by Rachel Hanna
They walked across the street to the beginning of the pier. It was a beautiful day, clear blue skies and a nice breeze. It wasn't so cold that it was uncomfortable, which was one of the perks of living near the beach.
“So, tell me what's going on this morning that has you so frazzled,” Tessa said, getting right down to business.
“Where do I begin? I’m sure my brothers told you that I'm not someone who settles down easily with women.” He cut his eyes over at her, but she had a pretty good poker face it seemed.
“I've heard some stories. But I think that's just a protection mechanism.” There she goes, reading my mind again, he thought.
“Protection mechanism?” He acted as if he had no idea what she was talking about, but in reality she nailed it. Bull's-eye.
“Yeah. You were the leader of your family for your whole life. You were in charge as the man of the family after your father passed away. All of that responsibility so young probably made you want to run off as soon as you could to start your life. But it also made you wary of getting too close to someone who might leave you.”
“Ah, sounds like we might have a new psychologist in the family,” he said trying to hide his nervousness.
“Come on, Jackson. Be serious. I know it must've been hard to have so much responsibility as a young kid. And then on top of that, you go off to find yourself and create a career, but you can't connect with a woman. You're afraid of being alone, but at the same time you're afraid of falling in love and risking your heart.”
Jackson looked over at her, and he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. He knew Tessa's story. Abused by her husband, ran away to save herself and her son. When Aaron had gotten involved with her just a few short weeks ago, he'd worried about his brother getting involved with someone who had so much baggage. And when her abusive husband was killed right there in Aaron's RV park, he wasn't sure if the two of them would stay together. But she loved his brother, and she'd been through worse than anything Jackson could've imagined.
“You're probably right, but it's hard to change at my age.”
“It's hard to change at any age, Jackson. The question is, how much do you want it? How much do you want to be in love and have a stable woman beside you? And how much are you willing to risk?” All were good questions, but he didn't have any answers.
“Things to think about, I guess,” he said shooting a look at her.
“So tell me what's going on today. Did you ask her on a date or something?”
“Sort of. I guess…”
“Well, I hope you’re more sure of yourself when you’re talking to Rebecca,” she said with a laugh as she bumped his shoulder with her own.
“Me too. I invited her and her son over to this little island that I know about tomorrow morning. Thought we might have a picnic.”
“Her son? Do you think you can handle that?”
“I helped raise four siblings, so I can handle a punk fourteen-year-old kid.”
“My first piece of advice would be not to talk about her son like that. You might slip up, and a mother doesn't want to hear you refer to her son as a punk.”
“Good advice. I should stop saying that. The kid has obviously been through a lot, losing his father the way he did.”
“I imagine he's been through more than we can even fathom. You have a lot in common with him, losing your dads at a young age.”
“We do, but at least I got to know my father during my early years of life. Leo doesn't remember his father, and I think he's angry. And I bet he doesn't even know why he's angry. He's missing something he doesn't even understand, and it's becoming more important during these formative years. He has no man to show him how to be a man.”
“Sounds to me like you want to be there for this kid and his mother.”
“I don't know what I want. I just have to take it day by day. I mean, I don't even live in January Cove. My life and my business are in Atlanta, so I probably shouldn't be pursuing this at all right now.”
“The thing is, you can't always do what your head is telling you. Sometimes, you have to let your heart be in control.” He knew she was speaking from experience.
They reached the end of the pier and sat down, their legs dangling over the ocean. Jackson always found peace at the ocean. Something about those waves coming in and out, always bringing something new to the shore every moment of every day. It reminded him that life can change on a dime, in good ways and bad ways.
“I know you're right.”
“So why did you invite Rebecca and her son on a day trip?”
“I guess I just felt sorry for her. I know she's struggling trying to get him in line, and I remember what that was like to lose my father. I really want to help both of them, but I feel a little bit powerless to tell you the truth. I mean, I've got an entire life back in Atlanta that I need to go home and tend to, but something is keeping me here. And this time it's not my own family.”
Tessa looked over at him and smiled. “Jackson, I think you're kidding yourself. You don't want to stay here because you feel sorry for her. You want to stay here because you feel sorry for you.”
He looked at her for a moment, unsure of what she meant. “Excuse me?”
“Please, don't take offense to what I just said. But I think the real reason that you invited Rebecca and her son on a day trip, and the real reason you're not going back to Atlanta immediately, is because you know that you've been missing out on love. You've spent your whole life taking care of other people, so I fail to believe that this is just another charity case you're taking on. From what your brothers have told me, you are a pretty ruthless businessman back in Atlanta. You could easily be back there right now, but you're not. I think you're sticking around because you see something in Rebecca. You see some kind of potential, and your brain and your heart are having a disagreement. Now you just have to decide which one is going to win the argument.”
“And how does that indicate that I feel sorry for myself?”
