“White musk,” he said, flipping on the water at the utility sink to wash his hands.
“Excuse me?”
“Your perfume,” he clarified. “It’s the same one you’ve worn for years.”
She felt color rise to her cheeks. When was the last time she’d blushed? “I read somewhere that a woman needs a signature scent so I’ve never deviated.” She laughed, surprised at how breathless she sounded. “Or perhaps I’m just boring.”
“Not boring,” Jim told her with a half smile. The curve of his lips had always made her knees go weak, but it had been years since he’d smiled at her like that. They’d both done a bang-up job over the years of being civil but never really interacting. It hadn’t been difficult. Jana spent most of her time at the vineyard, and Jim tended to become consumed with whatever piece of art he was working on at the moment.
“I like your space,” she said when the weight of his stare became too much for her to bear.
He glanced around the room as if seeing it through her eyes. “Things are a mess.” He pointed to stacks of papers shoved into one corner. “I need to organize and catalog but it’s not my priority.”
“I could help,” she blurted then immediately regretted it when Jim gave her a look of pure shock. “You probably don’t want help. It’s not a big deal.”
“It is,” he countered softly. “I never let anyone help in the studio. My art is the most personal thing I have.” He shrugged. “It sounds petty now, but this place was the only thing I ever had that felt like it truly belonged to me. When the kids were little, I kept the door locked because I didn’t want them to mess with anything. Even Charlotte rarely came in here.”
Jana drew in a breath at the mention of Jim’s deceased wife. She hadn’t known Charlotte Spencer well. The other woman had been a couple of years younger than Jana and part of the “in crowd,” unlike Jana. Charlotte’s father was a prominent surgeon in town. The family ran in the same country-club crowds as the Spencers. Unlike Jana. It was hard to believe that a town the size of Stonecreek would have such a social hierarchy, but it did then just as it did now. Charlotte had always been at the top of it and because of that, Vivian Spencer had thought her to be the perfect wife for her beloved only son.
Unlike Jana.
Of course, none of Jana’s uncharitable feelings toward Charlotte were actually founded. She’d always been kind, if quiet. An introvert happy to devote her life to raising her three children and taking care of her absentminded husband.
“I understand.” Jana forced a smile even though she felt like a naive little fool for suggesting he’d want her intrusion into this private space. “Honestly, I’m just looking for something to fill my time. Joey is going to start preschool after the break and I want to give Griffin space as he takes over at Harvest. Nothing like having Mom looking over your shoulder when you’re a grown man and—”
“I’d like for you to help,” Jim interrupted.
She placed a hand on her heated cheek. “So I stop babbling?”
He chuckled. “You’re looking at the new and improved Jim Spencer. I’m trying hard to change from the selfish jerk I’ve been for years.”
“You were never that,” she whispered.
“We both know I was.” His brows furrowed. “Although you know me more as spineless. A man who couldn’t stand up to his mother.”
“You were still a boy back then.”
“It doesn’t excuse how I treated you.” He took a step closer. “I’m sorry, Jana.”
She forced a laugh, waved a hand in front of her face as if to brush off his comments then pulled it to her side when it was clear her fingers were trembling. “There’s no reason for you to apologize. We were young. Things didn’t work out. We’ve both gone on to have great lives.”
“Yes,” he agreed but his gaze remained intense on hers. “But do you ever think about what might have been?”
“Oh, no.” She took a step away from him, needing more distance. Wanting to turn tail and run. “That wouldn’t be helpful to anyone. I loved Dave and you were happy with Charlotte. Things worked out the way they were meant to.” She nodded, trying to convince herself as much as him. “We can be friends now, Jim, but we aren’t the people we used to be.”
“Thank God for that in my case,” he muttered.
“You’re too hard on yourself.” She inched closer again, the invisible pull between them drawing her in. “You have a career, three wonderful children—”
“Maggie practically raised Morgan and Ben after Charlotte died. I retreated into myself and it’s taken me years to come out of that.”
“Everyone deals with grief in their own way.”
“You never would have ignored your boys the way I did my kids. It’s my deepest regret.”
His voice was hollow yet filled with so much pain. She reached for him, placing her hand on his arm. “I made plenty of mistakes. I might have been present for my sons, but I also stood by and watched my husband and Griffin try to tear each other apart. I could have—should have—stepped in to stop it, but I didn’t. Maybe Dave would have gotten past his anger, or at least stopped taking out his resentment on our son.”
“That was on him,” Jim told her. “Not you.”
“I could have made it better if—” She broke off as guilt and regret swamped her. Jim wrapped his strong arms around her and she rested her head against his chest, taking comfort in his steady heartbeat.
“We’re quite a pair,” he whispered.
She glanced at him from under lashes, and the tenderness in his gaze chased away all the pain encircling her heart.
Then he kissed her. Her breath caught in her throat as his lips brushed across hers, both soft and firm. The kiss felt new and at the same time familiar, a homecoming to a place she’d never been before. She splayed her hands across his chest, reveling in the moment. His heat enveloped her, and she could smell a heady mix of his soap and the earthy scent of clay.
