Gloves weren’t in Jolene’s budget, but she couldn’t resist the decadent feel of the ones on her hands. She opened and closed her fingers, wriggling them against the soft texture.
“These are pretty amazing,” she agreed, tugging the glove from her fingers. She placed it back onto the table after reading the price tag. “But unfortunately, a bit out of my price range.”
“Didn’t you say you were looking for a scarf?” Ivy asked. “Well, today only is buy one scarf, get a pair of gloves for free!”
“And how come you don’t have any signs advertising this incredible deal?” Jolene asked, her voice full of questioning.
“Oh, you know, it’s not cost effective to make signs for flash sales like this.”
“It’s also not cost effective to give away such high-end gloves to your customers at no cost.”
“Jolene, you’re more than a customer. You’re a friend. Remember that time a few years back when the flu was running rampant through town and all of my employees were out sick on Christmas Eve? If my memory serves me correctly, you came to the rescue and helped me hold down the fort so all of the procrastinators could do their last minute Christmas shopping. Don’t believe I ever properly paid you for your time.”
“Because I wouldn’t’ve accepted it. I didn’t have any other plans and was happy to spend the evening here with you. I just love how alive Glenn Street is on Christmas Eve. The carols, the buzz, the energy. It was fun to have a front row seat for it all.”
Ivy smiled. Though she and Jolene weren’t necessarily close, Jolene agreed that she would label her a friend. They’d had a great time that Christmas Eve night, blasting music from the store’s sound system and dancing around the clothing racks. She never told Ivy, but it had been her first holiday without Mark. At first, she wasn’t sure how she’d survive it, but working with Ivy that night had been the perfect distraction.
“You hang onto these.” Ivy tucked the pair of gloves into Jolene’s purse and grinned. “My gift to you. Now, to find the perfect coordinating scarf. Come on over here, I think I have just the one.”
JOLENE’S STEP FELT lighter as she walked up the street toward her car. She didn’t have to manufacture a smile, a genuine one lit up her entire face. Ivy had paired the most lovely blue and purple floral scarf with the gloves and Jolene wore them both with pride, adoring the way they complimented her navy colored pea coat. She felt put together and beautiful, which was often hard to do with all of the layering these winter temperatures demanded.
Her car was just a block up, so she quickened her stride, knowing she only had about thirty minutes until Roger and Millie would be expecting her back at the hospital with Roger’s things for the night. She’d touched base with the two earlier and as Roger described it, Millie was going stir crazy, eager to get back home and out of the confines of her hospital room. Even still, it was best for her to be there. It would put everyone at ease to have her monitored for just a bit longer.
Coming up on Sal’s Diner on her right, Jolene had the idea to pop in quickly and grab some soup to take with her to the hospital. She knew hospital food could be less than appealing, and Thursdays at Sal’s were chicken noodle soup. Nothing better for the soul than that!
She was just about to push open the door when she caught sight of Luke and Kiara through the window. They shared a meal and a look that made Jolene’s stomach turn, like she was cresting the top of the roller coaster, hanging onto the edge right before making the spiraling descent. She swallowed hard.
Kiara stood first, then Luke. Jolene didn’t like the fact that she was spying, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away. When they embraced, Jolene felt cold in her bones, the scarf and gloves doing little to keep her from shivering.
Then the two kissed, right there in the middle of the lunch time rush in Sal’s Diner. Jolene gasped, her chin trembling. It lasted longer than a cordial little peck should. From Jolene’s perspective on the other side of the window, it felt like minutes passed before either pulled away.
Jolene spun around. She ran down the street, jostled by the shoulders that she bumped as though she was in the middle of an arcade pinball game. When she finally arrived at her car, her eyes were bleary with tears, her nose dripping and cold. She tugged on the door handle and collapsed into the driver’s seat. Only then did she allow herself to completely fall apart.
“I’LL KILL HIM.” Millie scowled.
Jolene laughed through tears that hadn’t let up since witnessing Luke and Kiara’s kiss back at the restaurant.
