Empty

Kara had just about removed the clothes from the dryer when she heard the sharp rap on the door. Stilling for a moment, she straightened and listened. It came again.

Tap, tap, tap.

For one wild moment, she wondered if giant wolves could knock on doors. She was alone in the house - Uncle Sol always worked Saturdays, and she had no... well, for the lack of a better word, friends here. Who could possibly be knocking on their door at three o clock in the afternoon? And of course, the most terrifying thing this place had ever had to show her had been those wolves. Crossed with herself, Kara pushed the thought away and shook her head. Her imagination was going to get the better of her.

Mouth set in a grim line, Kara wiped her moist hands down the front of her shirt and walked the short distance to the front door. The house was a small, ground level red bricked cottage with two rooms, a separate study and hallway that led to the den area. To get to the front door, she had to cross the den, fireplace and bathrooms. When she finally did get there, though, Kara stood on the tips of her toes and peeked out the small peep hole. A broad, t-shirt clad chest covered it. Throat suddenly dry, the girl took a step back and tried to think.

When the door rapped again, Kara almost jumped. "Who is it?" she called out, trying not to let the shake of her voice show. A deep treble replied. "It's...uh... Jake. From last night. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Kara searched her mind for a face to affix the name to. She settled on the bike riding, jean clad dark haired boy who'd pushed her. Kara frowned. What could he possibly want from her?

"Uhm, okay." Hand closing around the doorknob, Kara opened the door and peeked out. Jacob stood on the front step, hands buried inside his jean pockets. He smiled sheepishly at her. "Can I come in?"

Kara glanced behind her at the empty house, contemplated letting the boy in for a second, then opened the door wider. Once Jacob had stepped in, she shut the door and led him to the den, all the while wondering what exactly he was there to talk about.

"Is something the matter?" she blurted finally, when she couldn't take his silence any longer.

He trained his dark eyes on her and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have shoved you like that, or butted into your conversation with Paul."

The girl let the apology hang there for a moment, completely at a loss of words. Jacob made a face before gesturing wildly.

"So, I'm just going to leave now." Brushing past her, he'd just about reached the front door when Kara touched his arm.

"Would you like to hang out?" she asked, blushing as she did. "I mean, you don't have to leave... if you don't want to." If there was a way to mightily mess up an invitation, Kara was sure she was doing it. Jacob frowned, unsure. He didn't have anything else to do for the day, and Embry's admission was enough to have him steering clear of the rest of the pack for a few more hours. He didn't see why he couldn't hang out with the girl, even if just for a bit. And of course, Embry had said that he wasn't interested in her any more. Which meant that staying didn't necessarily mean stabbing Embry in the back any more. It just meant hanging out with a pretty girl, with a drink, maybe watching a movie. Reminded him a little of when he and Bella would hang out but stubbornly, the boy pushed the thought aside.

"Okay, sure." He smiled at her, if only to lighten the embarrassed blush creeping over her neck and relaxed when she smiled back.

"Great!"