Can't Stand To See You Cry (Jacob)

Chapter 8

Jacob could barely focus on his work for the rest of the day. He kept as busy as he could, hoping to make the time pass faster. He finished the transmission on the Impala, the brake pads on the Jeep, and the realignment on the Chevy. The only thing he had left to work on was under the hood of the baby blue Mustang. He was hoping he could make the engine purr.

Now he just had to wait for the last car to be paid for and picked up. Then he could go home and get ready to go to Bella’s. He tried not to get too hopeful because he knew there was a chance that Renesmee wouldn't even be there when he arrived. And the excuse that Bella had provided seemed lame, but he didn’t care. This was his shot and he wasn't about to blow it.

After locking up his dad’s garage, Jacob rushed home to shower and change. It took some scrubbing to get his hands clean from the grease and his hair was still needing a trim, but he couldn't worry about that now. After checking his hair one last time, Jacob made his way out the door. He almost forgot his toolbox, but he remembered it at the last second.

………..

Renesmee sighed, glancing up at the clock on the wall. It was getting late and she still hadn’t had dinner. As she rolled off her bed and padded toward the kitchen, she heard a knock at the door. Confused, since she wasn’t expecting company, she craned her neck to look outside. Her stomach jumped when she saw Jacob’s motorbike outside. She scowled at her stomach for betraying her. Why was the thought of Jacob giving her butterflies?

Jacob leaned against the doorjamb as she waited for someone to  answer the door. He nearly fell back when he saw Renesmee’s face. He just assumed that she was still hiding out in her room like Bella had said earlier.

“Hey,” she said softly when she found him standing there.

He stood up straight and bit back the huge smile that was beginning to spread across his face. All he could think to say was, “Hey.”

Renesmee raised her eyebrows expectantly and waited for him to respond. After staring dreamily at her for a moment, Jacob finally realized what she wanted. “Oh! Your mom said one of the windows had a broken lock…” he raised his toolbox to show her.

“Oh...yeah.  Sorry, she didn’t tell me you were coming by,” she replied, pulling the door open and allowing him to enter.

He brushed past her slowly, the scent of pine, the outdoors and freshly washed hair wafted in behind him. She almost forgot to breathe. “Home alone tonight?” he asked casually.

She closed the door, leaning against the back of the door for a moment as she tried to regain her composure. Feigning disinterest, she replied coolly, “Yeah, they do leave me alone by myself sometimes.”

He turned quickly and his smile caught her off guard. “I know they do. I just thought they would be here.” He stared down at her for a moment before adding, “Were you in the middle of something?”

Renesmee blinked quickly, trying to follow the conversation. She glanced down at her clothes and suddenly felt self-conscious. She wore a pair of knit cotton shorts with a lace trim and a matching tank top, that wasn’t quite long enough to fully cover her stomach. She tugged at it nervously and replied, “I was in bed. Lying in bed, I mean. I was working on my drawings.”

Jacob smiled proudly. “Well I can get out of your way as soon as you tell me one thing,” he said as his eyes scanned the room.

“What’s that?”

“Where’s the broken lock?” he asked, beaming.

………….

Renesmee was mentally beating herself up as she led Jacob down the hall to her room. She couldn't concentrate on being mad at him anymore and that was making her mad at herself. “It’s that one,” she pointed to the far window that faced the forest behind their house.