“That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think, sweetie?” Roger squeezed Millie’s hand, mindful of the IV tubes taped to it. He sat right next to her bedside, as close as he could get without joining her under the thin hospital blanket.
“Not one bit. Stupid fool to hurt Jojo like that. And to plant one on that broad in broad daylight! At the very least, he deserves a wallop upside the head!”
“It’s okay, really,” Jolene said. She twirled her fork around the curly noodles in her Styrofoam cup. Even though she hadn’t been able to get Sal’s chicken noodle soup for her friends, she did stop back home to grab several instant soup cups on her way over. It wasn’t homemade, but it did the job.
“It’s absolutely not okay,” Roger argued. “And it makes no sense whatsoever. Why on God’s green earth would he kiss that woman?”
“Because he loves her.”
“He does not.”
“I honestly think he does,” Jolene countered. “And I know she loves him. She never stopped.”
“Well, she must’ve stopped because you don’t just leave someone you’re in love with.”
That comment was like a sharp knife sunk right into Jolene’s heart. Roger was right—you didn’t leave someone you loved. That was just further confirmation that what she thought she felt with Luke wasn’t love, at least not from his perspective. If it had been, it wouldn’t have been so easy for him to kiss Kiara.
“There has to be an explanation for all of this. The Luke Handley I know would never do something like that,” Roger reasoned.
“That’s just the thing. I think we don’t really know him, after all.” Putting her soup down on the tray next to her, Jolene cupped her face, thumbing away the lines of salty tears streaking down her cheeks. “It was stupid for me to fall for him so quickly. I usually have better judgment than that. I’ve only got myself to blame for all of this, really. I’m just sorry to have dragged you all into it, too.”
“You’re being much too hard on yourself, dear,” Roger offered, his eyes full of sympathy. “We were all fooled.”
“Didn’t fool me, that imposter. I knew from the beginning he was nothing but trouble.”
“Did you, now?” Jolene challenged her friend.
“Yup, what with all those silly gray hairs and that stupid fake accent. Can’t trust him, is what I originally told myself. Never trust a cowboy,” Millie grumbled.
“Been burned by a cowboy in the past, sweetie?” Roger pushed his glasses to his nose with his finger. “This is a story I haven’t heard.”
“No story, I just don’t trust a person who owns horses and not cows and is a man and not a boy. Nothing about that title makes any sense, if you ask me. Merrylark is better off without that Luke Handley character, no question about that.”
Jolene couldn’t say she agreed, but didn’t have the energy to argue or even defend Luke’s honor at that point. Something about that revelation made her disappointed with herself because she knew if the tables had been turned, Luke would likely come to her defense. But maybe that was just the Luke she wanted to believe existed. The one she saw back at the diner wouldn’t do that. Would he?
“Anyhoo, how much longer they gonna keep me locked up in this prison cell? Two, three weeks?”
“You’ve only been here eight hours so far,” Roger reasoned. “And we get to go home tomorrow.”
“But the cats—”
“I’ve already been by the house to check on and feed the
m. All are doing well,” Jolene assured. “I’ll stop by again in the morning and refill their water and empty the litter boxes.”
“What if Ozzy comes back and I’m not there to let him in? He’ll freeze out there tonight, especially if that darn snow picks up again.”
Jolene and Roger exchanged a knowing glance. “I’ll keep an eye out for him. I’m sure he’s found a nice, toasty place to hunker down. He’s got a built in fur coat, Millie. He’ll be just fine.”
She didn’t have the heart to tell Millie the truth in that moment.
“I suppose that’s true.” Millie’s eyes fluttered shut, her blinks becoming longer and more drawn out with each one.
“Listen.” Jolene stood and walked over to Millie’s bedside. She stroked her white hair. “I’m going to let you get your rest, but don’t worry about a thing. I’ve got it all taken care of. Just try not to cause any trouble so they actually let you out tomorrow as promised. Can you do that for me?”
