Remind Me

by Samantha Chase

  Jonah laughed. “Let’s hope she doesn’t.”

  He shrugged. “I still feel a little out of my element, Dad.”

  “It’s only natural. Your mentor is gone and you’re now taking on a position that was his for a very long time. You’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill, but if anyone can do it, it’s you.”

  That one statement had Jake starting to relax. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “I’m proud of you, Jake. You’re the most hard-working man I’ve ever known–next to Zeke. You’ve always said how much you admired him and what a smart businessman he was. And if he thought to leave his biggest business to you, then you need to trust that you can handle it.”

  “Maybe…”

  “No maybes about it. You’re going to do amazing things, Jake. Your degree in architectural design is going to help move Coleman’s into a whole other division. You’re going to grow in ways that Zeke never did. But more than that, you’re going to put your own stamp on the business and make it your own.”

  That sounded like the dream he always had. It was crazy how now that he had it, he was second-guessing himself. Maybe it was just his grief getting in his way. Or maybe it was the uncertainty of his relationship with Mallory that made him feel like this. Maybe tonight was the night he needed to broach the subject with her. After all, the timing wasn’t particularly ideal for wooing her–not with all this new business with…well…their new businesses and the loss of the man they both admired.

  “Okay, now that we’ve covered how you’re going to kick some major butt and be a huge success in the construction world, why don’t you tell me how things are really going between you and Mallory?”

  And unable to help himself, Jake laughed. “Well…how much time do you have?”

  9

  “I’m staying another week.”

  Jake lifted his head from the pillow and sleepily looked at her. “Um...what?”

  Nodding, she explained. “I…I didn’t feel right leaving so soon. Yesterday was like a bit of a bombshell - learning about Mom and the house, me with the store, and Sam with the business. My head is still spinning,” she said with a small laugh, but noticed Jake wasn’t smiling. If anything, his gaze was more awake and intense.

  Clearing her throat, she went on. “I’m going to go to the shop today and meet with Barb to start looking over the books and talk transition with her. You know, see how long she can stay on, what kind of staff she has, and how much time she thinks I’ll need to be here and how much I can delegate to the staff.”

  Still no response.

  Letting out a long breath, she went on. “Plus, Mom and I were talking design and decorating ideas yesterday after you left and I feel like we have so much to think about and I’d like to be here at this stage before construction goes any further. I already have so many ideas!”

  She wasn’t even sure he had blinked.

  “And don’t even get me started on Sam. I think he’s going to need me the most. He’s coming slightly unhinged at the thought of taking on the landscaping business. I know in time it’s going to be a great thing for him, but right now he’s not seeing it. In the letter Pops left, he basically gave Sam three months to get his life in Virginia in order before he had to officially come back to Magnolia to take over. I thought it was a great idea but he’s still not fully on board with the whole thing. Hopefully if I can spend some time with him and get him to calm down and listen for a bit, he’ll be okay.”

  Rolling onto her side, Mallory huffed with annoyance. “Okay, what? What is your problem?”

  “I don’t have a problem.”

  And she might have believed him if he hadn’t said it through clenched teeth.

  “Seriously? You’re going to lie there and deny that something’s wrong? Because clearly your face hasn’t gotten the message.”

  With a careless shrug, Jake rolled onto his back, hands stacked behind his head on the pillow, and stared at the ceiling. “It’s early. That’s all.”

  Yeah, she still wasn’t buying it.

  After the family meeting yesterday, Jake went to help the construction crew who were working on the deck. Sometime in the mid-afternoon, he’d left the property and gone to check on numerous other sites going on around town. He’d worked late and when Mallory knocked on his door at eight last night with dinner for him, she knew he was exhausted. They spent a couple of hours relaxing and watching TV before going to bed.

  And suddenly Jake wasn’t so exhausted.

  Normally she would smile at the memory of all the ways he had pleasured her, but right now she was too distracted by his mood to think anything good. Maybe he was just tired, like he said, but...she’d never known him to be angry about it. Glancing over at the bedside clock, she noted it wasn’t that early. Could he be upset because she hadn’t talked to him about her decision last night? She would have thought he’d be happy she was staying–after all, he was the one who first mentioned it to her.

  “You know, I would have thought you’d be happy I was staying an extra week,” she said with a huff, kicking the blankets off and determined to get up and leave. “Maybe it wasn’t a sincere request. Maybe you were happy I was going–you probably thought you’d ask just because it was the thing to do, but secretly knew I wouldn’t agree. Well...you’re off the hook.”

  Her feet never even touched the floor. Jake’s arm banded around her waist and hauled her back beside him. The initial instinct was to fight him–to kick him and shove him away if needed –but it seemed petty and childish. So she simply went limp and figured she’d hear him out and then get up and leave.

  “First of all, everything you just said is ridiculous,” he stated firmly and Mallory could see he was holding on to his temper. “If I didn’t want you to stay, I wouldn’t have asked you to.” He sighed loudly.

  “Then what’s the problem?” she cried. “I’m staying!”

  “For one extra week!” he yelled back. “And in all your little descriptions of why you’re staying, I wasn’t mentioned once! How do you think that makes me feel?”

