A Romance Rekindled (Heartsong Presents)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  “No.” She jutted her chin out. “I think my illustrations are perfect.”

  “I agree, and they’re your best work ever, but our contract calls for black-and-white drawings and keeping in the same style.”

  The light in her eyes dimmed. “No, Blake. This is the way to go. Turn it in, and make it clear we want them kept exactly the way we submitted.” She pointed to her chest. “I feel so much color here. Leavenworth is such a happy place it begs to be drawn like this. Besides, it’s a Christmas story—it needs to be in color. Talk to Jim. He’ll agree, I just know it.”

  “All right. I’ll try.” He blew out a long breath. Their editor was a fair man and passionate about the series, but would he agree to this? It cost a lot more to publish color pictures than black and white, plus they’d been clear on keeping the drawings simple and childlike. He grabbed his cell and found the man’s number. Here goes nothing. Jim answered on the second ring and listened without interrupting Blake’s pitch.

  Blake spotted Katie standing in her doorway clutching her sketchbook and laid it on extra thick, using Katie’s reasoning about Pepper’s latest adventure being a Christmas story and how the colored illustrations would increase sales.

  “Send me the drawings, and I’ll get back to you.”

  “Thanks, Jim. I’ll scan them right now.” He disconnected the call.

  “Woo-hoo!” Katie sprinted to him. “You did it!”

  “Not yet. He wants to see them. That doesn’t mean he’ll say yes.”

  “He’ll say yes. I just know it.” Katie handed him her sketches, right as the doorbell chimed.

  * * *

  Susan stepped back from Blake’s front door holding her breath. What if he wasn’t happy she was there?

  The door opened slowly, and Katie grinned. “Hi, Susan. Come in.” She skipped away.

  Susan took a hesitant step and then another until she crossed the threshold. This was a mistake, but she’d promised Katie she’d stop by. Just inside the doorway, she spotted Blake standing in the middle of the room. His hair was messy, like he’d been raking his hands through it. “Hi, Blake.”

  “Hi, yourself. You finally decided to stop in.”

  She couldn’t quite figure out if he was happy or not about her being there. He almost appeared sad, but why? Had something happened? She took a step toward him, drawn in by his melancholy. Maybe she could help. But before she had time to probe, Katie skipped into the main room.

  “I made this for you. It’s a thank-you for the plaque, which I love. It’s perfect!”

  Susan took the card and drawing of a river. “This is very good, Katie. Keep it up. You might have a future in drawing.”

  Katie looked at her like she had two heads.

  Susan smiled. “I was teasing.”

  “Oh.” She giggled. “Would you like to see my room?”

  “Love to.” Susan cast a furtive glance at Blake as she breezed past him. What was the man thinking? She couldn’t read him to save her life.

  “Ta-da!” Katie entered her room and swept her arms out. “Isn’t it great? This is so much better than my bedroom in our house in Maine.” She made a face. “That is such a baby room.”

  “Well, this is definitely not a baby room. It’s quite grown-up.” Susan spotted the name plaque. “I like where you hung it.” She pointed to the wall above the bed.

  “Thanks.” Katie lowered her voice. “Would you like to see my drawings for our next book?”

  “I’d love to.” What a treat. Susan never dreamed that Katie would be such a sweetie.

  “They’re in order, so be careful.”

  Susan felt her eyes widen. The complexity, yet childishness, of the drawings were the perfect dichotomy. “You are a talented artist.”

  “My mom was, too. Did you ever meet my mom or see her work?”

  Susan’s stomach tightened and she shook her head. “No.”

  “Don’t be sad. I have pictures of her. My brother brought scrapbooks with us that my mom made. They’re pretty cool.” She walked to the desk that sat under the window facing the house next door and pulled open the oversize middle drawer. “Here they are.”

  With two long strides, Susan stood behind Katie and looked over her shoulder. “Your mom was beautiful. You’re her spitting image.” She ran her hand down the length of the child’s soft hair. What would it have been like to help raise Katie?

  “What’re you two doing in here?”

  Susan swung around.

  Blake stood in the doorway with a lazy grin.

  Her heart thundered in her chest, chasing away common sense—she struggled to remember why she was fighting her attraction to him, but only momentarily—if Blake had loved her enough, things could have been different, but she refused to accept anything less than true love. “Your sister is showing me a scrapbook. Your mother was lovely.”

  “Thanks.” He walked farther into the room, a frown creasing his forehead. “What is this doing in here, Katie?”

  “I wanted to have Mom and Dad a little closer.” She shut the book and hugged it to her chest.

  Susan looked from brother to sister as some unspoken communication played out between them, but she couldn’t decipher what it was. “Well, thanks for the drawing and giving me the grand tour of your room, Katie. I really like it, but I should be heading out.”

  “Hot date?” Blake’s face hardened.

  “No. Why would you say that?”

  “I thought you and Greg—”

  She held up a hand. “Whoa! Stop right there. Greg was a onetime deal—a blind date, if you must know. I will not be seeing him again. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy, just not for me.”

  Blake seemed to stand taller. “Oh. I thought...”