Rolling her eyes, Millie pursed her lips into a deep frown. “What’s the fun in that?” she teased, then laughed the cutest little sound Jolene had ever heard.
Roger looked adoringly at Millie, an exchange Jolene caught.
“I’ll see you both tomorrow,” Jolene said. She squeezed Roger’s hand before turning to go.
“We love you, Jojo,” Roger called out as Jolene walked through the doorframe. “You know that, right?”
“Of course I do,” she answered, grinning. “And I, you.”
JOLENE WASN’T EXPECTING to see the car in her driveway when she returned from the hospital later that evening, but she felt the tension in her shoulders slip away the instant it came into view. Pushing her foot down just a little harder on the gas pedal, she sped the last stretch of the way home, parking right behind Rose’s black BMW.
She didn’t even bother trying to keep it all in when Rose scurried down the walkway and threw her arms around her sister’s neck. Jolene sobbed into the shoulder of her sister’s puffy white coat.
“I’m so sorry, Jojo. After I hung up with you earlier, I got in the car and came straight here. I just couldn’t bear the thought of you all by yourself with your sad, little breaking heart.”
“When you put it that way, it sounds completely pathetic.” Jolene straightened up and shook her head. “You didn’t have to come all this way.”
“Only took me two and a half hours. Hardly any time at all. It’s amazing how much more relaxing it is to travel alone. No crying. No meltdowns. And that’s just without Patrick!” Rose teased, poking playful fun at her husband.
“Well then, I’m glad my eventful day at least gave you the opportunity for some peace and quiet. I really am happy you’re here, sis. I need you right now.”
“I know you do.” Rose put her hands on either side of Jolene’s face, scrunching down her fluffy curls under her palms. “Let’s get you inside. I’ll draw you a nice bubble bath, pour you a glass of wine, and we can share terrible breakup stories like we used to in college. It’ll be a blast.”
“That sounds awful. Well, the breakup story part. The bath and the wine sound amazing.”
“How about we just say mean things about Luke, then? We’ll make a list of all the reasons he never deserved you.”
“That sad part is, I don’t even want to do that. Deep down, I still believe he’s a good guy, Rosie.” Jolene felt the tears collecting again. “I want to believe that. Desperately.”
“So do I, but all signs say otherwise.”
“Just one sign,” Jolene said. “One tall, beautiful, brunette sign.”
“That’s it!” Rose grabbed her sister’s arm. “We’re getting you inside. The wine is calling!”
22
Luke
LUKE KNEW HE’D made a huge commotion, he just hoped Jolene wouldn’t be able to hear it from within her house. Knowing her, she likely had holiday music blasting on repeat, drowning out any sounds other than those of holiday cheer. He was glad he’d reminded her to wear her warmest clothing, as the chill in the air continued to increase with each passing minute once the sun went down. Luke’s hands had gone numb about a half an hour earlier, and he had little hope of regaining any feeling in them before the night was over.
Making sure he’d gathered everything he would need for their evening, he surveyed the dock one last time. Picnic basket. Check. Thermos full of hot cocoa. Check. Wool blanket. Check. His nerves. No checkmark there.
He’d rehearsed what he planned to say all afternoon, even reciting it once or twice in front of the mirror. Each time he fumbled over his words. He felt so stupid. He just hoped Jolene wouldn’t pick up on his noticeable insecurity. Even if she did, he knew it was time to tell her how he really felt. He couldn’t leave Merrylark without letting her know how she’d changed his life in just a few short days. It didn’t even matter to him if she felt the same way, though he hoped she did. He owed her his honesty, whether or not that was returned.
When he couldn’t procrastinate any longer, he set his plan into motion. Getting into the small aluminum boat proved more challenging than he had anticipated. Water sloshed at the sides, pitching the boat to the left when he lowered into it. Luke overcorrected, leaning his entire body to the right, trying to regain some balance. Luckily, the dock was still within arm’s reach. Luke grabbed onto the wooden pier and steadied the rocking boat. Falling into Merrylark Lake on such a cold night would be awful. It would take him a solid week to thaw. With the lake house power still on the fritz, he’d have no place to warm himself. Staying in the boat was the only option. He didn’t plan on swimming tonight.