She wanted to stay like this forever, but Jim pulled away suddenly. She reached out a hand to steady herself then went stiff at the sound of Maggie’s voice behind her.
“Dad? Jana? What’s going on?”
Jim blinked, opened his mouth to explain but no words came out. So Jana schooled her features and turned with a smile.
“Hey, Maggie. Your dad and I were meeting about the commission he’s doing.”
Maggie crossed her arms over her chest. “Really?”
Jana licked her lips and nodded. “Yes. I’m also going to help him clean up the studio a bit.” She grabbed a small stack of papers from a bookshelf situated on one wall. “Organization is my strong suit.”
“That should make you happy, Mags,” Jim said. “You’ve been wanting me to take care of the mess in here for years.”
“True,” Maggie agreed with a slow nod. “Although I’m surprised you’ve finally agreed to it.”
“Jana is very convincing,” Jim murmured, and Jana felt color flood her cheeks again. She was blushing in front of the woman who’d dated both of her sons.
Maggie glanced between the two of them a few more seconds then said, “Do you remember we’re going to the junior high band concert tonight?” She looked at Jana. “It’s Ben’s first year in the jazz ensemble.”
“Good for him,” Jana said quickly. “Trevor was in the band. I used to love the holiday programs.”
“You’re welcome to join us,” Jim offered, stepping forward and pressing a hand to the small of her back.
She saw Maggie’s eyebrows go up.
“I appreciate the offer, but I should be getting back to home. Griffin took Joey with him on some errands. I’d like to be there when they return.”
Jim nodded. “How’s he doing?”
“You know about the boy?” Maggie’s tone was rife with accusation. “I never mentioned it.”
Jana closed her eyes for a moment and heard Jim sigh. “Your father came to the vineyard last week for a meeting. It was only a few days before you met Joey.”
“By accident,” Maggie said.
“My introduction was about the same.” Jim ran a hand through his hair, the same nervous gesture he’d had since they were young.
“Don’t be angry with your dad,” Jana pleaded. “I made him promise not to say anything until Griffin had a chance to tell you.”
“Had a chance,” Maggie muttered. “We both know that isn’t how it went.”
“You have to understand how difficult this has been for him.”
“Perhaps if he’d told me about—” Maggie stopped, shook her head. “It’s fine. Griffin made his choice, and I made mine.”
“I love my son,” Jana told her. “But he’s made some doozy-level mistakes. How he left things with you was the biggest. I had such a great time working with you on the hospital benefit. I hope that what’s between—or no longer between—you and Griffin doesn’t change our...” she paused, offered a smile “...our friendship.”
To her relief, Maggie returned her smile. “Of course not. I’m sure Griffin and I will end up friends of a sort, eventually. Stonecreek is too small a town to have a breakup rule your life.”
Jim’s hand dropped from her back, but Jana kept her smile in place. “You’re way smarter than I ever was, Maggie,” she said. She glanced up at Jim but didn’t meet his gaze. “We seem to keep getting distracted, but I’m looking forward to talking to you about the commission.”
“How about lunch tomorrow in town?” he asked.
Not a date, she reminded herself, when her heart seemed to skip a beat. A business lunch. “That would be fine. I’ll meet you at The Kitchen at noon.”
Without waiting for an answer, she said goodbye to Maggie and walked out, suddenly overwhelmed by both the present moment and the feelings she’d buried for so long that rose up inside her.
Chapter Six
Griffin pulled up outside Maggie’s house just before midnight on Friday, glancing into the backseat of his Land Cruiser as he turned off the ignition.
“You should be asleep.”
Joey blinked at him, his dark eyes bright and wide. “I’m not tired.”
The boy had gone to bed almost two hours earlier, after a bath and several stories. Griffin had congratulated himself on mastering a bedtime routine and had gone into his father’s old office to continue reviewing vineyard files after his mom went to her room to read. He still had so much to catch up on as far as running Harvest.
He’d been shocked to see Maggie’s number pop up on his phone, both due to the late hour and because she’d been so sure when she told him she needed space.
Her frantic voice at the other end of the line had made his gut tighten, although thankfully the emergency had just been a broken pipe. He’d instructed her on turning off the main water supply to her house over the phone then immediately offered to come by and help her fix the issue.
It was obvious she didn’t want his assistance but had reluctantly agreed when he’d insisted, reminding her that she was going to have a hard time finding a local plumber to come before morning. He’d walked out of the office to gather his tools and tell his mom he was heading out, only to find Joey sitting in the hallway, his bony knees gathered to his chest.
So much for mastering bedtime.
Griffin had tried to convince the boy to go to bed—using every trick he’d learned in the dozens of parenting articles he’d read since Cassie died.
Joey could have cared less about Griffin’s armchair expertise.
He’d thought about simply walking out, but after the little disappearing act in the fields he figured that wasn’t a great idea. The last thing he needed was a search party at midnight with the temperatures hovering near freezing.
His mom hadn’t blinked an eye when he’d explained the situation, proving that he’d indeed turned their lives so totally upside down that very little could shock her at this point.
