“Wait. I said I could help. Just give me until tomorrow evening. Promise me you won’t do a thing until after tomorrow.”
“What do you think you can do?” Un, deux, trois, quarto, cinq. Her nerves were like violin strings. Taut and vibrating.
“Trust me.”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “It’s all so complicated.”
He reached out for her, but she backed up. She needed to be strong, but she always seemed to have difficulty around him.
“One day can’t hurt.” His eyes pleaded with her.
No it couldn’t, but she just wanted to get everything over as soon as she could. The weight of it all was debilitating. She’d filled her time with Hogan—as she had with other things—to replace her semi-neurotic behaviors with counting and organizing. And it had worked. She hadn’t felt so normal in a long time. Maybe never. She’d never trusted a man like this before. She could wait one more day.
Before she threw away her family’s future.
Chapter Nine
“No man acquires property without acquiring with it a little arithmetic also.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hogan got up early the next morning. Everything he’d learned about Jenna kept turning over and over in his head last night. She was not the person he’d thought she was. She had the stats of his ex-wife, Bentley, but she didn’t have the…integrity of her—or rather, the lack of integrity. Heck, Jenna didn’t really seem to care that all she had was about to slip away from her—except for her family losing their home. He closed his eyes and nodded. The farm was like that for him. It symbolized his family.
He knew it was way too soon, and he hadn’t even had time to tell Jenna about his life, but he was going to do it anyway—to help Jenna. Otherwise, it would be too late for her. And maybe even for him and Savannah. He had been closing up more and more, just like his precious daughter. Until he’d met Jenna.
He caught something in the mirror as he buttoned his shirt. Savannah.
He knelt down. “Hey, sweetie,” he said as he lightly tickled the top of her head. “Daddy’s going to do something very important for us today.”
She stared blankly at the undressed Barbie in her left hand as she stroked its blond hair with her right.
“Uncle Colton’s going to stay with you again for a while. Daddy’s going to work on getting you a really good teacher that you’re just going to love. Okay?” He bent his head down even lower, trying to get his little girl to make eye contact. But she was so far away, he couldn’t see how anyone could help her.
“There you are,” Colton said as he kissed the top of Savannah’s head.
Hogan stood. “Thanks, bro. Don’t know what I’d do without you right now.”
Colton shifted his weight in his western boots. “Well, if you don’t get a permanent teacher in this house, this whole farm’s going to go under. I need to get back out in the fields.”
“I’m working on fixing things hard today. Permanently. Whatever’s best for our girl there,” Hogan said, looking at his daughter, feeling the pressure of time.
“Well, just make sure it’s right for her. It just kills me when she gets abandoned. We can’t let that keep happening,” Colton said, pushing his dark hair from his eyes. He bent to speak to Savannah. “Let’s go sit on the front porch and listen to the birds, baby.” He guided the little girl through the bedroom door.
Hogan stared at his fragile angel. “Thanks, brother. I owe you big time.”
Colton turned his head. “Let me know when I can collect,” he said, smiling.
Hogan tucked in his shirt, buckled his belt, and left to begin his very important day.
On the way into Summerbrook, he made a few calls, and when he arrived, he ran some very important errands. After one stop, he felt considerably…lighter. All the while, he was thinking of Jenna. How would she react? What would she say?
He bought things, ordered things and drove all the way to the hospital and back. He felt the clock ticking all day—for him and for Jenna. Was he doing the right thing? This thing between them had moved so fast—so fast that he hadn’t given her all the information she needed to know about him yet. Maybe he’d tell her today. Maybe tomorrow. Soon—just not too soon. It had to be just the right time. So much depended upon it.
When he’d finished his errands, he called Jenna just before twelve.
“Jenna Bellingham.”
“Hey. You almost ready for me to pick you up?” They’d made no plans, but somehow, they’d been spending a part of every day together lately.
“Um. What are you talking about? And what about all these flowers?”
“What flowers?” He knew exactly what flowers she was talking about. He’d ordered dozens. And he also knew what they meant. He hoped she did, too.
“Uhhh. The white tulips. All twelve vases of them.”
“Oh. Those. You don’t like them?”
“Hogan. Mrs. Legare is pulling her hair out. She doesn’t know where to put them all.” She giggled, obviously not as perturbed by them as Mrs. Legare. “We’ve even put them in all the dressing rooms and in the restroom.” She paused and lowered her voice. “I like these even more than the others.”
Yep. She knew what they meant. It was his way of asking for forgiveness for the way he’d acted last night. “Well, good. I hope you both take some home with you, too.” The impact had already been made. “What about I pick you up and we go visit Ben?”
“I hadn’t planned to go to the hospital today. I’m kind of bummed about having to fill out all that paperwork tomorrow to relinquish the trust.” She sighed. “I don’t like letting Ben see me when I’m down. He doesn’t need that.”
She had to go. Hogan had a plan. “I sort of told him we’d be there. Anyway, I bought him some of those peanuts he asked us for last time we were there.”