Grabbing the oars, Luke made slow and steady work of backing the boat away from the pier. Moonlight reflected off the ripples in the water, creating long crescent shapes that echoed out from one another. Other than Luke’s paddles that disturbed the surface, the lake was like glass. Before he made his way to Jolene’s dock at the back of her house, he decided to spend some time alone on the water, really taking all of Merrylark in from this new perspective.
Each stroke of the paddle against the water pushed Luke further from the homes that lined the shore. Christmas bulbs strung on gutters became twinkling strands of tiny stars. His tree, all lit up and adorned, was the most beautiful sight to behold. For a moment, he stopped rowing and just admired it all. There was an element of magic that he’d felt the first time his boot planted on Merrylark soil, but this sight before him—this was that magic in visual form. He could see Mildred’s home off to the right. The lights inside were turned on and he knew that even though Millie wasn’t there, her cats were, and that someone—Jolene, he suspected—had taken great care to make sure the animals were tended to. Roger’s home was on the opposite edge of the shoreline. He could make out the stacked firewood propped up against the side of the home and could see his old truck under a coating of snow in the driveway.
Then there was Jolene’s house.
At first glance, it didn’t look much different from the others. It had the same pitched roof and rows of lights outlining the windows and doors. But none of the other homes made Luke feel physically warm when he looked at them. Jolene’s did. When he saw her house, he felt that same feeling that filled him the first night he stepped into it. She’d created an atmosphere of warmth that stuck with him. He had a feeling that this wasn’t unique to Merrylark, after all. He suspected that anywhere Jolene went, that warmth and cheer would follow.
He knew in that instant, he couldn’t go another day without it. Not even another moment.
Taking the oars in his grip again, he rowed quickly to her pier. His biceps burned with the effort and his lungs stung, but he continued rowing until the boat sidled up next to the dock. As he had suspected, someone had heard his earlier commotion when he’d overturned the boat from its resting place on the lake house deck. Standing at the edge of the pier, all bundled in a white quilted jacket was a woman, but it wasn’t Jolene.
“Luke Handley,” a familiar voice called out to him. Luke squin
ted in the dark, trying to make out the figure in front of him. “I suggest you turn that boat right around.”
“Rose?” He shaded his brow with his hand, which was a silly thing to do at night. “Is that you?”
“If Jolene sees you out here…she’ll…well, I don’t know what she’ll do, but it won’t be good, I can promise you that.”
Nothing Rose said made any sense to Luke.
“Can you send her out? She should be expecting me.”
“Not a chance! After what you’ve done? You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“What have I done?” Luke was clueless.
“Oh, please. Now is not the time to play dumb, Luke. You’ve broken that woman’s heart and I just spent the last hour trying to repair it. I warned you.” Rose shook her finger at Luke from her place up on the pier. “Well, Patrick warned you, but I was the one behind that. Jolene has an entire town at the ready to go to bat for her, I’ll have you know. That woman has sacrificed her time and her talents, always putting her friends first. There is not one person whose life she hasn’t changed—”
“I know that, Rose,” Luke interjected, beginning to get a little frustrated by the accusations she hurled at him. “She’s changed me, too. That’s what tonight is all about. I’m planning to tell her just how much she’s changed me. How she’s changed everything.”
“The only thing you should plan to do is spin that boat around, hop in that old beat up, sad excuse for a truck of yours, and head back down the hill to wherever it is that you came from.”
Luke was losing patience. “Rose, look, there seems to be some sort of misunderstanding. What you’re saying isn’t making any sense.”
“Are you really that clueless, Luke? I have half a mind to tip you right out of that boat and into the lake in order to make you come to your senses! Is that what it takes?”
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