“Because you finally know that there might be someone out there for you, and you’re feeling conflicted and almost victimized by your circumstances. A job and a life in Atlanta are circumstances of your own making, Jackson. You set that life up, and you have the power to change your life. One decision can do that. For me, the decision to head South changed my life when I ran out of gas in January Cove. For you, the decision to go on a picnic might just change your life if you let it.”
With that, Tessa stood up and brushed down the sides of her long skirt. Jackson looked up at her, shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I've got some shopping to do, and then I'm meeting your brother for lunch. Plus, I think you need a little time alone to figure out what you're going to do next. I hope you make the right decision.” She reached down and squeezed his shoulder before turning and walking back up the pier. He watched her for a moment, and listened to the clicking of her boots as she walked out of sight. In that moment, he was able to clearly see what his brother, Aaron, saw in her. She was sassy, honest to a fault and beautiful to boot. And he hoped that someday he would find a woman who would challenge him in that same way. And then it occurred to him that maybe he already had.
Rebecca was nervous, more nervous than she’d been in quite some time. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't broken the news to her son yet that they were going on this day trip with Jackson Parker. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't been around many men like him in a long time. This felt an awful lot like a date even though her son would be there, and she didn't know what to make of that.
Leo would be home any minute now, and she wasn't sure how to broach the subject of the day trip. He'd gone out skateboarding with a friend of his from school, and she had to admit that she welcomed peace and quiet for a few hours. She loved her son, but being fourteen and fatherless seemed to have done things to his personality that she was incapable of undoing.
As she took her
last sip of coffee, she heard him keying the lock to the door of their small apartment above the coffee shop. She had closed down early, mainly due to lack of traffic and her inability to concentrate after Jackson's visit. If she'd had any customers, she would've stayed open just because they needed the money. But it was a virtual ghost town in January Cove anyway, and staying open was just useless.
“Hey, honey. Did you have a good time?” she asked as he walked in and slid into one of the chairs beside the sofa. She hated how his hair hung in his eyes now, but that was the popular look apparently. Seemed like every boy she saw in his age range had hair longer than she did when she was a kid.
“Yeah. We went down by that old abandoned shopping center at the edge of town.”
“What? I didn't give you permission to go all the way to the edge of town. You said you were going to the school parking lot.”
“We changed our minds. There were too many cars still in the parking lot. I guess some of the teachers left their cars there over the holiday weekend.” He flipped the hair out of his eyes and started texting on his phone. Sometimes, she really hated the advancements in technology. It seemed like electronics were putting a wedge between her and her son.
“Next time, at least give me a call to let me know where you are.”
“Fine.” He sighed and reached across the table to take a handful of candy corn that was still left in a dish from Halloween.
“Listen, don't make any plans for tomorrow. We're going on a day trip.” She steeled herself for what was to come because Leo liked to argue about everything anyway. As soon as he found out they were going with Jackson, she was sure that he was going to blow a gasket.
“A day trip? To where?”
“To a little island that we can get to by boat. We're going to have a picnic and maybe throw the football around.” She tried not to make eye contact as she wiped down one of the kitchen counters.
“You're going to throw the football around with me?” He laughed, and for just a moment she wished she had a ball to hurl at his head. But then she remembered that she couldn’t throw a football to save her life and would likely just end up breaking her favorite vase.
“No,” she said as she continued straightening up the kitchen without looking at him, “Jackson Parker is taking us.” A deafening silence fell over the room. She didn't turn around, but instead waited for him to say something. But he didn't. It was just quiet. “Did you hear me?” she asked as she turned around and looked at him. He had put his phone on the table and was crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair glaring at her.
“Yeah, I heard you all right. And if you think I'm going with that jerk to an island, you've lost your mind.” He started to stand up, but she walked in his path. He was taller than her now, and sometimes it made her concerned that if his anger ever got the best of him they might end up in a physical confrontation. She'd never known him to be that way, but as a single mother of a hormonal teenage boy, she didn't know what to expect. He didn't know his own strength, and it was times like these that she missed having a male figure in the household.
“Now, you just wait a minute, Leo. You would do well to remember that I am your mother. I am the parent here. You don't get to make decisions for yourself until you're eighteen years old and out of my house. So if I say we're going on a day trip with a friend of mine, that's exactly what we're doing.” He stared down at her as if he was shocked by her tone before she stepped out of the way and walked back into the kitchen without a word. She was hoping a little tough love might shock his system. A few moments later, she heard him shut his bedroom door quietly. She had no idea what that meant, but at least it didn't produce a huge argument. She could only hope that he would behave himself when Jackson showed up the next morning to take them on the boat. And she could only hope that she knew how to behave around Jackson herself.
Chapter 9
Early morning at the beach had always been one of Jackson's favorite times of the day. But today he just found himself a bundle of nerves. As he rounded the corner in his car to pull up in front of Jolt, he could swear that his hands were sweating for the first time in his adult life. He did multi-million dollar real estate deals, yet a certain red head was making him sweat?