  “Yes, well. So did Keira and my sister-in-law’s cousin.” She shook her head. “People seriously need to mind their own business.” She fluttered her fingers at Katie and strode for the front door, unable to move fast enough away from Blake’s intense gaze.

  What was going on in his head? If she didn’t know better she’d think he was jealous, but that was impossible. Sure, his kiss might suggest a desire to get back together, but he had no right to be jealous of anyone.

  A small smile touched her lips as she closed the door and fled to her car. Her heart quickened—there was no denying it, Blake did seem jealous. And it made her happy. Ugh—she was so messed up. What she needed was an unbiased person to talk with, and that was definitely not Keira or Josh.

  * * *

  “Thanks, Jim. I’ll let her know.” Blake disconnected the call with their editor.

  “What’d he say?” Katie jumped up and down in front of him. “Will they use my drawings?”

  He tilted his gaze to the ceiling and touched his finger to his chin.

  “Blake! Tell me.”

  He laughed and opened his arms. “He loved them. They’re using the color illustrations.”

  She squealed and launched herself at him. “I knew it! I told you they were perfect.”

  “Hold on. Before you get too excited, he did say to tell you this is a onetime deal. They will market it as a Christmas collectible.”

  “Cool!”

  “I agree with you. I think we’ll see sales increase. But remember, the next book needs to be illustrated like all the others.”

  “Okay.” She dug her cell from her shorts pocket. “I can’t wait to tell Emily.”

  “You told her about the books?” He never imagined she’d reveal her secret.

  Her face sobered, and she leaned against the back of the couch. “I figured since we were friends before she knew about the books, then she wasn’t my friend just because of them. Plus, she promised not to tell anyone.”

  “Good. How about we celebrate? Give Emily a call, a
nd see if she wants to go get ice cream.”

  “Awesome! I’ll grab my flip-flops.” She ran to her room and seconds later walked out with her cell poised between her hands, her thumbs in ready mode. “She can have ice cream with us and wants to know if she can spend the night.”

  “Not this time. We’re leaving early in the morning for Seattle. Jim liked the idea of Pepper’s next adventure taking place there.”

  “Cool. I’ve always wanted to see the Space Needle.” Her thumbs flew over the keyboard. “Okay, let’s go. Her mom said she can’t stay over anyway.”

  “Do you realize the day after tomorrow is July Fourth? Since Leavenworth doesn’t do fireworks in the summer because of the fire danger, I thought we could catch the show in Seattle.”

  “Cool! You’re the best brother ever.”

  “Hmm. I think I’ve heard that before.” He grabbed his wallet off the kitchen counter and stuffed it into his back pocket, then palmed his keys. At least someone thought he was great. Too bad he couldn’t convince Susan of that.

  * * *

  Susan pushed her shopping cart up the cereal aisle and spotted a familiar redhead. “Hey, Holly.”

  Holly’s face lit. “I didn’t see you, sorry. Tunnel vision.”

  Susan chuckled. “I hear you. I can’t imagine how many people I offend on a daily basis because I’m too focused on what I’m doing to notice them.”

  “I know what you mean. I haven’t seen you around lately. I know I’ve been busy myself, but I usually drive by you on my way to school as you’re heading to work.”

  “Really?” Susan shook her head. She needed to pay more attention. “I had no idea. I’ve been taking some time off work this past week.”

  “Good for you. Have you ever taken a vacation?”

  “Depends on what you consider a vacation. What are you doing when you finish here?”

  “Nothing important. What do you have in mind?”

  Susan tapped her toe. Should she confide in Holly? She needed someone to talk to, and Keira was out—best friend or not. Susan needed an unbiased opinion right now. “I thought maybe you’d like to come over to my place. I can make us lunch, and we could just hang for a bit and talk.”

  Holly narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on? This sounds serious.”

  “Nothing serious. Just a little girl time.”

  Holly checked her watch. “Okay. I’ll run this to my parents’ place then meet you.”

  “Perfect.” Susan sped through her list and added some extras for their lunch. Holly was a few years younger than she, but what she lacked in age she made up for in heart.

  Forty minutes later Susan set the bistro table in her backyard with a white oversize napkin, then white plates and clear glass goblets. A side cart held their salad, chicken-salad sandwiches, purple grapes and lemonade. Admittedly, it was a feast.

  The doorbell pealed several times, and she ran inside, through the house and yanked open the door. “Sorry. Were you out here long?”

  “Not really, but I was ready to let myself in.” Holly tossed a grin at Susan and stepped inside. “It’s much roomier in here without a ton of people.”

  “Yeah. It was a little tight at my party, but I have the best backyard ever. I set us up out there.” Susan led her friend outside.

  Holly sat and looked around the expansive yard. “I love your backyard. It’s so big. Oh, and you have a little cottage, too.”

  “My pottery studio.”

  “Fun.”

  Susan served them, then sat. After praying, Holly dug in, but Susan only picked at her salad. “I was wondering if you’d be willing to be a sounding board for me. I’m kind of confused about some stuff, and I could really use an unbiased friend.”

  Holly laid her fork aside. “I knew this was going to be serious.”

