A Second Chance House

by Stacey Wilk

  “Lady, you can’t stay on the side of the road. I’ll call the police for you if you don’t have a phone.”

  “Get out of here.” She shouted, and the muscles in her neck tightened. “I’m fine. I don’t need your help.”

  Her screams made the man jump. He muttered “crazy,” which she could hear and really wasn’t about to argue with, and turned away. His car was parked behind hers. He hopped in and pulled into traffic.

  Her heart crashed against her ribs. She gripped the steering wheel to keep her hands from shaking. She was not about to take help from a total stranger. Finding women stuck on the side of the road was exactly how serial killers caught their prey. Even that time her tire blew out coming home from work when it had been dark and cold, she had opted to walk down the highway instead of taking help. Walking down a dark highway was dangerous too, but that choice was the lesser of two evils in her mind. When the off-duty police officer had offered to change her tire, she wouldn’t get in his warm car even after he showed her his identification. You could never be too sure. Safer to freeze on the side of the road.

  Now she was sweating and didn’t see much choice except to get out and stand by the car for a while. She might catch a breeze, but she’d keep her phone in her pocket and her keys firmly between her fingers in case she needed a weapon.

  The sun beat on her neck, and the fumes from the cars turned her empty stomach. Some people honked as they passed, but thankfully, no one else stopped. The minutes dragged by and no tow truck. She tried Beau another time, but he didn’t pick up.

  She debated sending Chloe a text to see how her day was going but decided against it. She had enough stress to deal with and didn’t really want to know if things weren’t as Chloe thought they should be. As long as Chloe was listening to Beau, she’d be fine, and she couldn’t do anything for Grace anyway. She tried Jenn just to pass the time, but the call went to voice mail and the mailbox was full. Typical.

  A pickup truck glided off the road and stopped behind her car. The sun’s glare bounced off the windshield, making it impossible to see the driver. She shielded her eyes with one hand and gripped her keys with the other.

  A tall male hopped out of the driver’s side. “Do you northerners make it a habit of running out of gas?”

  Grace loosened her grip on the keys, but she looked around for a way to escape. Maybe a tornado would appear and suck her up in its funnel. She’d hoped Blaise would never find out about her stupidity.

  “Did Beau make you come?” Her voice wobbled.

  Blaise swaggered up to her. “Nah. After he was done yelling about women and cars, I offered. Figured I’d save Pete the drive and Beau the call to bark at him.”

  “Beau was yelling?”

  “Whole neighborhood could hear him. Where were you coming back from anyway?”

  She turned and looked toward the woods. That might be a good place to run and hide. “I’m sorry I inconvenienced you. I’m not the kind of person who runs out of gas.”

  “Lighten up, Grace. Ain’t no big deal.” He pumped up his southern accent. “Pop open your gas tank. You know where that button is?” He laughed. “You weren’t trying to get out of dinner, were you?”

  He poured the gas into the car, and she held her nose. “It would’ve been easier to call and cancel, don’t you think?” she said.

  “Depends.” He dumped the empty can in the bed of his truck. “You should have enough gas to get you to the next station. Get back in the car. The side of the road isn’t exactly the safest place to hang out. I’ll pick you up at six for dinner. Unless you can’t remember the way back.” He wagged his eyebrows above his glasses.

  She couldn’t help but smile. “I guess I deserve that. You don’t have to knock on the door or anything like that, you know, later on. I’ll just meet you on the lawn.” She walked around the back of her car, the need to run and hide a little less pressing. “Thanks, Blaise, for coming all the way out here. You didn’t have to do that. I appreciate it.”

  “It’s the least I could do for what you did last night for Cash.” He looked down at the ground and kicked the gravel, then looked back up at her. “Guess we’re even now.”

  A car whizzed by, leaving a cloud of dirty exhaust behind. “We better get going.” Though she didn’t want to just yet and surprised herself at the thought. “Thanks again.” She jumped into the driver’s seat before another car came and watched in the mirror as Blaise hitched his leg into the truck and slid inside, all smooth and masculine.

