All That I Want: A Queensbay Small Town Romance

by Drea Stein

  Jake had said that he wasn’t trying to play family, but she couldn’t let her guard down. Men didn’t really want to play family, or, if they did, it was only to get to what they really wanted: something with no strings attached.

  Jake couldn’t be any different, especially with his reputation around town. He had said that he had made no promises, that he had raised no expectations, but Colleen wondered if he had ever done something as ordinary and simple for anyone else. Sometimes expectations were not created with expensive gifts and fancy dinners, but by the fact you were just there to tie a shoelace, to fix a simple dinner, to help with homework. She had grown up hoping for those things from her father. And he hadn’t been around to give them. Her mother had tried her best, but she had been too devastated by the inattention from her husband to give much of anything to Colleen.

  Colleen wouldn’t let the same thing happen to Adele. Adele’s father didn’t want to be involved, and that was fine. Colleen was going to be enough for Adele, so that she would never miss the fact she didn’t have a dad. Just as Colleen strengthened her resolve, she looked over at Jake. He was watching the movie, smiling, as if he were truly enjoying the cartoon world of dogs. She sighed, her heart heavy. A slippery slope indeed when you started to play house.

  Adele made it almost to the end, before she fell asleep. Boomer had been out for most of the movie. Jake lifted the sleeping dog, and put her on the pink bed Adele had helped to pick out. Colleen was standing up, folding the blanket. She stretched, turned, and he was there. He bent down and kissed her, a real one. She returned it, and then they finally broke apart.

  “Thank you,” she said simply.

  “I’ll carry her down to the truck and drive you guys home,” he said. It wasn’t a question. He knew that Adele and Colleen liked to walk, but it was dark, and Adele looked very cozy.

  “That would be great,” she said.

  Chapter 48

  Colleen had added some Kenny Chesney songs to her playlist, in deference to her helpers. Ellie and Lydia were singing along, something about no shirts and no problems and while Colleen didn’t consider herself a fan of country music she had to admit that there was something upbeat about the tune.

  She’d been fretting about her to do list, all the things she needed get done so that shop was ready for the grand opening. Ellie and Lydia had stepped up and offered to help. So here they were, setting up the shop, with a bottle of Ellie’s favorite white wine and some takeout pizza.

  Colleen hummed along as she stacked packages of paper cocktail napkins, printed with elegant egrets, in the entertaining section of the shop.

  Ellie had slipped off her high heels in favor of a pair of flip flops and was wielding the box cutter with expert skill, opening cardboard boxes and calling out their contents while Lydia dutifully noted everything in the computer inventory system Colleen had set up.

  “Twelve linen tea towels,” Lydia said.

  Colleen took them from her and walked over to the butcher block counter and set them out on a hand painted tray.

  “Oh sugar, that sure does look good,” Ellie drawled in approval.

  “They look great with your candlesticks.” Colleen said, throwing a smile at Lydia.

  “Oh, stop it. It’s the way you put everything together, Colleen. You sure do have an eye for it.”

  She smiled. She took it as quite the compliment coming from Lydia with her artist’s background.

  “It doesn’t take much to recognize beautiful things. I wish I could create like you”

  “Oh no, putting things together is just as much of a skill,” Lydia insisted.

  “I will say, this place is shaping up to be something spectacular. From what I’ve heard, used to be a true junk shop, just filled with odds and ends.” Ellie said. She had run out of boxes to open and had pulled a stool up. She sat and had a sip of her wine.

  Colleen sighed. “Phil was a bit of a hoarder. I never realized how bad it was until I first opened the door.”

  She shook her head. “My first thought was just to close it, hand the keys back to the lawyer and tell them to sell it as is. Let someone else deal with it.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  Colleen thought for a moment. “I couldn’t do that to Phil, of course. He wanted me to have this place, so I screwed up my courage and just started in. The sorting took a while, but somehow, as I went through everything I realized that the real treasure was the space. A blank slate that I could make my own.”

  She would never be able to say thank you to Phil, of course, but she couldn’t stop feeling grateful to him, especially now that the transformation was just about complete. The gleaming floors, the smooth walls, the beautiful countertop and custom bookcases. It was all too perfect.

  “It’s better than I could have imagined it. Jake’s quite the miracle worker when it comes to buildings.”

  “Your fellow did good work,” Ellie said approvingly.

  “And he’s some fellow.” Lydia said, taking a sip of her wine. “Multi-talented. Wood bends to his will and stalkers leave town. Sort of a like an old-fashioned marshal.”

  Colleen turned, not sure she’d heard correctly. She looked at Lydia, then at Ellie, who was giving Lydia a look that was clearly meant to get her to stop talking.

  “What?” Lydia shrugged. “Don’t tell me she doesn’t know?”

  “Know what?” Colleen said. She put down the candlesticks she’d been holding, straightened the towels even though they didn’t need to be straightened. There was a tightness coming over her chest and suddenly it felt hot, way too hot in here.

  “Oh darlin’ it was nothing.” Ellie said. She came over and put a hand on Colleen’s arm.

  “Doesn’t sound like it was nothing.” Colleen looked at Ellie.

