Someone Like You by Vanessa Devereaux Read Free Book Online

her
son’s behavior had taken that off the cards for tonight.
    “Your son
acting up?” asked Jake.
    “Yep, he’s
dumped my mother and gone off with two boys I can’t stand. I’m going out to
look for him, and when I find him, he’s grounded for the week.”
    “You want me
to come with you?”
    “There’s no
need.”
    “Maybe not,
but sometimes it’s nice to have someone there for support.”
    He really is a sweet guy.
    “Sure, okay.”
     
     

Chapter Six
     
    He’d insisted
that he drive. She hadn’t let on, but Jake could tell by her silence and the
way she twisted her hair around her index finger that Gen was more worried than
angry about her son ditching his grandma.
    It began
raining as he turned onto
Lomax
Street
. He switched on the windshield wipers and
glanced momentarily at Gen biting the nail on her index finger. She had that
wonderful after-sex glow about her. She’d tied her hair up haphazardly in a
pony tail, and a few tendrils hung around her perfect oval face.
    The sex had
been incredible, and he didn’t think it was just because he hadn’t been with a
woman for so long. They seemed to know what the other needed and wanted. That
was sometimes a rare thing even for longtime lovers, let alone two strangers.
Maybe there was something in this Perfect Pairing service after all.
    He’d so
wanted to kiss her as they’d made love, but he couldn’t. Once he did there was
no telling what it might lead to. To a place he wasn’t comfortable with at this
point in his life. Maybe even to a situation where he might get his feelings
trampled on. He didn’t think Gen would knowingly hurt him, but he still wanted
to keep his guard up.
    Jake had told
her he’d go straight home when they were done, and he’d meant it. However, he’d
changed his mind after she’d received the phone call. She’d looked shocked,
sad, and he wanted to be there for her.
    “Do you know
where he’d head with these boys?” Jake asked her.
    She shifted
back in the seat and turned to look at him.
    “I did find
some tokens from the arcade in his pants pocket when I washed them.”
    “We have an
arcade here?”
    “Yes, opened
late last year.”
    “I’ll have to
drive around town one of these days and get reacquainted with the place. You
think we should try there first?”
    “I think it’s
the best place to start. It’s in a strip mall off of Northgate Mile.”
    Jake
indicated left and turned onto the road that led to Northgate.
    “He’s been a
pretty good kid up till now,” said Gen.
    “He’s a
teenager, and they all act out at some point. I know I started mouthing off to
my parents back when I was around fifteen. Just smart ass answers, but I’m sure
really frustrating for Mom and Dad.”
    “I know he’s
on the verge of becoming a young man, but I think he can do it perfectly
without these two boys offering their two cents on the best way to make the
transition.”
    Jake took a
deep breath. It couldn’t be easy for either Gen or Nicky. Gen was doing the
parenting of two people. She was raising a son, which sometimes meant it was
harder for a woman to figure out the male psyche once it hit adolescence. Nicky
was at the age when he needed a man’s guidance to usher him into adulthood.
    “If you don’t
mind me asking about Nicky’s father, is he still in the picture?”
    Gen shook her
head. “Nope, not since I told him I was pregnant.”
    “Jerk,” said
Jake.
    “I called him
a lot worse than that.”
    Jake smiled.
“Has Nicky ever asked about him?”
    “A few times,
but I’ve told he was fathered by an immature young man who didn’t want anything
to do with us, but that it’s his loss and not ours.”
    “I like that
attitude,” said Jake, indicating right and turning into the strip mall. He saw
the rainbow-colored lights over the store at the end and guessed it was the
arcade. The rain had picked up intensity, so he pulled up as close to the
entrance as he could.
    “Do you want
me to come in