“Mmmm.” He could tell she was contemplating. “Okay.” She finally relinquished. “See you in what? Twenty minutes?”
“Soooo... How about now? I had some business to take care of on the square earlier, so I thought I’d see if we couldn’t get together now.” He was just itching to get to her. To see her. To let her see him.
“Let me grab my things, and I’ll be out.”
“No need. I’m at the door.”
He smiled, waved, and stepped inside. She froze for a moment and almost dropped her phone.
Her mouth hung open, and then she approached him. “Your hair. You cut it.” She smiled and reached to touch the back that was now missing.
Oh, how he loved keeping her guessing and…discombobulated.
She furrowed her brow. “But what about raising the money for Ben?”
“I’m going to personally make the donations that I’ll lose for the challenge. I don’t need photos of me out there like that. Mullets aren’t really my bag.”
Her eyes danced and darted over his face. He’d known the hair had been an issue with her from the beginning, but he had her hooked now.
She gazed into his eyes and touched the back of his neck where his short hair grazed his collar. “Don’t misinterpret this. But I kinda miss it—just a little.” She giggled like a young girl.
He laughed and pulled her even closer to him. “Jenna Bellingham, you are full of surprises.”
She touched his hair again. “Look who’s talking. Mr. Flower Power.”
He took her hand and tugged her toward the front door. “Well, let’s go.”
“Okay, okay.” She pulled him back and grabbed her bag from the counter. “Let me get Mrs. Legare from the storeroom and tell her I’m leaving.” She disappeared and returned shortly after with the elegant older woman following her.
Mrs. Legare stood with her hands on her hips. “What about all these flowers?” She turned to Hogan. “And if you’ve done something to our Jenna that you need this much forgiveness for—”
He smiled at her, not acknowledging anything that he did or did not do. Because he knew that very shortly Je
nna would know just how very sorry he was for doubting who she was.
“See you tomorrow, Mrs. Legare. We’re going to visit Ben,” Jenna said as her head turned and her blond hair bounced around her shoulders.
“Okay, dear,” Mrs. Legare said. With a confused look on her face, she asked “Where am I supposed to put all these?”
“Give them away with purchases, why don’t you?” Hogan said, keeping his gaze on Jenna.
Mrs. Legare smiled. “Wait,” she called out. “At least take one vase with you—if you’re going to the hospital. Give them to someone who’s been there a while.”
Jenna went back and accepted the vase Mrs. Legare held out. She kissed the older woman on the cheek. “Thanks.”
He drove Jenna to the hospital in near silence. He was actually kind of nervous about what he was about to do. This was going to change everything for him and Savannah. It was all happening so fast. He hoped he wasn’t letting his…big intentions get in the way of his…little intentions.
“What’s all this about, Hogan?” She stared at him for a moment.
He shook his head. “I guess it’s a kind of a carpe diem sort of thing, in a way.”
“You do know that you’re not making any sense right now, right?”
“I told you to trust me—to wait one day and to trust me.”
“Yeah, well, that’s getting a bit difficult to do. With all the flowers, the peanuts and the haircut. How is all that supposed to help me with saving my family’s plantation?” She looked out the window. “Not that I have any hope that it could be done at this point anyway.”
“Just trust me,” Hogan said.
When he arrived, he took the peanuts off the back seat and walked around to open her door. This was definitely a day for exercising his Southern boy manners.
She paused at the car door and bit her bottom lip. Which made him a little weak in the knees. “Hogan, seriously. Is Ben all right? What’s going on?”
“Peanuts. And Flowers. And taking care of business.” He brushed at her blond hair. “You’ll see. Very shortly. It’ll all make sense.”
Yes, it had already made sense to him because he was going to take care of something he’d been neglecting for far too long—himself—in the process.
⸙
As soon as Jenna pushed open the door of Ben’s room, she halted. It was filled with red tulips. She knew what they meant. Pure love. Hogan had obviously sent them there. But why here?
“Surprise,” Ben called out.
She brought her hand to her chest. “Well, I am that. I am completely surprised.”
“Go in,” Hogan said.
She was adoring all the attention. And Hogan’s new look. She’d been surprised that she’d been attracted to him in the first place—with his mullet. But now, anything that had her reserved had just disappeared with the longer locks of his hair.
She looked at him and then at all the red proclamations of adoration. He just stood there, smiling. She wanted to throw her arms around him and give him the kind of kiss that she shouldn’t give him in front of Ben.
Hogan glanced at the little boy and nodded. A gathering of curious nurses, doctors and aides came to the door to see all the festivities.
“We have one more thing for you,” Ben said.
“Well, what is it?” She still didn’t understand how all this had anything to do with their conversation yesterday.
He held out his frail little hand, and it had a box in it. From Summerbrook Jewelers. The fabulous little jewelry store on the town square, just down from the dress shop.
“Awww,” came multiple voices from the peanut gallery behind, and then they all worked their ways out of the room. Out of their…intimate moment together.
Hogan shuffled, his dark eyes fixed on her.
What was he doing?
