Second Chance Father

by Renee Andrews

  “I’ve always thought so.”

  An instant waterfall of goose bumps raced down her arms with a vengeance. Elise whirled to see the owner of the deep voice that sounded scarily close. Close enough to touch her. Close enough to grab her. A yelp, or squeal, or something, escaped her throat as she turned, but her pulse thumped so fiercely she barely noticed. And then she recognized the intruder. “Jack! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

  He retreated a step and held his palms toward Elise and Cody. “Hey now, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I thought you heard me running.” His broad chest moved steadily against a sweat-soaked T-shirt as he took the steady deep breaths that went along with a guy who’d been exercising.

  “We,” she managed, her own breath hitching as she spoke, “didn’t hear you.”

  “Well, I sure heard you.” His mouth edged up at the corners, and Elise would’ve taken a moment to appreciate how handsome he looked with that whisper of a smile if she wasn’t still ticked that he’d scared her to death.

  “You knew I didn’t hear you,” she said, at the same moment that Cody stepped beside her and reminded her that she wasn’t the only one on the trail. He’d also been the first one to stop and tilt his head when he’d obviously realized the sound they heard was more than a small animal.

  Elise needed to work on her survival skills.

  “I’m sorry,” Jack repeated, without the smile. “I really didn’t mean to scare you.”

  She hated herself for wanting to see that semblance of a smile again. “No problem.” Even as she uttered the words, she knew the statement wasn’t true, because she did have a problem. A big one, probably six foot plus, if she had to guess. And standing very near.

  He constituted a very substantial problem.

  Because she now had another impression of the man who lived in the middle of the woods. She’d seen rough-and-wooly bearded Jack, and he’d captured her interest. Then she’d met clean-shaven-and-dreamy Jack, and he’d reminded her of how it felt to experience genuine attraction. But today, breathing heavy from his run, cheeks tinged red and hair damp from exertion, along with the casual exercise attire of a gray T-shirt with navy sweats...he suddenly hit approachable Jack. Desirable Jack.

  She’d experienced this kind of head-spinning attraction only once, on the day she met Anthony, and she knew the appeal caused her to overlook the obvious, that this was the exact type of man she didn’t need in her life. A guy with more than mere skeletons in his closet. A tormented past, a tortured soul and a broken man who, no doubt, she’d try to repair despite her vows otherwise.

  “I’m sorry,” Jack repeated. “Really, Elise.”

  The goose bumps made a reappearance when he said her name, and it had nothing to do with being scared.

  “It’s fine. No worries, okay?” She did her best to slow her racing heart and silently reminded herself of what happened the last time she let an instant attraction get the best of her.

  Cody stepped between them and thankfully broke the moment. He pointed to the hiking man pictured on the flash card and then frowned at Jack.

  “I...” Jack looked to Elise for a clue, but she remained silent. “I...went running,” he finally said, “not hiking. I run in the mornings.” When Cody didn’t look pleased with his answer, Jack again looked to Elise, his confusion clearly visible on his features.

  “He sees that guy on the card as you,” she explained diplomatically and didn’t add that he also saw the guy as himself. “But I think Cody is pointing out that you don’t look like that today. You’re—” she paused, swallowing as she took in Jack’s running clothes “—dressed differently.”

  That was an understatement, and Elise did her best not to convey her opinion of the new look in her tone. Because her opinion was off the chart.

  He looked at her for a brief moment and she thought she saw understanding dawn in his eyes, but then she saw the walls come up. He wasn’t ready to let her get too close, which was good, because she didn’t need to get too close to Jack. Ever. He was a means to helping Cody, and she’d do well to remember that.

  Jack turned his attention back to Cody before answering. “I wear workout clothes to run in the morning.” When Cody’s eyebrows dipped and he looked disappointed, Jack added, “But I’m on my way home now. I didn’t expect y’all this early.” He continued shifting his weight from foot to foot in a light jog as he talked, and Cody instinctively started a light jog too.

