by Annie Rains
She looked up. “It counts for a lot. Maybe too much. And I have a gift for you too,” she said, reaching into her purse. “It’s not a lot,” she warned him.
“I don’t need anything.” But you, he wanted to say. All he needed was more time with her.
Trisha pulled out some pictures. “I printed off the pictures I’ve been taking. There were a few that I thought you might want.” She chewed her lower lip as she handed them over.
Jake felt his throat tighten as he looked down at the photographs in his hand. “Wow.” The first picture was one of him flying his plane last week. There was a huge smile on his face, and he knew it was because of Trisha. “This is great. I’ve never had a picture of myself piloting a plane.”
“Well, you should. And now you do.”
Jake looked at her. “Moira was right. Maybe you’re just getting started, but you’re talented.”
“Look at the rest,” Trisha said. “There’s two more.”
Jake moved the front picture to the back to see the next in the thin stack. It was a picture of him, Bailey, and Petey standing in front of the lake. Trisha took it a few days ago after they’d worked most of the day in the cottages. “I love it.” He moved that picture to the bottom of the stack to see the last picture and his breath caught. It was a selfie of him and Trisha in one of the cottages. They were paint splattered and smiling like two people in love.
His heart kicked softly. He didn’t know about her, but he was definitely falling in love.
“Thank you. Really. This is a great gift.”
Trisha looked pleased that he thought so.
“I’ve been thinking about things,” he found himself saying. “I know my family wants to sell the Somerset Cottages. They don’t want Vi to be alone here and responsible for over a dozen properties. I was thinking that maybe she doesn’t have to be alone though. What if I stay a while and help with things? How could they argue with that?”
Trisha was looking at him, her lips still parted, her eyes still shiny. He looked down at his hand on hers and then back up into her brown eyes. He didn’t want to blink or breathe or move so that this moment between them didn’t disappear.
“Vi needs me. And I know you don’t need me, but…” He trailed off. He hadn’t planned to say any of this tonight. It was just something he was thinking about. Not something he’d actually decided on. But it felt right. “I was hoping that maybe, even if you don’t need me to stay, that you want me to.”
“Jake,” she said quietly.
“Yeah?”
Trisha nibbled on her lower lip, distracting him. She shook her head and then a tear slipped down her cheek. She swiped it away quickly. “See? I told you I was emotional this evening. I just don’t want you to give up things for me.”
“Why not?” Jake asked. “You don’t think you deserve to have a guy make sacrifices for you?”
“Not for him to sacrifice everything for me. You’d be moving to a place you never wanted to return to. Giving up a good job with your family. All for what? For a woman you barely know?”
Jake ran his thumb along the back of her hand. “For a woman who, in a couple of weeks, has managed to heal a piece of my heart that’s been broken for over a decade. How can I possibly walk away from a woman like that?”
Another tear slipped off her cheek. This time he lifted his hand and wiped it away, his gaze locking on hers.
“I never wanted to return to Somerset Lake because it hurt to be here. It almost felt like this place was haunted because all I could think of were the people I’ve lost here.” He continued to touch her cheek, looking at her, loving her more with each passing moment. “But this time around, I still think of Rachel, my grandfather, too, but it doesn’t hurt like it used to. In fact, it feels good to think of them. I feel like all the broken pieces of my heart that have been scattered around in my chest have come together. They found where they belong again.” He probably sounded crazy right now, but Trisha’s smile made him keep talking. “I feel like I found where I belong again.” He lowered his hand from her cheek, bringing it to rest over her hand.
“Petey told me that he was okay with us getting close.”
“Yeah? I have his permission to date you? No more hiding?”
“No more hiding,” she agreed. She glanced down at the photography book. “Thank you for my gift. I love it.”
“You’re welcome. I love seeing you smile.” He wanted to see more of it. More of her. He wanted to tell her that he loved more than just her smile.
It wasn’t just an idea in his head any longer. He was staying. For Vi. For Trisha and Petey. For himself. And as long as Vi was capable of making her own decisions, which she was, there was nothing his uncle or his parents could do.