  “Knock it off before you give yourself a hot flash.” What was she thinking going to dinner with this man? It would be safer to grab takeout and eat in the back rooms of the house, watching House Hunters on her tablet.

  She checked the mirror again, and Blaise pointed for her to go first. She edged out into the lane, and he followed. He followed her until she pulled into the nearest gas station, and honked as he drove past.

  At least Cash and Chloe would be at dinner. Having the kids with them would be enough cold water to keep Grace from thinking about that man’s dimple. Jenn would squeal if she knew Grace thought Blaise was attractive. Problem was half the female population probably thought that too, and half of that population probably knew how attractive he was under the sheets. She turned up the air conditioner.

  It’s only dinner. She tried to convince herself. She could handle a simple dinner.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Chloe, please come to dinner.” Grace stood over Chloe, who was sprawled out on her air mattress. She wore the too-short sweat shorts and a tee. She had one earbud plugged into an ear, and the other dangled.

  “Mom, I’m exhausted. Beau wouldn’t let us take a break because you were gone all day wherever you went, and when he finally let us eat lunch, after ten minutes he was yelling at us to get back to work. My whole body hurts. I’m not even hungry. If you don’t want to go to dinner, just cancel. But I’m staying here.”

  Grace threw her hands in the air and marched out of Chloe’s room. She learned a long time ago that once Chloe dug her heels in, there wasn’t any point in arguing.

  Beau had worked them hard. When she finally returned to Heritage River, the sun suspended low in the sky, dirt and dust covered Chloe in a white film. Spackle stuck to Jud’s hair like a good hair gel, and sweat stained his shirt. Beau had summoned Cash after Blaise left to rescue her, either forgetting or not caring the poor boy was sick. When Beau saw her, his face turned the color of an overripe strawberry. Grace worried he’d pass out. He yelled about responsibility and her pulling her weight. She’d refused to tell him where she was, and he’d kicked a hole in the new wall they’d already put in.

  They had begun rebuilding her kitchen, and Grace stood there now, admiring their work. The new walls were up. Beau changed the window over the sink, and the oversized, clean glass let in more light than the old one. He assured her it was energy efficient. He drew chalk lines on the floor to show her the new layout for the cabinets. His plan made better use of her space and even added an island for her—well, for the new owners.

  “You need to pick the things for your kitchen. Don’t go running off tomorrow,” he’d said as he left earlier.

  A knock on the door drew her away from her thoughts. She checked before she opened it. “You didn’t have to come to the door.”

  Blaise had changed into jeans and a button-down short-sleeved shirt that accented his toned frame. He wasn’t muscular in some gym-head way. All that banging on the drums had probably made him muscular without being bulky.

  “I was checking to see if you needed help finding the front yard.” He winked.

  “I didn’t get lost today. Surprisingly. I ran out of gas. There’s a huge difference.” She grabbed her purse and followed him onto the porch.

  “Is Chloe almost ready?” He swung his keys on his finger.

  “Um, she’s decided not to come. Beau worked her hard. She wants to collapse and stay home.” Grace shrugged. “If I forced her, she’d just
be a pill all night.”

  “Cash gave me a big fat no too. Said all he wanted to do was take a cold shower and sleep. Guess it’s just us, then.”

  His smile made the muscles in her belly dance a tango. Having dinner with him alone wasn’t really her plan. She’d already thrown caution to the wind once today, and that didn’t work out so well. Maybe this would be different. Or maybe it would be disastrous, much like meeting Nancy Templeton and running out of gas.

  “Where are we going?” She waved to Mo Bucknell watering his hydrangeas. He gave her an enthusiastic wave back.

  Blaise pulled the truck out of the driveway and headed through town and then passed the town’s edge where fields spread out long and flat. There wasn’t a car in sight, something Grace didn’t see back in Jersey. She enjoyed the space and solitude laid out before them.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “I don’t like surprises.”

  “That’s what I figured.” He glanced over at her, showing off his dimple.

