They stood up and Becca said, “I’m sorry. We’re leaving. Go back to your football. I promise I’ll lock up.”
As Pat stomped off down the hallway, Jack bent to pick up something off the floor. Becca touched his arm. “What’s that?”
He opened his hand to reveal a small pocket knife in his palm. “Swiss army knife. Really, Becca, who locks herself into an office?”
Becca leaped into his arms, causing him to stagger back a step. She looked into his eyes. “Oh Jack, please don’t ever stop carrying those things around. I’m in love with you, too. So in love with you—and all your seven-hundred pockets!”
Jack loaded Frank into the truck and followed Becca to her apartment. As they wound their way through city traffic, Becca couldn’t quite believe Jack was here in Los Angeles. Having him here was contextually bizarre. It didn’t feel right to take the forester out of the forest.
She opened the door to her apartment, and Frank and Mona ran in. Frank amused himself sniffing one of the many boxes that littered the floor. Jack looked around the space and smiled at Becca. “It’s very you.”
“A little too much me, I think. I’m trying to clear out some stuff.”
He pointed at one of the boxes. “Are you moving?”
“Not yet. I haven’t found a new apartment. But I thought I’d get a head start on packing. And giving some stuff away. For example, I really don’t need to keep the clothes I wore in high school. Just because my best friend gave me a sweatshirt doesn’t mean I have to keep it forever.”
Downstairs, Mr. Rap Dude fired up his tunes and the beat started reverberating through the floor. Mona ran to the bedroom, Frank looked distressed, and Jack looked down at his feet. He looked back at Becca. “That’s horrible. And really loud. Are the speakers down there facing the ceiling or something?”
“Now you know why I’m looking for a new place. I’ve tried talking to the apartment manager and Mr. Rap Dude himself, who, I can report, is really quite a piece of work. At this point, all I have managed to do is create an inter-apartment feud.”
Jack walked over to Becca and took her into his arms. “Could I persuade you to spend the night somewhere else?”
“Twist my arm. Where can we go? We can’t just leave Frank and Mona here.”
“I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find you or if you’d talk to me, so I have reservations for me and Frank at a dog-friendly bed and breakfast inn near Santa Monica. Bea knows the owners.”
“Does she know everybody?”
“Seems like it.”
As the music vibrated below, Becca put her arms around Jack’s neck and kissed him. “I can’t believe you’re here. Let me pack some stuff and we can go.”
As Becca ran around her apartment collecting things, Jack stood in front of Becca’s desk and kept an eye on Frank, who was still in the process of ensuring that all of the boxes passed the sniff test. Jack looked through the books on the desk, picked one up, and started riffling through the pages.
Becca stopped and motioned toward the books. “I went to the library. I thought maybe embracing simplicity and learning about feng shui would help me feel better about my apartment. I don’t think I want to take simplicity to the level you do because I’m really quite fond of furniture. But I thought maybe clearing out some of the clutter would help.”
“I think convincing the guy downstairs to move out would be the first step toward better feng shui flow. How do you stand this? I’m getting a headache.” He held the book up to her. “Walden?”
“I was supposed to read it in high school, but I went for the Cliffs Notes. After you talked about it, I wanted to check it out. Some of it is interesting, but he gets really boring about beans.”
Jack laughed. “I know. That’s pretty tedious. I like to just flip through it, read a couple of sentences that catch my eye, and think about them.” He looked down at the page. “This is one of my favorite passages: ‘I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.’”
Becca reached out to touch his arm. “So are you advancing confidently?”
“I’m working on it. For a long time, I stopped dreaming.” He glanced at the book in his hand. “But I’m starting to have some ideas again. There could be some advancing. It might not be confident advancing yet, but it’s a start.”
“Baby steps?”
“Something like that.”
After Becca gathered her stuff, they loaded themselves and the dogs into Jack’s truck. As they headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway, Becca leaned her head on Jack’s shoulder and watched as the sun descended into the ocean, shooting rays of orange and gold across the sky. What was she doing? Jack would never be able to stand living here and there was no way she could live in Alpine Grove. When would they even see each other again? She sighed. The chatterbox needed to shut up for a while. Right now, it was just good to be here, feeling his warmth and watching the sunset. Although she knew she loved him, the future with Jack, if there actually was one, was a question for later.
They turned down a tree-lined street into a residential area of Pacific Palisades and found the bed and breakfast, which was a restored colonial house with shingles and white trim. The owners were welcoming and Becca and Jack checked into the “pet suite,” which had a huge four-poster bed and a fireplace. Dog bowls were set up in the corner and a little basket was filled with treats and canine hors d’oeuvres. A bottle of wine and two glasses sat on a tiny tiled bistro table.
Becca walked to the large window and looked out at the ocean. “Jack, this is amazing. Way nicer than the H12. And after thirty seconds, I already like this better than my apartment. Do you think they’ll let me move here?”
Jack took off his leather jacket and threw it on the bed. “I doubt it. The room is just for one night.”
She moved away from the window and locked her gaze with his. “Then we should make it a very good night.”
He grinned. “Let’s see what we can do about getting you to speak more slowly again.”