* * *
On Thursday evening of the following week, Trisha walked through the door of Lakeside Books and smelled the delicious aroma of whatever treats the women had brought.
Trisha suddenly felt empty-handed. All she’d brought with her was Petey, the current book selection, and a willingness to share pieces of her life, including her past, that she’d wanted so desperately to hide since she’d arrived.
Trisha’s talk with Petey last Friday night had opened her eyes to a few things. Somerset Lake could never truly be their home if they were hiding. And yes, maybe some people would judge them, but others, hopefully, would accept them—skeletons in the closet and all. Like Petey had said, Trisha wanted true friends too—nothing less.
“Trisha!” Della Rose got up from her chair and gave Trisha a huge hug. Petey went to the back area to play LEGOs with the twins. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Me too.” Trisha turned and said hello to Moira, who was seated on a small burgundy sofa. Tess was behind the counter, closing out the cash register for the day. She briefly looked up and waved. “Where’s Lucy?” Trisha asked the women.
“Oh, I think one of her patients went into labor this afternoon,” Della Rose said. She sat back down and glanced over her shoulder at the boys, who were making a ruckus in the kids’ corner.
“Okay, I’m ready.” Tess walked over and gave Trisha a hug too. “Sit, sit. Looks like Moira has been to Choco-Lovers. What is that deliciousness?”
“Chocolate éclairs. Nobody makes them like Jana,” Moira said.
“You know, if we could get Jana to finally agree to come to our little book club, she’d probably feed our sweet tooth for free,” Della Rose conspired.
Trisha took a seat in a comfy lounge chair and listened to the women go back and forth in their easy conversation. She’d had friends in Sweetwater Springs, but since adulthood, she’d been so busy that she hadn’t been afforded much time to join a group of women and just talk.
It felt good to be here.
Someone knocked on the front door. The women turned to see Lucy standing there and waving.
Tess hurried to open the door for her and gave Lucy a hug as she stepped inside. Then Tess locked the door behind her.
“False alarm,” Lucy told the women. “My patient has had four false alarms in the last week,” she said with exasperation. “New mom and all.” Lucy stepped over to the group and took a seat beside Trisha. “Hey, you. Glad we didn’t scare you away last week.”
“Just the opposite,” Trisha said. “I’ve been looking forward to being here all week.”
“In between kissing Jake Fletcher,” Tess pointed out, reaching for a chocolate éclair. She brought it to her mouth and prepared to take a bite. “How’s that going? You two looked awfully cozy at Sunset Over Somerset last weekend.”
The women didn’t waste any time diving into Trisha’s personal life. Last week, they’d been more reserved with Trisha’s private life. Now they were no-holds-barred, and Trisha was ready.
“Well,” Trisha said with a growing grin, “it’s going well enough that Jake has decided to stay in Somerset Lake a while longer.”
“What?” the women all gasped at the same time.
“That’s huge!” Moira said. “J
ake left and made it clear that he was never moving back.”
“You must be pretty special to him,” Lucy said. She also held an éclair in her hand now. She bit into it, catching the crumbs with her opposite hand.
Trisha took in a breath and blew it out. She’d come ready to spill her guts. Here goes nothing. Or everything. “I never thought I’d fall for someone again after my divorce to Petey’s dad. Certainly not for some guy who was basically trying to kick me out of my job and my home when he got here a couple weeks ago.”
Trisha looked around the group. Apparently, that wasn’t news to them. They all knew that Jake’s family wanted Vi to sell. Uncle Tim had told everyone who would listen since he’d been here.
