Their Family Legacy

by Lorraine Beatty

  She took a deep breath and faced him. “Here’s the thing. For whatever reason, you and I are being put in situations where we are forced to interact. We’re neighbors, coworkers, committee members and my boys are in your class. If we’re going to spend this much time together, then I think we should declare a truce.”

  The tightness in his chest released. “That’s a very sensible idea. How do you propose we do that?”

  “By forgetting the day, um, the reason—I mean the yearly...”

  “My sentence.”

  “Yes. Let’s set that aside. We don’t have to deal with it until next year. In the meantime we should be able to work together without that incident hanging between us.”

  He admired the earnestness in her voice but he could see the doubt in her eyes. “Do you think you can do that—forget what happened to Bobby Lee?”

  “No. I won’t forget, but I will set it aside for the time being. For the better good.”

  Jake wanted to believe she was sincere. He did believe that she would try to overlook the past, but could she really? She was living in Margaret Owens’s home, living off her money and continuing the sentence imposed on him. Maybe this was a good time to ask her why she wanted to continue punishing him? He shoved the thought aside. She’d come with an offer of peace. No time to stir up the very thing they were agreeing to set aside. He admired her spunk. It took courage to come and offer a truce. He held out his hand. “You have a deal. From now on, we’re just friends working together.”

  “Good.” She took his hand and he was struck again with the strength in her small hand. Her fingers fluttered and her skin felt silky smooth against his palm. Her blue eyes drew him like a beautiful summer sky and he didn’t want to look away. Nor did he want to release her hand. Was she holding the contact longer than necessary? Or was that wishful thinking on his part?

  She tugged her hand away and then stood. “I’m glad we have this settled. I don’t want to go to work every day with this knot in my stomach.”

  That upset him. “Why would you feel that way around me?”

  “Because you must hate me and my family for the burden we placed on you.”

  Not what he’d expected. “No. I don’t. I’ll admit I was disappointed and a little discouraged when I learned you would be continuing the sentence, but I’ve learned to accept that and only let it surface one day a year.”

  “Good. Well then, we’ll just go about our business and not worry about the past coloring our present.” She walked to the edge of the porch. “I appreciate you being so civilized about this.”

  He had to smile. She sounded so formal. “You’re welcome. Oh and Annie, we need to start work on the flyers.”

  She nodded. “Let’s meet tomorrow night, if you’re free. At my house.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Jake watched her walk across the street and onto her porch before he went back inside. What had prompted her suggestion? She’d assumed he hated her. What did she think he would do? He could just imagine. When people found out he was raised in foster care they usually looked at him differently, as if they expected him to immediately become the angry, tattooed, bad dude who made people walk on eggshells when they were around him for fear he would erupt into a rage at any moment. It’s why he never spoke of his past to anyone. The less they knew, the better.

  He hated that Annie feared him. He’d always tried to be calm and polite and unthreatening when he was around her. Her small frame, shimmery blond hair and expressive eyes brought out his protective instincts.

  They’d turned a page today on their relationship—friendship. But it gave him hope. At least now he could stop avoiding her and maybe he’d stop getting that queasy feeling in his stomach whenever she was around.

  But would it stop his rapid pulse rate too?

  Probably not, because whenever he was close to her, his senses developed a mind of their own. Annie Shepherd had imprinted herself on him and he doubted it would fade anytime soon.

  Chapter Five

  Annie wiped off the breakfast table and straightened the chairs. Jake was coming over tonight to work on the flyer and she wanted the place to look presentable. Sadly her plan to refresh the old house was taking longer, and was much harder than she’d imagined. But then she wasn’t trying to impress him. Just design a flyer for the carnival.

  “Mom, we’re going to Steve and Johnny’s to play their new video game.”

  Tyler’s voice echoed through the house accompanied by pounding footsteps.

  Annie hurried into the hall. “Wait one minute. You didn’t ask permission to leave.”

  Ryan skidded to a stop at the door and pivoted. “You always let us go next door.”

  “That was in the summer. It’s schooltime now. You need to stay close to home.”

  The twins shared puzzled looks. “Why?”

  The old mantra was on the tip of her tongue. Because I need to know where you are every moment to keep you safe. She looked at her little boys, not so little anymore. They’d be eleven on their next birthday and were starting to pull away from all the restrictions that had harnessed them most of their lives. She needed to loosen her apron strings. But oh, it was hard. “Fine. But be home by seven. You still have to get ready for school.”

  The boys exchanged high fives and then disappeared out the back door as the front bell chimed. Probably Jake. She opened the door wide to allow him to enter. He looked good in cargo shorts and a solid black Henley shirt that emphasized his broad shoulders. She shut the door, scolding herself for her wayward thoughts. He stopped a few feet into the hallway and took a long look around. “Wow.”

  She cringed. She wanted people to be impressed with her home. Maybe she should bite the bullet and hire a contractor. “I’m sure it looks different from when you were here last.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “I’ve never been inside the house before. It’s larger than I expected.”

