by Annie Rains
“It’s overdue. There is no life like lake life.” Vi smiled crookedly, the left corner of her mouth not quite reaching as high as the right. “I’m glad I have you both here together. I need to ask for your help.”
Jake straightened. “What’s wrong?”
She waved a hand. “Nothing is wrong necessarily.” Vi slid her bowl of soup away and folded her hands on the table in front of her, looking between him and Trisha. “It’s just, the cottages are dying.”
Jake was glad to hear she agreed. Maybe talking her into selling would be easier than his family suspected. It was better to sell than lose them to the bank.
“Only four are rented out, and two are occupied by the two of you.” Worry creased the area between her blue eyes. “So I’ve decided it’s time for a change.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Jake reached for his glass of tea. “And I’ll help you in any way I can.”
Vi looked pleased. “There are six that are open right now. I’ve already told Trisha this, but I want to reinvigorate them. A few still have damage from last summer’s hurricane. They need minor repairs, painting, and landscaping. They need a good cleaning too.”
“That would definitely increase their market value when we sell.” Jake bit into his biscuit.
Vi frowned at him. “Sell?” she repeated in disbelief. “These cottages are part of our family. Our legacy.”
Jake chewed and swallowed. “I thought that’s why you wanted to fix them up.”
“No. I want to rent them out. It’s much too big a job for one person though. I can’t expect Trisha to take care of everything on her own. I want you both to work together to spit shine them and get new blood living under their roofs.”
Jake looked at Trisha, who seemed as taken aback by the idea as him, although he was sure her reasons for being shocked were probably different. “Grandma, the cottages haven’t been updated since before I was born. It won’t happen overnight.”
She pulled her bowl of soup back toward her and picked up her spoon again. “Well, you said you’d be here for a good month. A lot can happen in that amount of time,” she said, eyes twinkling.
* * *
Even though it was evening now, Trisha was still trying to relax after the long lunch at Vi’s house. She walked out on her front porch overlooking the lake and sat in one of the red Adirondack chairs. Then, without thinking, she glanced over at Jake’s house.
He wasn’t sitting outside. Thank goodness. Then she would’ve been forced to wave at him politely, and all her efforts to calm down since their last encounter would’ve been for nothing.
He’d interrogated her. She was a good person. She’d never even gotten a speeding ticket. She’d worked at the women’s shelter in Sweetwater Springs for the last several years helping women who were trying hard to rebuild their lives. She didn’t need an award, but she also didn’t deserve to be treated like she belonged in a prison cell. Like her ex.
“Mama?” Petey pushed through the screen door and stepped onto the porch. “What are you doing?”
Trisha glanced over. “Enjoying the view.”
Petey looked out on the lake as well. “It’s pretty here. You should see what it looks like from the sky.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he looked regretful, lowering his chin to his chest.
Trisha reached out and tugged him toward her. “I bet it was a lot of fun up there, huh?”
He wasn’t too big to crawl into her lap just yet. She wrapped her arms around him, and they both looked out into the night.
“So fun. Scary, too, but more fun than scary.”
Trisha laughed quietly. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Jake took good care of me. He’s really nice.”
“Mm-hmm,” Trisha said, not exactly agreeing.
Petey grew quiet for a moment. In that moment, the night seemed to thicken as the sun continued its descent behind the mountain ridgeline. “Mom?”
“Yes?”
“When are we going to visit Dad again?”
Trisha had been traveling up to the prison, two hours away, once or twice a month, but they’d missed last month’s visit due to the move. “Soon. I’m sure he misses you.”
She’d filed for divorce pretty quickly once she’d realized the charges against Peter weren’t a big misunderstanding like she’d been telling everyone who would listen. She’d never yelled. She’d never cried—not in front of anyone at least. Despite his failings, Peter was still Petey’s father, his namesake even, so she’d done what she thought was the right thing and she’d driven Petey up to the prison for monthly visits.
