Forgiving Patience

by Jennifer Simpkins

  “I saw y’all leave together. How was the reunion?” Em asked curiously, still hoping for any bit of information she could try to sneak. She wasn’t the least bit subtle.

  Anna didn’t answer.

  “Come on,” Jesse pleaded, “we’re between the sacred walls of ‘everything gossip’. If you can’t spill the beans in the hair shop, where else can you?”

  That’s what Anna was scared of. She didn’t want her gossip to leave the shop and be the talk of Patience. Right now, everything was stored away in her head. The only other person who knew about the kiss was Jake, and though he could tell Tommy, which would result in Em finding out, she just had to hope Jake wouldn’t talk.

  Anna sat in her chair, ignoring Em, Jesse, and their prying, while she flipped through a styling book.

  “All done,” Em announced to Jesse.

  “Thank God. Do I have any eyebrows left?”

  “I suggest you stop complaining unless you want to start paying for your waxings and cuts.” Em glared in Jesse’s direction. She cleaned up her mess and came back to sit by Anna, drinking one of the Diet Cokes she’d offered everyone earlier.

  “So, did you and Jake get it on after my fabulous party, or what?” Em couldn’t hide the big smile spreading across her face.

  Her friend was dressed down for her day off, but she still looked like she could replace her running shorts and baby doll tee with a flashy dress and be ready to walk down a runway in an instant. Her white-blond hair was straightened, making it look a couple inches longer than what it actually was. Her makeup was flawless, with pale pink painted lips. Anna would have felt inadequate if it wasn’t for Jesse sitting there in Liberty overalls, wearing only a sports bra in place of a shirt. Jesse’s body was toned and tanned. Even though she farmed most of the day, which was what probably kept her in top shape, a farmer’s tan didn’t mar her body. Maybe, instead of wanting to open up a coffee shop, she should get into the farming business. She was never one to want to flaunt her body, but she had to admit that if she had Jesse’s, she would have worn just a sports bra to the walking track instead of her extra-large T-shirt. There was no telling what Jake would have said about that.

  “No, Jake and I certainly did not get it on.”

  Jesse asked, “So what was the rush to get out of the stuffy party?”

  “Hey…” Em cut in, “…my party was not stuffy. You just wouldn’t know class if it was a snake and snuck up and bit you on the butt.”

  All three women went quiet before Jesse broke out in laughter. “Really, Em? Did you just say that? That was undoubtedly the worst and overused line ever.”

  “Why don’t you just shut up…how is that line?”

  It felt good to laugh and be around friends. At least that’s what she hoped Jesse was starting to think of her as. The woman was fun to be around and kept Em on her toes.

  “Now, instead of making fun of me, let’s get back to Anna,” Em told Jesse.

  Jesse stood, pulling her John Deere cap down low. “You may as well just spit out your news, otherwise this one,” she pointed to her future sister-in-law, “will just pry it out of you anyway.”

  Anna knew she wasn’t going to make it out of Cut & Curls without having to spill her guts. She didn’t know if she wanted—or needed—to keep it to herself anymore. Maybe it would be best if she asked what they thought about the whole situation. She’d gone over it in her head for most of the night and still had come up with nothing remotely logical, unless you counted the idea of sneaking in his back door and smothering him in his sleep with his own pillow. If she didn’t talk to someone, she was liable to kill him.

  Gently closing her book, she began, “This doesn’t leave these sacred walls, got it?”

  Both answered in unison, “Got it.”

  Anna took a steady breath. “Okay. I didn’t rush out of the party because I couldn’t wait to have sex with Jake. He made me a proposition, I refused, and I couldn’t be in the same room with him any longer.”

  Anna had never seen Em speechless, but at that moment her best friend couldn’t muster up a single word. So, Jesse took the lead. “What kind of proposition?”

  “You already know this part. Remember, Em? He said he would give me my house back if I went on three dates with him.” Anna left out the part about them hitting the sheets. Nobody was getting that piece of private information. Em and Jesse could beg all they wanted, they were not hearing that little bit of juicy information.

