Burning Wild

Chapter Five

I gnawed my fingernails to the quick as I waited for the afternoon to arrive. I'm not sure why I was so nervous. I suppose it was because I hadn't been out with a man in over five years, and I wasn't sure if I remembered how to talk to the opposite sex without making a complete fool out of myself.

I had to keep reminding myself that it was just coffee, not a date. Besides, I had bigger things to be concerned about, like the fact that I was homeless and only had a handful of possessions to my name. Though this should have been a big stressor in my life, the only thing I could think about was seeing Jake.

The hours passed slowly. I checked and rechecked my reflection in the mirror, feeling progressively more anxious as the time passed. The white sundress that I settled on wasn't the most flattering, but it had been on sale, and I refused to spend more money than I needed to, before figuring out my housing situation. I tried to be optimistic- the color did compliment my tan skin well, I suppose.

Still, I cringed as I looked at the scratchy material. The dress was too loose, making my slight frame look boxy. It was shorter than I would have liked and showed far more cleavage than what I was normally comfortable with. But I didn't have a lot of other options, considering that my entire wardrobe was now a pile of ash. Like it or not, this was the nicest thing that I owned. The dress would have to do.

As I pulled into the Starbucks parking lot, Jake was already waiting for me. He greeted me with a brilliant, pearly white grin, distracting me so much that I nearly clipped a car that was backing out of the lot. The driver honked and flipped me off.

I pulled into a parking spot and tried to hide my scarlet face with my hair, hoping that Jake didn't see my near accident. But judging by the humor dancing in his eyes, it was safe to say that he had.

As I got out of my SUV, Jake and I exchanged pleasantries and headed toward the building, and got in line. Despite his refusal, I insisted on paying for his drink.

"Coffee was my idea. My way of repaying you, remember?" I reminded him, as I handed the cashier my credit card. Jake looked like he wanted to argue, but I glared at him until he bit his tongue.

We grabbed our iced macchiatos and settled into a small table in the corner of the café. I took a sip of the delicious drink, the caffeine a welcome sensation in my exhausted body.

"How bad was the damage to your house?" Jake asked as he took a swig of his drink.

I shook my head. "It was beyond saving."

"I'm so sorry. It's hard to lose a home," he said gently.

"Thank you, but it's not been so bad. I mean, yeah, the place was sort of my baby because I designed it from the ground up, but it never really felt like home to me. It was just a place where I stored my things," I admitted.

It was the first time I had told this to another person. I was normally very reserved, repressing my feelings in an almost unhealthy manner. But there was something about Jake that caused the words to come tumbling out. He made me feel comfortable. Almost too comfortable.

"You designed your own home?" he asked as his eyes widened. He was impressed.

"Yes. It was one of my first projects after I graduated."

I smiled fondly as I recalled the excitement I'd felt designing the layout of my house. I'm not sure when I lost the spark, the joy of creating something new and beautiful, but somewhere along the way, designing had become more of a chore than a passion. I felt like the old Cat would be disappointed to see me now.

I glanced up to see Jake staring at me, his eyes measuring my reaction.

"But the house doesn't matter. It was just a bunch of wood and sheetrock," I said, coming back to reality. "What matters is that Harley and I are safe. We have you to thank for that."