  “Jake…”

  “Was I even a contributing factor at all or should I be thankful that you’re fitting me into your busy schedule?”

  “Hey!”

  “Well what am I supposed to think, Mallory?” He jumped up from the bed and quickly pulled on the jeans he discarded the night before. “Just what the hell is it we’re doing here?”

  She looked up at him with wide eyes. “We’re...I mean...we talked about this and…”

  Slamming both hands on the bed hard enough to make her bounce, he shouted, “Forget about what we said on that first night! Have you not noticed that this isn’t casual? How this isn’t just us passing the time? I’m crazy about you, dammit! I asked you to stay here in Magnolia because I want you here! Not just for an extra week or for a damn summer, but all the time! Like forever!”

  She gasped and felt like she was going to be sick. Yes, she had felt that things had changed and it was no longer about getting each other out of their systems, but she pushed that aside because she figured it was just wishful thinking on her part. Why should this time around be any different, right?

  But...that wasn’t what he was saying right now. If she heard him correctly–and she hoped she did–he was talking long term. Forever was long term, right?

  “Jake, I…”

  “I get that your life is upside down right now. Hell, your whole family is in crisis and you want to be there for them, but...I’m in crisis too, you know! Do you know what went through my head after I found Zeke?”

  She shook her head.

  “You,” he said, though his voice was calmer. “I was thinking about you and how you were going to be devastated by the news. I wished I could have been the one to tell you in person. I hated the thought of you finding out over the phone. And then I laughed at myself because you hadn’t spoken to me in years and figured I was probably the last person you’d want to see or hear any kind of news from.”

&nbs
p; She had the decency to look away because she was ashamed.

  “You’ve never been far from my mind, Mal, not in all these years. I stayed away because...because it seemed like what you wanted.” He hung his head. “Plus, I felt really guilty about the way things ended between us.” Lifting his head, he gave her a tortured look. “All the things I said to you? They were in the heat of the moment. I never...I didn’t mean any of it. I purposely pushed you away because...at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. For both of us.”

  Now she knew she was staring and her jaw just might be on the floor. “Um...what?” She scooted across the bed and away from him and yeah, she definitely felt sick now.

  It was clear he could see her distress and when Jake tried to reach for her, Mallory recoiled. Hanging his head once again, he said, “I’m so sorry. You have no idea how much I hate what I did to you. To us.”

  Climbing from the bed, Mallory immediately began to get dressed. “Oh, you’re sorry? Now? Six damn years later? What the hell, Jake!”

  Straightening on the opposite side of the bed, he held up his hand helplessly. “Do you not remember everything that was going on back then, Mallory?”

  “Of course I do! How could I possibly forget?”

  “No,” he interrupted firmly. “No, you need to hear me out, dammit!” Then he paused and took a moment to calm down. “Nothing about our relationship was easy for me. I struggled with guilt about dating my mentor’s great-granddaughter more than you’ll ever know.” Another pause. “I struggled with seeing you as a woman after only thinking of you as a young girl. I worried about what Zeke would think, I worried about what your brother would think, but most of all, I worried that I wasn’t good enough for you.”

  She did not want to be swayed by the things he was telling her, but dammit, it was hard not to be. Everything he said made sense and seemed completely logical, but part of her still really wanted to be mad.

  “Then I was faced with losing my financial aid,” he went on. “I had waited so long for everything to work out for me with going to school and I kept putting it off and putting it off and just when I was ready to do it, it was pulled away from me. Zeke’s offer to help me was not an easy one to accept.”

  “Why?” she asked and hated that she needed to know.

  He shrugged. “I wanted to do it all on my own. I didn’t want to need anyone’s help. Call it pride, but...it was important to me. That’s why it took so long for me to finally make it happen. Zeke had offered to help me for years.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Before I had even graduated high school he was offering to pay for college for me because he believed in me–believed in what I could do with myself and my future. I turned him down every time and when he offered again that summer...I was torn.”

  She didn’t have to ask why.

  She was the reason.

  “The thing is, he knew. He knew I was struggling and it was the first time I was honestly considering taking him up on his offer.” He paused and gave her a sad smile. “That’s what you heard that day when you were leaving. He forced me to make a decision I couldn’t make on my own–and it was hard and it was painful, but...I can’t regret it, Mallory. Even if it meant the end of us, we both had things we needed to accomplish and we both needed to grow up.”

  She bristled at his words–hating the reference to the way he’d mocked her immaturity.

  “I know you’re upset…”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” she said quietly as she finished dressing. “I may have been immature back then and I may have reacted rashly when I overheard your conversation, but the fact is...you didn’t care about me enough to talk to me. Maybe things still would have ended, but at least I would have known the truth.” She shook her head. “I don’t know if I can trust you, Jake.”

  Now it was his eyes that went wide with disbelief. “Excuse me?”

  “You made a decision for me–for us–that devastated me. You had six years to tell me the truth, and you didn’t. Then I come back here and you tell me we just need to keep it casual–no promises, no commitments–and then you once again go and try to make decisions for me!”

  And then something hit her.

