"Probably not, but she won't have a choice."
As Jake got into his truck, she walked back to her car and slid behind the wheel. On the way home, she called her mom.
"Everything is fine," her mother said. "We just took the last tray of cookies out of the oven, and Brett is decorating them. I also made spaghetti. It should be ready when you get back."
"That's great."
"Did you get the tree?"
"I did. But I needed help to get it back to the house. Don't freak out, Mom, but Jake is bringing the tree over. He's going to come inside. I'm probably going to give him some of your cookies."
Her mother's sigh was long and heavy. "Fine."
"I need you to be polite. He's doing me a favor."
"I just don't understand how you can give him another chance, but it's up to you."
"It is, and I'm not giving him another chance. I'm just…" Her voice trailed away as she realized she didn't know what she was doing with Jake. She just knew that she wanted to keep seeing him and talking to him. She wanted to kiss him again. She felt more like herself with him than she did with anyone else. "I'll see you soon," she said, ending the call before her mother could ask her any more questions she didn't know how to answer.
Chapter Fifteen
Jake pulled the tree out of his truck, and with Hannah's help, they carried it into her house. While he was happy to assist Hannah, he wasn't looking forward to seeing her mother again. But he reminded himself that he wasn't a teenager anymore, and Katherine Stark was nowhere close to perfect, either. They'd both hurt Hannah. Maybe they could both find a way to make it up to her.
As they entered the house, he was overwhelmed with delicious smells of vanilla, chocolate, and cinnamon. "It smells like Christmas," he murmured as they set the tree in the corner of her living room.
"Now, we have to make it look like Christmas." She stepped back, her gaze sweeping the tree. "I think the size is right."
"You couldn't have gone any bigger, not if you have an angel to put on top."
Her gaze moved back to him. "We used to have an angel. I think it's still in one of the boxes in my garage."
Brett came running into the room, his eyes lighting up when he saw the tree.
"That's what I wanted, right there," Hannah muttered. "That look on that little face."
"You got it."
"It's so big," Brett said in amazement. "I never had a tree this big. Are we going to decorate it?"
"We are," Hannah assured him. "As soon as I pull out the decorations."
Jake stepped to the side as Hannah's mother entered the living room. She didn't glance in his direction, her gaze going straight to the tree.
"What do you think, Mom?" Hannah asked.
"It's very nice. Do you still have any of our decorations?"
"They're in the garage."
At Hannah's words, he saw guilt move through Katherine Stark's eyes. No doubt she'd missed more than a few Christmases and probably had no idea where many of her things had ended up.
"Well, good," Katherine said. "I've made spaghetti and salad for dinner. It's ready now. Perhaps we can decorate the tree after we eat."
"Thanks for making dinner, Mom."
"It was nothing." Katherine's gaze finally moved in his direction. "If you'd like to stay for dinner, Jake, there's plenty."
Her invitation almost knocked him off his feet. It was certainly a turnaround from the way she'd spoken to him earlier.
"Are you going to stay?" Brett asked eagerly.
He hesitated, his gaze seeking Hannah's.
"You're welcome to stay for dinner," Hannah said. "You did help me get the tree here. And as I recall, spaghetti is one of your favorite meals."
"It is," he admitted.
"Well, I'll just put the garlic bread in the oven," Katherine said. "Brett, why don't you come with me? We'll get your hands washed so you're ready to eat."
As they left the room, his gaze swung to her. "Are you sure this is all right?"
"I wouldn't have suggested you stay if it wasn't."
"I thought you'd be ready to see the back of me by now."
She met his gaze. "I would have thought the same thing. But you're kind of growing on me."
"Not like fungus, I hope," he joked.
She grinned. "You said it, not me."
He smiled back at her. "What did you say to your mom to get her to invite me to dinner?"
"Nothing."
She was lying. He could see that. "Well, whatever it was, I appreciate it."
"We'll see if you feel the same way after dinner," she said dryly.
The food was good. The conversation and atmosphere were tense, but dinner with Hannah and her mother wasn't as bad as Jake thought it might be, mostly because Brett talked constantly, asking questions about everything under the sun. Katherine was surprisingly patient with her grandson, which was not a trait he usually associated with Hannah's mother. But then how well did he really know her?
When they were in high school, Hannah had never wanted to hang out at her house. He only went there when she was stuck watching her little brother, and on those occasions her mom had not been home. Once or twice, he'd witnessed Katherine come stumbling into the house, but Hannah had always pushed him out the door when that was happening. He'd known there were problems, but he certainly hadn't realized how bad things were or how much Hannah had kept from him. Even now, he didn't think he knew most of it. Or that anyone really knew what had gone on in the house.
But tonight things were different, and maybe that was because of Brett, or perhaps it was because Katherine was now sober. Whatever the reason, he hoped it was a sign of better times to come.
As they finished their meal, Hannah got up to clear the plates and Brett ran off to play, leaving him and Katherine alone at the table. She looked directly at him for the very first time.
"How are your parents?" she asked politely.
"They're well."
"And your brother? Is he still free from cancer?"
"Yes. He's been in remission for eight years now."
