I actually have to be at the library this evening. We have a guest author coming to give a talk, and she’ll be there to sign books. I wouldn’t be surprised if people from the mainland come over to see her, so it will be a busy night. But I’d love to go to dinner some other time.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem the least bit put off and texted right back.
Say Friday then? And this would be a real date, so how about Island Bluff?
Without talking myself out of it, I texted a quick okay and readied for work.
I’ll pick you up at seven on Friday.
I swallowed down the ball of nerves that choked my throat and shut my eyes.
Friday would be no big deal.
Why was I so worried about one little date? It had been over a year since the divorce was granted. That was plenty of time to distance myself from all the turmoil my ex caused and move on with my life. Yet there he was again, that little fellow wiggling his finger in the back of my mind. What in the world would it take for me to squish him for good so he never appeared in my thoughts again?
Enough of Rich. I was glad we had a mystery writer coming to the library today. The excitement of it all would keep my mind away from Jake and away from Rich, and I certainly didn’t need the two crossing paths in real or imagined universes.
I’d managed to somehow put on lip gloss, curl my hair and hop in my car without giving any of those tasks a second thought.
It wasn’t until I parked down the street from the library that I realized how much time I’d exhausted on evaluating where I was in life.
Spending time with Jake last night answered barely any questions I had about him. I could see why he had a reputation around town for being somewhat aloof. He just didn’t let people in.
I completely recognized the undercurrent of flirtation, but I didn’t completely trust the feeling or him. I wanted to believe Jake had put his divorce behind him and was above all the drama that somehow managed to infiltrate most people’s lives during that process, but I didn’t. It felt like he was hiding something, and I didn’t like that.
No matter what brought their marriage down, I didn’t believe for a second that Jake didn’t care about it ending in divorce. He reminded me of someone who liked to succeed at everything he did, and I highly doubted he’d be able to push away his failure at marriage without so much as a second thought.
Not that I wanted to get into the dirty details, but he’d given me very little to go on so far, and I really didn’t want to accidentally fall for a man who was incapable of loving or feeling emotion.
That would take me right back to where I’d been before.
I pulled on the front door to the library and spotted the fresh floral arrangements in the conference room for tonight’s event. I needed to put my game face on and quit worrying about things that were out of my control.
Friday was a simple dinner out, and just as I didn’t need to bring up my past, I couldn’t try to pull it out of Jake. Maybe there really wasn’t anything to coax out of him.
But what did it say about Jake if he was able to so easily dismiss his marriage? Which was exactly why I believed the divorce did wreck him on some level, and he was simply hiding it from me.
Or was I only hoping I wasn’t the only screwed-up one when it came to love?
Dear Lord, why did it matter? Turn off the brain and enjoy being surrounded by books all day.
“Good morning,” Valorie called, waving from down the children’s aisle. “Flowers have been delivered, and Sherry Clairon arrived on the island early, but not to worry.” Val wandered over. “Loxxy already had her room ready to go, and I pointed her in the direction of the marina. She wanted to rent a kayak and head out around the harbor before this afternoon’s event. What a life.”
I laughed and nodded. “Not too shabby, if you don’t mind placing your life in the hands of the sea.”
“I thought you only had a thing with heights.”
“I’d say I have a thing with activities that might cut my life short in general.”
“When you put it that way, it takes all the fun out of it.” She smiled. “I saw your blog is up and running already. Did you call Jerry?”
My cheeks flushed, and I wandered over to my desk without answering.
“Was it Jerry?” she asked again, standing next to my chair.
“No. Jake fixed it.” My eyes stayed on the desk as I sorted the mail.
“Jake? He knows how to do that stuff?” she asked, surprised.
“Doesn’t bode well for our living in a tent theory,” I confirmed.
“He could’ve been tech savvy before moving to a portable shelter,” she pointed out.
I chuckled and glanced at two people wandering over to the counter, holding their books tightly.
“I’ll take care of them.” I hopped up to serve the patrons.
“You just don’t want to answer my questions about our island recluse,” she whispered, and I nodded in total agreement.
With a quick couple of scans, our library patrons wandered out the door, only to have Natalie pop in. She gave a quick wave at Val and beelined toward me.
“I heard Mrs. Coleville ran out of gas and stayed all night in her car. Is she okay?” Natty asked, following me to the magazine section.
“She’s fine. I’d say she’s just as resilient as Coco.”
“So, I heard a little something you never mentioned this morning.”
I began reorganizing and straightening out the newspapers and magazines on the racks.
“I don’t know what that would be,” I said innocently.
“Well, I think it’s great.”
“What’s great?” I spun around, holding the latest edition of InStyle.
“That you had Jake fix your blog,” Natty giggled. “Do you know I had to assure Mrs. Coleville that you really had Jake fix your website, and it wasn’t code for—”
I held up my hand. “Don’t say it. I already had the awkward conversation with her earlier.”
“Regardless, whatever Jake is busy doing at your house,” Natty began. “No pun intended—”
“I don’t think that quite qualifies,” I interrupted.
