Not His Type

by Shanna Hatfield

  “Jake, do you think Callan would help us with the interior decorating. I know she is an event planner, but she has such beautiful taste,” Anna asked as they made another circle around the store.

  Jake didn’t say anything, just pulled out his phone and placed a call. Callan immediately agreed to help with the project and offered to meet with them the next day to discuss details. Jake decided he’d involved himself in enough of the “girly stuff” and would leave the rest of the decisions up to the two of them. “Except the master bedroom, when you get ready to do it, let me know.”

  Anna laughed at him and gathered up more samples.

  Callan and Anna worked well together. Jake suspected it was the fact that they had so much in common and had similar tastes. Anna was impressed with all the information and resources Callan provided and how easily she pulled the details together.

  First, she and Anna worked through everything on paper. They matched up fabric and color swatches, cut out pictures of furniture and décor styles they liked and created a folder for each room. Once they had everything in the folder they thought they needed, they used grid paper to lay out the room design to visualize how everything would work. They researched the furniture options, measuring each piece, making sure every selection would fit perfectly.

  Jake was amazed at how fabulous their home was going to look, at least on paper. For now, they had the folding table and chairs and an old couch his mom had stored in their garage, so they could at least have somewhere to sit when they needed a rest.

  A few days before Christmas Jake bought a little tree and set it up in front of the great room windows on the card table. Anna was thoroughly surprised and insisted on putting a gift under it for Jake. He shook the box so many times, he was convinced if it was breakable it was probably in at least a hundred pieces, but Anna wouldn’t relent and let him open it. He decided to return the tormenting and stuck a box under it for her as well.

  Christmas Eve day they decided to spend some time with just the two of them, enjoying the peace and quiet of their home before they headed off to family gatherings. Sitting in the great room on the old couch in front of a crackling fire, Jake handed Anna her gift. She opened it to find a John Deere tractor ornament. She turned a puzzled look to Jake. He studied her in a way that made heat pool in her belly and her heart start to pound. “I think I fell completely in love with you the day you jumped off the tractor and walked right into my heart.”

  Anna, being the sappy female Jake so often accused her of being, couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat, and instead thanked him with a kiss.

  Jake opened his box to find an ornament of an open book. Written in tiny letters was a poem.

  “He bumped into my world,

  Knocked it all askew,

  But one look in his eyes

  And with certainty I knew,

  To the hidden places of my heart

  He held the only key,

  And opened up the door

  By simply loving me.”

  Jake was deeply touched. “Anna, did you write this?” She nodded her head. “It’s wonderful, Sugar.” Jake sat holding the ornament carefully in his hand. His sweet Anna thought he had done so much for her, but it was she who had given his life a new meaning.

  “Do you have any idea what a very special person you are?” His answer was a blush. “You are a blessing to me, Sugar. I don’t want you to ever forget it.”

  <><><>

  By January, Anna and Callan had planned out the entire house décor. Anna located a warehouse furniture store in Portland that offered discounts for large orders, so she and Jake decided to make the hour long trip to the city along with Clay and Callan and turn it into a fun Saturday outing.

  Although Jake and Clay pretended to be uninterested in picking out the furniture, appliances and accessories, they offered good opinions, asked thoughtful questions and helped the girls decide on what would be the best selections.

  Callan thought it was wonderful that Jake and Anna were able to start out with a newly remodeled house full of new things. Not every newlywed couple would be that fortunate, but then again not every couple had pinched their pennies and saved their earnings like these two, either.

  She couldn’t believe how Jake and Anna had such similar ways of thinking about some of the things most couples could never agree on like finances, domestic responsibilities and religion. Callan was especially pleased with the topic of religion. Jake was regularly attending the little country church with Anna and, for the first time in his life, seemed to be enjoying what he was learning. That in itself was no small miracle.

  Anna brought along all the information she and Callan had labored over for the past couple months, collected in a binder and labeled by room. So room by room, they made their selections. Last on the list was the master bedroom. When Anna and Callan started making selections, Jake took the book from Anna and said, “We’re done for the day. No more rooms.”

  Anna took the book back from Jake and laughed. “Stop, teasing. We just need to finish the master bedroom then we can call it quits.”

  “Anna,” Jake said, taking her hand and looking her full in the face. “I don’t want to do the bedroom today. Please?”

  “Jake, you are being ridiculous,” Anna said, looking at him like he’d lost his mind. “Let’s just…”

  “Please, Anna? Please, not today,” Jake pleaded again, offering no explanation but hoping she would give in.

  Clay and Callan watched them quietly, wondering when Anna would set Jake in his place and go on with her plans. Only she didn’t.

  “If it means that much to you, then it can wait, I guess,” Anna said quietly. “But Callan and I have everything picked out. We thought we’d go with a masculine look, play off an English study theme. We planned to choose some great oak pieces. I promise it won’t be girly at all.”

  “I know you both worked hard on the plans Anna, but just for this one room, please wait. I want to give it some more thought before you order anything. Okay?” Jake asked, giving her the smile that usually made her forget everything but how much she loved this infuriating man.

