Close to Home

by Carolyne Aarsen

  “To Jace, make sure you’re headed in the right direction and I’ll be there beside you.”

  Back then Dodie was an honor student who was president of the high school student body, a strong leader in the church’s youth group, outspoken about her faith and proud of her beliefs.

  But the daughter of Dan Westerveld wasn’t the kind of girl who would go out with just anybody, and she had made that fairly clear to Jace the first time he had asked her out. Jace liked to party with his friend, Chuck, and he liked to hang out with a questionable crowd.

  But Jace wasn’t that easily put off. He was definitely interested in Dodie Westerveld. But no matter how much he turned on the charm, she kept saying no.

  He even went to church a couple of times to see what was up, but still no luck with Dodie.

  However, going to church had shown him other possibilities, had given him other things to think about. Had made him ponder eternity and where he was heading.

  Then came the night Chuck MacGregor drove to Jace’s place drunk and out of control. He had tried to ask a girl out and she turned him down. He was angry and he shouldn’t have been driving.

  Jace forcibly took the keys away from him to drive him home. As they were driving, Chuck tried to grab the wheel, wrenching it out of Jace’s hands.

  Jace could so clearly recall the sound of the tires squealing, glass breaking, the crunch of metal hitting the ground and the feeling of the entire weight of the vehicle tumbling slowly, end over end.

  When it came to a stop, Chuck was pinned inside the burning car, unconscious. Jace had been thrown free.

  He had run back to the car, scrambled inside, cutting his face in the process—yet still managed to pull his friend to safety before the car blew up.

  Jace unconsciously fingered the scar on his face, remembering all too well the fear that had paralyzed him as he saw Chuck inside the burning car. The sheer panic as he tried to pull his friend free, and the terror when he realized how close the two of them had come to death.

  Though the accident wasn’t his fault, it was a wakeup call. Jace pulled his life together, got his grades up and started attending church with his parents. He went to Bible Study and tried to keep his motives pure, but he did hope that Dodie took notice.

  She did, and by the time prom rolled around, he worked up enough nerve to ask her. No one was more surprised than he was when she accepted…and at the end of a fun-filled night, he knew she was the one he wanted.

  Their life was on the same course when they headed to college. He decided to emulate his mentor, Carson MacGregor, who had offered to help pay for his schooling in gratitude for what Jace had done for Chuck. Carson had also offered both him and Dodie a position in his law firm when they were done with their education.

  Life was good. He and Dodie had dreams and plans.

  And then, one day, completely out of the blue, Dodie abandoned her apartment, left Edmonton and Jace. No note, no phone call, no e-mail. Nothing.

  He panicked. Phoned around.

  He found out from her family that she had unexpectedly gone backpacking in Europe. That they weren’t sure when she was going to be back. And no, they didn’t know what happened, either, if indeed anything had happened.

  She never came back to Edmonton. Never came back to school and never, in all the years since, contacted him…

  Just forget about her, he reprimanded himself sharply as he shook off the unsettling memories. Picking up the next file, he buried himself in his work and vowed to keep his mind on the here and now.

  You don’t need to be here, she thought. You don’t need to prove anything.

  Dodie hugged her purse close as she stood on the sidewalk in front of Jace’s old house, trying to psych herself up for the meeting he had called.

  He’d left a message on her cell phone Saturday night, asking her where she’d been and telling her that there was a new meeting called for Wednesday night.

  All the way here tonight she’d gone over her excuses for missing the meeting on Saturday.

  Wasn’t her fault her car quit. Wasn’t her fault her cell phone had no coverage where she was stranded. Wasn’t her fault she had to walk back to Mayerthorpe to get someone to help her get her car going again. And it wasn’t her fault that by the time she got everything going again, the sun had long set and the meeting was long over.

  But the excuses sounded feeble, even to her ears.

  She clutched the straps of her purse and stared at the house she had come to from time to time in high school. A pale green misted the leaves of the trees hanging over the street. The prized peonies that Jace’s mom loved were a mass of green in the front of the house. Some already sported fat, tight buds.

  Spring was making itself known.

  Come summer Jace would be gone. Back to the city and back out of her life.

  If she turned and walked down the sidewalk, she could avoid him again. That would be the wisest plan of action. Jace belonged in the past. Getting involved with him in any way, shape or form was dangerous and costly.

  Mom will find out if you don’t go, the little voice said.

  Well, so what? She’d disappointed her mother many times in the past few years, what was one more disappointment to add to the pile?

  You owe her.

  Dodie sighed, trying to imagine the repercussions of skipping out on this obligation.

  That would mean missing the fundraiser. Which would free up that night, which in turn would give her sister carte blanche to plan a birthday party she simply couldn’t face.

  Thank goodness she wasn’t the only one here, Dodie thought, glancing at the silver BMW and the old truck parked in front of the house.

  She couldn’t help but wonder who they belonged to. She couldn’t imagine Jace driving a fancy Beemer, but she doubted he drove the rusted-out old truck.

  At least it wouldn’t be the two of them, she thought, marching up the sidewalk and knocking on the door.

  The door opened and Dodie couldn’t stop the jolt of familiarity.