  What if she’d worn the wrong thing? She’d changed three times as it was, trying to find the right combination of stylish, comfortable, forgiving, and subtle. She didn’t want her clothes writing checks her body wouldn’t pay, and she didn’t want to look like a middle-aged woman trying to be twenty-five. What if she didn’t like what they were eating? She was a picky eater and didn’t want to embarrass herself with her strange food requests.

  He pulled off the paved road onto a dirt one. The flat land gave way to tall grass flanking each side of the road. The truck bounced up and down over the uneven dirt. She turned in her seat to see if she could still find the road they left behind.

  “Where are we headed?” She tried to keep the panic out of her voice. So much for enjoying the space and solitude. Well, solitude she could handle as long as she could see what was coming ahead.

  “You’ll see.”

  “Just tell me.”

  “Take your hand off the door and relax.”

  “What?” She looked down at her hand’s death grip on the door, her knuckles white. “Oh.” She pulled her hand to her chest.

  He grabbed her other hand. “It’s okay, Grace. I’m not going to take you to a secluded place where no one knows where you are, and drag you into the grass and then do unspeakable things they won’t even want to report on the five o’clock news before tossing your body in the marsh. If I wanted to do that, I could’ve done it today on the side of the road.” He threw his head back and gave a fake villainous laugh.

  She yanked her hand away. “You’re horrible.” But she could still feel his calloused skin against hers, even though they weren’t touching. She liked his roughness against her soft skin. It made her think of wood and lace.

  He pulled the truck into a dirt lot. “We walk from here.”

  He hopped out before she could ask walk to where. She followed, hoping her sandals were sufficient for whatever trek they were about to take.

  Blaise grabbed a basket and a blanket from the bed of the truck, along with his guitar. A picnic? She would have never guessed. She imagined a table at Jake’s in town because Blaise knew everyone there and the kids were supposed to be with them, but never a picnic. She didn’t take him for the picnic type, and she wouldn’t have worn her white pants.

  “Can I help you carry some of that stuff?” She held out her hands, and he gave her the blanket. “I can take something else.” She reached toward him.

  He turned away with a wink. “Hands off, lady. No one touches the guitar but me.”

  She found herself laughing.

  He led her down a sandy road. “I picked up sandwiches and fried chicken from Jake’s. There’s potato salad and coleslaw. I think he threw in some pickles and a couple of bottles of iced tea. Oh, and big chocolate chip cookies for dessert.” He puffed up his chest at his dinner announcement.

  She had the Jake’s part right anyway. Sand kicked up between her toes. She thought about taking her sandals off. “The food sounds very nice.” And it did, except she didn’t eat fried chicken and cookies would go straight to her thighs. But she could nibble on half to be polite. He seemed so proud of his plan. Was he a planner? She doubted it. Just good with women. That was all.

  “I got extra in case the kids came. We’ll have leftovers for sure.”

  And a thoughtful father. Her belly did that dance again.

  The road ended in a dirt lot adjacent to a large, clear lake. Grass and sand ran down to the water’s edge. A dock stuck out into the water, large enough to allow a small boat to pull up to it. A raft made of the same worn wood floated out in the middle. Picnic benches sat under trees, and houses flanked the far side of the lake. The sun rested its head on the roofs of those houses, casting rays of gold and orange onto the lake’s surface. Bushes of honeysuckle swayed in the breeze and filled the air with their sweet scent.

  Blaise spread the blanket out and indicated for her to sit. He pulled the food from the basket and held out a sandwich. “I hope you’re hungry.”

  She wasn’t. Her nerves were braided tightly, but she unwrapped the sandwich anyway. “The lake is lovely and peaceful.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, feeling the sun against her skin. “I would love a house on a lake.” Were her shoulders relaxing a little?

  When she opened her eyes, Blaise was staring at her. She grabbed the sandwich to keep her hands busy and her gaze on something other than him.

  “We used to come here as kids. We’d swim. My mom would make us a picnic, and she and my dad would sit and watch us while we horsed around. Colton would always want to see who could swim the fastest or dive the best or hold their breaths the longest.” He looked off into the distance, as if he were seeing those old times. A small smile played on his lips. “This is my favorite place. I’m sorry I don’t get to spend more time here. Maybe I can now.”

  “Now?”

