“It’s worth a shot,” I said. “I’ll tell Eric to come with us. He might know some officers there. Maybe that’ll help us get some good info.”

“That sounds like a solid plan to me.”

“Perfect,” I said, feeling a surge of hope swell up inside me. The sooner we could figure this out, the sooner I could get back to my normal life. I returned Jake’s smile before stabbing a fluffy yellow puff of scrambled eggs and cheese, biting into it, letting it practically melt in my mouth. “Damn, this is good.”

“Breakfast is my specialty,” Jake said, a little bit of pride slipping into his tone. “Wait until you try my famous french toast.”

“Does that mean I get another night at the Perez Bed and Breakfast?”

Jake winked at me. He bit into his toast, leaning back on the chair with an arm thrown over the back, his leg crossed on top of the other. “You’ve got an open reservation. Stay however long you like.”

I put on the voice of an older man and bent downward in my chair. “Fifty years later,” I said with a flair of my hand.

“Damn, well, you look great for—how old are you fifty years from now?”

“Thirty-two.”

Jake narrowed his eyes, the math not mathing in his head. I started to laugh, straightening in my chair. “I’d be seventy-six,” I answered truthfully this time.

“I’d be seventy-nine. Probably less hunched over than you. I’ve got good core strength.”

I cocked my head, lifting a finger. “Is that… I don’t think… whatever, fine. You’ll probably have a straighter back than me, but at least I’d have the bigger dick.”

Jake nearly spat out his orange juice. Yes. I’d timed it just right.

I started to laugh, Jake joining in the chorus. “You don’t even know if that’s true or not,” he said when the laughter died down.

“Alright, well, prove it to me, then.” I placed my open palm on the table and wiggled my fingers. “Let’s see it.”

Jake stood up and started to lower his shorts, far enough for me to see some pubes. I snatched my hand back and started to laugh again nervously. “Oh my God, I was joking. It was a joke.”

That I very much wanted not to be a joke, but I wasn’t about to say that part out loud.

Jake sat back down, holding his stomach from the laughter. “Unexpected, remember?”

“Unexpected,” I repeated, chuckling through my bites of eggs and toast, deciding in that moment that yes, this was in fact one of the best breakfasts I’d ever had, and not just because the food was perfectly cooked, but mainly because of the handsome company currently sitting across from me, keeping the giddy laughter going and the good feels flowing.

Unexpected. Pretty much sums this all up perfectly.

8

JAKE PEREZ