  Jace wore faded blue jeans and a worn cotton shirt. More surprising, his feet were bare.

  A memory wafted into the present. Jace sitting on the grass on the college campus, kicking off his shoes, then releasing a sigh as he dug his feet into the grass. He used to hate wearing shoes and wore sandals well into fall, at least until his toes turned purple from the cold.

  She had always teased him that when he became a lawyer, he would have to smarten up and buy a suit. With shoes.

  When they started law school, he did. And he began to transform into the lawyer that would make Carson MacGregor proud.

  Dodie pulled her oversize purse close against her as she stifled the memory.

  His glance skimmed over her. “I’m glad you could make it this time,” he said.

  She resisted the urge to explain.

  He looked over her shoulder. “You walked here?”

  “My car is currently decorating the lot at Wierenga Motors.”

  “Broken down?”

  “As of this Saturday, yes.” And that was all the explanation she was going to give him. “So, shall we get started?”

  He just held her gaze, his own expression serious. For a heartbeat she wondered what was going on behind those enigmatic eyes. “I set everything up in the kitchen,” he said, turning back inside.

  As she followed him through the house, Dodie’s gaze flicked over the living room, taking in the few pieces of old, worn furniture—left over from his mother—and nothing else.

  The kitchen was as austere as the living room, holding only a wooden table-and-chair set. Nothing on the counters and nothing on the walls.

  It looked temporary and unwelcoming.

  Jace pulled out a chair for each of them, and Dodie frowned. “Just the two of us?” she asked, as she unwound the green-and-blue scarf from around her neck.

  “Sheila Kippers was supposed to come, but she had a family emergency. Her daughter fell and broke her arm.”


  Dodie frowned and poked her thumb over her shoulder. “That fancy car out front…?”

  “Is mine.” Jace looked as defensive as she had felt and Dodie was surprised. Both at his reaction and at the vehicle. She knew Jace wanted more in his life; she just never thought it would involve a luxury vehicle that cost almost as much as the house they were in right now.

  “But the truck?”

  “My dad’s.”

  “I was sorry to hear about his death,” Dodie said quietly.

  “Were you?” He threw the question out lightly, but it hit Dodie hard.

  Back in the day, Dodie had gotten to know his father. She knew that Jace, his only son, was his pride and joy and that he’d pinned a lot of expectations on Jace’s success. Nevertheless, she’d been impressed with his warmth and obvious love for his son.

  “I am sorry,” Dodie reiterated.

  Jace held her gaze for an extra beat. “Like I said, it’s been a while.”

  Dodie swallowed, looking away. Time to change the subject. “And how is your mom doing in Ontario?”

  “She’s good.” Jace gave her a polite smile. “Do you want anything to drink?”

  Dodie waved off his request. The sooner they could get started, the sooner they would be finished and the sooner she could be away from his unsettling presence. Maybe with time she could get used to him. Maybe she could get to the point that seeing him wouldn’t send her emotions into a tailspin. For now, however, she had to keep her guard up.

  “Okay, then let’s get started. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get through this stuff quickly. I’ve still got a ton of work to do tonight.”

  “Working after hours?” Dodie asked, as she pulled a pen and notepad out of her purse.

  “For a lawyer there is no nine-to-five.”

  “Especially if you’re working for Carson MacGregor.” Dodie didn’t mean for the sharp tone to edge her voice, but it was already out there, and Jace was already lifting his one eyebrow.

  “Carson is a fair and generous man. He’s been good to me and Chuck.”

  Dodie snatched up the paper Jace had laid on the table, more than ready to move on. “So, what’s your plan of attack on this?”

  Dodie waited for him to reply and when he didn’t, she looked up at him.

  His face was so familiar and yet not. The years had made the scar on the side of his face more pronounced, had etched new lines around his eyes.

  And hovering, in the depths of his blue eyes, she saw a question she couldn’t acknowledge. She felt her heart lurch as she intrinsically knew what he was going to ask.

  She couldn’t delve into the past, couldn’t relive what she had worked so hard to put behind her.

  “I’m guessing you want to divide the list up,” she said, dropping her gaze to the papers in front of her, determined to move on.

  “That was the plan.”

  “Great…a lawyer with a plan. I feel like I should be afraid.” Dodie kept her tone casual. This was the only way she was going to get through this.

  Jace was quiet and Dodie pushed on. “So, this is the master sheet we’re working from?”

  “Yes. My secretary drew it up.”

  The paper held an alphabetized list of all the businesses in Riverbend, Preston and Kolvik, and their phone numbers. “So what do you figure, split this up and see how far we get?” Dodie asked, matching Jace’s business-like tone. As long as things proceeded this way, she could handle this.

  “I should stipulate that we’d like more than the usual travel mugs and T-shirts, if possible. I want to make this fundraiser impressive, get some really unique items. Apparently the committee has been working on this for a while now. They’ve already booked a very dynamic speaker. We’ve reserved the arena in town, and in order to fill it, we need something special to draw a good crowd.”

  “The people of Riverbend are generous. Shouldn’t be too hard,” Dodie said.