  Lydia seemed unconcerned by the tension in the room, but then she’d helped herself to more wine than the rest of them.

  “You don’t think Charlie just disappeared on his own? Those kind never do.” There was an edge to Lydia’s voice and Colleen looked at her, concerned.

  “Sorry. Just in my experience, jerks like that don’t take no for an answer. He would have come back, Colleen. And maybe you wouldn’t have been in a crowded bar, or I wouldn’t have walked in. You would have been alone. You should have called the police, but you didn’t want to.”

  “But…”

  “No, Colleen.” Ellie shook her head. “It wasn’t nothing. Something had to be done.”

  “What?” Colleen said faintly. She had been aware that Charlie hadn’t come around again, but hadn’t given much thought as to why.

  “Jake and Quent paid him a visit the morning after, made it very clear that he should do his drinking in some other place.”

  Lydia gave a little smile at the thought. “I can only imagine them all having a little sit down. All muscle and quiet menace.”

  ““Look, darling, it wasn’t anything much. Quent and Jake, well they didn’t want you to feel hassled or worried.”

  “They threatened him?” Colleen said. She felt unwell, not sure of her emotions.

  “Of course not. Just made it clear to Charlie that you had someone looking out for you.”

  “I don’t need to be looked after.” Colleen said.

  “Of course you don’t, but they are men, you know and well, Quent thinks the world of you dear, and he wouldn’t want you to feel unsafe.” Ellie was still patting her arm.

  “Fine.” Colleen took a deep breath. It was Quent’s bar and he had a right to serve or not serve anyone. But Jake. Jake should not have gotten involved in this.

  “You have to admit it’s kind of sexy, Jake telling Charlie to stay out away from his girl.” Lydia sighed and her expression had gone a little dreamy.

  “Sexy? It’s overbearing. And sexist. And…” Colleen couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “I think maybe you’re overreacting.”

  Colleen threw up her hands. “Doesn’t anyone think I can take of myself? I can, you kno
w.”

  “Of course, you can,” Lydia said. “You do more in an afternoon than most people do in a week. But you have to see it from Jake’s point of view.”

  “What do you mean?”

  It was Ellie who spoke. “Oh darlin’ if we have to explain to you why he did what he did, then you have bigger problems.”

  Colleen sighed. She didn’t know what to say, couldn’t really think. She took a deep breath, looking at her friends. In the background, Sheryl Crow sang about having fun.

  It was Ellie who brought them back. “Well, what don’t we get back to work. Clean this place up.”

  “Finish the bottle of wine?” Lydia said hopefully.

  Ellie laughed. “Only if you promise to sleep on my couch tonight.”

  “Deal.”

  Chapter 49

  Colleen woke up, her head hammering. She blinked, groaned. Lydia and Ellie had left together, but Colleen had stayed behind a bit longer, fussing with things, trying to get everything just right. Really though, she was thinking about what her friends had told her about the way Jake had taken care of Charlie.

  Part of her was upset. She rolled over, stared at the celling. No, part of her wanted to be upset that he’d seen fit to take care of things. But it was something she should have expected from him. There was no way he wouldn’t have taken care of it. Taken care of her. She wanted to be upset about it, wanted to be mad at him for it, but she wasn’t.

  She rolled over and saw that the window was open. The white eyelet curtain was fluttering gently in the warm breeze. She listened, realizing that the pounding was coming not from her head but from outside. Sitting up, she pulled the sheet up around her. She could hear voices too, a deep, throaty one, that she was sure was Jake and the little girlish peal of laughter that was Adele’s. She looked over at her watch and saw that it was after ten o’clock. How could she have slept this late? She was never this late. Luckily, Adele didn’t have school today. Still, she had meant to go back to the shop for a bit, and her mother had agreed to watch Adele.

  She got up, pulled on the light cotton robe to cover her nightgown and padded down the stairs, following the sound of a saw against wood. What the hell was going on? Opening the screen door, she took in the scene, silently watching as all of the other participants went about their work, too busy to notice her.

  “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

  Jake turned, smiled. He glanced over, saw that they were alone and said, “I’ve been hoping to see you in your nightgown for a while. Just never thought it would be without me being able to peel it off.”

  Colleen frowned, wrapped her robe more tightly around her.

  “Seriously, what is this?”

  “I am repairing the stairs,” he said, amicably.

  “Why?”

  “Because the boards are loose,” he said, around the nails in his mouth. “Hey Adele, honey, hand me that tape measure, will you?”

  “Sure, Mr. Jake,” Adele said, appearing from around the corner, where she was holding Boomer’s leash in one hand and the tape measure in the other. She had a sticky, slightly chocolatey-looking smile. Colleen could see the culprits were a box of donuts, set up on the plank and sawhorse work table Jake had set up.

  “Donuts and lumber. That’s quite a combination.”

  “Stairs were a hazard,” he answered and now he looked up at her, stopping what he was doing as if he had finally gotten a bead on her mood.

  “I thought I told you not to bother,” she said, as Adele came over and sat on the upper step, the one that Jake had already replaced and took up a piece of sandpaper and began to carefully rub it along the length of the board.