  “Oh, yeah,” Em recalled.

  “Dickhead,” Jesse commented.

  “What else?” Em questioned. “Has something else happened I don’t already know about?”

  She should’ve known her friend would know she was holding something back. She had never been a good liar, having nothing like Em’s abilities.

  “After I left your house yesterday, I went to the walking track just to clear my head and try to shed these twenty pounds I’ve packed on. I had earphones in my ears, so when someone grabbed me from behind, I thought I was being attacked—”

  “Wait? You weren’t, though, were you?” Em’s pale green eyes enlarged.

  Laying a hand over Em’s, calming her friend’s fears, Anna said, “No, it was Jake.”

  Em was the only person besides her mother Liza, and her aunt, who knew about her past. She was thankful for her constant friendship. Em had been there from the beginning, and if it wasn’t for her, Anna didn’t know what she would be doing right now. Em and her family gave Anna a way out of hell when she was a child and defenseless. The lump forming in her throat was making it nearly impossible to finish her story. She was touched by the thought of someone being worried for her. When Liza talked to Anna, she would try to use facts and research to provide comfort. Her aunt couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. Anna didn’t blame her, it wasn’t exactly something anyone would enjoy listening to, or want to be reminded that such evil remains in the world.

  “Jake?” Em asked, clearly confused.

  “He said he tried calling my name, but I couldn’t hear him because of the earphones.”

  Her iPod—she forgot all about it. It was still on the track somewhere. After Jake brought up their painful past, her only thought was to get as far as she could away from him.

  Em and Jesse continued staring at her, waiting to hear what happened next. “We talked—most of it not civilly, and when I had heard enough, I turned and booked it to my car. The only problem is that he caught up with me and stopped me.” Anna swallowed. Can’t stop now. “He kissed me, and I’m pretty sure I kissed him back.”

  At this, both women were speechless. They were not going to be able to keep this juicy gossip to themselves. Great. Why had she opened her big mouth?

  “So, let’s backtrack, just to make sure we’re all on the same page…”

  “Good idea, Em,” Jesse interrupted, “we need to make sure we haven’t missed anything.”

  “So, for Jesse’s benefit, Jake interrupted your dance with the guitar player so he could ask you out on three dates, and if you accepted, he would move out of your house for good. Then last night y’all happen to be at the track at the same time. You think he’s attacking you, when really, he was trying to get your attention…then he kisses you, and you kiss him back. Does that cover it?”

  “Well, I kicked him when he was chasing me.”

  “Right on, sister,” Jesse cheered while giving Anna a high five.

  “In the knee,” Anna added in a subdued voice.

  “Oh,” both of the other women said in unison.

  “I know. I never would have done something like that to him, but in my defense, I didn’t know it was him.”

  “Is he all right?” Em asked, concerned.

  “He looked like he was in pain at first, but then he went right back to being a charming asshole. So I’m thinking yes, he was hurt, but had too much pride to let it show.”

  “Men,” all three women said this time.

  “What are you going to do?” Em asked. />
  Anna assumed she was talking about the dates and the kiss since that would be the only thing on Em’s mind for years to come. “I’m not going out with him, that’s for sure. As for the kiss—I can’t lie: it was nice, but it was a mistake for me to kiss him back. I’ll deal with him for the sake of the wedding, but afterward I’m done.”

  Anna didn’t feel the need to volunteer the information that Jake blamed her for leaving him. That was a hit to the gut, and the memory was still raw. She didn’t know what to say or even think about that. She knew it wasn’t her fault, at least she didn’t think so. Maybe she had blinded herself by blaming him for everything that was wrong with her life. Except, she didn’t blame him for everything. He got blamed for the part he was responsible for. The rest of the responsibility resided with others…herself included.