  “I don’t normally live in Heritage River. I have a place in Nashville. Well, I had a place. I sold it recently.” He swapped the sandwich for his guitar. “I haven’t told anyone that yet except Cash.”

  “Two houses are a lot for one person.” Not that she understood what owning two houses was like. She’d only ever owned the one she lived in with Larry and now the Disaster House, but she wouldn’t own it for long if things worked out the way she hoped. “I’m sure you travel a lot with your line of work and don’t need another house. Cash won’t mind, will he?”

  “He likes living in Heritage River. He wants to stay here with me. No one was more surprised by that than I was. He hasn’t told his mother yet, and when he does, you’ll probably hear her all the way from California.” He began playing a soft tune.

  “As a mother, I can understand, but he’s old enough to decide where he wants to live. What about college? Is he going?”

  “He didn’t have any big plans. He’s been floundering at school for a while and recently got himself in some trouble, making his college plans unclear for a while.”

  She didn’t want to ask what kind of trouble. It really wasn’t her business. But Cash was working at her house, and Chloe was there. She had to think about that. “What kind of trouble?” The words tumbled out before she could grab onto them.

  He plucked on the guitar strings and turned the pegs. “I really can’t tune by ear. That’s Colton’s expertise. There’s iced tea in the basket. I hope you don’t mind I didn’t bring any wine. I don’t drink.”

  He was full of confessions, but he didn’t answer her question. He continued to play.

  “That’s a nice melody. It’s…it’s, I don’t know, soulful, maybe,” she said.

  He looked up at her. His smile was wide. “You think so? Thanks. I wrote it. It would sound a lot better if I wasn’t wearing the brace.”

  “It sounds lovely.” She stroked her throat and imagined what it might be like to sway with Blaise to this sultry song. Her face flushed. Where had that thought come from?

  Blaise turned his gaze back to the guitar and continued to play
. “You want to know what Cash did? He burned down the foundation of a house.” He smacked the guitar’s body and stopped playing the sweet melody. “There wasn’t anyone inside. No one was hurt. It’s no excuse, but his friend egged him on. His punishment is community service because he’s still a minor.” He looked away and then back at her. “And because he’s my kid. My ex thinks the judge might have been a fan.”

  How would she feel if Chloe did something like that? Would she fight for a lesser sentence? Probably. No parent wanted to see their child suffer or be punished. “Has he been in trouble like that before?” Was Cash used to getting away with things because of his name? Had he learned that from his father?

  “Nothing like that. Just stupid things. Skipping class. Not doing homework. Not caring about his grades. Playing video games till his eyes bleed. I blame myself. I wasn’t around. I didn’t get involved enough. I left it all to his mother, and I think Cash was acting out. Honestly, at first I didn’t know if I wanted him to come and stay with me, because I didn’t know how to handle him or what to say, but I’m glad he did come. Even if there’s times he barely utters two words to me unless he’s sick.” He let a smile play on his lips and went back to playing.

  Blaise wasn’t always the perfect father. Was she really surprised, considering his life choices? Was he really sorry for not being there? “It sounds like you’re trying to make up for the past, and you must’ve done something right. Cash is a good kid.” She liked the boy, and if he was a little broken because his parents weren’t perfect, well, she could relate to that. She was broken too, thanks to her parents. Wasn’t everyone?

  “He isn’t a good kid because of me. It’s his mother.”

  How often did she hear a divorced couple give praise to one another? Not often enough. “Do you miss being married?” She wanted to know more about him. Sitting together beside the solitude and lulling of the lake felt safe. Her tension eased, and she could ask questions.

  “Do you?” He raised his eyebrows.

  But did she? Sometimes, but not in the way she thought she would. When Larry first left, she thought she’d miss his opinion on things or sleeping next to him or having someone in the house when she arrived at night. After her pride recovered from being battered, she realized Larry never offered much of those things to her anyway. What she missed was someone to change the lightbulbs in the ceiling or to twist off a lid on a glass jar when she couldn’t. And she missed the idea of marriage, but she didn’t miss Larry. They were lost to each other a very long time ago.