Family and friends told Trisha how impressed they were with her strength. Trisha wasn’t sure if it was a strength or if she was just really good at pushing her feelings down. She was a mother after all. She didn’t have time for breakdowns. Petey was her first priority. He needed the basic necessities, which were all her responsibility now. And he needed as much love as she could give him because he only had one parent most days.
“I miss Dad,” Petey said, resting his head against her chest. “When will he get out?”
Trisha had been asked this question before. Petey knew the answer, but maybe he thought the answer might change if he asked enough times. “Five years.”
“I’ll be twelve years old,” Petey said.
“Mm-hmm.”
They grew quiet again, looking out on the lake. It was peaceful here.
“Will you ever get married again?” Petey asked after several minutes.
That was something Petey hadn’t asked before. “Where did that question come from?”
He shrugged against her. “I had friends at my old school whose moms married guys who weren’t their dads. Will that happen to me too?”
“I don’t know. Not anytime soon,” Trisha said. “Would you be sad if I did remarry?”
“I guess not. As long as he’s cool. Jake is pretty cool. I’ve never met a pilot before. He’s really good at it too. He said he’s only ever crashed once.”
Trisha stopped breathing for a moment. “He’s crashed before?”
“Yep. Neat, huh?”
This made Trisha laugh. “No, not neat.”
“Well, I was wondering. Since I’ve already been up once, shouldn’t I be able to do it again?”
Trisha squeezed him in a hug. “No, you shouldn’t. And if you do, you’ll be grounded until you’re one hundred years old. Maybe longer. Now go inside and get ready for bed.”
“Already?”
“Yep. It’s a big day tomorrow.”
Petey stood and faced her. “Why?”
“Because we have a long to-do list for the empty rental cottages. You’re my helper.”
“Jake too,” Petey noted. “Vi told him so.”
Yeah, Trisha was trying not to dwell too much on that fact right now. She didn’t mind giving Jake a list of things to handle for the cottages, but she didn’t intend to do any of it together.
“Go brush your teeth and change into your pajamas,” she told Petey. He disappeared back inside the cottage. Then Trisha turned toward a noise coming from the cottage to her left and sucked in a sharp breath. Jake was standing there on his porch. Bare-chested with a pair of low-slung jeans.
Trisha gulped. How was she going to focus on the cottages if he was around? Next question: How was she going to get rid of him?
Chapter Four
Trisha rolled out of bed with her alarm clock the next morning. She tiptoed half asleep down the hall and grabbed her cardigan off the back of a stool at her kitchen island. Then she walked to the lakeside door and slid her feet into a pair of flip-flops.
As usual at this hour, Petey was still sleeping. Trisha would venture to guess that so was Mr. S somewhere down the lakeshore.
The sun wasn’t quite up so the air held a slight chill to it as Trisha hurried down the steps with a towel draped over one arm. Her gaze stayed on the water for the first leg of the walk. There was something magical about Somerset Lake
. It eased some space inside her that had felt restless and achy since the whole thing with Peter. Watching the water gave her serenity for the moment she focused on it.
Trisha looked forward just in time to keep from tripping over a sleeping, naked man. Poof! There went the fleeting serenity. She tossed the towel over his midsection and dipped down to tap Mr. S’s shoulder. “Wake up. Time to go home, Mr. S.”
He groaned as he cracked open one cataract-glazed eye. “T, my beautiful alarm clock.”
“Yep. Afraid so. Vi doesn’t like you sleeping out here, and it’s my job to—”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.” He sat up, and Trisha looked away, trying not to get more of a look-see than she wanted as the towel slid off the mound of his belly. The memory of her eyeful of Jake last night came to mind.
She’d gotten a good look at Jake’s chiseled abs. He’d had a little patch of golden chest hair too. Not too much, but he wasn’t the kind of guy who waxed, which she liked. Lucy from The Village was right. Jake was quite the view when he wasn’t giving Trisha the third degree.
Mr. S stood and secured the towel around his waist as if he’d just stepped out of the shower. “See you tomorrow, T.”