  “I thought you and my cousin were good friends.”

  “No. Not really. Just hang-out buddies.” He turned and faced her. “Bobby Lee never had friends over to his house. He preferred to hang out at the river or the Burger Shack.”

  Another assumption shattered. She motioned him into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast room table. His smile was a bit forced as he sat down. “I have some ideas about the flyer. I printed them out.” Her anxiety jumped up a notch. They’d agreed to a truce, but this was the first test of that agreement. How would things go between them now?

  Jake studied the blue paper, nodding in approval. “This looks good.”

  “It’s only a first attempt.” She pulled her chair closer to him and slid her laptop between them so they could share the screen. Too late she realized her mistake. Being close to him sent her nerves dancing to an unwelcome tune. Warmth, slow and steady, climbed up along her insides.

  Tonight Jake was wearing shorts and if she wasn’t careful their knees would touch. She exhaled a slow, silent breath. Why couldn’t he have been balding and paunchy instead of a superb male specimen that made women’s hearts race, and put silly, but appreciative smiles on their faces? She’d never been susceptible to that kind of thing, but she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off Jake. Undoubtedly it was because the reality of him was nothing like the image she’d carried in her head for so long.

  Steeling herself, she doggedly focused on the flyer. “I’m worried there’s too much going on. It makes the flyer cluttered and hard to read. Maybe it should be simpler.”

  Jake took a turn at the laptop and tweaked the design. Together they fine-tuned the images until they had a simple, but informative design they both agreed on. Jake pulled out a thumb drive and transferred the image. “I’ll get them printed up and we can start handing them out. We’ll need to get these distributed and start on selling ads soon. Let me know when would be a good time for you. Late afternoon
s or early evenings are best for me. I have to work it in between coaching and games.”

  “Okay. Afternoons are fine, provided I can find someone to watch the twins.” She rubbed her thumbnail. “I haven’t had a chance to ask you how my boys are doing. They’re enjoying your class and their grades are what I expected.” Jake scooted his chair back, his knee brushing her slightly. She jerked away, immediately regretting her reaction when she saw Jake wince.

  “Good. Ryan is on target with his studies. Tyler however is a little behind in math. I’m hoping he’ll catch up quickly. Junior high is right around the corner, and if he doesn’t master the basics, he’ll have a hard time.”

  Her mood plunged. “I know. I’ve been working with him but he gets so frustrated.”

  “Have you considered a tutor?”

  Annie took a deep breath, taking a moment to temper her response. “I’m a teacher. I’m perfectly capable of helping my son with his math.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I know you’re an excellent teacher, but sometimes, parents can be too close to the situation. Tyler might learn better from someone else.”

  “And who do you suggest?”

  “What about me?”

  That’s all she needed, giving Jake another reason to be involved with her life. “No. Out of the question. I’ll take care of any issues Tyler has with his math skills.”

  “Hey, Mom. Johnny and Steve had to go somewhere so we’re back.” Ryan stopped beside her. “Hey, Coach.”

  “Ryan.”

  Tyler strolled in with a big smile. “That was the coolest game ever. Can we get a game system of our own?”

  Annie wrapped an arm around his slender waist. “We’ll see.” She glanced at Jake. She could nip this tutoring idea in the bud right now. “Tyler, Coach is concerned that you’re behind in your math. But I told him we’re working on it together, right?” He shrugged and mumbled something under his breath. “He suggested he could tutor you.”

  His eyes widened and a big smile split his face. “Really? That would be awesome. When can we start?”

  Annie blinked at the unexpected enthusiasm in her son’s voice. “Ty, we’re doing fine on our own, aren’t we?”

  “Mom, I’d rather have Coach help me.”

  “Why?”

  “You get upset and then I get confused and then I hate math even more. I don’t hate it so much in Coach’s class.”

  Annie swallowed the hurt lodged in her throat. “Okay. We’ll talk about it later.”

  Tyler left the room and Ryan followed more slowly, turning to face his mom. “You really do get upset, Mom. He hates that.”

  Annie pressed her fingers against her lips, struggling to comprehend. “I had no idea my son hated my help so much.”

  Jake leaned toward her, wrapping her in the scent of his citrus aftershave. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

  “I’ve failed somewhere. I don’t understand. Ryan always caught on so quickly. But Tyler’s always struggled.”

  “They are two different kids. Tyler probably missed something along the way when he was in the lower grades and just never caught up.”

  Annie ran a hand through the hair on her temple. “That’s about the time his father was at his worst. Ryan always seemed to let Rick’s anger slide right off of him, but Tyler took everything to heart. I should have seen he was stressed and losing ground.”

  “Was their father ill?”

  The tender tone in Jake’s voice brought tightness to her throat. Should she tell him or keep it to herself?