"That's wonderful. I heard he's studying to be a doctor like your father."
"He is. He's almost done with medical school."
"And you—you're running a shop now?"
"It's more than a shop," Hannah cut in, as she came back to the table to grab the rest of the silverware. "Jake also runs guided adventure tours, and he volunteers with the search-and-rescue team."
"That sounds exciting," Katherine commented.
"It can be," he said evenly, extending her the same cool politeness she'd shown him. "What are you doing these days, Mrs. Stark?"
She bristled a bit at his question. "I work at Sonia's Flower Shop."
"My mom is very good with plants," Hannah interjected, as she loaded the dishwasher.
Apparently, she'd decided to mediate between them.
"It sounds like the perfect job then," he said.
"I enjoy doing it." She gave her daughter a pointed look. "And I can speak for myself." She turned back to him. "I don't know why Hannah is willing to give you a second chance, but don't blow it. Don't hurt her again."
"I won't," he promised.
"Mom, it's not on you to get Jake to make promises," Hannah said, coming back to the table. "Our relationship has nothing to do with you."
"So, there is a relationship?" Katherine queried.
Hannah sighed. "We're just friends, okay?"
Katherine gave Hannah a disbelieving look. "I didn't believe that the first time you told me that, and I don't believe it now. Jake always had a way of getting under your skin. I hate to see you going down that same road again."
"I know what I'm doing."
"All right." Katherine waved her hand in surrender and then got to her feet. "I should go. I promised I'd stop by Marty's on my way home, and I have to go to work early tomorrow. It's the last day we're open before the holiday, and there are a lot of plants and fresh flower arrangements on order for
pickup."
"You don't want to help decorate the tree?" Hannah asked.
"You and Brett can handle that. And, frankly, I'm not sure I'm up to seeing the old ornaments. There are so many memories attached to them."
"I don't know what I still have."
"I think you have the important ones. You were always very worried about them getting broken or lost. You boxed them up and took them with you to Denver when you went to college, when you had Tyler with you." Katherine bit down on her lip, emotion filling her eyes. "Your dad used to make an ornament for you, Tyler and Kelly every year in his woodshop. I'm sure Brett will love them."
Jake watched their conversation with fascination. There was so much emotional subtext under every word.
"Thanks for making all the cookies and entertaining Brett so I could get a tree," Hannah said.
"No problem. I'll check in with you tomorrow." Katherine paused. "You'll let me know if you hear from Kelly?"
"Absolutely."
"Thank you." She turned to him. "Good night, Jake."
He stood up. "I'll see you to your car."
Both Katherine and Hannah looked surprised by his words, but neither one argued, so he followed Katherine down the hall and out of the house. He walked her all the way to her vehicle.
She opened the door and then looked at him. "Why?" she asked.
"Why did I walk you to the car?"
"Why did you hurt Hannah? I thought you were in love with her."
His gut twisted at the question. "It wasn't intentional. I was going through a bad time, and I made a lot of mistakes in one night."
"I know about mistakes, and I'm sure you find it ironic that I would have the nerve to judge you when I've probably done worse things."
"I understand that you want to protect your daughter. I actually respect that."
"I didn't always protect her. I didn't take care of her the way I should have. But I'm trying to be a better person now." She took a breath. "I guess it annoys me that she's willing to give you a second chance but not me."
"Isn't she giving you a second chance?" he countered. "We just had dinner together. It seems like you and Hannah are getting along."
"Because of Brett."
"Whatever the reason, it's a start."
"I hope so. You don't just want to be Hannah's friend, do you?"
"No, I want to be more," he admitted.
"You're going to have to earn it. My daughter doesn't forgive easily."
"I know that. I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
"I used to think you were good for Hannah—until you weren't."
"I used to think the same thing about you," he returned.
Katherine drew in a quick breath as his comment hit home, and he kicked himself for probably going too far, but then she surprised him.
"Fair point," she said. "Let's both try to do better where Hannah is concerned."
"Sounds good to me."
"Good night, Jake." Katherine slid into her car and closed the door.
He stepped back as she drove away, relieved to have the conversation end on a positive note. He didn’t want to be another obstacle between mother and daughter. Hopefully, Katherine wouldn't put him in that position.
When he returned to the house, he went into the kitchen and saw the door leading to the garage open. As he entered the garage, he saw Hannah wrestling to get a big box off a shelf while Brett was already looking through another box on the ground.
He was almost to Hannah when he saw the box about to tumble down on top of her head. He grabbed it in the split second before it took her down.
"Thanks," she said with a breathless smile. "I thought I could manage it myself."
"You always think that," he said with a grin. "You hate asking for help."
"I do. But you keep showing up in the nick of time."
They were so close, he could feel her breath on his face, and he wanted to do nothing more than to steal a kiss from her sweet lips, but there was a little boy now edging between them, eager to see what was in the box they'd just taken down.
Hannah shrugged, amusement in her eyes. "I have a little chaperone."
"He has to go to bed sometime."
She flushed at that comment. "Let's just concentrate on decorating the tree. And since you want me to ask for help, why don’t you bring this box into the living room, and I'll bring the smaller one?"
