by Marci Bolden
“Poor financial planning on your part is not the concern of your tenants. That’s on you to figure out.”
“Taylor,” Darby said as she stomped her foot.
“Welcome to the world of property management,” Taylor stated. “It’s not all fun and games and terrible decorating decisions.”
Darby’s mouth fell open with her typical dramatic flair, and she pressed a hand to her chest as if she’d taken an arrow to the heart. “Bad decorating?”
“Terrible,” Taylor stated. “I said terrible.”
“Ladies,” Jade said more forcefully, “what’s going on?”
“She’s no better than Eye Candy,” Darby accused, pointing a long fingernail toward Taylor.
Jade needed a moment to remember that Eye Candy was the man who had given Darby a long and inaccurate assessment of repairs.
Taylor clenched her jaw and pressed her hands to her hips. “Darby, you never should have bought that dump in the first place. But now that you have it, you have to make the necessary repairs. Even if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t have the money, Taylor. I can’t do all that.”
“Start small,” Taylor suggested.
“Thousands of dollars for a new roof isn’t small.”
Taylor said, “Well, take out a loan like everyone else.”
Darby pouted and let her shoulders sag. “I can’t. I tried. My credit is too bad.”
Taylor rolled her eyes and blew out her breath. “Then sell it before you get sued, Darby.”
“Who would be dumb enough to buy that dump?” Darby asked and then blinked. “Oh. Me. Shit.” After a few seconds, her pout switched to a kind of newfound determination. With a fierce shake of her head and a few muttered curse words, she grabbed the multipurpose lighter that was sitting next to an arrangement of candles on her counter. “That’s it. I’m done with that mess. I’m burning it down.”
“No, you’re not,” Taylor insisted.
“I have insurance. They’ll pay to rebuild it. That will solve all my problems.”
Jade blocked the door and held her hands up in a silent plea for Darby to be reasonable. “Not if you’re in jail for arson.”
Darby’s red lips trembled as she looked imploringly at Jade. “I can’t afford this.”
Before Taylor could once again offer the insight that Darby never should have invested in the property, Jade blurted out, “I’ll buy it. Sell it to me.”
“No,” Taylor practically yelled.
Darby’s eyes lit with excitement. Behind her, Taylor waved her hands frantically and shook her head.
Jade ignored her. “I’m going to be here all the time anyway. I’ll buy it. I’ll do the repairs.”
“Jade,” Taylor warned, “you have no idea what you’re getting into.”
Darby threw the lighter carelessly aside, took two big steps, and grabbed Jade’s hand. With a firm handshake, she smiled. “Deal.”
“Jade,” Taylor tried again.
“Sorry, Tay,” Darby said as she draped her arm around Jade’s shoulders. “It’s done. We shook on it. Jade’s buying the cabin as is. She can’t back out. We shook on it.”
“We shook on it,” Jade said with a laugh as Taylor rolled her head back and screamed out with frustration.
“You are both preposterous,” Taylor stated. “Do you know that?”
“We know,” Darby said. “That’s why we’re the fun ones and you’re you.”
Taylor shook her head. “You have no idea what you’re doing, Jade.”
“Yes, she does. She’s fixing it so we can be neighbors.” Darby squealed and bounced excitedly. “Forever.”
Jade laughed and returned Darby’s overzealous embrace. Taylor finally dropped her head down and eyed Jade with a blatant what-the-hell glare. Jade simply shrugged. This was her second chance. Life 2.0. Why not take a risk or two?
In fact, the idea of owning a cabin on the lake felt like the first right decision Jade had made in some time. Being in Chammont Point had been good for her. Getting out of her house and away from the reminders of the last year were turning out to be crucial breaks to keep her from spiraling into long bouts of self-pity. Owning the cabin was the next logical step in getting herself back on track with her life. Even if Taylor didn’t agree, Jade was convinced this was the best option for all of them.