Hogan stepped over to her, took the box, and got down on one knee.
He opened the box. It was the most beautiful emerald-cut diamond she’d ever seen. It was surrounded by baguettes and sparkled like a box of…fireflies on a summer night.
She could see his Adam’s apple move up and down his muscled neck. “So, will you marry me?”
She was nearly in a trance. She put her hand to her mouth. She stared at Hogan, then she glanced toward Ben. Her mind reeled. They’d only known each other for a matter of weeks. She had been smitten by him. But marriage?
Ben grinned from ear to ear. “Aren’t you going to try it on to see if it fits?”
Hogan kept his voice low. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I understand. But I think this could be good for us. Both of us.” He stood, grabbed her hands and cupped them with the ring inside. He put his lips near her temple and whispered. “We can save your family’s plantation while we’re at it. I’ll be your ‘means’ until we figure out how to manage the assets on the plantation. I have ideas about investments and property. I know I could help.”
Jenna’s head and heart spun. This was not at all in her plans. She couldn’t believe what was happening. “Hogan, we’ve only known one another a matter of weeks.” She realized at that moment she had been falling for him the entire time. Though she hadn’t wanted to put a name on it before, she thought she might…love him—which was the most important requirement for her to ever wed. This was all moving way too fast. “There are things about me I still need to tell you.”
“Like what?”
She looked at Ben. “Things.”
“She speaks in French. A lot,” the little boy said.
And there was so much more, but a sit-down, heart-to-heart serious conversation didn’t seem appropriate to have in a hospital, in front of a sick little boy.
Hogan chuckled at Ben. “I’ve heard her a couple of times.” He turned back to Jenna. “There are a few things about me that you don’t know either. But all in good time.”
He needed to know more. “I don’t think you understand. There’ll be a vetting process for you by the board, and—” She hesitated to talk…money. “We haven’t even talked about the particulars of what I’d even put in the Letter of Intention.” She hung her head, then looked up. “The whole thing is unfair…and rigid…and…antiquated.”
“I think I see. You don’t know how much I’m worth—with the motorcycle shop and all. And you don’t know if I could make it through the scrutiny, right.” He kissed her temple. “I’m made of pretty tough stuff, you know. And I can assure you that my assets alone could keep the plantation running for years—until we make it sustainable. I have some really good ideas about how to make money with land, and you do remember I have a finance degree from Clemson, right?”
“There’s a possibility that we could. I mean, save everything…but…”
“But what?” He stood and nuzzled his head into hers. “I’ve thought this whole thing through. You need to trust me, Jenna.”
Could she? “The screening’s not going to be easy. It’s all so...”
“Mmmm. Hmmm.” His throaty noise tunneled to her insides. “So what?”
She stared straight into his eyes, reluctant to say ‘yes’ and reluctant to say ‘no.’ She’d never felt this way before about a man. Maybe it would be the last time.
“Do you actually have a better idea?” he asked in his seductive voice.
She shook her head. No, she did not. She’d actually run out of ideas. She’d checked her email this morning, and everything she’d found out about starting a winery was a long shot that needed more capital than she had. Even this idea with Hogan was a real long shot.
“What have we got to lose?” He wrinkled his face.
She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. Though she’d never done it before, she allowed her emotions to make the decision. When she opened her eyes, she said in a burst, “Let’s do this then.” Her heart had never been that reckless or careless or whatever it was being.
Hogan took the ring from the box and slipped in on Jenna’s finger.
“Wheee! It fits,” said Ben.
Jenna’s heart was bursting—even though she was unsure about the success of their endeavor with the board. She hugged Hogan, and they kissed. A kiss befitting a seven-year-old audience. And then she stepped over to Ben and hugged him. “Thanks, little friend, for being a part of this.” Though she didn’t know Hogan like she’d hoped to know the man she would marry, he must have been fond of children to include Ben in his plans. That alone eased her worry a little.
“This was fun. It gets kind of boring in here. Except when you and Miss April come to visit. Or when they send in those stupid clowns. But I’d rather have you and Miss April. Those clowns are creepy.”
They all laughed.
A nurse walked in to hook up a new bag on his IV pole.
Jenna nodded. “I feel the same way. Miss April and I would rather visit you than almost anybody.” She glanced at Hogan. He might be the exception. But she’d never even gone to his house to visit. Not yet anyway. That would all come in due time. Right now, she was enjoying the whirlwind that had just changed her life.
The nurse left, and Jenna climbed onto the edge of the bed with Ben again, like she did when she tutored him. She took out her smart-girl glasses and examined the ring more closely.
Hogan sat in the chair on the other side of the bed. “Don’t worry, it’s not a CZ. Summerbrook Jewelers is not a CZ sort of place.”
“It’s not that, silly. I’m admiring it,” she said with her hand in the air. “Scarlet is going to freak. My ring is even bigger than hers, and I just might be stealing back the inheritance she thought was going to be hers and Dudley’s.”
Fireflies and Lies (A Summerbrook Novel Book 4) Page 14