She narrowed her eyes. “It’s on the edge. Anyway, I’m just glad to see you expanding your circle beyond Sophie, Nick, and me.”
“Are you trying to kick me out of your inner circle?” I teased.
“No way. I welcome you with open arms, but variety never hurt anyone.” She winked and I rolled my eyes in return. “By the way, Tori is having a surprise birthday party for Mason, and since he’s a twin, it’s a double birthday with his twin.”
“Is he single?” My smile widened.
“No, he’s actually married to the sweetest girl, Lily. I don’t remember if you’ve ever met her . . . actually, I’m sure you have, or at least Brandy and Gabby.”
I thought back to the many functions since I’d arrived on Fireweed, and I’d probably met them all at some point, but when I first landed on the island, I was in a bit of a haze.
“Judging by the clueless look in your eyes, I’d say introductions are in order.”
“In order for what?”
“The birthday party. It’s this Friday at Tori’s house on Forgotten Cove, and you’re invited. It’s kind of spur of the moment, but I promised I’d reach out to you. She sent you an e-vite too.”
I shook my head. “Can’t make it.”
My sister’s brow arched, and her eyes narrowed on me, studying every single thing about me.
“What?”
“You know what.” She crossed her arms, smiling.
“I haven’t the faintest idea.” I began walking out of the magazine section, but Natty pulled on my wrist and anchored me in front of her.
“You’ve got plans with that fireman.”
“Do not.”
“Yes, you do, and that’s totally fine. Bring him.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Aha. So you do have a date.”
“It’s not a date.”
“Is your blog down again?”
“It’s just dinner,” I assured her, noticing there wasn’t another soul besides us three in the library. The calm before the hurricane.
“I can tell you’re lying, but that’s okay. I’ve got to get back to the shop. Sophie’s covering the shop so she can put a few arrangements together for her house.” She gave me a quick squeeze and nearly bounded toward the door, but she stopped short and whispered a shout. “Don’t forget you can always come by after your D-A-T-E.”
“A date, huh?” Val asked.
Why weren’t patrons beating down the doors? Why couldn’t we be swarming with activity?
“Yes. I’m going on a date with Jake Harlen on Friday.” I turned around to face Val as Natty laughed her way out of the library. “And I highly doubt there’ll be any details to give, so don’t get your hopes up. In fact, I’ll probably chicken out and plow through our new arrivals instead of getting plowed by the island’s sexiest fireman and mysterious recluse, but that’s just how it goes.”
Val’s gaze focused on something behind me, and her eyes widened to the size of silver dollars.
“Jake Harlen is standing right behind me, isn’t he?” I whispered.
“I sure am.”
“Just so you know, I was talking about the other sexy fireman who’s a recluse at the other end of the island.” I turned around to see Jake watching me carefully, which sent a joyous current through me. These feelings weren’t supposed to happen at work.
No, this wasn’t supposed to happen anywhere.
Jake’s blond hair was combed back, but he still had the dark stubble across his jaw, which was beyond sexy. He wore an old Jack Daniels t-shirt and a pair of jeans, but the way the denim clung to his extremely muscular legs made me want to climb the nearest tree so I could be rescued all over again.
Only this time, I’d take full advantage of being in his arms.
“Harry Winters?” Jake asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Yeah. Harry. He’s a real Silver Fox.”
“You might have to fight Madeline for him,” Jake informed me.
“Madeline?” I asked. “Oh, right. Mrs. Coleville.”
Jake’s smile turned into a wry grin.
“So what’s this about our date on Friday? Have the plans changed?” He took a step forward, and my knees nearly buckled.
“I’m going to go to the backroom and check on supplies,” Val said with a smile in her voice. “See if UPS is gonna deliver anything today or maybe tomorrow . . .”
“Okay,” Jake answered for both of us.
“Nothing’s changed. Well, almost nothing. My sister stopped by and invited me to a birthday party for Mason.”
“Mason Rhodes?” he asked.
I nodded. “You know him?”
“He did fantastic work for me. Extremely talented.”
“Tent related?” I teased, hoping to shift the topic of conversation completely away from plows or farming techniques in general.
“Shockingly, no. He designed a deck and another building on my property, along with some other stuff. He’s a great guy.”
“He is. Did you know he’s a twin?”
“Had no idea. When’s his party?”
“Friday, but I’d rather have dinner with you. Although, you’re more than welcome to attend his party.”
“We can do both. Then I can meet some of your friends.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“Hey, you’ve already met my mom, so—” He shrugged and looked completely amused with me, which only confused my resolve.
“And she is a sweet lady.”
“Speaking of her, that’s why I stopped by. She thought you might like to come to the lavender farm in a few weeks when the plants are in full bloom. She throws a Fourth of July party every year and would love to have you.”
A surge of excitement ran through me at the invitation, and I found my gaze drifting along his chest to his arms before bringing my eyes back to his. A lot could change in a few weeks.
Satisfaction tugged at his lips when I finally accepted his invitation by nodding and crossing my arms.