  “In a manner of speaking.” Jake had been leaning toward her, listening intently, his brown eyes dark and obviously curious. She lowered her gaze, unable to face him. She always felt she should have been able to prevent Rick’s drinking somehow, which made it hard to admit her husband’s failings. “When he was feeling badly, he would become verbally abusive. It was hard for the boys when he did.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  Annie couldn’t meet his gaze. She didn’t want to see the pity she knew was there. “Not physically, but his temper tantrums were difficult to deal with.”

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that. You and the boys deserve better.”

  She didn’t want to discuss this with him, not when his voice was so soft and understanding. “About Tyler...”

  Jake nodded. “Let me ask you this. What would you say if Tyler was simply one of your students?”

  He had a point. If she looked at the situation like a professional, she’d advise the parent to consider what was best for the child. Maybe having someone he admired, a male role model, was the best for Tyler. “I don’t want him to fall further behind.”

  “Does that mean you’ll let me work with him? I can do it after school when I’m not coaching. Or I can come here or he can come to my house. I’ll make it easy for everyone.”

  She nodded. Yet another area where she’d failed her children. “All right. I’ll talk to him and let you know.”

  Jake started to say something and then turned away. “Tyler is a good kid. Both the boys are. You’ve done a great job with them. Don’t beat yourself up over this.”

  Ever since Rick passed away, she’d prayed for a strong role model to step in and help her boys, to fill the gap Rick left behind. Now she had that person in her life, she didn’t want it to be Jake.

  Apparently the Good Lord had other ideas.

  * * *

  Jake watched from his front porch a few days later as Annie pounded her porch floor with a small hammer. What was she trying to do? He noticed some of the floor planks were loose when he was at the house the other day, and had considered offering to fix them. Instead, he’d squelched his tendency to jump in and help. Annie seemed to like to tackle things herself.

  His heart had ached when she told him about the verbal abuse from her husband. He knew from personal experience the damage ugly words could do. He’d been subjected to it multiple times during his foster years. He’d have to be sensitive to her attitudes. Her independent streak made more sense now.

  It was what she hadn’t said that concerned him. He suspected her husband’s illness was alcoholism. If he was right, then that was one more big strike against him. As if being responsible for her cousin’s death wasn’t enough. If he needed any confirmation that Annie wasn’t for him, that was it.

  Annie continued to pound away on her porch and then abruptly stopped and examined her finger. Maybe he should step in before she hurt herself any more. He remembered how hard things were for him and his mom before she’d died. Annie could use someone to help out around the place and keep an eye on things. Her pride would never let her accept his offer, which meant it was smarter for him to just step in and act before she could refuse.

  Annie glanced up as he stopped at the bottom of her porch steps. Her eyes widened and then dropped to the toolbox in his hand. “Jake. What are you doing here?”

  “I thought I’d give you a hand with the porch. I noticed the boards were loose.”

  “I’ve got it handled but thank you.” She placed a nail in the middle of a floorboard and banged it with her little hammer. The nail bent. She exhaled and sat back on her heels, looking at her hammer.

  Did she have any idea how adorable she looked? He stifled a smile. “The nails won’t work.”

  Her blue eyes glared in defiance. “I just need a bigger hammer.”

  “No. You need screws. The nails will only work themselves out.” He fought off the smile that kept wanting to appear at the irritation on her face. She set her jaw. Her determined look was more cute than threatening.

  “Fine. I don’t want the boys getting hurt.”

  “This’ll only take a few minutes.” He quickly drove in the necessary screws with his cordless drill, all too aware of Annie watching his every move. Repair complete, he straightened and glanced along t
he porch, checking for more loose boards. “I noticed a few other things that needed to be repaired. I could look at them if you’d like.” He braced himself, hoping for the best.

  “No, thank you. I can handle it.”

  He faced her, amused by the stubborn lift to her chin. “This house is in need of a lot of repairs. It’s a big job.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you suggesting I should give up my home because it’s too much work?”

  Her sudden anger took him by surprise. “No, of course not but...”

  Her blue eyes flashed and her cheeks flamed. “I’m not giving up my home for any reason. No one will ever take this house away from me. It’s my sons’ future.”

  Jake studied Annie. She was overreacting to a simple statement. What was going on? He didn’t like seeing her so upset. “I wasn’t suggesting you give up your home. I was just trying to offer my help.”

  Annie blanched, her eyes now filled with embarrassment. “Sorry. I just refuse to lose my home again.”

  “You’ve lost one before?”

  For a moment he didn’t think she’d answer. He could read the struggle in her eyes.

  “I grew up on the next street. But when my parents divorced, my mom and I went to live with my grandmother. Then after she died we moved from one apartment to another. When Rick and I married we bought a little starter home, but after he lost his job he started gambling. Eventually we lost our home. After he died, the boys and I struggled to get by on my salary. I’m determined to give my sons a home that can never be taken away, someplace warm and safe and will always be there for them to return to.”

  The passion in her tone and the moisture in her eyes triggered his protective instincts. He wanted to hold her and reassure her, but her closed-off body language forbade it. “I understand. My house is important to me too.” Her tension visibly eased. He must have said the right thing. Her blue eyes sought his.

  “The only home you’d ever known?”