"Done."
When they got back to the living room, Hannah put on Christmas music while he untangled the lights and Brett started pulling things out of the boxes, exclaiming with giddy delight at every new ornament that he unwrapped. And there were a lot of them. Hannah's father had been a very talented craftsman and the ornaments were beautifully carved. Hannah got emotional as she went through the ornaments, too, but she managed to keep it together. He knew she was doing that for Brett. She didn't want to mar his happiness with sadness from the past.
Once he had the lights organized, he wound them around the tree, thinking that he couldn't remember when he'd last decorated a Christmas tree. He didn't think he'd done it since he was in high school, and that was a very long time ago. "Is that enough?" he asked Hannah.
"I think so."
"Well, you can decide after I turn them on."
"Actually," she said, putting up a hand as he reached for the switch. "We can't turn on the lights until we decorate the tree."
"Is that a rule?"
"Yes."
"Okay, you're in charge. What's next?"
"Brett can start putting ornaments on the tree. We might need you for the upper part of the tree. Unless you'd like to be done?"
"No, I want to see this thing through to the end."
He stepped to the side as Brett started putting up decorations. "Those are very cool ornaments. Your dad made most of them, didn't he?"
"Yes. He loved his woodshop. He was extremely talented." She took a carved train out of a box. "This one was for me. I loved trains when I was little. When I was nine, my dad took me on a train trip from Colorado to Pennsylvania to visit my grandparents. I was in heaven. We even got to sleep on the train. I thought it was the most exciting trip I'd ever taken. The next Christmas, he made me this ornament."
She ran her fingers around the edge and then she looked up at him. "He's been gone forever," she continued. "But there are days when I still miss him so much. It feels like it was yesterday that he was here, that he was decorating the tree with us. My mom never did it. She was always baking something while we were decorating. When it was done, we'd turn on the lights and eat whatever delicious cookies she'd made." Her voice trailed away as she let out a breath. "I wasn't really expecting to take this trip down memory lane tonight."
"Why didn't your siblings go with you to Pennsylvania?" he asked, wanting to distract her from the sad part of her memories.
"Tyler was only four. He wouldn't have been able to sit still that long. Kelly was fourteen and into her teenage years. She didn't want to leave her friends to visit the old people, as she used to call my grandparents. But I wanted to go, so my dad took me while my mom stayed home with Kelly and Tyler. It was a great trip."
"It sounds like it. I wish I'd gotten to know your dad better."
"He was a wonderful man and a fantastic father. He always made sure to spend time with each of us. With me, it was ice-skating. He was the one who first taught me how to skate and then drove me to practices and competitions. With Kelly, it was all about horseback riding. That was their thing to do together, and with Tyler it was baseball." She smiled. "Sometimes, I wonder how he had time to work."
"He made time for his family," he said shortly, wishing his father had been half the man Hannah's father had been.
"He did," Hannah agreed. "And he'd always tell me that as the middle child, I was the most special, which was a complete lie, but I appreciated the effort. It wasn't always easy to stand out in a line-up of three kids. Kelly had a big personality and Tyler was the cute baby."
He sat d
own on the couch, propping his legs up on the coffee table. "I think you always stood out, Hannah."
"Probably not in a good way," she said with a self-deprecating smile.
"Well, that's what made you interesting. You were never entirely predictable. And you always had a lot of ideas, especially when it came to revenge."
She grimaced. "I don't think I want to be reminded."
"Remember your old neighbor, Mr. Fordham? You got mad at him because your ball went over the fence, and he wouldn't give it back. He said he'd told you a dozen times not to kick your ball into his yard."
"He was a grumpy, old man, and I think you were the one to kick the ball over the fence," she retorted.
"I was responsible for the ball, but you were the one who painted happy faces all over his stone patio."
"It washed right off, and I thought he should think about smiling more." she said defensively. "But I got grounded for a week."
"Because you didn't realize he had a security camera in his backyard."
"That was a mistake," she conceded. "However, I'm fairly sure I told you my idea beforehand and you loved it."
"I loved you," he said, the words spilling out of his mouth before he could stop them.
She jerked, surprise and wariness filling her pretty brown gaze. "Don't—don't say things like that."
"It's the truth. I didn't actually mean to say it, but it's not a lie. You were the first girl I loved."
"But not the last," she said sharply.
He actually wanted her to be the last, but she was already rattled by what he'd just said. "Who knows who'll be the last?" he murmured.
She stared back at him. "You don't have to hang out. Brett and I can finish the tree together."
"No way. I want to see the end results. My lights are on there. I'm part of it."
"Fine. You can stay, but no more talk of the past."
"Deal. How do you feel about tinsel?"
"What?"
"Tinsel or garlands? It's usually one or the other, but I don't see either in your boxes."
"We never used tinsel or garlands. We had a dog when I was little—Tiger. He would either eat the tinsel or pull the garlands down, so we just stopped putting them on. It was all about the ornaments."
Just One Kiss: A heartwarming Christmas romance (Whisper Lake Book 4) Page 15