“Assuming we’re still talking by then,” I teased.
“Is there a reason we wouldn’t be?” His brow rose slightly.
“Not that I can think of in the immediate, but who knows? A lot can happen in a few days, let alone a few weeks.”
He touched my cheek, and I sucked in a deep breath, because the alternative wouldn’t have been appropriate, even in an empty library.
“Dinner on Friday, followed by Mason’s party, where I can meet some of your friends. Deal?”
The front door swung open, and Kitty Bailey and her four-year old twin girls walked in. Kitty’s blonde hair was wrapped in a twist, and she had on a pair of short shorts and an orange camisole. Both little girls wore matching ladybug dresses with bright red sandals.
“Deal. I should get back to—” I gestured toward the room.
“Absolutely.”
“I’d better go instill some passion for reading in young children.”
“You get back at it, and I’ll go make an appearance in town so the rumors stop.” He laughed, and the sound literally melted me into the wood floors. Kitty glanced over at the sound, and her smile widened when she saw Jake.
Whose wouldn’t, really? But I got a twinge of something I wasn’t familiar with when I saw her eyes stay on him for longer than I expected.
“Hi, Jake. Thanks again for helping my husband. He’d never admit this, but he was in way over his head.” She chuckled and let go of her little girls’ hands.
“No problem. Happens to the best of us.” He gave a slight wave toward Kitty and glanced in my direction as I knelt to talk to Dorothy and Emma. “See ya both around.”
I nodded and watched Jake walk out the door, and I finally felt like I could breathe again.
“He is a keeper.” Kitty laughed.
I wanted to ask what Jake helped with, but it wasn’t my place, so I stood up and held out a hand for Dorothy as Emma grabbed her mom’s. “Do you have any ladybug picture books? They found some in the garden and have fallen in love with the little red buggers. We’ve even redecorated their room again in the little bugs, and they’re only four.”
“We have more than you could ever imagine.”
Dorothy tugged on my arm, and we followed to the preschool section. I used my free hand and began stacking several ladybug board books against my hip as Emma and her mom got down on the ground and began searching for others. I let go of Dorothy’s hand and she quickly joined in.
“This one is a fun series. It includes ladybugs, but it’s not about them. It follows a little girl’s adventures.” I handed Kitty the stack of books, and they all began quietly flipping through them.
“I saw your incident in the paper,” Kitty said, smiling. “Is that how you met Jake?”
Well, that was straight to the point.
“Yep. That’s how we met.” I spotted a couple of books out of place and switched the order. “He’s very intriguing.”
“Isn’t he, though?” She asked, standing up and dusting her hands on her shorts.
Val popped her head alongside a bookshelf at the end of the aisle. “I’m back on the floor. Guessing Jake has gone?”
“Thanks. Yep. He got everything he needed.”
“Good deal.” She waved at the twins before walking toward the counter.
“I feel for that guy,” Kitty continued. “No wonder he wants to hide from people. He had such a nasty divorce, and I think his ex is one of the cruelest women I’ve ever heard about, but I’m sure you know all about that.”
I shook my head. “Not really.”
“Oh, well . . .” She glanced over at Val. “I just assumed by the way he was looking at you that there was something more between you two. Not that it’s any of my business.”
I laughed. “I think the rule for livi
ng on Fireweed is everything is everyone’s business.”
“Gets old, doesn’t it?” She chuckled.
“I think I kind of missed it,” I confessed.
“Where’d you move back from?”
“When I was married, we lived in California and Texas, so this is a nice change of pace.”
“I’ve never left and always wondered what it would be like to not have to worry about a ferry schedule if I wanted to go to the mall or needed to go to the airport,” she mused, picking up the books her daughters scattered on the floor.
“It wasn’t that great. I promise. The traffic alone would make you pull your hair out.” I helped Dorothy and Emma up as they each clung to their favorite book of the moment.
“All set?” I asked the twins.
They both nodded their heads, but Kitty shook hers. “Mama’s gotta get some new stories. I heard Sherry Clairon is going to be here this week?”
“Actually, she’ll be here this afternoon.”
“No. Way.” She glanced at the twins and twisted her lips into a pout.
“You’re a fan?”
“I’ve read every single one of her books, all her short stories. . .” She sighed. “Maybe next time.”
“Do you have other plans?”
“No. I just don’t have daycare.”
I bit my lip and glanced behind me. How hard could twin girls be?
“I could watch them while you listen to her.”
Her mouth hung open and she shook her head.
“Seriously. I mean it. We have a great kids’ section, and I can look after them while you meet her.”
“You have no idea what this means.” She smiled and nearly jumped out of her shoes. “Come on, girls. We’ve got to get home and get ready. I’ve got so many things I want her to sign.”
She nearly bowled me over to get to the counter and check her daughters’ books out while my mind still stayed stuck in reverse. So Jake had a nasty divorce and might actually be hiding out. So why not tell me?
I let out a disgruntled groan and wandered toward the counter as Kitty and her girls headed outside.
Forever Love on Fireweed Island (Island County Book 4) Page 9