“I’m breaking out the champagne,” Darby said. “Except for you, neighbor. You get cranberry juice.” Darby rushed into her kitchen, and Taylor stepped into Jade’s view.
“You cannot do this,” Taylor said quietly.
“Taylor,” Jade said calmly, “relax. I can afford to fix it up.”
“It needs to be bulldozed.”
Jade shrugged and said, “Well, I can afford to have it bulldozed and rebuilt.”
Taylor shook her head. “I can’t let you do this.”
“Stop worrying so much,” Jade said with a reassuring smile. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not. This is a really bad idea, Jade.”
Darby came out of the kitchen carrying three flutes. She hadn’t been kidding about the champagne. “Here we go.”
Taylor looked at the glasses but didn’t take one. “I’m not toasting to this. This isn’t a good thing.”
“For whom?” Darby asked.
Taylor gawked at Jade for a few more seconds. “You’re making a mistake, and I will not stand by and watch it happen,” she said and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Darby twisted her lips and spat out, “If she’s going to act like that, I don’t think she should be my spare Thelma anymore.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Jade said. “She’s just worried about how much work the cabin needs.”
“How much it needs for you. She doesn’t care about me.”
Jade accepted the glass of juice from Darby. “That’s not true.”
“Whatever.” Darby drank the contents of one flute in a single gulp before toasting Jade with the other and shrugging. “I’m used to being the third wheel.”
“You’re not the third wheel,” Jade insisted. “She’s looking at this from the standpoint of a contractor. Once she calms down, I’ll talk to her. It’ll be okay.”
The subtle dejection hanging over Darby wasn’t something Jade was used to, and she wasn’t quite sure how to bring back the woman’s usual spunk. “I’m going out on the lake with Liam tomorrow,” Jade said, testing to see if she’d get the excitement she was expecting.
Darby dropped down on her sofa and let out a dramatic sigh. “Wear sunscreen. And take extra water. It’s supposed to be hot.”
Jade sat on the coffee table and dipped her head to make eye contact with Darby. “Really? I’m going out on the lake with a man and your advice is to wear sunscreen and stay hydrated.”
Darby shrugged and stuck her bottom lip out farther. “I’m not in the mood to tease you right now. Taylor hurt my feelings.”
“Hey, things will work out with Taylor. She’s just frustrated.”
When Darby finally lifted her face to look at Jade, a sheen of unshed tears had filled her eyes. “This is why I don’t make friends. They get fed up with me and leave.”
“She’s not going anywhere. We’ve bonded, remember?”
“Friends always leave,” Darby said around her pout.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jade reassured her. She put her hand on Darby’s and squeezed tight. “In fact, I’m moving in next door, remember? You’re never getting rid of me.”
Slowly, Darby’s smile returned. “Yeah. That’s going to be great.”
“It is going to be great. We’re going to have so much fun.”
“Sleepovers and pillow fights in our jammies,” Darby said.
Jade tilted her head but decided now wasn’t the time to tell her that wasn’t exactly what Jade had in mind. “Yeah. Sure.”
Darby lifted her glass, sniffled, and blinked away her tears. “Congratulations, neighbor. Let me be the first to officially welcome you to Chammont
Point.”
Jade sat taller as a smile spread across her face. She clinked her glass to Darby’s and said, “Thank you. I’m thrilled to be here.”
Twelve
Jade shoved her floppy hat on with one hand and carried a small cooler in the other as she followed Liam toward Chammont Lake. “I am capable of carrying my own kayak,” she said.
“This is my job, Jade.” He walked across the street with ease as if the kayaks on his shoulders weighed nothing. “I’ve got this. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I wasn’t worried. I was pointing out that I’m not helpless.”
His tone was light with amusement when he responded. “That word would never cross my mind where you’re concerned.”
“Good,” she said.
“However,” he said as if he weren’t even straining from the load he carried, “stubborn crosses my mind often.”
Jade smirked. “Stubborn isn’t the criticism that people seem to think it is. Being stubborn is actually a virtue.”
