Free Give Us a Chance by Allie Everhart Page A

did and we ended up with a shitload of them in all different sizes so our cars could jump from ramp to ramp. My dad helped us build them but my mom eventually made him stop because we'd turned the whole living room into a race track."
    "Boys and their cars," I say, smiling.
    "I know. My poor mom. Stuck raising four boys."
    "I'm sure she loved it, despite the headaches you caused her."
    "She did," he says quietly, gazing down. "She was a freaking saint for putting up with us. My dad lucked out when he married her."
    I'd forgotten that Jake's mom died, until just now, when he used the past tense. I only know she died because she wasn't at the opening of the Victorian, and when I asked someone why, they said she passed away years ago. Just like my mom. So there's another thing we have in common.
    This night has been full of surprises. Jake isn't the guy I thought he was. I know he sleeps around. That's something everyone knows. But what I didn't know is how dedicated he is to his family. I knew he got along with them, but I didn't know he was working this hard so that Nash could spend time with Callie. And I didn't know he was someone who opens doors and helps a girl out of the car and worries about her feet getting cold. I also didn't know he dressed like a cowboy and could do the two-step like a pro. And that when he takes you out, he gives you his full attention.
    It's almost the end of the night and I need to go home. But before I do, Jake is going to ask me out again and I don't know how to answer. This was the best date I've ever been on, so I'd like to say yes but I'm afraid to. I don't want to get too close to this guy because I know how it's going to end. Jake Wheeler doesn't date. It's a fact, and every girl in Chicago knows it. He has sex with a girl, but nothing more. So if it gets to the point that he and I have sex, it'll be over between us. Once he gets what he wants, he'll dump me. Then again, there's a tiny chance he won't. After all, he did surprise me tonight.
    But it's only our first date. He's proven he can be good on a date. But can he be more than that? Or is this going to lead to a dead end? I'm not sure I'm willing to find out.

CHAPTER SEVEN

    Jake
    Tonight was one of the best times I've ever had with a girl, and that's saying a lot because I didn't even have sex with her. I don't want the night to end, but Ivy and I have been talking nonstop and now it's almost midnight and I need to get her home.
    When we left the coffee shop, it seemed like Ivy didn't want the night to end either. And if she were any other girl, it wouldn't. I'd be inviting her back to my apartment like I always do. It'd be just another one-night stand. But I'm not doing that with Ivy, which is why I drove her back to Hoedowns to get her car.
    As I walk her over to it, I say, "I'll follow you home."
    "You don't have to."
    "It's late, and I want to make sure you get home safe. If I don't, I'll worry all night."
    "I'll call you when I get there."
    "Would you just let me follow you home? You don't live in the safest neighborhood."
    "How do you know where I live?"
    "It was on your job application. And last year when you were sick, I dropped off your check at your apartment."
    "That's right. I forgot about that."
    Ivy had the flu and missed a week of work but she really needed her check so I brought it to her, slipping it under the door, along with a $25 gift card for the pharmacy down the street so she could buy whatever she needed. Given that she was my employee, I probably shouldn't have done that but at the time I didn't give a shit. She'd missed three days of work and I was worried about her. I wanted her to get better.
    She agrees to let me follow her to her apartment, and since she has to park on the street, I insist on walking her to the door. It's freezing out so she lets me in the lobby. The place is empty and quiet, the lobby lights dimmed for the night.  
    "You didn't have to do this," she says. "I can drive home by myself.