“I guess my ex-husband really did a number on my ability to trust,” Trisha admitted. “The truth is, um…” This was harder than Trisha had expected. Somehow when she’d told Jake about Peter, it had felt easy. Like a confessional. She had trust issues, but she’d trusted that he wouldn’t tell anyone. “My ex, Petey’s father, was a financial planner. A prominent one in western North Carolina. He…” Trisha felt shaky suddenly. “He stole from his clients. A little bit here and some there. I had no idea what he was doing. I just thought he was earning more income every year because he was good at what he did. I trusted him just like his clients did. Then one day…” Trisha’s eyes burned as she came to the part of the story she liked the least. She took a steadying breath and continued. “One morning, we were all still in our beds when the FBI came crashing through our front door. In a tiny town like Sweetwater Springs, that’s a pretty big deal.”
“In any town, that’s a big deal,” Lucy said.
“That must have been so terrifying for you,” Moira said. There was no judgment in her eyes. None in any of the women’s eyes. There was no surprise either. Why didn’t these ladies look at least surprised by what Trisha was telling them?
Trisha looked around at each face. They all looked calm, as if she were telling them what she ate for breakfast this morning. They continued to eat their éclairs. Yes, they looked sympathetic, but in no way shocked. “Why do I get the feeling that none of this is news to you?”
Tess grimaced. She shared a look with Lucy that stopped Trisha’s heart. She knew what that look meant.
“You guys already knew?” she asked breathlessly. “Jake told you?” The pain of that realization felt like a sharp knife to her chest. She resisted pressing her hand to her heart.
“No.” Lucy shook her head. “Jake didn’t tell us anything.”
But Jake was the only one that Trisha had told. He must have told someone for Lucy, Moira, Tess, and Della Rose to know. Or maybe Della Rose’s twin boys were the ones who told. Perhaps they’d told their mother, and she’d told the other ladies.
Trisha looked at Della Rose for answers.
“It was in Reva Dawson’s blog today,” Della Rose said gently. “It released a couple hours ago. We thought you saw it.”
“I don’t read the blog. I don’t know Reva.” Trisha felt panic rising within her. “But the whole town does. The whole town knows I was married to a thief? They all know that Petey’s dad is a convicted felon?” Trisha asked, talking quickly as her thoughts jumbled. It felt like she was going to hyperventilate.
Tess placed a hand on her back. “Just breathe. It’s going to be okay.”
“It doesn’t feel like it will be.” Trisha had another thought. “Vi is going to see it. She might be upset.”
“You didn’t tell Vi when she hired you?” Lucy asked, shock playing in her voice for the first time.
“No. I mean, is that so wrong? I wanted a fresh start. My ex-husband’s crimes shouldn’t follow me everywhere I go for the rest of my life.”
Tess’s eyes went wide. She looked at Lucy, who looked at Moira, who looked at Della Rose.
“Why are you all looking at each other?” This was the reaction she’d thought she’d get when she’d told them about her past. Why was she getting it now? “What are you not telling me?” Trisha asked.
Tess stood, walked over to her counter, and grabbed her laptop. She brought it over, pulled up Reva’s blog, and placed it on Trisha’s lap.
Trisha blinked. Maybe she didn’t want to read whatever was said about her. But it affected Petey so she needed to know what everyone in town now knew. Trisha blinked the screen into focus and started to read.
It was all very matter-of-fact, even friendly and shining a positive light on Trisha. She’d been through so much, and yet she was determined not to let it drag her down. She was a single mother, caring for her son. They were starting a new life here in Somerset Lake.
Trisha’s brain stumbled over the last paragraph. She read it a second time. And a third time for it to process.
We all knew our very own Vi Fletcher was an amazing woman. Hiring the ex-wife of the financial planner who robbed her and nearly sent her into bankruptcy is an act of sainthood.
Trisha finally looked up. “I don’t understand.” She could feel tears burning in her eyes. “Vi never said anything about a financial planner. She said there was a hurricane and her stroke.”
“But first Vi hired a financial planner, who steered her wrong with her money after her husband died,” Tess explained. “The guy almost put the Somerset Cottages in bankruptcy too. Vi couldn’t afford to fix the damage because her financial planner had wiped out a huge chunk of the funds in the family’s trust. Then she had her stroke, which some say was a direct result of the stress of the whole situation.”
“It was a series of bad events,” Lucy said quietly.