Clearly he’d done the same to Maggie, whose face went slack for only a moment before she smiled down at Joey and stepped back to allow them both into her house. She wore faded jeans and a damp and dusty University of Oregon T-shirt, her long hair pulled back into a messy bun. It was the polar opposite of how she appeared recently, poised and polished in her role as mayor. The glimpse behind her public mask did crazy things to his insides.
“Joey couldn’t sleep,” Griffin said under his breath. “I tried to convince him but—”
Joey turned and gave him a look that could only be described as withering. “I can hear you.”
“Would you like a glass of warm milk or something to eat?” Maggie asked the boy, helping him out of his winter coat.
“I’m going to watch Griffin,” Joey answered. “I don’t know whether I’m going to be a winemaker or a plumber when I grow up.” He paused then added, “Or maybe a firefighter.”
Maggie ruffled his hair. “All noble professions.” She hung the coat on a rack in the corner of the entry then held out a hand to Griffin. “May I take your coat as well?”
He shrugged out of the heavy canvas jacket and handed it to her, shifting his toolbox from one hand to the other.
“Does it stink?” Joey asked, stepping forward and pressing his nose to the sleeve of Griffin’s coat.
“No, of course not,” Maggie said quickly. “I just...”
“You smelled it,” Joey told her. “A big whiff.”
Griffin frowned as color rose to her cheeks.
“It smells like Griffin,” she whispered after a moment.
“He doesn’t stink,” Joey reported. “Unless he’s gone for a run.”
“That’s true,” she agreed then gave Griffin a tight smile. “Why don’t I show you where I’m having the problem?”
He nodded, deciding against commenting on the fact that she’d just sniffed his jacket. But a tiny glimmer of happiness bubbled up inside him. She might not want to like him at the moment, but she still liked the way he smelled. He was desperate enough to see that as a win.
Besides, she’d called him and agreed to let him come over to help. He couldn’t imagine Captain CEO handling a busted pipe.
He followed her and Joey up the stairs and through her bedroom. The room was decorated in shades of pale blue and off-white, soothing colors for a space that seemed like a sanctuary. The furniture was crafted from blond wood and looked antique, but the thick cover on the bed and the white plantation shutters that adorned the window offset it with a modern feel.
“Whoa,” Joey breathed as they walked into the adjoining bathroom. “This place is a mess.”
“I was doing demo,” Maggie explained then added, “I’m behind on my timeline so I might have gotten a little overzealous.”
“I’d say so.” Griffin stepped into the space behind Joey, sliding a hand across his jaw as he surveyed the damage. The bathroom was a decent size, especially for a house that was at least fifty years old. It looked like she’d started with the walls, as piles of crumbling tile littered the floor. “Not a fan of salmon-colored tile I take it?”
“It’s like they stuck it to the walls with super glue. I couldn’t get the tiles to come off, and it made me really mad.”
“The adhesive is meant to last.”
“After a while, I thought it would be easiest to take down the whole wall. Even when I managed to pry off a tile, the wall behind it was damaged so...”
“Not a bad idea,” Griffin said with a nod. “But you have to be careful not to hit the water lines.”
“Great tip.” Maggie rolled her eyes. “Thanks to you I managed to turn off the water to the house before I flooded the whole place. But now I can’t even flush the toilet.”
“Don’t go number two then,” Joey advised. “That’s gross.”
>
Griffin laughed softly and was happy to see Maggie smile at the boy’s comment. Then she pressed a finger to the corner of one eye with a sniff, and he realized how upset the mistake had made her.
“We’ll figure it out,” he promised.
Her smile went slightly brittle at the edges. “I can stay with my dad again if I need to. He doesn’t even know I’m tackling the remodeling on my own.”
Griffin stepped over the piles of fragmented tile and cracked plaster.
“It looks like you hit the hot water supply line for the shower. I’ll need to cut the pipe and we’re going to cap it off so you can turn the water back on to the rest of the house. You’ll need a plumber to repair the shower before it’s able to be used again.”
Her chin trembled slightly as she stared at the broken pipe. “Thank you,” she whispered. Griffin couldn’t quite understand her reaction to the mistake. Her dismay seemed out of proportion for how simple it would be to fix.
“Can I have a snack now?” Joey asked, lifting a hand to cover his yawn. “And watch TV? I don’t think I want to be a plumber. I forgot about number two.”
Maggie nodded, her smile firmly back in place. “Sure, sweetie.”
“I need to grab a few things from the Land Cruiser.” Griffin ruffled the boy’s hair. “I won’t be long.”
They filed out of the bathroom and Griffin headed for the front door as Maggie led Joey to the kitchen.
By the time he returned from gathering the rest of the tools he needed, she was settling Joey on the couch, a cartoon playing on the flat-screen television.
“I can handle it if you want to change into clean clothes,” he told her when she met him at the bottom of the stairs.
“It’s my house,” she said firmly. “I want to learn how to take care of it.”
He wanted to grin at the determined glint in her gray eyes but had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate that at all. Her resolve only made him admire her more.
Admire. What an insufficient word to describe everything he felt for Maggie. Admiration, yes. Desire. Need. Longing. Lov—
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