  “We hadn’t planned to come this early,” Elise said, and then amended, “Or I hadn’t, anyway.”

  Jack indicated Cody’s feet. “You want to run with me the rest of the way?” Even as he asked the question, Elise noticed he looked a little uncertain about how he wanted Cody to answer. Had he been secretly hoping they wouldn’t come today? Or ever again? After all, the guy had bought a cabin in the middle of nowhere; surely he hadn’t planned on a kid like Cody, or anyone else, happening upon him in the woods.

  But he’d said he wanted to help Cody.

  And Elise believed him.

  Why had she believed him? And why, even now, did she think he didn’t mind them invading his private space again?

  Cody looked from Elise to Jack and then stuffed the hiking flash card in his back jeans pocket. Then he nodded at Jack before increasing his jog in place.

  For a brief moment, Jack didn’t look so guarded. “All right, then, let’s go.” He jogged ahead, and Cody followed. Elise stood dumbfounded for a moment, until he yelled over his shoulder, “Come on, Elise!”

  Another command delivered as though he owned the world, and she found her feet following the order, jogging behind the unlikely duo through the woods. An attractive, intriguing and undeniably broken man and a sweet, misplaced and equally broken boy.

  Both running ahead of Elise.

  Both running away from Elise.

  Would she ever mend the boy? Or the man? Could she catch them, help them see the direction they should be going, instead of running aimlessly through the woods, aimlessly through life?

  Or would she, like the times of the past, find herself feeling as lost and broken as the ones she chased?

  Chapter Five

  “The planer should be here soon, and then we can finish the dresser.” Jack focused on Cody and did his best to keep his attention off Elise, jogging toward the cabin with wisps of hair escaping her ponytail.

  His attempt was futile, because he couldn’t take his eyes away.

  She wore a light green T-shirt and jeans, nothing fancy or flashy, but she wasn’t the type of female who needed a lot of attention-grabbing clothes or over-the-top makeup to capture interest. She had an intriguing look, very natural in her surroundings, but with those doe eyes, shiny dark hair and full lips, she claimed more than a hint of exotic appeal. But even more than her exterior beauty, the layers of depth and compassion that had her choosing a profession to help children like Cody and then following him through the woods each day because he wanted to work on furniture, of all things, with Jack...that was the kind of interior beauty that truly appealed.

  As always, his thoughts moved to the big screen and a heroine like Elise who grabbed an audience by the heartstrings and made them root for her, cry for her, cheer for her.

  They trust you to give them a God-focused film, something that will make them cry, laugh, cheer...and pray.

  Roland’s words haunted him, as did his threat that Jack would hear from the studio’s attorney. Surely the studio exec understood why Jack couldn’t promote the film, or any film. And Jack shouldn’t contemplate what audiences would like, not anymore. In fact, as soon as Finding Home finished at the box office, he’d be done with the film industry completely, exactly what he wanted.

  And the other thing he wanted? To live here, on his own, away from civilization and away from reminders of everything he’d lo
st. Reminders of how it felt to have children, like the boy who showed up at his cabin each morning. Or a beautiful woman by his side, like the one standing in front of him now.

  So very different from Laney, yet Elise reminded him of why God created woman for man.

  But God also took the woman he’d loved away.

  Heart seizing in his chest, Jack suddenly noticed Cody’s puzzled expression, and then a matching expression from Elise.

  What had he missed while battling the pain of the past?

  “Jack? Are you okay?” Elise pulled at the hem of her T-shirt and shot a worried look toward Cody. She’d said something to him, and he’d missed the conversation. Cody’s mouth stretched into that familiar straight line, and he glanced toward the trail. Would he run away like he had those first two days, because Jack had been so absorbed in his own internal struggles that he missed a social cue?

  “Yes, I’m okay,” Jack gritted out, though he knew it wasn’t true. “What did you ask?”