  He handed her a copy of the sheet. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

  “I came to this meeting, didn’t I?” Dodie said, shifting through the other papers, trying to keep her voice neutral.

  His silence seemed to imply something else, and Dodie shook her head in mock consternation. “Jace, where’s the trust? Where’s the love?” She flashed him a quick smile, fighting to maintain an air of joviality.

  “This isn’t just a lark for me. I need to make this fundraiser work.”

  “Why is this important to you? You couldn’t get away from Riverbend fast enough. You’ve never really been attached to this place. Why bother getting involved now?” Dodie tamped down her irritation as she drew in a long, slow breath. She knew she shouldn’t get into a sparring match with him. She needed to keep her emotions under control.

  Jace sighed, then leaned back in his chair. “Let’s just say that I’ve got a lot riding on this event.”

  “Like a promotion?”

  Jace shrugged. “No secret there. I will do what I can for Carson and the company. And anything I do that reflects well on me reflects well on the law firm.”

  “Old Man MacGregor must adore you.” She shouldn’t have let that note of scorn slip into her voice. She was moving into dangerous territory.

  “We get along well.”

  “I’m sure part of your devotion has to do with the accident you and Chuck were in.” No sooner had the snippy words left her mouth than she wished she could pull them back. The jab hearkened back to memories of high school. To scrapes Jace and his friend would get in and Carson would dig them out of. The most serious one being the car accident that had given Jace his scar.

  And had made him turn his life around.

  “I got this job strictly on my own merit.” The steely tone in his voice told her she had hit a sore spot.

  “I’m sorry.” She kept the apology simple. She needed to keep her focus on the business at hand. “Don’t worry, Jace, I’ll do my best to make this fundraiser a success.”

  “I’d appreciate that. Like I said, I need for it to do well.”

  “You’re ambitious these days, hmm?”

  “Yeah, well, it seems we’ve traded places in that department.”

  His tone was too familiar. She had to put a stop to this little trip down memory lane.

  “Things change. People change,” she said with an airy wave of her hand. “I’m using my talents in my own way. And you’re stuck with me and those talents.”

  He didn’t say anything to that and, in spite of her need to keep her distance, she didn’t like the idea that he thought of her as unambitious.

  She lifted a brow. “I’ll tell you what, Scholte. I know for a fact I can get more dollars’ worth of donations than you and Sheila combined,” she said, a challenge in her voice.

  “Really?” Jace crossed his arms over his chest, looking incredulous.

  “Really.” Dodie leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table, her body language showing more confidence than she felt.

  “Getting donations is one thing, but raising a substantial amount of money is something else,” Jace cautioned her.

  “Good thing I am something else, as you were always so fond of saying.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt like snatching them back. She had promised herself, before she came here, that she wasn’t going to revisit their past together. They’d both changed over the years and there was no turning back.

  “So you really think you can raise the most lucrative donations, Dorothea Alicia Grace Westerveld?”

  His use of her full name created an unexpected tug on those old memories, like a hook pulling out what she had just pushed down.

  She pressed her hand against her chest, holding back the thundering of her heart.

  Don’t go there, she told herself. Don’t go back.

  “Yeah. I do,” she said, throwing the challenge back with forced bravado, trying to counteract the feelings he was bringing to the forefront.

  “Very well, I’m proposing a little contest. If you get better dona
tions than me, I have to take you out for dinner. If I get more than you, then you have to take me out for dinner.”

  What kind of a contest was that?

  “To the winner’s choice of restaurant,” Jace added.

  Dodie hesitated. She was fairly sure she would win. She knew most of the people in this town better than Jace did.

  “Scared?” Jace taunted.

  “No. I just think it’s silly.”

  “Then…” He lifted one hand in a languid gesture.

  “Okay. I accept. Dinner at any place I choose.”

  “You’re that sure you’re going to win?”

  Dodie glanced down at the papers and gave a decisive nod, more to assure herself than him. “Oh yeah. I’m that sure.”

  “And you’re here for the long haul?”

  A casual observer wouldn’t have caught the faint edge in Jace’s voice or been able to interpret the subtext inherent in his words.

  “Of course I am.” She couldn’t stop the hurt from creeping into her voice.

  His eyes softened and for a moment she thought he was going to touch her. She stepped away.

  “You’ve let me know how important this is to you. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your ambitions.”

  “You make ambition sound like a dirty word.”

  “You didn’t used to care about that.”

  “Well, people change. As you said.” Jace held her gaze for a heartbeat longer than he needed to. He looked like he wanted to ask her a question, like he wanted to shift the conversation back to that precarious moment a while ago.

  She held his eyes, willing herself not to look away. “I am not a quitter.” She enunciated each word carefully. Just to make sure he got it.

  The dubious expression on his face created a question and stoked her anger; a far preferable emotion than the other feelings hovering between her and Jace. “Unlike you,” she said, drawing on her anger, “I know this town. I don’t just come hopping back in and out when it suits me. You can doubt my ability to stick things through to the end, but I’m not one to turn my back on the people that matter.”

  “Really?” His eyes narrowed now, as if trying to get past the facade she’d worked so hard to create.