  “Oh my God...did you know Pops was going to leave me the shop?”

  “What? No! Of course not!”

  “I don’t believe you. You seemed to know about what Pops was doing for Sam, so it only makes sense you would know about my inheritance too!” She shook her head and began to pace. “It all makes sense now!”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” he yelled, coming around the bed toward her.

  “This! Us! I foolishly thought we were just going to...you know...have a fling! A little closure! But all along you knew what Pops was going to offer me and knew–like Sam–I wouldn’t be so keen on moving back here because of you! So you just...you schmoozed your way back into my life and made me fall for you again so I’d stay and honor his wishes!”

  He shook his head as if to clear it. “Do you even hear yourself?” he cried. “So now, not only am I guilty of...of...not being trustworthy, but now I’m such a puppet to your grandfather, that I’d purposely make you fall back in love with me so you’d run a stupid decorating shop here in town? Is that what you’re saying? Do you hear how freaking ridiculous you sound?”

  Okay, when he put it that way it did sound crazy, but…

  “You know what, I don’t care how crazy or ridiculous it sounds,” she countered. “The fact is that I don’t trust you. There’s too much going on and now every time I look at you and think things are going well, I’m going to feel like there are some ulterior motives or...or...that what you say isn’t what you mean.”

  “Mallory, the only time I ever lied to you…”

  “Was when I was so damn in love with you and you broke my heart,” she said sadly, willing the tears that were stinging her eyes not to fall. “If you had only talked to me…”

  He reached for her, but she took a step back.

  “We still would be where we are right now,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “There was never going to be a scenario where things worked, Mal. I was always going to Colorado and you were always going back to New York. I know we said we’d try the long-distance thing, but...in the end it wouldn’t have worked.”

  One lone tear rolled down her cheek and she silently cursed it even as she wiped it away. “Here’s the thing, Jake...we’ll never know. Maybe it wouldn’t have worked, but there wouldn’t have been such hard feelings. I wouldn’t have stayed away from coming here to visit Pops. I wouldn’t have missed my last chance to…”

  And dammit, now she was crying–was so blinded by tears that she couldn’t have moved if she wanted to.

  And unfortunately, she didn’t see Jake stepping in close until his arms were around her.

  She cried the way she had six years ago.

  She cried the way she had two weeks ago when she learned about Pops.

  But mostly, she cried like a woman whose entire world had been ripped apart without any hope of it being right ever again.

  Especially since it seemed like no matter what happened, she was somehow forever going to be connected to Jake Summerford and Magnolia Sound whether she wanted to be or not.

  And for the first time in her entire life, the thought of living here in this town was the very last thing she wanted.

  She had walked through the doors of this shop dozens of times in her life, but this was the first time she was doing it as the owner.

  She owned a business.

  One of the many places in Magnolia Sound that she loved.

  With a steadying breath, Mallory smoothed a hand over her hair and did her best to keep a serene smile on her face.

  Even though the entire morning had been beyond traumatic for her.

  Pushing the glass door open, she stepped into Barb’s Beach Buys and let out a long breath. Hers, this place was hers. Slowly, she began to walk around the large showroom and touch and admire thing
s. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice Barb standing in the back corner watching her. When she finally did, Mallory felt herself blush with embarrassment.

  Making her way toward her, she smiled. “Hey, Barb. It’s nice to see you again.”

  She was expecting maybe a handshake or a more professional greeting, but instead, Barb Harper walked right up to her and pulled her into an exuberant embrace. “Mallory Westbrook, you have no idea how thrilled I am that this place is going to you!”

  Taking a step back, Mallory studied her. “Really?”

  Barb nodded. “You are going to be the perfect owner! I knew it the first time you came in here!”

  That made Mallory chuckle softly. “I was twelve back then.”

  “But you had an eye for décor!” Barb cried. “I saw the appreciation you had for the pieces in here and the way you talked about how you would group items together. Oh, how I used to enjoy watching you!”

  And her blush deepened. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course!” Barb paused and looked around. “Why don’t we sit down and get comfortable? I’m sure you have lots of questions about the place.”

  It was true, but there was one that she simply had to have the answer to first.

  “How is it that Pops owned this place when it’s your name on the sign?”

  Now it was Barb’s turn to blush. She fidgeted in the white rocking chair she chose to sit in before looking at Mallory. “About ten years ago, I thought I was going to have to close the shop.”

  “What? I don’t remember that!”

  Nodding, Barb said. “It’s true. I fell down the stairs that winter. I really did a number on my back and broke my leg. I was running the place essentially on my own so when I couldn’t work…”

  “The store didn’t open,” Mallory finished for her.

  “I was devastated. This place isn’t much, but it was mine and I built it up from nothing,” she said with a hint of fierceness. “As you can imagine in a town like this, everyone knew of my struggles. Zeke came to me and offered to buy the place but he’d let me keep running it. The only ones who knew of the arrangement were the two of us. Well, the two of us and my husband, Gary.” She smiled. “I know this is going to sound weird, but…we’re really excited that you’re finally here to take over. I’m sorry it happened this way, but it gives me so much peace knowing my baby is in good hands.”