finished pulling her hair up and out of her way. She needed to get her own head on straight before she could explain to him what was going on. She needed to figure out exactly where her own heart and mind stood before she could share either with him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
J ake hit the end call button on his phone and almost threw it across the room. He didn’t know what was going on with Andrea, but he knew it was something serious. She was shutting him out and it tore him up. His chest ached as he thought about what it could be.
“Something wrong?” a familiar voice asked.
Jake turned and saw Ramon approaching. “I’m not sure. Andrea’s acting strange.”
One side of Ramon’s mouth tilted upward. “She’s a woman. They’re strange by definition.”
Jake gave him a halfhearted smile. “I mean seriously strange. She left me a message about something having come up and needing some time and she’s refused to talk to me since.”
“Well, now, that could be serious. You checked with her family?”
“No, I didn’t want to bring them into something between us.”
“Well, from what you’ve told me, her brother has no trouble getting in between you. Why don’t you call him and see if he’s heard from her?”
Jake looked at the phone still in his hand. “All right, I’ll do that.”
“I’ll give you a few minutes then, and see you in the car in say ten?”
“I’m sure this won’t take long, ten is good.” Jake watched Ramon leave before dialing Ben’s number.
“Yo?” Ben answered the call.
“Have you heard from your sister in the last few days?”
“Not in a couple days, why?”
“Because yesterday morning she left me a message canceling our evening. She said something had come up and she needed some time. She won’t answer my calls and she won’t let me in when I go by.”
“Shit.” There was rattling on the other end of the line. “Let me make a couple calls and I’ll call you back.”
“Do you know something I should?”
“I don’t know. Let me make some calls. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Jake hung up and headed out to the car. Who knew how long it would take Ben to get back to him.
“How’d it go?” Ramon asked as he got in the car.
“He didn’t know anything but he’s gonna make some calls and get back to me.”
“You don’t look good.”
“I’m worried about her. Something is wrong and I don’t know what.”
“That’s life with a woman.”
Jake gave him an unhappy look then turned to stare out the windshield. Ramon pulled out of the yard and they started their day. About an hour later Ben called him back, told him that Sophia had spoken with her this morning and she was all right. Ben said he’d try to talk to her when she got off work that afternoon, but he didn’t know if he could get her to talk. Jake spent the rest of the shift with only half his mind on the job, the other half was worrying about Andrea and what might be wrong.
When he got off work he found he had a voicemail. He hadn’t even heard the phone ring. It was from Andrea.
“Hi Jake, I’m sorry I’ve been shutting you out. I just need some time to think. We’ve been moving awfully fast and I need to be sure of my feelings before either one of us gets hurt. I’m sorry again, please understand.”
He sat on the bench in the locker room staring blindly at the phone in his hand. What the hell was going through her mind and who the hell had planted it there? He had a good idea of the second one, though he wasn’t quite sure of the first. Either way, he knew how to handle it.
CHAPTER TWENTY
"Hey, man, what gives?" Jake tromped in the big bay door at Ben's shop.
Ben looked around the hood of the 1969 Dodge Charger he was working on. Seeing Jake, he grinned. "Hey man, what's up?"
"What gives?" Jake repeated.
"What do you mean?"
"What gives with you trying to convince your sister that she's better off without me?"
"Whoa, whoa, buddy." Ben
CHAPTER NINETEEN
J ake hit the end call button on his phone and almost threw it across the room. He didn’t know what was going on with Andrea, but he knew it was something serious. She was shutting him out and it tore him up. His chest ached as he thought about what it could be.
“Something wrong?” a familiar voice asked.
Jake turned and saw Ramon approaching. “I’m not sure. Andrea’s acting strange.”
One side of Ramon’s mouth tilted upward. “She’s a woman. They’re strange by definition.”
Jake gave him a halfhearted smile. “I mean seriously strange. She left me a message about something having come up and needing some time and she’s refused to talk to me since.”
“Well, now, that could be serious. You checked with her family?”
“No, I didn’t want to bring them into something between us.”
“Well, from what you’ve told me, her brother has no trouble getting in between you. Why don’t you call him and see if he’s heard from her?”
Jake looked at the phone still in his hand. “All right, I’ll do that.”
“I’ll give you a few minutes then, and see you in the car in say ten?”
“I’m sure this won’t take long, ten is good.” Jake watched Ramon leave before dialing Ben’s number.
“Yo?” Ben answered the call.
“Have you heard from your sister in the last few days?”
“Not in a couple days, why?”
“Because yesterday morning she left me a message canceling our evening. She said something had come up and she needed some time. She won’t answer my calls and she won’t let me in when I go by.”
“Shit.” There was rattling on the other end of the line. “Let me make a couple calls and I’ll call you back.”
“Do you know something I should?”
“I don’t know. Let me make some calls. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Jake hung up and headed out to the car. Who knew how long it would take Ben to get back to him.
“How’d it go?” Ramon asked as he got in the car.
“He didn’t know anything but he’s gonna make some calls and get back to me.”
“You don’t look good.”
“I’m worried about her. Something is wrong and I don’t know what.”
“That’s life with a woman.”
Jake gave him an unhappy look then turned to stare out the windshield. Ramon pulled out of the yard and they started their day. About an hour later Ben called him back, told him that Sophia had spoken with her this morning and she was all right. Ben said he’d try to talk to her when she got off work that afternoon, but he didn’t know if he could get her to talk. Jake spent the rest of the shift with only half his mind on the job, the other half was worrying about Andrea and what might be wrong.
When he got off work he found he had a voicemail. He hadn’t even heard the phone ring. It was from Andrea.
“Hi Jake, I’m sorry I’ve been shutting you out. I just need some time to think. We’ve been moving awfully fast and I need to be sure of my feelings before either one of us gets hurt. I’m sorry again, please understand.”
He sat on the bench in the locker room staring blindly at the phone in his hand. What the hell was going through her mind and who the hell had planted it there? He had a good idea of the second one, though he wasn’t quite sure of the first. Either way, he knew how to handle it.
CHAPTER TWENTY
"Hey, man, what gives?" Jake tromped in the big bay door at Ben's shop.
Ben looked around the hood of the 1969 Dodge Charger he was working on. Seeing Jake, he grinned. "Hey man, what's up?"
"What gives?" Jake repeated.
"What do you mean?"
"What gives with you trying to convince your sister that she's better off without me?"
"Whoa, whoa, buddy." Ben
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