  She chewed her lower lip and also glanced toward the wooded trail. Jack suspected she contemplated heading out and never coming back.

  Part of him wanted to tell her to do just that.

  Then Cody started tapping his fingers together at his chest, the way he did when worried or bothered, and Jack suddenly wondered how JJ would have reacted if he’d been in the same situation as this child.

  A thick lump settled in his throat, and he swallowed through the emotion that had his left eye twitching. “It’s okay,” he said to the boy. “Everything’s fine, Cody. I just didn’t hear the question.”

  Elise again looked at the woods, and then at Cody. Jack knew she wanted to leave, but he also knew she cared about her patient enough to stay put. So did he. Therefore, he’d stop letting his mind wander to the past and pay attention to the present.

  “What did you say, Elise?”

  She pointed to Cody. “Not me. Cody is trying to tell you something, or ask you something.”

  Jack knew the boy hadn’t uttered a word, but he turned to him and asked, “What is it, Cody?”

  He stopped the frantic tapping of his fingers and placed both hands beneath the ’69 Camaro that centered his shirt, and then he patted his stomach.

  Elise shrugged. “He was eager to get here, so we didn’t eat breakfast. Again. And I think your biscuits and honey were a hit, more appealing to Cody than the banana pancakes they were serving at Willow’s Haven.”

  “Better than banana pancakes? Now, that is a compliment.” He was pleased to see Cody’s smile and grateful he’d gone to Stockville last night for more groceries. Though if he continued to have daily company from these two, he’d need to make the trip into the town more often. “I’ll put some biscuits in the oven and get coffee and milk.”

  Cody’s brows lifted, and Jack added, “And honey. I’ll get the honey too. Sound good?”

  Naturally, he didn’t answer, but he bobbed his head and moved toward the computer Jack had left on the porch table.

  “I was watching a video earlier on how to use the planer to fix our wood. You can watch it while I get breakfast ready, if you want.” Feeling awkward, he realized he didn’t know what to do with guests. It wasn’t as if he’d ever needed to do a lot of entertaining. Laney had been the one to coordinate food and activities when they had company. Plus, the majority of their friends had been the people he worked with at the studio, and Jack hadn’t spoken to most of them since the funeral.

  He started the video for Cody, who seemed as interested in the how-to project as Jack, leaning forward to view the master woodworker and studying the piece of equipment that could reportedly correct even the most uneven surfaces. Hopefully it’d do the trick for the mahogany, because Jack needed to show the boy that the wood was still useful.

  And that Cody was still useful.

  “Do you want me to help you with breakfast?” Elise made her way up the steps to the porch and stood close enough for Jack to see a light sprinkle of freckles across the top of each cheek. Odd that someone with olive skin had the charming accent. Intriguing.

  Jack didn’t want to be intrigued.

  He could actually let her prepare the breakfast while he showered and put on work clothes, but he’d been comfortable—way too comfortable—with seeing her in his kitchen yesterday. He’d actually gone to sleep last night thinking about the feelings that had caught him off guard standing side by side at the kitchen sink. “No, I’ll put the biscuits in and get the coffee started, and then I’ll change into some work clothes. You can watch the video with Cody.”

  “You didn’t have the chairs or table out here yesterday, did you?”

  Jack had turned to go inside but halted with her question. Truthfully, he hadn’t planned to make the purchase when he went into Stockville last night for groceries, but then he’d noticed the craftsmanship on these pieces outside of a local store and knew he could use them, for now. “No,” he admitted gruffly, “I bought them last night.”

  Her eyes softened, and then she cleared her throat and asked, “You got them for us?”

  Cody paused the video and turned to hear Jack’s answer.

  He swallowed, the feeling of being exposed creeping to the surface, but he wouldn’t lie to Cody, or Elise. “I suppose I did.”