Becca put her arms around his neck. She drawled, “I love you,” as languidly and deliberately as she could.
He bent his head and whispered in her ear, “I love you too.”
When Becca opened her eyes the next morning, the sun was streaming through the windows. Jack was sitting in a chair reading and Frank and Mona were sitting in front of him, staring intently. Becca sat up and curled her hands around the plush down comforter, not wanting to leave the cozy nest. “Hey there. Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“I took the dogs for a walk. Frank attracts a lot of attention around here.”
“Most people have little poodles or Chihuahuas, not Bernese mountain dogs. He probably stands out.”
Jack came over to the bed and laid on his side next to her. He cupped her cheek with his hand. “I was hoping you’d do something for me.”
“I think I already did quite a few things.”
He grinned. “Well yes, and thanks for that. But I’d really like it if you could go to a doctor. You scared me yesterday and I’d like to know you’re okay.”
“I’ve seen doctors. They tell me that I have a syndrome. It was triggered by a traumatic event and I need to make lifestyle changes. Or take drugs that mess with my brain chemistry and have side effects. I didn’t like the sound of ‘lowered libido,’ for example. I’m a fan of my libido and I don’t think you’d be too excited about me losing it, either. Yoga and counseling had fewer unpleasant potential consequences, so I opted for that.”
“Did any of the doctors mention antacids?”
She nodded. “Yes, but that doesn’t make any sense. My stomach is fine. Well, most of the time. I learned recently that having ice cream for dinner is not necessarily a good idea.”
Jack pushed a lock of hair back from her face. “I went to the library and looked up your syndrome. Actual
ly the librarian did. That woman is really into research and she dug up a bunch of medical information from databases on the Internet. Anyway, chest pain like you have can be acid reflux. If it gets bad, you think you’re having a heart attack and that increases your anxiety.”
“Thinking I’m going to die does have that effect on me.”
He kissed her tenderly. “Please think about it, okay? I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Thank you for doing some more breaking and entering on my behalf. If the whole forestry thing doesn’t work out, you can always become a criminal.”
He laughed. “No thanks. I’d miss the trees too much. You know how I like Thuja plicata, and there aren’t any in prison.”
“I suppose cedars do tend to be in short supply in the penal system.” Becca snuggled up to him. “Do we really have to leave? I’m becoming very attached to this comforter. I think it has a thread count of three million or so. I want one for Christmas.”
“Well, at least it’s less expensive than the house on Edgewater Road. I’m glad you’re managing your expectations.”
“Pat wants me to do another appraisal in Alpine Grove. I told him no, but that was when I never wanted to see you again.”
Jack touched his fingertip to the base of her throat and ran it downward. “It seems you’ve changed your mind.”
“Yes. Would it be okay if I stayed with you for a week or so? Maybe I could bring a desk. Or a bed. Sleeping on the floor that close to piles of Frank fur has some downsides.”
“Actually, I’m moving. I tried to tell you, but you hung up on me. Then I told your answering machine. Didn’t you get my message?”
Becca sat up straight in bed. “You’re going to Colorado?”
“Apparently, you did not get my message.”
She slumped back down on the pillows. “You’re really leaving? I can’t believe it. After everything that has happened you’re going to move a thousand miles away?”
“I’m not going to Colorado. When I went back to put in the new window glass at The Shack, Joel asked me if I wanted to rent the place. I said ‘yes.’”
Becca threw her arms around his neck and hugged him hard. “That’s wonderful. I’m surprised he did that. He had it all closed up for winter.”
“He said that I was the only person he’d ever met that seemed to like the place as much as he did.”
Becca leaned back against the pillows and patted the comforter absently. “It does smell like smoke, I suppose. That’s a bit of a turn-off at first.”
“There’s probably something that can be done about that. I figure I’ll set the mad researcher librarian on that question and see what she comes up with. And yes, you can stay there with me. It’s kind of a long drive to town though.”
“I don’t care. I’ll get snow tires. Or those studded tires. Maybe tire chains? It doesn’t matter. I can’t wait to see the place again.”
“Good. Because we should probably check out soon. I have to get home.”
She gripped the edge of the comforter. “Okay. I’ll call Pat and tell him I’ll do the appraisal. He’ll be thrilled. Once it’s done I’ll have enough hours to get my residential certification. It looks like I’m going to achieve my goal to become an appraiser in 1995. Pat wants to throw a huge Christmas party to celebrate.”
Jack kissed her. “Was there ever any doubt? Once you set your mind to something, you seem to do what it takes to make it happen.”
“Pat says it’s because I’m stubborn.”
“Like a mule. But it’s part of what makes you who you are.”
She reached out to caress his soft beard. “Kind of like how you smell like a Christmas tree most of the time is part of who you are.”
He laughed. “Not exactly, but okay.”
Chapter 12
Get Happy
After checking out, they went back to Becca’s apartment so she could call her uncle and pack up some things. She opened the door and as usual, the beat of booming music was thumping from below. Mona shot toward the bedroom and Becca sighed. “I wish I could say it’s great to be back here, but Mr. Rap Dude is really making it easy to take a vacation.”
