SHELTER

Chapter 19

Jolie blushed as she heard Warren, again, compliment her cooking skills above those of the local diner they were seated at. He'd taken care to speak softly in order not to offend anyone but loud enough that she'd hear. It was nice to have someone appreciate her efforts. It was even nicer that Warren seemed to enjoy them so much.

The entire day had been a whirlwind of activity. She'd been grateful for the distraction from the seething cauldron of emotions she was still trying to process her way through.

Hearing the Tate family, so happy and pleased to share their lives with her had opened up a little place in her heart she'd sealed off when she ran away. In that section she'd hidden away all the homesickness and guilt she felt about leaving. Then Warren had suggested they go and visit her home town.

Together.

It left her reeling, much more than the simple comment truly warranted. Her knee jerk reaction had been the usual refusal script she threw at everyone who suggested she come home. The lines were well rehearsed. However, this time, she'd heard herself telling him maybe. It wasn't a promise but it was more than she'd even given anyone since Luke's death.

Jake had kept up a steady stream of local events and gossip to fill in the spaces of time between Warren's tour highlights. Thanks to both her male companions she'd successfully avoided having to make any meaningful conversation.

She was surprised by Warren's informative lap of the town. It was so small she'd expected no more than half an hour's worth of entertainment. Much to her history loving heart's joy, Warren proved to have an extensive knowledge of local history and the town's origins. She found herself listening bright eyed and ears perked as he explained the historic downtown area, it's evolution during the great wars and rebirth after the great Oklahoma Dust Bowl catastrophy.

Two and a half hours elapsed before they parked at the drive-in for lunch. After satisfyingly greasy burgers and fries they perused the small but well displayed local museum and a few quaint shops that specialised in indigenous art and memorabilia. A trip to the grocery store for some items Jake had forgotten rounded out the remainer of the day until dinner.

All in all it had been a good day so she wasn't quite sure what seemed to have put a bug in Jake's attitude.

He hadn't done anything or said anything overt, it was more that she sensed an air of disappointment or displeasure radiating off of him. She caught him sending a couple of intense looks Warren's way out of the corner of her eye but he'd always been smiling jovially when she'd looked again.

She didn't have any particular evidence or instance she could analyze or put her finger on but an undercurrent of tension had been simmering just below the surface since he'd arrived.

Deep in thought Jolie wrapped her arm around Warren and snuggled against him. She smiled imploringly at Jake trying to silently communicate with the man, to understand what was keeping him from enjoying his trip. He'd come such a long way to visit, she didn't want it to be unpleasant to for him to think he'd wasted his time.

Jake threw her back a dazzling smile but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He excused himself to the bathroom.

Jolie turned her face up at Warren and kissed his jawline. "Something is wrong. I don't know what but he doesn't seem to be enjoying himself."

Warren kissed her forehead and rubbed her shoulder roughly. "I wouldn't say he isn't enjoying himself. I just think he had a different idea of how this would go and it isn't meeting his expectations."

She could feel her face scrunch in thought. "What more could he expect? It's a tiny town in Oklahoma and he didn't give any warning he was coming for me to make better plans."