Trisha shook her head as she listened. “Why didn’t Vi tell me?” And more importantly, why hadn’t Jake told her these things? Surely, once Trisha had told him about her ex-husband, he would have wondered if Vi’s finance guy was the same man that Trisha was once married to. “I mean, maybe it’s not the same person,” Trisha told the women. “I don’t know Reva or where she got this information. It could be wrong.”
Lucy shrugged. “Reva’s information is usually pretty accurate. She was a journalist when she was young. I’ve never known her to get the facts wrong.”
“I don’t remember the name of the planner that was helping Vi,” Tess said apologetically. “I just know that he wasn’t from town.”
“I’m sure your ex wasn’t the same guy,” Della Rose said. “I mean, what are the odds of that?” She laughed nervously.
The odds were pretty good in Trisha’s mind. Peter’s list of clients had been extensive and stretched beyond Sweetwater Springs. He’d always been on the phone. He was always working at his computer. He’d worked so hard, and she was so proud of him while the wool was still covering her eyes.
“Right,” Trisha said. The only thing that gave her hope was that Jake wouldn’t have kept this a secret if in fact Peter was the man who’d stolen from Vi. He’d have told Trisha the truth. Wouldn’t he?
“I mean, no one likes to discuss a messy financial situation,” Moira said, as if reading Trisha’s mind. “That’s private. I’m sure that’s why Vi didn’t tell you. And you didn’t tell her about your past, so she wouldn’t have known you two shared anything in common. We know that you didn’t do anything wrong,” Moira said.
The other women nodded in agreement.
“And the rest of the town is going to think the same thing,” Tess assured her.
“Here.” Della reached inside the box of goodies on the coffee table. “Have a chocolate éclair. Chocolate makes everything better, right, ladies?”
They all agreed.
All except Trisha. The only thing that would make things better right now was finding Jake. She needed to look him in the eye and ask him to tell her the truth. Was Peter Lewis Vi’s financial planner? Did Jake know about this?
Trisha didn’t really believe in coincidences, but she still desperately wanted to believe in Jake.
Chapter Twenty
Jake pulled out his cell phone and checked for missed calls. It wasn’t unusual fo
r his parents not to answer or return his calls. They were retired and the type of people who decided to go somewhere on a whim, and quite often that somewhere didn’t have cell phone service. They RV’d and camped all over the East Coast. They rented houseboats and lived on the ocean. Frankly, they inspired Jake.
And he wasn’t much different from them. When his family had moved south, Jake headed north. He was the only one of his family to take up his grandfather’s interest in flying planes, and he had often taken his plane on small expeditions and pitched a tent in remote areas off the grid.
Jake tapped his mom’s contact in his phone again and held it to his ear, listening to the ring that finally went to his mom’s voice mail.
Mad or out of touch? He was hoping for the latter.
Headlights streamed onto the gravel path. Jake’s heart lifted in his chest. That would be Trisha returning home from the book club. He watched her pull in behind Juniper Cottage, noticing as she stepped out that Petey wasn’t with her. He guessed that Petey had gone home with Della Rose and the twins.
Trisha looked up and spotted him on his deck. There was something off-kilter about her as she waved. He knew the women at the bookstore. They wouldn’t have done anything to offend her. They were good folks with big hearts. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the people here in Somerset Lake until being back this go-round.
Trisha walked around to the back of his cottage and headed up his steps. “Hey,” she said when she’d reached the middle stair.
“Hey. Where’s Petey?”
“Della Rose’s for the night.” Trisha continued climbing until she was standing on his deck. She walked over to the chair beside his, where she’d sat several times lately. It was her chair in the same way that the second chair on the deck of Juniper Cottage was his.
“Did you have a good time tonight?” he asked.
“For the most part.” She hesitated. There was definitely something on her mind. Her hands fidgeted at her midsection while she chewed her lower lip. Jake waited patiently for her to decide to tell him what was going on. “Actually, no,” she finally said. “Have you read Reva Dawson’s blog today?”