Jack closed the door behind him and looked down at the floor. “No kidding. Pack fast.”
Becca gave Jack a sidelong glance. “You know, I’m just so happy I could jump for joy.” She started jumping up and down, waving her fists and making a special effort to land on the floor as hard as possible. “Come on Frank, what do you think? Aren’t you happy?”
Frank wagged his tail warily, furrowing his brow. Becca waved her hands at the dog and ran around the sofa, “Okay, let’s run to the bedroom and get Mona! Run Frank, run!”
Jack leaned on the desk with his arms crossed. “This is a little passive-aggressive isn’t it?”
Becca and Frank ran by and Becca gasped, “No way. We’re just having fun, right Frank? And the fact that this dog has to weigh at least a hundred pounds has nothing to do with it.”
Frank leaped in the air and landed with a great thump on the floor. Turning, he ran back to the bedroom and barked a few times. He returned with Mona following him, making rrr-ing noises and wagging her tail. The two dogs engaged in some play bowing and barking, running around the sofa and chasing each other.
Becca grabbed at Jack’s elbow, “Come on. Let’s do speed packing. I’ll race you to the closet”
He grinned and ran after her back to the bedroom. “Okay, but if you say the words jumping jack, I’m leaving you here.”
Becca stopped, turned, and tackled him onto the bed so she was lying on top of him. “I would never do that. And if you leave me here, I’ll just buy some duct tape, drive up to Alpine Grove, and break into your house.”
Jack flipped her over and leaned down to kiss her. “I’m sure you would.”
“If you keep doing that, I’m going to lose focus here. I have to pack.”
Cupping the side of her neck with his hand, he stroked her cheek with his thumb. He brushed his lips lightly across hers one last time and pushed himself up off the bed. “Fine. And they say I’m the dull one.”
After stopping by the office to pick up the folders with the appraisal information, they made the trek out of the city back up to the mountains. As they drove through downtown Alpine Grove, Becca considered the businesses and storefronts passing by her window. It was surprising how many of them she actually knew now. During the several times she’d been there, she’d probably met more people in Alpine Grove than she’d ever met in her apartment building the whole time she’d lived there.
Jack drove north of town toward The Shack. After days of melting, there was significantly less snow on the ground and it had a more compressed, dimpled look, like a mattress pad. The sparkly drifts of pristine snow had been replaced by stodgy-looking icy berms along the side of the roadways. The trees were no longer flocked and the deep green color of the pines contrasted with the whiteness of the rest of the landscape.
Finally, they turned down the long driveway and slowly made their way to the clearing, where the late afternoon sun was starting to disappear behind the cedars. The Shack sat in its cozy little corner of forest looking almost exactly the same as it had the last time Becca had seen it. She clasped Jack’s arm. “It’s so good to see this place again!”
As they unloaded the truck, Becca noticed that at least one thing was different. The ugly blue tarp now covered a sizable stack of firewood. She walked to the door and looked up at the little overhang that covered the landing. She had been so very grateful for it and now she knew who had put it there. The pane of glass in the door had been repaired and it looked like someone had cleaned the other panes as well. Jack unlocked the door and opened it. “Welcome back.”
Becca walked in as Frank and Mona charged by her into the room. The large dog claimed his favorite spot on the old rug while Mona busied herself inspecting the exciting new space. She wagged and looked up at Becca expectantly. Becca bent to ruffle the dog’s ears. “I
hope you like your little vacation retreat, Mona, because we’re going to be here for a few days.” The dog wagged and ran off toward the kitchen to resume her explorations.
Jack flipped on a light and Becca pointed at the lamp. “Okay, electricity is an exciting change.”
“Wait ‘til you go to cook something. Functional appliances.”
Becca looked around the room. The only new piece of furniture was the body-sucking chair. “What did you do with the mattress?”
“I leaned it against the dumpster behind the apartment building. An hour later, it was gone. Maybe there’s another guy out there getting divorced who needed it.”
Becca leaned against the back of the sofa. “I’m guessing moving in didn’t take long.”
Jack smiled. “No. Joel offered to help and it took about ten minutes. Getting my dresser up into the loft was kind of a pain though. By the way, Joel left something he wanted me to give to you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s on the bed. Go up and see.”
Becca climbed up the ladder, walked to the bed, and squealed. Joel’s old flannel shirt was folded up neatly on the end of the bed. She leaned over the railing. “He’s giving it to me?”
“Yes. He took the rest of his clothes out of the dresser, but he said you should have that.”
She held the shirt to her chest. “Thanks, Mr. Tall Guy.”
Becca sat on the sofa knitting, the pink yarn flowing through her fingers. Her enormous teal afghan was wrapped around her like a cocoon. It had seemed right to bring it with her. Maybe she’d leave it here for Jack. She looked up when she heard tapping on one of the glass panes of the door. Joel’s tall outline was visible outside. She waved and yelled “Come in!”
He walked through the doorway, closed the door behind him, and stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Hi Becca. Is Jack around? I brought that last load of wood for him.”
Snow Furries (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 4) Page 21