Burned

by Hope, Amity

  “Your dad seriously went to all that trouble just to keep you from Jake?” If so, the man was scum.

  “I don’t know that for a fact,” she admitted. “But it sure feels like it.”

  I had to admit the timing was suspicious but I didn’t know his family so I couldn’t really make that judgment call.

  “Lanna,” she said quietly, “will you do me a favor? Two favors, actually.”

  “I’ll try. What are they?”

  “First, don’t tell him that Dad took us out of town. It’ll only make him feel worse,” she said.

  “I won’t say a word. What’s the other favor?”

  “Make sure he has a nice birthday.”

  I smiled. “I’ll do what I can.”

  “I think he’ll be happy just to spend time with you,” Maggie said. “He seems happier lately.”

  I leaned a hip against the countertop, grateful for this little bit of insight into Jake. “Do you think so?”

  “Definitely. We were never a really close family, but the way Dad has shut Jake out has gotten completely out of hand,” she said.

  I cringed as I debated pushing for more info. I decided to go for it. I wasn’t sure when I’d have the opportunity again. And Maggie didn’t have to answer if she didn’t want to. “What about your mom? What’s she like?”

  She made a sound of disgust. “Don’t get me wrong, I love her, but sometimes I wonder why she even had kids. I think it was probably because everyone expected her to. And one thing I know about her is that she is all about appearances.”

  “So how does it make her look good to kick Jake out of her life?” I was baffled.

  “That’s not about looking good. That’s about keeping Dad happy,” she said bitterly. “Mom will do anything to keep him happy if it means access to his bank account. The way they’ve twisted the story about Jake, most people think he was drinking when he crashed, or out partying, or whatever. They admire my parents for taking a firm stance with him.”

  “That’s…messed up.”

  “Yes,” she said, “it is. It’s messed up that Mom’s social status is worth more to her than her son’s reputation.”

  “What about,” I cleared my throat, “what about his dad?”

  “I thought we already clarified Dad can be an ass.” She was quiet for a moment. “Oh. You mean his bio dad. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around that.”

  “Right. Him,” I confirmed. “Do you know anything about him?”

  “Not much. He came in, donated blood, and I never even saw him. As far as I know, Jake’s never heard from him again. Mom absolutely refuses to talk about him. Despite everything that happened, she acts like he doesn’t exist.”

  “But do you think that’s the way he wants things?”

  Maggie was quiet a moment before asking, “What do you mean?”

  “Maybe he wants to be part of Jake’s life but just doesn’t know how.”

  “I don’t know,” she said doubtfully. “He knows where to find my brother. He’s never made any effort.”

  “Can you blame him, though?” I asked as I thought it over. “I doubt your mom and Frederic were very welcoming at the hospital. Maybe he’s just trying to be respectful. You know? Maybe he just doesn’t dare interfere. Maybe he’s waiting for Jake to come to him!” The thought just occurred to me and I was excited by the prospect.

  “Jake won’t do that,” she said decidedly.

  “I know,” I agreed. “But maybe they’re both stubborn. Maybe they both need a push in the right direction.”

  “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, you should probably stop,” she warned.

  “Maggie! What could it hurt? You know how lost Jake has been without his family. What if this is a way to fix that? What if it’s a way to make him feel like he belongs? What if he and his dad could actually have a father-son relationship?”

  I was met with silence.

  “You think it’s a horrible idea,” I finally said.

  “I don’t know,” she whined. “What if Jake’s furious? Or what if…what if he decides he likes his new family more than he likes his old family. That probably wouldn’t take much under the circumstances.”

  “Family? Does his dad have other kids?” My mind was whirling. Until this moment I hadn’t put a lot of thought into this. But it would make sense for his dad to have a wife. Other children…an entire family.

  “Jake has two more half-sisters,” she admitted. “I’m not sure of their ages. I just know they’re pretty young. Maybe in elementary school? I overheard Mom telling Jake about them when he was still in the hospital. She said that Bobby—”

  “Bobby? Is that…?”

  “Yes,” she said unhappily. “Bobby Ziegler, Jake’s father. Anyway, he had to get back to his family, his little girls. She said that he was too busy to stick around the hospital.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and mentally questioned the validity of Mrs. Cartwright’s comments. I didn’t trust a woman who willfully neglected her son.

  “Jake was curious about him at first, but when he never came back to check on him, he decided that if Bobby didn’t give a damn, he didn’t either. He made it clear that he was more interested in the family he has—his girls—than the son he never knew. Otherwise, why didn’t he ever contact Jake?” Maggie wondered. She groaned. “I just spotted my mother. She’s headed this way. I better go before she figures out what I’m up to.”

  “She would really be mad that you were trying to plan something nice for Jake’s birthday?” I could hardly fathom that.

  “Probably not,” Maggie said. “But with her, it’s hard to tell what she’s thinking. Also, she tends to blab to my dad. Thanks again. We’ll talk later?”

  She disconnected before I could answer.

  I glanced at the clock on the stove. I had a few hours to throw together a birthday for Jake before he was done with school and work for the day. I grabbed a notepad out of the junk drawer and quickly jotted down a shopping list.