“Or you could just stay in your bed tomorrow,” Trisha suggested. “That would make Vi happy.” And her.
Mr. S grunted, which Trisha took as a no. She felt a frown tug at the corners of her mouth. Every job had its downsides. This was one of being the property manager here.
She hurried back up the shore toward Juniper Cottage and took the steps two at a time.
“How’s Mr. S doing this morning?” a voice asked as she reached the deck.
Trisha turned to face Jake, who still wasn’t wearing a shirt. He was holding a steaming mug in his hand. Trisha had succeeded in quickly looking away from Mr. S, but she couldn’t pull her gaze from Jake. “He’s, um, well, he’s back inside Bear Cottage now and hopefully putting on pants.” She swallowed as her eyes traveled down Jake’s bare chest. “And a shirt.”
Jake looked at her. “In this town, the signs don’t read No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service.”
Trisha folded her arms over her chest, squeezing herself in a barely perceptible hug. “No?”
Jake sipped his beverage, taking his time in answering. “It’s No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem.” A slow smile crawled onto his cheeks, creating dimples. “I guess Mr. S took that literally.”
“Apparently so. Well, have a good morning.” Trisha offered a smile that felt forced because she was still a little peeved about the way Jake questioned her over lunch yesterday. She gave a quick wave and headed inside to check on Petey, who was still sleeping. Good. She could get started on making breakfast and have her first cup of coffee, too, if she was lucky.
Predictably, Petey shuffled down the hall within five minutes of hearing the rattle of pots and pans. His hair was a sight to behold, poking into the air in various directions.
“Coffee?” Trisha asked, laughing when Petey’s pillow-creased face twisted adorably.
“Yuck, Mom. I drink orange juice.”
“Oh, that’s right.” She grabbed a glass and poured him a healthy serving, setting it on the counter. Then she prepared him a bowl of cereal. “I’m getting dressed. Once you’re done eating, I want you to get dressed too. We have a busy morning, remember?”
Petey gave an enthusiastic nod. “We need new blood in the cottages for Vi.”
Trisha laughed and then turned toward a knock on her door. Jake was standing on the other side, wearing a T-shirt now. Even with shirt and shoes, he was a big problem.
* * *
Jake knew an irritated woman when he saw one. He’d thought they’d cleared up the misunderstanding about Petey’s plane ride with him, but maybe Trisha was holding a grudge. Or maybe he’d asked too many questions at lunch yesterday. Yeah, that was probably true.
Trisha walked toward the screen door but didn’t open it. “Hello again.” She appeared to be waiting for him to explain why he was standing on her porch.
“I’m here to work,” Jake told her. “Vi said she wanted us to get started on the rental cottages today. I figure that means we need to go through each of the vacant ones and make a list of what needs fixing.” And he fully intended for that list to be so long that Vi realized she was in over her head with renovations. It would only help to prove that selling was for the best. He also intended to find out more about the Somerset Cottages’ beautiful new property manager.
Trisha folded her arms over her chest like she’d done earlier as they’d stood on their respective porches talking to each other. “I don’t think we need to assess them together.”
“We should be on the same page when we make our recommendations to Vi.”
Trisha seemed to think on her answer. “I’ve been working here for over a month. I’ve already determined what needs to be done.”
“Then you can show me.” He gave her a polite smile.
“Well, I’m afraid we’re not ready yet. I need to get dressed and so does my son,” she said.
Jake glanced past her to Petey, who was watching their conversation from the kitchen island. “Hey, Copilot.”
“Hey, Jake. Are you flying today?” Petey got up and ran toward the door.
“Maybe. Not this morning though. We have work to do, you included.”
Petey grinned. “My mom says I can’t fly with you again until I’m one hundred years old.”
Jake lifted his gaze to meet Trisha’s. “That’s a long time.”
She played with the bracelet on her wrist. He’d seen her do this a couple times now and wondered if it was a nervous habit. “By then you’ll be back home, wherever that is,” she said.
