by Jo Barrett
“Yeah, sure. Not many folks will be in over the next hour. They’ll all be getting ready for the fireworks.”
“And the pig pickin’. I can’t wait for a taste of old man Cox’s barbeque. Thanks!” The kid ditched his apron and was out the door before Jacob could blink.
But he had a point. Most would go for the picnic dinner first, then spread out on blankets and in lawn chairs, visiting with one another while waiting for the show. He wondered if Jane would have dinner there with Riley. They’d agreed to meet early—for business.
“Only way to know is to be there early myself,” he muttered, and started the process of closing up the store.
Jane reappeared. “Is Joey gone?”
“Yeah, he wanted to cut out early.” He kept his gaze focused on closing out the register. Looking at her now, before he’d beefed up his courage would have disastrous results. Or perhaps he was just being a chicken. Either way, he couldn’t bring himself to look at her.
“Oh. Well, I guess it can wait till tomorrow then,” she said.
“Guess so.”
She moved closer, he could feel her, but still remained focused on his task.
“Um, are you closing early today?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Oh. I, um, guess I’ll leave early too. I have a few things I need to do before I—um…”
“Meet Riley,” he finished for her, hoping her hesitation in saying so was a good sign.
“Yes. To discuss the store.”
“Uh-huh.” He held in his grin, loving her determination to clarify the situation. If that wasn’t all the clues he needed, then he was a blind man. And yet, he wasn’t quite sure what to say.
His silence, however, lasted too long, and before he could swallow the lump of trepidation in his throat and lift his head, she was gone.
Chapter Eight
Although she knew her eyes would end up all puffy, once Jane got back to her apartment, she fell to her bed and let the tears fall until she was all cried out.
She stumbled for the bathroom for a warm compress. Anything to help ease her aching eyes. She held a cloth beneath the spigot and twisted the faucet, but nothing happened. With a snarl, she turned on the cold water, still nothing.
Her head fell back and she looked at the ceiling. “What did I do? Tell me that, would you? Can I have one little break already? Just one little—” she choked up again, and pressed the dry washcloth to her face.
After several moments of attempting to calm her shattered nerves, she did the best she could to clean herself up and not look like the wreck she was on the inside.
All day, knowing Jacob was just within reach, and yet so far away, he may as well have been in another state, had been pure torture.
“Maybe Indiana would be the better solution,” she muttered, emerging from the bathroom.
And yet, that wouldn’t really solve her current problem. She had a broken heart, and there was no mending it no matter where she lived. And after all, she had a business to deal with. She couldn’t just pack up and leave. If she wanted to go, she’d have to wrap things up as neatly as possible.
If she wanted to go.
Which she didn’t.
She let out a long suffering sigh. “Damn the man for doing this to me.”
She wanted to stay in the town she’d chosen to be her home. She wanted her business, one she’d dreamed of for years. And she wanted Jacob Hayes...any way she could have him. Perhaps with time it wouldn’t hurt so much. Maybe they could be friends without it tearing her up inside every day. She’d never know if she didn’t at least try.
She took a deep breath, and slipped on a clean pair of jeans and a light blouse. Although it wasn’t a date, she didn’t need to look like a drudge in her work clothes. She had bits of thread here and there, along with some smudged makeup from her crying jag. And it always cheered her up to put on something nice. Just not too nice. She didn’t need to give Riley any ideas.
Slipping her key into her pocket, she headed for the fairgrounds and hopefully some good news from her landlord.
****
Jacob stalled in mid-stride the minute he caught sight of Jane and Riley. The jerk was leaning into her, his mouth close to her ear whispering God knew what.
It made his blood boil.
But Jacob didn’t have a claim on her. Jane was free to date whomever she wanted. After all, she’d agreed to meet Riley here, and by the way she looked, it might not be just business after all.
Which meant, if he wanted her, really wanted her, Jacob would have to make a stand and let her know exactly how he felt. In front of Riley—in front of the whole town.
With an outward calm he didn’t feel in the least, he stole up beside her, slid his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.
“Sorry I’m late, baby,” he said, then looked at Riley before the shock on Jane’s face made him laugh out loud. He wasn’t even sure she was breathing. “Riley,” he said with a nod.
Riley covered up his glare with a smirk more than a smile. “Jacob,” he said, then pinned his gaze on Jane. “Remember, Friday.”
She trembled, ever so faintly, but didn’t pull away. In fact, she seemed to lean into him as she gave a subtle nod to Riley.
The town charmer turned and walked away, his back stiff. Jacob couldn’t have been more pleased, but was Jane happy or angry that he’d interrupted?
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, easing away to stand by the overlook onto the field. “I said I could handle him.”
That familiar dread settled over him like a stifling wool blanket on a hot summer day. Had Riley won after all? “Didn’t look that way to me.”
She shot him a frown over her shoulder. “Well, you’re wrong.” But the anger in her eyes faded as quickly as it came. “But it doesn’t matter anymore. It was all for nothing,” she said, and looked away.
He stepped up behind her, his stomach sinking lower with her words. “What do you mean, it was all for nothing?”