  Jesse didn’t look all that convinced. “Are you sure it will be that easy?” For some reason it made Anna remember the way Jesse had been looking at the other Lawrence brother. Something deeper was going on there, more than just a woman checking out a man, and she was becoming intrigued by Jesse’s reason for staring at Bradley like he was more than a nice male specimen. Did Anna look at Jake like that? No…no, she certainly did not. She wasn’t sure what Jesse’s deal was, but her own was totally different.

  “It’s no big deal,” Anna lied. “We had a thing eleven years ago and shared a kiss last night, nothing more.”

  “I think it’s more than that, Anna. Jake was a big part of your life before you left, and now, here he is stirring up those feelings again. If you ask me, you should beat him to the punch.” Em smirked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t let him decide what happens between you two. If you want to have sex with him…have sex, if not, don’t let any opportunity pass by without showing him how badly he royally screwed up.” Em spoke quieter than usual, like she was telling her darkest secret. Who was this person? First she was speechless and now she was talking quietly and meaningfully. Her friend had evolved.

  “I can’t do that. I don’t want to do that.”

  “Sure, you can,” Jesse said while jumping to her feet. “I gotta get back to the farm, but it was a nice chat, girls. Listen to my future sister-in-law, Anna. She might be crazy as hell most of the time, but this time she might just be right about this.”

  “Jesse…” Anna started.

  “I know, I know. I won’t say a word. I promise.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No prob. See ya.”

  “So…” Em asked, “…what do you think of my idea?”

  “I think you’re out of your ever-loving mind.”

  Chapter Seven

  Jake kept busy day and night for the next three days. It was a good thing that he worked by himself. He hadn’t seen anybody else in days and decided that was for the best…after all, he was in a sour mood and would have been just as happy kicking someone’s ass as he was hammering nails. The house saved him. Since coming back to Patience, he had been bordering on becoming a drunk and a man who had a reputation for wanting to pick a fight with every bastard he came into contact with. He had the tendency to go after the biggest guy in the bar, and, while he missed the adrenaline rush, his body was thankful for the absence of beatings it had been given on a nightly basis.

  In the blazing sun, he tried sweating out his frustrations. Building a porch was damned hard work, especially with a one-man show.

  He welcomed the sun, and the heat and humidity it brought. It beat on his bare back, probably leaving it a little pink. A blue bandana was in his back pocket to wipe away the buckets of sweat dripping from his face.

  He loved the outdoors. What wasn’t there to like? A couple of years ago, he’d eagerly worked outside most days and nights. It was the best time of his life. For four short years, he’d gotten to be someone who most young boys could only dream of being—a Major League baseball player.

  Now…instead of hearing the roar of thirty thousand fans while he rocketed a ball over the left field wall, he now had the pleasure of playing with the same group of people he’d first learned to love to play the game with. His old job was just a really vivid dream, and his job for today was to build this damn porch.

  Singing along with the high-pitched Aerosmith front man, Steven Tyler, he beat nails and wiped sweat away for the first part of the day. He should’ve given in to his impulses and gone out on the lake. Fishing would’ve been more relaxing, but he decided he didn’t have the patience to fish. He needed the sweat and sun today, even if his knee was crying out in pain. That would just have to be something he dealt with later. A hot tub would be nice. That would cure a lot of his problems and add value to the house.

  Not that he was counting, but he hadn’t seen Anna in three days. Touching her was a mistake he was now suffering through. Just the thought of her made him instinctively go hard. The tears she had been trying to hold back were what he fell asleep seeing every night since then. He’d pushed her too hard. Fuck, he really was a jackass. Why couldn’t he ever get anything right with her? He didn’t need or want this right now. His motto over the past couple years was, take a woman—be honest with her, of course—let her know sex was a one…two…or three-time thing, and then let her go. It was simple and easy. The only problem with his great plan was he hadn’t even been inside a woman in months.

  “What’s up, bro?”

  Just realizing he had company, Jake turned down the radio and looked over his shoulder, only giving Bradley a slight nod that said, nothing, but I’m not in the mood to be fucked with.

  “What, I don’t get a ‘hey, how’s life been since I fell off the face of the earth?’”