  “What are you doing?” Holly asked as she came into the kitchen.

  “Did you know it’s Jake’s birthday?” I asked as I looked up from my list.

  “No. Max didn’t mention it. He probably doesn’t know. Or if he ever did know, he probably forgot.”

  “Right. I don’t think guys remember things like that when it comes to their friends.” I quickly filled her in on my phone call with Maggie.

  Holly scowled. “Max has mentioned Frederic a few times. The guy is a control freak.”

  “Maggie asked me to make sure Jake has a good day. I have a little bit of time before he’s done with school and work. I think I’ll make him dinner…surprise him.” I tucked the list into my back pocket. “I wish I had a key to his apartment. It would be fun to surprise him there.” I shrugged. “I guess he’ll be surprised enough when I show up at his door.”

  “Have him over here!” Holly said. “Max and I are going to be gone.”

  “Oh, yeah? What are you two up to?”

  “Villette and Charles invited us out to dinner.”

  “Any special reason?”

  “Not that I know of. But you should have Jake over. We’ll either go over to Villette and Charles’s house after dinner or maybe take a ride up the coast. Either way, that will give you some time alone with Jake.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I said. “I don’t want to kick you out of your own house.”

  Holly made a dismissive motion with her hand. “It’s not a big deal. Just tell Jake happy birthday from us, okay?”

  “Will do,” I said. “And now I had better run to the grocery store or I’ll never have everything ready on time.”

  ~*~*~

  I raced around the beach house, lighting the abundance of candles I had purchased. Max and Holly had just left. The manicotti—my one fail proof meal—was almost done. A quickly tossed salad was ready to go. A loaf of French bread rested on the counter and another chocolate torte awaited us
in the refrigerator.

  The original plan was for Jake to pick me up. From there, we were going to decide what to do.

  I was taking one final glance in the mirror when I heard a knock on the door. My skirt swished around me as I hurried down the hallway to let him in. I pulled the door open. He eyed me appreciatively. Before he could say a word, I placed my hands on his cheeks, guiding him to me so I could give him a quick kiss.

  My hands slid down his arms, taking each of his hands in my own. I walked us backward, into the kitchen.

  “What…What is this?” he stammered.

  I smiled. If not for the small bouquet of birthday balloons, it would look like nothing more than your average romantic evening.

  “This,” I said, “is a special birthday dinner.”

  “How—”

  “A little birdie told me,” I said wryly. “Since you apparently had no intention of filling me in.”

  “A birdie.”

  “By the name of Maggie.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “That little twerp.”

  “I think she’s sweet. She wanted to make sure you had a nice day. So,” I said, “how was your day?”

  “Just like any other…until about four minutes ago,” he said with a grin. He shook his head. “You really didn’t need to go to all this trouble.”

  “It was no trouble,” I assured him. “We need to eat. I just happened to light a few candles.”

  “And buy some balloons,” he said as he leaned in to press another kiss to my lips.

  “That too,” I agreed. I leaned away from him. “I didn’t get you a gift, though. I kind of ran out of time. Not to mention I was totally drawing a blank when it came to ideas.” I lightly smacked his shoulder. “But it’s all your fault for not telling me it was your birthday in the first place.”

  “This,” he nodded toward the candles, “is more than enough. In fact, this is perfect.” He pressed a few kisses to my neck before letting his lips drift up to my ear. “To be honest, this might be my best birthday yet.”

  “Oh really?”

  “I had a lifetime of extravagant, over the top gifts,” Jake admitted. “And none of them meant as much to me as this does. You have no idea how much I appreciate you taking the time to do this. It means a lot to me.”

  “Max and Holly are gone for the evening. They went out to dinner and won’t be back until late,” I explained. “We have the house to ourselves. Again.”

  “Just like old times,” he joked.

  “Just like,” I agreed. “Dinner isn’t quite ready yet.” Still holding his hand, I led him into the living room. The room flickered with candlelight.

  Jake chuckled under his breath. “This is…this is awesome. I can’t believe you went to so much trouble.”

  “Were you going to tell me at all?”

  He gave me a sheepish look. “No. I just wanted to spend the evening with you.”

  I bit my lip, trying to contain my smile. It meant a lot to me that Jake wanted to spend his birthday with me.

  “Well then, lucky for you that’s exactly what I have planned.” I placed my hand against his chest and pressed him backwards. The back of his knees hit the couch and he dropped down onto it. His hands flew up, gripping my waist, taking me with him. With my knees on each side of him, I sat facing him. His hands slid to my thighs, skimming across my bare skin as they slipped under the edge of my skirt.

  With a teasing glint in my eyes, I leaned forward and gave the birthday boy the kind of kiss he wasn’t likely to soon forget.

  Chapter 19

  “Guess what!” Holly flew into my room the next morning. I wasn’t sure where she and Max had gone, but Jake was long gone and I was asleep by the time she and Max had come home. She was definitely wide awake and full of energy considering how late they’d gotten back.

  I cracked an eye open.

  The way she was bouncing up and down on her tippy toes, nearly twitching in excitement, made me sit up abruptly.