“How so?”
They had just reached the water’s edge when a bubbly brunette smiled and practically cooed, “Hey, Liam,” as she pranced by.
Jade’s irritation immediately spiked. She rolled her shoulders back, set her jaw, and glared from behind her sunglasses. Venom raced to the tip of her tongue, but she caught it before enraged words could leave her mouth. For a moment, she was offended that this woman would dare to blatantly come on to Liam when he was clearly there with Jade. However, just as quickly, Jade reminded herself that, though they were standing together, they weren’t together.
She had no reason to feel betrayed by him for responding to the attention of another woman. In fact, her response had been ludicrous. However, the flash of irritation was a strong reminder why she needed to steer clear of anything more than friendship with him, no matter how many times he batted his eyes and flashed his sweet smile.
Liam was a born flirt. Jade was in the process of divorcing her adulterous husband. Talk about pouring gasoline on a raging fire.
The hair-trigger reaction was also a reminder that as much as Jade told herself to let Nick go peacefully, as much as she told herself she had to simply keep moving forward, there were still red-hot embers of fury lingering beneath the surface. They wouldn’t need much prodding to ignite something ugly inside her.
Jade wasn’t setting herself up to get hurt again so soon. Instead, she made a mental note to picture herself throwing gas cans into a bonfire every time Liam tried to flirt with her. That would be a strong reminder of how things would end between them.
Blowing out a slow, measured breath, Jade forced the unwarranted jealousy to leave her chest. As she did, she had a flash of Nick standing before her, looking half-ashamed and half-relieved that he’d told her he didn’t love her anymore. The knife in her gut twisted.
Liam eased the kayaks down into the water and turned to smile at her as if he had proven some great point.
“Nice job, Hercules,” she commented with more clip to her tone than intended.
His grin softened. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she said.
He brushed his hands together as he glanced beyond her, likely at the woman sashaying away. Jade moved around him to one of the kayaks, hoping he didn’t pick up on her ridiculous and unwarranted moment of jealousy.
“You were about to tell me how being stubborn is a virtue,” he said.
“Oh, right. Being stubborn means I’m not a pushover. I can make a decision that is right for me or the situation and stand by it. That comes in handy.”
He nodded. “I would agree with that.”
Jade focused much more than necessary on pulling her paddle from the bungee cord. She’d done this plenty of times now. The movement was almost second nature. But she wasn’t ready to look at Liam yet. She needed a few more minutes to clear her head. “Everyone thinks being stubborn means not willing to admit you’re wrong or you refusing to budge. Sure, some people use the trait that way. But for me, it’s the strength to put my needs above others when necessary.” As soon as she said that, a hint of doubt kicked her in the gut. Wasn’t that the reason Nick had left her? She had justified her willingness to put her career over her marriage because she was the breadwinner. Her job was the main source of income. She had to focus on her career—for her family. But maybe she was simply being stubborn. Self-centered. Single-minded.
Inhaling until her lungs couldn’t hold any more of the fresh lake air, Jade forced the lingering question away. She’d apologized to Nick for that. While she’d been lying in a hospital bed recovering from surgery, she had sworn to him she would do better. She wasn’t going to allow herself to spiral back into the cycle of beating herself up. Everyone made mistakes. Everyone had things in the past they’d like to change. She’d apologized to Nick and to her kids. Now she had to forgive herself and let that go.
Which, she was finding, was easier said than done.
Liam cocked his head ever so slightly. “Having a little internal debate with yourself there?”
“Don’t try to read me,” she warned.
“Because you’re so complex?”
“I’m not complex. My life is right now.” She pulled her sunglasses off and held his gaze. “This isn’t going anywhere. You know that, right?”
“By anywhere you mean…”
“I’m not having sex with you, Liam. If that’s what you’re after.”
Liam’s chuckle was slow to rise, but when it did, his shoulders shook.