  Cody’s flat mouth inched up on one side, and if a dimple would’ve popped into place, it would’ve looked just like a JJ smile. Jack’s heart lurched in his chest. He was getting too close, caring too much, and he wasn’t sure how to stop.

  “Thanks,” Elise whispered, the single word resonating with emotion that Jack didn’t want to acknowledge.

  He nodded stiffly, entered the cabin and hoped that he could somehow control the ability of the two people on the porch to see right through him.

  * * *

  Elise took a seat beside Cody as he studied the video of the carpenter showing how to repair a piece of marred wood. He had smiled when Jack said he bought this furniture for their visits. Another smile, due to Jack. But Elise wasn’t complaining. She’d smiled too. The handsome hermit had a heart, though she was fairly certain he was doing his best not to show it.

  The porch furnishings weren’t cheap, either. He’d undoubtedly spent time finding the rustic wooden pieces that blended perfectly with his cabin’s appeal. And he’d purchased four chairs and two small tables, definitely more than he’d need if he didn’t expect company.

  Until this week, he’d probably never anticipated needing porch furnishings, because he’d planned to hide out in isolation. Then Cody invaded his private haven. And so had Elise.

  There was no doubt in her mind that God had a hand in this. She’d thought several times about the fact that Jack declined to say grace for their breakfast yesterday. But she didn’t get the impression that he didn’t believe. She sensed more that he not only wanted to retreat from the world, but also from God.

  Why?

  A bell sounded as a notification came up on the computer.

  Cody tugged at her sleeve and pointed at the text bubble on the screen.

  Answer your phone, Simon.

  Cody grumbled, then moved the cursor to collapse the bubble and resume watching the video.

  But Elise stared at the spot where the image had been. Simon? Who was Simon?

  Before she could wonder further, another bubble appeared.

  Roland isn’t blowing smoke. He’s serious. And if you continue to refuse, the ten percenters are going to be pretty angry. That’s a year’s pay you’re messing with, Simon. A lot of people are counting on you, including me.

  Elise barely read the message before Cody, still grumbling, closed the bubble.

  And like before, another one appeared. This time Elise noted the bold information at the top. No name, but a phone number with a 323 area code. Where was 323?

  An
swer your phone. Call Roland, or at least call me. Let me work this out for you. That’s my job. Let me do my job, Jack. Please.

  Jack. This time, the sender used his name. But why had he called him Simon? And who was Roland? What was a ten percenter?

  Elise had so many questions, but should she ask? She shouldn’t have read the text messages sent to Jack, but if he had the app on his computer, he’d eventually see the texts had come in, and he’d know that she had seen them. Wouldn’t he?

  So she should ask.

  Or should she?

  What, or who, was Jack hiding from?

  What if she’d actually put her patient at risk by spending so much time with a guy who harbored dangerous secrets? Cody pointed at the screen, where a woman had joined the carpenter to help him guide the wood through the machine. In a few minutes, she and Cody would probably be helping Jack in that manner. The door opened, and the smell of coffee teased her nostrils as he exited with a steamy mug in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. He placed the glass on the table beside the computer for Cody and then held the mug toward Elise.

  He glanced at the computer, and she wondered if he already knew that they had seen the texts. He probably got a notification on his phone too, right? But those sea-foam-green eyes didn’t show any sign of suspicion but instead seemed guarded and cautious. He didn’t look dangerous—he looked vulnerable. And Elise didn’t have a desire to flee; she wanted to stay and put his fear at ease. She wanted to help him, the same way she’d wanted to help her father and the same way she’d wanted to help Anthony.

  Elise begged her father to get treatment for the depression caused by his Asperger’s. More specifically, for the depression caused when her mother left him because of his Asperger’s. He’d declined, and he’d been a sad, lonely man until the day he died.

  And Anthony. She’d tried everything to help him with the acute depression that he simply couldn’t overcome. Medication. Psychotherapy. There wasn’t anything she’d learned in her studies that she didn’t suggest, and that they didn’t try.