  Bradley knelt down, rubbing a hand over the two-by-four boards Jake had just measured and cut, looking happy as a fool. The guy never seemed to get down on life, and it pissed Jake off. His brother lived a single, simple life, and nothing pleased him more. Why couldn’t Jake be that carefree? For the summer, Bradley’s hair was buzzed short, and to shield him from the sun’s rays, it was covered with a straw cowboy hat. His eyes were a few shades lighter than Jake’s—a feature he had heard all the woman went delusional for. He was years younger, which as a kid, only gave Jake the upper hand at whooping his butt every now and again.

  As his brother continued running his mouth, Jake considered doing the same thing right now. Bradley just didn’t know when to shut his trap.

  “You not talking today?”

  “Do you ever shut up?”

  “What crawled up your ass?”

  Jake only gave him a warning stare. He was itching for a fight, and it wasn’t going to take much for Bradley to be the lucky victim.

  “You’ve got woman problems, huh?” There was nothing his brother loved more than women. Jake had once witnessed him making a teenage school girl and Ms. Edna blush at the same time. And that was saying something, because Ms. Edna hardly ever smiled. It only made sense that this would be his first explanation for Jake’s piss-poor mood.

  “No.”

  “Now, don’t lie to your little brother. You’re my role model.” Jake should’ve punched the cocky grin right off of his face. He was sure the guy deserved it for something or other.

  “I don’t have women problems,” he growled.

  “The way I hear it, it’s because you don’t have any women. It’s really sad. You’re a Major League baseball player, not to mention a Lawrence. You should have women bringing you casseroles every day of the week.”

  “Ex. I’m an ex-ballplayer, and I don’t need advice about women from you.”

  “I think you do. When’s the last time you got laid? By the looks of you, I say…two, three weeks, if not more. If you’re getting rusty, I can always help you out. I’ve got more women than I can handle. You can take one of mine. We’ll call it an early Fourth of July present.”

  “You don’t give presents on the Fourth of July, you dick. And I don’t need your leftovers. I can pick my own women, so butt out of my life, and I w
on’t say anything about yours.”

  “Don’t turn this around on me. Nothing’s wrong with my life. All is perfect with the Bradley show.”

  “If you say so.”

  “You know what? I know why you’re in a foul mood. Anna’s back, and you can’t stop thinking about her. You’re mad you screwed up with her all those years ago. That’s it, isn’t it?” It looked as if a light bulb was going off, by the look on his kid brother’s face.

  “Watch it.”

  Ignoring his angry older brother, Bradley said, “I saw her at Em and Tommy’s party, and I ran into her just yesterday, and man…she is fine. That fair skin…and all that blond hair is enough to make any man die of a hard-on. If you don’t do something about her, I will. I think I just might ask her out.”

  “Fuck you.” Bradley just went over the line. Anna was off limits.

  Jake was accustomed to being quick on his feet, giving him the upper hand. He fought through the pain his knee was giving him and attacked. Bradley never saw the blow coming that landed right on his jaw, knocking him hard to the ground. When he sat up to ask what in the hell was going on, Jake pounced on him. They moved together, matching hit for hit. Blow after blow was given before a jacked-up black Chevy kicked gravel up the driveway, throwing up a cloud of dust behind it.

  Neither brother stopped to give the third man a glance. The man jumped from the truck, not even slamming his door.

  “What the hell? You want to tell me what this is about?” Tommy was pulling Jake off Bradley, but didn’t have the strength to hold him for long. Jake shook Tommy off like a pesky fly—which only proved how angry he was, because Tommy was a stocky guy—and had Bradley pinned to the ground again. Bradley met the pin with a punch, bloodying Jake’s lip in the process. Using both hands, Jake shoved his brother’s head hard against the grass, sawdust, and dirt.

  “What the fuck?” Tommy put an arm around Jake’s neck, putting enough pressure on him that Jake was forced to release his brother. “Break it up. Now.”

  “Let go of me, Tommy.”