The heat of embarrassment started to creep up Jade’s neck. His reaction made her wonder if she’d been thinking the wrong thing. Maybe Liam hadn’t been flirting with her. Maybe he was just…obnoxious by nature. She didn’t doubt herself often, but she’d done so twice in a matter of minutes and both times were because of him. Her dislike for him was beginning to grow again.
“I really admire how straightforward you are,” he said. “You don’t find that much these days.”
The warmth settled on her cheeks. “There’s no point in dancing around the truth. It comes out eventually, and lying only hurts people. Trust me. I know firsthand.”
“I didn’t bring you out here to seduce you. I just wanted to spend some time with you.”
“Why?”
“I like you, Jade. I like how real you are. I don’t know your story, not all of it anyway, but I want to.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”
Liam shrugged as he looked out at the lake. “Why not? Why do I need a reason to want to be your friend?”
“You don’t. As long as you understand that I’m not looking for more than that.”
“Understood.” He took the cooler from her and set it on his kayak.
Jade put her sunglasses back on as awkward silence hovered between them. Part of her was sorry she’d rained on their trip, but she’d said what she needed him to know. She’d set the boundaries of their relationship and planted brightly colored flags so he didn’t overstep.
Now that she was practiced at the art of getting into the raft, she was situated before he finished securing her cooler to his kayak. Within minutes, they were paddling toward the west side of the lake.
Several minutes into their trip, Liam asked, “How are you doing, Jade?”
“I’m keeping up.”
“No. I mean, how are you doing with all the changes life is tossing at you?”
She considered his question. “I’ve accepted his choices, and I’m moving on the best I can.”
He rested the paddle across his lap and focused on her. “That sounds absolutely clinical. How are you doing?”
She rested as well. “That varies day by day. Moment by moment, really. Taylor and Darby have been an unexpected blessing.”
“Darby’s something,” he said with a smile.
Jade eyed him, waiting to see the meaning behind his words.
“When I first came to Chammont Point, she was into the eighties. Big hair and sh
oulder pads for days. I’m not sure what she’s running from, but it must be something.”
Jade shrugged. “We’re all running from something, aren’t we?”
The shadow of sadness in his eyes confirmed he was too. “That’s life.” With that, he started paddling again.
“I’m buying her rental cabin down in the cove,” Jade said as she caught up to him. “The one where I’ve been staying. I plan on being in town a lot more. Renting doesn’t make sense. I’ve been trying to decide if I want to buy a kayak or a paddleboard. I might do both. That way when the boys come with me, they each have something to take out on the water.”
He glanced at her, and she suspected she still hadn’t answered the heart of his question, but that was intentional. That was part of the boundary she’d set with him. Until she got her feet firmly on the ground, she intended to be careful around this man. Any man, actually.
“Sounds like you’re keeping your chin up,” Liam said.
“Well, the alternative is to crumble. I’m not willing to do that.” She paddled harder so she was at his side instead of slightly behind him. “I fought hard to have this second chance at life. I’m not going to let my husband’s bad choices ruin it for me. Besides,” she said, looking out at a few birds diving toward the lake, “I don’t want someone to stay with me out of some sense of obligation or because he pities me. It’s better he moves on. As much as I hate him right now, I know once I’m able to finish processing my anger, I’ll get to a place where I want us both to be happy.”
“That’s noble of you.”
She grinned. “It’s not noble. It’s…realistic. Don’t think for a minute I’ll ever forgive him. I won’t. His deception wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. He lied and deceived me, deliberately, for a very long time. I’m simply not willing to let my anger rule my life.”
“That’s a really good plan, but is it as realistic as you insist? How long were you together?”
“Over twenty years.”
“That’s a long time, Jade. The hurt he caused is going to linger longer than you think.”
Digging her paddle into the water, she propelled herself forward faster in a purely symbolic motion. “I can’t let it. I refuse to let it. I won’t spend my life being bitter. What about you, Liam? What’s your story?”