  “What?” I asked as I tried to blink the sleep out of my eyes. “What’s going on?” She let out a little squeal and then wiggled her fingers in front of my face. The fingers of her left hand. Maybe one finger in particular. I nearly had to shield my eyes from the sparkle. The morning sun sliced through the crack in my blinds, catching the diamond just right.

  I let out my own little shriek as I tossed the covers off. I nearly tripped over them as I stumbled out of bed.

  “Congratulations!” I cried as I tossed my arms around my friend. She was still bouncing. I couldn’t stop myself; I bounced a few times too.

  I’d seen the ring before. It was a family heirloom, belonging to Max’s great-grandma. Holly had known this day was coming but it was still fantastically exciting now that it was finally here.

  “When? Where? How?! I want details! Lots and lots of details!” I demanded. “This is why you two were out so late last night?”

  I cocked my head to the side, my sleepy mind now fully alert. “I thought you were going out to dinner with his grandparents?”

  She sighed and a dreamy look settled onto her face. “That was just a cover story. He took me to this restaurant up the coast. We ordered our dinner and then he asked if I wanted to take a quick walk while we waited for the food to arrive.” She sighed at the memory. “I thought that was kind of strange—taking a walk, I mean—but we were seated outside. We could see our table from the beach.”

  “Awww,” I said, letting my own dreamy sigh escape, “he proposed on the beach?”

  She nodded. “We walked down a ways, so we had a bit of privacy, then the next thing I knew, he was down on one knee.”

  My smile was so wide my cheeks hurt. A little squeal of excitement zipped out of my mouth.

  “He had even asked my dad for permission. How sweet is that?!”

  “Very,” I agreed. And so Max, a true gentleman through and through. “As if your dad would say no. He and your mom love Max.”

  Her head bobbed up and down. “I know. Now they do. But he just wanted to be sure that they were okay with it.”

  “Were you surprised?”

  “Totally!” she squealed. “I mean, yeah, I knew this day was coming. And,” she bit her lip a moment, scrunched up her face before hesitantly admitting, “I thought he was going to propose back in Chamberlain. I was surprised and maybe a little disappointed when he didn’t.”

  “But this made up for it.”

  “I was not expecting a proposal on a Thursday night! Which is exactly why he planned it that way. I was so excited I could barely even eat! I wish he would’ve proposed before I’d ordered a lobster tail,” she said with a laugh. “After we left the restaurant we just drove along the coast. We stopped at one of the beaches and just talked for hours.”

  So that’s why they’d gotten home so late.

  “About…?” I pressed with a knowing grin.

  “Everything. The past. The future. How great the present is.”

  It was awesome to see my friend so happy. After spending years dating, and then engaged, to a total jackass, she completely deserved this. So did Max. He’d been in love with Holly forever. Even though I knew he’d be showing it differently, I knew he had to be every bit as excited as Holly was.

  “Have you two lovebirds set a date?”

  She shook her head. “We’ve tossed a few around. We don’t have anything definite yet. But when we do decide, you’ll be the very first to know.” Her smile faded and she became a little more serious. “I want you to be my maid of honor, of course. If you don’t mind filling that role. Again.”

  “Of course! And I didn’t exactly take that role last time, since the wedding never actually took place,” I reminded her.

  “True. Do you think Dani and Felicia will mind flying out here? I hope they’ll be my bridesmaids. Again. And I think I’ll ask Paige. And Clarissa?” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for my opinion.

  I knew she and Clarissa had a bit of a shaky start to their friendship, all
due to a misunderstanding, but they were on great terms now.

  “You should definitely ask Paige and Clarissa,” I said. “Max would love that.”

  He was friends with the girls dating way back. He’d been the one to introduce them to Holly.

  “That’s what I was thinking too. It would show Max that I’m really embracing our new life here.” She wrapped her arms around herself, as if that would help to contain some of her excitement. Her eyes still sparkled and she gave off a vibe of excitement that was almost palpable.

  “Will the wedding be here?”

  She nodded. “At the vineyard, of course. It was nice visiting Chamberlain, but I really don’t feel like that’s my home anymore. It would mean a lot to Max’s grandparents to have the wedding at the vineyard.”

  “And to Max too. He seems to live and breathe for that place. And for you,” I quickly added.

  “I know.” She tugged a hand through her hair. “Oh, there’s going to be so much planning to do!”

  I gave her shoulder a gentle nudge to ground her. “You’ve been helping with wedding planning for months now. You’re practically a pro at it!”

  It was true. While Max’s main focus was the winery itself, Holly had a knack for helping to plan the abundant amount of weddings that took place there. She’d found her own niche in the family business.

  We moved into the kitchen where she made us both a cup of cappuccino. We tossed around ideas about color palettes, menu options, and the best season for optimal weather. The wedding was, of course, going to be outdoors.

  She wanted it to be perfect—as every bride does—but also as different from her almost- wedding to Collin as we could possibly plan it.

  “We’ll come up with something fabulous,” I assured her. “Since you don’t even have a date set, we’ll have plenty of time. Besides, Collin’s mom was so stodgy, she wanted everything so formal, I’m sure we’ll have no problem giving this wedding a different feel.”