  “Okay,” Anna said on an exasperated sigh. She so wanted to finish everything up today. Trying to hide her disappointment, she turned to Clay and Callan. “Well, I guess we’re finished then. Shall we have some lunch before we head home?”

  Jake finalized the paperwork and put down the fifty percent deposit. The furniture would be delivered in mid-March.

  After lunch, Callan talked the group into going to a home décor outlet where they found a huge white sale. She helped Anna choose blinds, drapes and other window treatments along with a comforter set for the upstairs bedroom, sheets, blankets, piles of towels and bath rugs and half a dozen assorted throw pillows.

  By that point, Jake would have agreed to anything she wanted. It had been hard for him to see her disappointment over the master bedroom furniture not being ordered. He had big plans for that room and wasn’t willing to veer off course, despite the crushed look on Anna’s face when he told her no.

  He has half-surprised she had agreed and wanted to make it up to her. That was why he was now packing another load of pillows and curtains into the trunk of Callan’s roomy car.

  <><><>

  Driving home from The Cottage, Clay asked Callan what she thought the whole bedroom furniture fiasco was really about.

  “I don’t know, but as soon as I get a chance I plan to find out. That Jake is being such a pill!”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Driving home one evening after a quick stop at The Cottage, Anna was almost to the turn off to the farm when a wave of dizziness hit her with such a sudden rush, she nearly collided with an on-coming car. Pulling over as best she could, she stopped and waited for the spell to pass. When it did, she sat for a few minutes and breathed deeply.

  That was the third time in as many weeks that she’d had a little spell. She was starting to get a bit concerned, but chalked it up to
not eating right and being too busy. In addition to work and trying to get the inside of the house finished, Anna was knee-deep in wedding plans. She and Jake finally set their wedding date for the end of April and planned to have the ceremony and reception right in their own backyard. The fruit trees would be blossoming and would make a beautiful backdrop for a ceremony. She probably just needed to take a little time off and rest, then she would be as good as new.

  When she awoke the next morning to an intense headache, Anna didn’t know what to think. She’d barely gotten out of the shower when a wave of dizziness swept over her and she threw up. Trembling, she struggled not to faint. Opening her bathroom door, she weaved to her bed and collapsed. Taking deep breaths, she willed her world to stop spinning and slowly opened her eyes. Staying perfectly still for a few more minutes, she slowly got up, dressed for work and decided she felt fine.

  Anna made a mental note to herself that she really should call and make a doctor’s appointment, just to make sure everything was fine.

  <><><>

  Jake saw Anna wheeling the collection cart down the ramp of the library on a chilly mid-January day. He hurried out of his office and across the street to see her. A few minutes stolen here and there were better than none at all. She looked lovely, as always, in trim black slacks and a soft cream wool coat, her hair cascading around her shoulders.

  Helping her empty the box, he was enjoying their usual warm banter when she seemed to look a little pale. Jake took a step toward her just as she turned and fainted. Catching her in his arms, he carried her inside the library and sat down in a chair in the vestibule.

  Heart pounding, he didn’t know what else to do besides tap her cheeks and call her name.

  “What happened, Jake?” Dave asked as he ran in the door. He happened to glance out the office window just as Jake caught Anna and hurried across the street to see if he could help.

  “I don’t know, Dave. We were talking and then she just fainted,” Jake tapped her cheeks again and called her name as she began to stir.

  Looking disoriented and embarrassed, Anna sat up on Jake’s lap. “What happened?”

  “I think you fainted, Anna,” Jake said, keeping a supportive arm around her as she struggled to stand. “Do you want me to carry you inside or take you home?” Jake asked when she still seemed unsteady on her feet.

  “No, Jake, I’ll be fine. Really. But thanks.” Anna started to go back out to get the cart, but Dave soon had it inside while Jake gave Anna his arm and had her lean on him. As they approached the front desk, Mrs. Baxter looked concerned.

  “What happened, Anna? Are you feeling well?”

  “I’m not sure, Mrs. Baxter. One minute I was talking to Jake and the next thing I fainted. I guess I’ve been running around too much with the house and wedding plans.” Anna said, still feeling unlike herself, but not wanting anyone to worry. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”

  “Are you sure, Anna? Your color doesn’t look good. Maybe you should go home and rest,” Mrs. Baxter said, looking at her intently.

  Stepping away from Jake’s supportive arm, she gave his hand a squeeze, smiled at Dave and took a deep breath. “No, I’m feeling better already. No need for anyone to worry.”

  Despite what Anna said, he was plenty worried. Perfectly healthy women just didn’t faint. He knew she’d been pushing herself with finishing the house and wedding plans not to mention work and trying to squeeze in time with him, but he still wasn’t convinced that would cause her to faint.

  He was waiting at her car when she left work, looking exhausted and pale as she walked toward him. She didn’t even see him until she was nearly standing on his foot.

  “Oh, Jake, I didn’t see you,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I thought you had a meeting to go to for work this evening?”

  “I do, but I wanted to make sure you were feeling better. I’d be happy to drive you home, Anna.”