  “That’s it, nice and long strokes. She’s a good helper,” Jake said, though he couldn’t quite bring himself to look at Colleen. She wasn’t pleased, and he could feel her disapproval radiating over them.

  “I see. Adele, honey, why don’t you go inside see if there is any lemonade, Mr. Jake must be getting thirsty.”

  “But we already had lemonade, Mommy.”

  “Then it’s time for another cup, I guess.”

  “But …” whatever else Adele was going to say was cut off by a look from Colleen, and she rose and went into the house. She wasn’t pleased and to show it, she stomped across the rickety porch and the whole house shook as the screen door slammed.

  “I can pay you for this, if you just let me know what it cost.”

  Jake walked over to the sawhorses he had set up, took out his tape measure, marked the board and then lifted down the saw. He let it cut through before he looked at her.

  “No charge.”

  “That’s ridiculous. There’s the lumber, and I see paint, and then there’s your time.”

  “I work for free. And the lumber is scrap left over from another job.”

  “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?” he said and laid his pencil down.

  “Don’t patronize me.”

  “Patronize you? I’m fixing your porch.”

  “But why? I didn’t ask you to.”

  “True, especially since you’ll barely talk to me. You ran off the other day and I haven’t seen you.”

  “I’ve been busy,” she said.

  “I heard. Grand opening and sidewalk sale. Just thought that maybe you’d want a little help with it all.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  He stopped and looked at her. “I was trying to do something nice for you,” he said.

  “Like beating up Charlie?”

  “I didn’t touch him.”

  She drew herself up straighter. “But you did talk to him, didn’t you?”

  “I did. I just wanted him to know he was welcome around here.”

  “I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, Jake. I’m a big girl.”

  “I know that.” He said, but his voice was testy.

  “I told you Jake, not to keep pushing it. First Charlie, then the porch.”

  “I am doing that for Adele. She tripped, you know, the other day and got a splinter.”

  “She’s five,” Colleen said by way of explanation. “She bumped her head at the playground too. I don’t see you going there and child proofing the monkey bars. Admit it, you’re trying to become involved with us.”

  “Dammit, Colleen, It’s just a porch,” he said, but knew his face was showing too much. She seemed to see it too, because she looked at him, long and hard and then took a step away.

  “You’re going to get hurt, Jake. You’re asking for more than I can give.”

  “It’s a porch.”

  “Fine, it’s just a porch. But what’s next? Are you going to get up on a ladder and fix the roof?”

  She laughed when she saw the expression on his face. “You were, weren’t you? Why do you have to take care of me? Why do you want to?”

  He took a step closer, swallowed. “It’s just a porch.”

  She shook her head and darted around him. “You keep telling yourself that, Jake, otherwise you’re going to get hurt. I warned you.”

  “So what if I want more? I think things are going great, and you keep pulling back from me. I think we have something together.”

  “I have things to do.”

  “I know, the big day’s coming. You’ve got this, Colleen.”

  “Why do you have to be so nice?” she said and sagged against one of the columns, trying not to notice how it gave slightly with her weight. He was right, the whole house needed fixing, more than she could possibly do herself. Why couldn’t she just let him help her?

  He came over to her and put his arms around her. She didn’t try to pull away, just pressed her head into his chest.

  “What, you only go for the bad boys? The ones who take you to bed and leave? There’s nothing wrong with nice. Nothing wrong with a guy fixing your steps, or a leaky roof, or telling a creep to buzz off. When people care about each other, that’s what they do for each other. There doesn’t always have to be a quid quo pro, you know.
Sometimes I do nice things for you; sometimes you do nice things for me.”

  “I don’t have anything to give you,” she said simply.

  He took her by the arms. “I just want you.”

  She started to say something, but he cut her off. “I know you’re a package deal. You and Adele. I don’t have a problem with it, and I don’t know why you do.”

  “Jake,” she started to say, but he hushed her.

  “Don’t push me away, Colleen. Tell yourself it’s just a porch if that makes it easier and we can take it from there.”

  She stood there in his arms, trying to push her misgivings away, wondering if she would ever be able to give Jake Owen what he truly wanted, or if she was just too damn scared.

  Chapter 50

  Time both sped up and slowed down, in the final days before the grand opening and sidewalk sale. Colleen anxiously watched the weather, hoping and praying for clear skies. Jake told her not to worry and gave her some convoluted explanation that seemed to take into account the number of duck nests and cherry blossoms. Finally, he told her that he had asked Madame Robireux for a prediction, and she foretold nothing but sunny skies. Jake was right, of course, at least about the weather. They had reached a truce, as she saw it, when he was around but not too much. He was busy too, finishing up a few jobs and making plans for the Showhouse. He had stopped by the store to drop off some flowers, swung by Quent’s, even gone with them to the playground, but he had said nothing more than pleasantries.

  She knew that it couldn’t go on like this, that he wasn’t happy with the situation. She appreciated that he was giving her space, even as she admitted that he had wormed his way into their lives. For her part, Adele was ecstatic every time she was with Jake and the dog. Boomer had become her constant companion, except for the nights when she went to sleep at Jake’s.