She let out a quivering sigh, but kept her gaze on the field where people were picking out their favorite viewing spots. “We both knew that combining the Sew Spot with Hayes General Store was only temporary.”
“He hasn’t even started the repairs.”
“No, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”
His temper was climbing. He hated riddles, especially when his heart and their future was involved. “What the hell does that mean, and what’s so important about Friday?”
“He—he raised the rent on the store to cover the repairs,” she said with a quivering sigh. “He said I have until Friday to either pay the difference or he’ll find a new tenant.”
“Or?” He sensed she was holding back. The way Riley was turning on the charm, there had to be more to it, but she only shook her head.
Taking hold of her arm, he spun her around to find tears standing in her eyes.
“That bastard propositioned you, didn’t he?” His grip tightened. “Didn’t he!”
She swallowed and dropped her tear-filled gaze. “Not directly.”
“I’ll kill him,” he said with a growl.
Her head snapped up and she clutched at his arms. “No! Jacob, no. It doesn’t matter. I’ve decided to move back to Indiana, just like I should have when this whole thing started. And with everything that’s happened, it’s just better that I go.”
He sucked in a lung full of air, not realizing he’d been holding his breath. He still had a chance, he could see it in her eyes. She cared about him, about them, and he’d be a fool to let her slip through his fingers. He loved her, plain and simple.
She dropped her chin and focused on the buttons of his shirt. “I’m sorry for all the trouble, for the gossip that’s sure to start now—for—for—oh, I’ve made such a mess of everything,” she said, burying her face in her hands, her tears evident with her sniffles.
He hesitated a moment, not quite sure where or how to begin, then smiled.
“You know, I’
ve been thinking,” he said. “We should move the Sew Spot upstairs to the attic. I’ve only ever used it for storing Christmas decorations.”
She slowly lifted her head, her mouth agape. “What?”
“My dad had thought about using it for showcasing furniture once, but never got around to it.” He swiped the tears from her cheeks, as if he’d done it hundred times. “Up there you could really spread out, have that little classroom you wanted. We can take down the walls surrounding the stairs, open it up. Then you could hang finished quilts and things over the bannisters.”
She shook her head. “You can’t be serious.”
Tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, he said, “Of course I’m serious.” He put his arms around her, and pulled her tight against his chest.
She gasped and wriggle to get free, but he refused to let her go. “Jacob, stop. People are going to think—they’re going to think—”
“They’re going to think the truth.”
She stilled and gazed up into his eyes. “W—What truth?”
Lowering his head, he brushed his lips across hers. “The truth is that I’m crazy about you.”
She sniffled, but with a small smile of wonder. “You are?”
“Do you think I’d be making a spectacle of myself in front of half the town if I wasn’t?”
She shook her head, but didn’t speak.
“I know it hasn’t been a normal courtship by any means, sweetheart. I know we still have a lot to learn about one another—outside of the bedroom.”
She lowered her gaze, her face flushing beautifully.
Slipping his finger beneath her chin, he tilted her face up. “And since you’re going to need a new place to live, I think the easiest way to begin would be for us to live together.”
Her eyes widened. “But the gossip.”
“To hell with the gossip. I’ve finally crawled out of my hole and stopped living in the past. And all thanks to you, but if I haven’t got a chance in hell at convincing you to marry me, then I’d like to know right up front.”
“Marry you?” she said, her voice squeaking.
He smiled and brushed another kiss across her lips. “Didn’t I make myself clear? I’m in love with you, Jane. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
She shook her head so faintly, that if he hadn’t been watching her every move, every expression, he wouldn’t have seen it. A flash of fear darted down his spine. He didn’t know how he’d make it through another day if she turned him down.
His heart raced, waiting and wondering. It seemed like an eternity.
Then she slid her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, and said, “Then I think you owe me one hell of a kiss, mister, or else no one will believe me when I tell them that I agreed to marry you on our first date.”
With a relieved chuckle, he proceeded to kiss her thoroughly, and he didn’t give a damn who saw them. She’d said yes, and that was all that mattered.
Several snickers, and a shout that told them to get a room, broke the spell, and they practically ran straight for his house.
But when they rounded the corner, Jane yanked him to a stop at the end of the sidewalk.
“What is it?” he asked, half out of breath from the jog, and half from anticipation.
“You live here? This is your house?”
He looked at the old house, nestled amid the magnolia trees, the classic Georgian architecture a little tired, but still as grand as it was when it was first built over one hundred fifty years ago.
“You don’t like it? It’s been in the family for generations. I’ve always found it comfortable, but if you don’t—”
She stopped him with an abrupt kiss.
“I take it that means you’re okay with the house,” he said with a chuckle.
“It’s one of the reasons I moved here. Having never had a place to really call home, with all the moving from city to city, I knew the day I rode down main street and saw this house, and then the others,” she said, waving absently down the street, “that this was where I belonged.”
With a bit of a lump in his throat, he cradled her face in his palms, and said, “Welcome home, Jane.”
A word about the Author
Jo currently resides in North Carolina with her patient and supportive family while she juggles her writing career and her position as a programmer analyst. She has won numerous awards and continues to write whenever she can. Someday, she hopes to take off her programming hat and write full time. So many of her dreams have already come true. What's one more?
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