“That’s right.” Once upon a time, he would’ve said Somerset Lake was home. But not these days. Neither was the DC area or Florida. He was currently without a place to call home.
“Where’s Bailey?” Petey asked.
“She likes to sleep in,” Jake said. “I’ll grab her while you and your mom get ready for today. Maybe you can be in charge of Bailey while we’re at the cottages. What do you think, Copilot?”
Petey bounced slightly on his heels. “Yes! I’ll go get dressed right now.”
Jake watched the boy race down the hall that had once been his own stomping ground. Then he looked at Trisha again. Her features were soft, but her expression was hard. She didn’t like him all that much. That was easy to see. He wanted to not like her, too, because that would make his role here easier.
He did like her though. She had grit, and from what he’d seen, she seemed to be a hard worker. “Why don’t you just stop by my place and get me when you’re ready?”
Trisha hesitated. “I’ll have my son with me, and he’s a lot to deal with. He asks lots of questions and gets into trouble sometimes.”
Jake chuckled as he turned to head down her steps. If he let her, he supposed she’d continue to make excuses until she found a viable one. “I don’t mind. I like kids,” he called over his shoulder. Then he paused, looked back, and met Trisha’s gaze. “Meet me at my place then?”
Trisha hesitated. “Give us fifteen minutes.”
“You got it.” Jake headed over to Peony Cottage and climbed the steep set of steps. Bailey was waiting by the screen door. If a dog could pout, she was. Her expectation was that anytime Jake left home, he was to take her with him.
He opened the sliding glass door and patted her head. “Jealous?” he asked, running his hand down her coat of dark brown and black. “Don’t be. I was setting up plans for our morning that include you getting to play with our copilot next door.”
Bailey didn’t understand him, of course, but she looked excited anyway. And despite the friction between him and Trisha, he was excited too. Trisha felt like a challenge somehow. If she smiled and gave him the time of day, he would win.
It was silly. And dangerous. He didn’t need to get involved with someone who was on the opposing side of his mission at Somerset Lake.
His phone dinged with an incoming text.
I’ve changed my schedule. I’m coming to town sometime in the next two weeks, depending on how this case I’m working plays out. It was from his uncle Tim. If you can’t convince Vi to sell, I will.
Jake muttered a choice word under his breath. Then he whirled to the sound of a soft gasp on the other side of his screen door, where Petey was standing, mouth gaping.
“You said a bad word.” Petey pointed and grinned mischievously. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell my mom.”
Jake liked this kid a lot. “Where is your mom, Copilot?”
“She’s coming up the steps. She said a bad word, too, right after you left.”
A laugh kicked its way out of Jake’s belly, unexpected and unannounced. Then he laid eyes on Trisha as she cleared his porch and another feeling kicked its way through his chest, unexpected, unannounced, and unwanted.
A camera hung from around her neck.
“Are you a photographer?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Aspiring, I guess. I’ve owned this camera for a while and haven’t learned the basics yet.”
Jake dropped his gaze to the nice Canon. It was a pricey piece of equipment, which struck him oddly because nothing else about Trisha screamed money. “Maybe you’ll be an expert by the end of the summer.”
She looked down at her camera and back at him. “That’s the goal. Not an expert, but maybe just competent enough to snap the after pictures of the cottages once they’re renovated.”
Jake stepped onto the porch with Trisha, Bailey following at his heels. “I think that’s a great goal.”
Trisha smiled. A real, genuine smile. As quickly as the smile bloomed, however, it dropped into a straight line across her lips. “I think we got off to a bad start yesterday. I’d like to try again. If we’re going to be temporary neighbors and working together for Vi, we should get along.” She offered him her hand.
They might be working for Vi, but they had two very different goals. “Well, from my viewpoint, we’re already getting along just fine.” Jake slid his palm against Trisha’s, finding her skin smooth and soft. “But you’re right, our first impression of each other was a little shaky. I don’t mind starting over. My name is Jake Fletcher.”