  Anna gave him another quick kiss and patted his cheek. “You’re so sweet. I’m fine. Really, Jake. I’m going to head home and go to bed early and be back to my old self tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure you feel up to driving?” The way she looked, he wasn’t sure she was up to taking the two steps to sit in her car let alone maneuver it home.

  “I’ll be fine. But thank you for caring,” Anna said as she climbed in her car and started the ignition. “Love you,” she said as she gave him a kiss then shut the car door and left.

  Jake waited until she pulled out onto the street and started home before falling in a few cars behind her. He followed her to the turn off to the Zimmerman’s lane to make sure she made it then drove back to town. Maybe he was worried for nothing.

  <><><>

  Anna woke up every day for the next week and a half with a pounding headache, throwing up each morning. After a dizzy spell, her world would right itself and she could get on with her day. Finally her mother stopped her on her way out the door to work.

  “Anna, something is wrong, isn’t it? Are you not feeling well? Can I take you to the doctor or do anything for you?” Sue asked with worry etched across her face.

  Anna gave her mother a hug. “I’ll be fine, Mom. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’s nothing time won’t cure,” Anna said before running out to her car.

  Sue was starting to have some real concerns about what the problem might be. Anna’s comment wasn’t helping her feel any better about the situation. She decided if Anna wouldn’t talk to her, perhaps Jake would. Dialing his number, she didn’t have to wait long for him to pick up.

  “Hi, Sue, how are you today?” Jake asked in his usual friendly manner.

  “Well, Jake, I’m a little concerned,” Sue said, deciding it was best to get to the point of her call. “Is there any possibility Anna could be pregnant?”

  The line was quiet for a moment and then Sue heard Jake ask, in a rough voice, “I’m pretty sure I didn’t hear you correctly. Could you please repeat the question?”

  “Could Anna be pregnant? Have you two… you know?”

  “I can’t believe we are having this conversation,” Jake ground out. Sue could hear his footsteps and what sounded like a door slamming before he continued, making it clear he was upset with her.

  When he spoke again, his voice was filled with indignation, clearly offended. “No, Sue, there is absolutely no possibility in this world that Anna is pregnant. No possibility, whatsoever. Do you not know your own daughter? How could you even think that she… that we... Seriously?”

  “Oh,” Sue said, feeling like the most horrid mother in the world. “My apologies, Jake. I’m truly sorry. But Anna has been terribly ill every morning and her symptoms, from what I’ve seen, most closely resemble morning sickness. I can’t get any information out of her so I thought I’d ask you. I’m terribly sorry to put you on the spot. I just needed to know.”

  “What do you mean she’s been sick every morning?” Jake asked. His annoyance gave way to unease as Sue filled him in as best she could.

  “Well, I’m wondering if this has something to do with her fainting spell the other day,” Jake said, trying to figure out what could be wrong with Anna.

  “She had a fainting spell?” Sue asked. Evidently, Anna hadn’t felt that information important to share with her family.

  Sue and Jake talked a few minutes more, pooling their information. Jake decided he would go talk to Anna later that morning then call Sue with a report. The timing couldn’t be any worse. He had to fly out of town tomorrow for a two-day conference. He didn’t feel right leaving Anna if there was something truly wrong with her. Maybe he could convince her to go to the doctor today.

  <><><>

  Jake was just sitting down at his computer with his morning coffee, thinking about how he would approach Anna and get some answers, when he heard a commotion out by Millie’s desk. Rushing out to see if he could help, he found Mrs. Baxter herself huffing and puffing from the exertion of running across the street.

  “Jake, it’s
Anna, she’s …” Mrs. Baxter didn’t get to finish her statement. Jake bolted out across the street, bursting through the library door, where Betty stood and pointed toward the back of the library. He ran down between two rows of books to find Anna lying on the floor, her head in another librarian’s lap.

  “I don’t know what happened? We were shelving books and chatting one minute and the next she was on the floor.”

  Anna started to stir and looked up disoriented. Jake turned to Betty and asked her to go get Anna’s coat and purse. By the time she returned, Anna was standing next to Jake looking very pale and in pain.

  “What hurts?” Jake asked, holding her up.

  “My head and my ear,” Anna whispered. “It just came on all the sudden.” She was so dizzy, she could barely manage to keep her eyes open and being upright was a form of sheer torture.

  Jake had Betty help him put on Anna’s coat, handed Anna her purse, then scooped her up in his arms.

  “We’re going to the doctor right now.”

  Anna started to protest, but Jake ignored her, carefully setting her in his pickup and buckling her in. Anna seemed to be wilting by the minute. Jake was now wondering if he should have called an ambulance, but knew Anna would hate all the attention.

  “Hold on, baby, just for a few more minutes,” Jake pleaded, afraid she would pass out again.

  Breaking several traffic laws and speed limits, he pulled up at the hospital’s emergency room and carried her inside. Jake called Sue and let her know where they were. She rushed right over and after waiting for what seemed like hours, a doctor finally examined Anna. He gave her some medication to help with the pain and dizziness, scheduling her for a series of tests including an MRI.