  “Not life or death, but yes, I guess you’re right. To me it’s serious.” She went on to explain her history with Blake. At the time she and Blake were together Holly was still in high school and not paying attention to the college crowd, so she was pretty much clueless.

  Holly nodded in all the right spots but stayed quiet until Susan finished her story.

  She looked out over the backyard as she concluded her tale. “Now I’m very confused. Even though he hasn’t said as much, I know that Blake wants to get back together, but I’m afraid to trust him. What if some crisis comes up, and he pushes me away again? Or takes off?”

  “Life is filled with what-ifs. I guess you need to decide how you feel about Blake and determine if risking your heart is worth it in the end.”

  She didn’t want to risk the hurt. Susan nibbled at her sandwich. Holly was right, there were no guarantees in life. She’d learned early never to get too excited about anything because the second she did it was ripped away from her.

  But with Blake it had been different. She’d trusted him completely. But he was only human and everyone made mistakes. It wasn’t like he’d made a habit out of disappointing her. That was probably why his leaving hurt so much, because he had been completely dependable, and she’d let her defenses down.

  “I see my response wasn’t what you wanted to hear. I’m sorry if I upset you.”

  Susan shook her head. “Please, don’t be. I needed to hear from someone without a preformed opinion of Blake. I’m not upset, just thinking. I loved Blake with all my heart, and when he broke off our engagement and left, it devastated me. I was a mess for a long time. I’m not sure I can go through that again.”

  “But what if he’s changed? Grown up? Matured? What if this time things could be different?” Holly held up her hand. “I’m the last person who should be giving advice. My love life is nonexistent, thanks to school and work, much to my mom’s chagrin. She’d much rather I find a man, get married and start a family than finish my education and pursue a career in nursing.”

  “That can’t be true. I’m sure your mom wants what is best for you.”

  “So getting married and becoming a baby factory is best?” Her voice held a touch of anger. “No way. I want a career.” Her words came out with a vengeance.

  Whoa! Her friend was passionate. “I hear you, just keep in mind you can have a career and a husband and children. Clearly, this is a sensitive subject, and you’re right, I don’t know your mom well enough to speak for her. Just don’t close yourself off to love because of your mother.”

  “You mean like you have?” Holly folded her fingers and rested her elbows on the table.

  “Ouch, you don’t mince words.” But her friend had figured her out accurately.

  “Yeah, mincing isn’t my specialty.” She smiled weakly. “We okay?”

  “Of course. If I couldn’t handle a little honesty, I wouldn’t have asked you over. You’re exactly what I need in my life right now. Unbiased, open and honest—there’s no guessing about what you think.”

  Holly busted up laughing, and Susan couldn’t help joining in.

  Holly looked at her cell. “Oh, my. I can’t believe it’s two o’clock already. I’m supposed to fill in for Keira at the candy shop today. I’d better get over there.”

  At the mention of Keira, Susan sobered. She loved her best friend, but Keira didn’t understand what she was going through, or she never would’ve set her up on a blind date. On top of that, Keira liked Blake and thought she should be friendly to him.

  But somehow she had to keep her distance and be kind at the same time so her heart wouldn’t get all tangled with his again. Just helping with the paint and stopping by to see Katie’s room had been more contact than was wise if her heart was to remain safe.

  Chapter 12

  “What did you think of Seattle?” Blake took his eyes off the road for a second to glance in the mirror at his sister sitting in back.

  “It was awesome!”

 
“What did you like best?”

  “Umm. The Space Needle was pretty cool and so were the fireworks at Gas Works Park, but I think I liked paddle boating on Green Lake best.”

  “That was fun. But don’t you think Pepper’s Adventure should take place at either Pike Place Market, or Seattle Center? There are so many more possibilities at those locations.”

  “I don’t know. The aquarium has potential and so does the wharf. Don’t worry, I took a ton of pictures, so whatever you decide for the setting will be fine.”

  Blake yawned and refocused his attention on the road. They’d spent two days in Seattle playing tourist, and went nonstop from one attraction to the next. He was wiped out. Way too tired to be dealing with all the traffic on Stevens Pass today. He couldn’t wait to get home. Home—hmm. Was Leavenworth home or was Maine? With every passing day, the small Washington town felt more and more like home, and Katie had thrived since arriving. But the same question always struck him when he considered their future. Could he live in the same town as Susan and not be with her? Seeing her with Greg last week had hurt, and if she was going to be dating, he knew it would be painful to see.

  He glanced in the rearview mirror at his sister who’d drifted to sleep. Lucky girl. She’d begged him to let her sit up front, but because of the air bags, she was safer in back since she was so small. Katie would need to start school in another month, and if they stayed here, he’d have to get her enrolled. He needed to make a decision soon.

  A sign stating the miles to Leavenworth quickened his pulse. They were almost there. He blinked and refocused.

  Just then a deer darted across the single-lane highway on the other side of the road, then an oncoming car swerved and crossed the center line heading right for them. He slammed on the brakes. Hard and fast. Metal crunched against metal. The car flung around upon impact. His body thrust forward hard into the seat belt. The air bag smacked into his face. Searing pain sliced through his left arm, and his head pounded. The Jeep slid off the road and onto the dirt toward the forest beyond. Everything suddenly stopped.