Why did Rebecca make him so incredibly nervous? Or maybe it was that he knew that her son was going to give him problems as soon as he walked in the door. Or maybe a miracle had happened and the boy would be excited to go. Yeah, right.
He parked his car in front of the coffee shop in one of the few spaces on the square of January Cove. Looking around his car one more time to make sure that it was tidy enough for guests, he locked the door with the remote and approached the glass door to the coffee shop. As he walked inside, his brother, Kyle, greeted him with a big grin from behind the counter.
“Welcome to Jolt,” he said with a beaming smile. Jackson just shook his head and laughed at his brother.
“I guess if that whole real estate investment business doesn't work out, you can always pour coffee for a living.”
“You laugh, but I've poured several cups this morning without spilling a drop.”
“So, where's Rebecca?”
“She's upstairs finishing up her makeup, from what I understand. I haven't seen Leo this morning, but I assume he's going with you?”
“I hope so. I guess she talked to him about it last night, but I don't know what his reaction was.”
Just then, Jackson could hear someone walking down the steps from their apartment. He saw her legs before he saw her. She was wearing a long beige colored flowing skirt and a pair of cowboy boots. And she looked good. Very good, in fact. He thought for a moment how the women back in the big-city didn't look like Rebecca Evans. They looked over-made, but she had a kind of rare, natural beauty that he'd never seen before.
“Good morning,” she said, and he was pretty sure she was blushing already. Redheads tended to do that.
“Good morning,” Jackson said hoping he wasn't blushing too. “Where's Leo?”
Before she could answer, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “Relax. I'm coming. I've been informed that I can't make decisions until I'm eighteen.” Jackson wanted to laugh at that remark when he saw Rebecca trying to keep from smiling herself. Apparently she had laid down the law with her son before he had the chance to.
“Well, good. I'm glad you're joining us, Leo. I brought the football…”
“Look, dude, I'm not ten years old. I don't need you to throw the football with me or teach me how to fish or show me how to be a man. If you're thinking I'm some kind of charity case that you need to fix, don't bother.”
“Leo!” Rebecca said pointing her finger at him.
“No, it's okay Rebecca. I understand where he's coming from. I lost my dad young, and I would've reacted the same to any man who came around me then too. But, Leo, I was only bringing the football because your mom said you might want to try out for the team at the high school next year. I thought maybe we could throw it a bit and see if you have any skills.” Again, Rebecca tried not to giggle.
“Who made you the football king?” Leo said crossing his arms and jutting his chin out like he was challenging Jackson.
“No one, I guess. It's just I was an All-Star all four years in high school, and I know the coaches personally. In fact, I played with all of them in high school.” With that, Jackson waved at Rebecca and started toward the door.
“Well maybe we can throw it around a little bit,” Leo said moving a little more quickly than Jackson would have imagined. Maybe he had a chance with this boy after all.
Rebecca had to admit that she was impressed with the way Jackson had nonchalantly handled her son. She had never seen Leo change his tune so quickly, but she was happy to see that Jackson wasn't scared to stand up to him. If she was honest with herself, it was kind of nice to have a strong man standing behind her for once, even if it was just for the day.
She had no illusions that this was anything but a nice guy
trying to help a woman who was obviously in distress with her son. But she needed some time away from the coffee shop, and she needed some new people to support her in January Cove. Now that her secret was out, there was really no need to keep hiding out in her tiny apartment over Jolt.
“After you,” Jackson said, opening the passenger door for her.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile as she tucked her long skirt under her and slid into the seat. Leo opened the back door and flopped down in the seat just behind hers.
Once Jackson was behind the wheel, he shot her a glance and a smile. Her stomach knotted up in a way it hadn't since she'd met her husband all those years ago. Even when she was dating for that brief moment in time a few years back, she hadn't had those feelings. But there was something about this Jackson Parker guy.
“So, have you been on the ferry yet?” he asked as he pulled onto the main road.
“No. I didn't even know there was a ferry until you mentioned it,” she said with a laugh. She hadn't spent a lot of time sight seeing since moving to January Cove. Her focus had been only on her business and her son, both of which took up plenty of her time.
“Well, you're going to love the island. It doesn't even officially have a name, but the boat captain knows me from high school so he takes the occasional side trip and drops me off there.”
“I guess it pays to have connections,” she said raising her eyebrows. “You take a lot of dates over there?” Oh, goodness, why would she ask a thing like that?
“No. I live in Atlanta. Remember?” he said cocking his eyebrow up at her.
“Oh. Right.”
“Seriously, though, I've only gone to the island with family and a couple of buddies from high school back in the old days. It's a special place to me.”
“Well, we can't wait to see it. Right, Leo?” she said turning slightly. Leo was slouched in his seat, looking out the window as the small town passed before his eyes. He didn't respond or look at her, but she didn't want to start an argument so she left it alone.