring those groceries and make sure Alex was doing okay." She came to stand a few feet in front of Jacob, looking straight at him. "It was very nice meeting you, Jacob," she said as if she really meant it.

"It was nice meeting you, too," he said, standing so he could shake her hand. "Thank you for the sandwich."

She started to shake his hand, but quickly decided that wouldn't work. She laughed a little as she awkwardly took him into her arms, forcing him to hug her. I could tell she was squeezing him tightly because he glanced at me with wide eyes that made me smile. My mom let out a groan with the effort and his eyes widened even more, which made me laugh. She pulled back and stared at Jacob like she was thinking about something, and I cringed, wondering what she would do or say next.

To my surprise (and horror), she reached up and put her hand on his face. I could do nothing but sit there, sucking on a popsicle while I watched it unfold.

"God works in mysterious ways," she said sincerely.

"Yes ma'am," he agreed graciously, even though I could see he was a little taken off guard.

I thought she would call it a day at that point, but she just stood there staring at Jacob. "I see what she's talking about," she said, finally.

"Thanks, Mom!" I called from the living room.