This Time Forever

by Mona Ingram

  Larry grinned. “Well, whatever you did, the fire is spreading. I’m going to talk to Coop when he’s here the next time. I’d like to see these kids get their Youth Centre back. If we both get behind it, I’m fairly sure we can get it done.”

  “You’re a good man, Larry Cousins. Jesse told me that you two have been friends for a long time.”

  “That’s true.” He tilted his head to one side. “Where did he find you, anyway? Ever since you took over the kitchen, the men think they’ve died and gone to heaven.”

  Lexie couldn’t meet his gaze. “It’s a long story,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t believe it myself.” She looked into the distance, as though the Beaver might appear at any moment. “I’m not sure when he’ll be back, though. Luc called yesterday, upset about something and Jesse was out of here like a shot.”

  Larry frowned. “He’s okay, I hope.”

  “I think so.” She forced herself to look at the foreman. “He sure loves that kid.”

  “You’ve got that right. Maybe I’ll call tonight and see what’s up.” He checked around the work site one last time. “Did anyone tell you that we’re going to be without power in the morning? The new electrical service is being installed.”

  “Thanks for the reminder. Yes, your electrician told us. Carly put a sign outside saying we’re closed, but she’ll be here to make coffee for you and the men. As for me, I think I’ll sleep in.”

  “Good idea.” He nodded briefly. “See you tomorrow.”

  A SHAFT OF SUNSHINE settled on Lexie’s eyelids and it took her a moment to remember where she was. She should probably get up and enjoy the beautiful morning, but the bed was comfortable, she was cozy, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept in. Closing her eyes, she drifted back to sleep.

  The next time she woke, she was aware that someone was in the room with her. And yet she wasn’t afraid. She rolled over and opened her eyes.

  A pair of blue eyes regarded her solemnly, unblinkingly. Luc.

  “Who are you?”

  Lexie considered her response.

  “Little Red Riding Hood,” she said, pulling the quilt up to her chin. “Are you the Big, Bad Wolf?”

  Sparks of amusement danced in his eyes. “No, I’m Luc.”

  Lexie relaxed. “Well, that’s a relief. Nice to meet you, Luc. My name is Lexie.” She sat up and looked around the cabin. “Now where did I put that key? Did I leave it outside?”

  Luc shook his head. “The door was open.”

  “There it is!” She spotted it on a bookshelf. “I was thinking about reading a book and I must have set it down. I should really put it on my own key ring so I don’t lose it again.”

  “It’s not lost.” Luc picked it up and handed it to her. “But it is small.”

  “Yes, well...” She looked beyond him. “Did you fly up with your Dad?”

  Luc’s little chest swelled with importance. “I was the co-pilot. Dad made me a seat so I can see outside.”

  “Lucky you. Was it fun?”

  He nodded. “I gotta go now.” With that he turned and walked out the door.

  Lexie raced to the shower and got ready in record time. Funny that she hadn’t heard the Beaver, but come to think of it, last night was her second night in the cabin and she’d slept remarkably soundly both nights. Humming to herself, she stepped out onto the porch and was stunned by the sight of Jesse sitting in one of the rockers. Her heart leaped into her throat. Now she really was in a romance novel. Except that this story wouldn’t have a happy ending.

  “Good morning,” he said. “Hope you don’t mind, but I brought us some coffee.” He indicated a tray on the small table between the two rockers. “I heard the shower, so I thought I’d wait.”

  Lord, he was a good looking man. He had that scruffy, day-old-beard look going on this morning, and it made him even more appealing, if that was possible. His eyes were an intriguing shade of brown with golden highlights... nothing like Luc’s. And the invitation in them made her clutch the railing for support.

  “Good morning,” she stammered, surprised that she could speak at all. “Where did the coffee come from? Not that I’m not grateful, but we don’t have any power this morning.”

  “I know. I talked to Larry last night and he warned me. So I brought ours in a thermos.” He waved a hand like a magician. “Sit down and I’ll pour you a cup.”

  “You’re in the wrong chair,” she blurted. Where had that come from? Now she was telling him about her fantasies.

  “Excuse me?” He stopped pouring to look up.

  “It’s just this silly thing I do,” she said, scrambling to come up with a story. “I imagine people in certain situations, and that’s your chair over there.” She pointed to the empty chair.

  “I see,” he said. “And who was in this chair?”

  Lexie was quite sure she was blushing from her toes to the top of her head. “As I said, it’s just a silly habit.”

  He didn’t push her for an answer, but he remained sitting where he was. “I think it’s a charming habit. Here’s your coffee.”

  Lexie sat down and hid behind the mug. The coffee was hot and delicious. “Hmmm. This is good.” And it was. Of course the company didn’t hurt. “Where’s Luc?”

  “He’s skateboarding with Brandon. I asked him to give us some time alone which was probably unnecessary. He loves to skateboard.” He took a drink, then sat back. “I wish I could sit here all morning. This is the first time I’ve relaxed all week.” He put the rocker in motion with one booted foot on the floor.

  Chapter Ten

  “I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY,” he said finally. He stopped rocking the chair and turned toward her. “You must have wondered what was going on when I ran off the other day.”

  Lexie gave him a tentative smile. “I was a bit worried.”

  Jesse placed his coffee mug on the floor of the porch and stared into it for a moment. “That child has lived through things that no youngster should ever experience. I don’t know how he’s managed to stay so sweet.” He sucked in a quick breath of air. “So when I heard him on the phone, begging me to come and get him, I knew it was something serious.”

  He wasn’t making sense. Lexie waited for him to continue.

  “Luc is my sister’s son. Janie wasn’t married, but she never once considered giving Luc up. She got pregnant in her early twenties and – typical story – the guy didn’t want to stick around to raise a kid, so she raised him on her own. When Luc was about four, she was in an auto accident, and that’s when it started.”

  He picked up his coffee mug, raised it to his lips, and then set it down again without drinking. “It was like you see on those television documentaries. The story makes you feel for the people involved, but you know it’s never going to happen to you.” He looked up to see if she was following him. “Janie was in a lot of pain, and the doctors gave her pain killers until she could get it under control. But apparently she never did get it under control, and she was soon taking everything they would prescribe and more. This took several years... years when I was too busy building my own business to take much notice. She always seemed fine when I saw her. A bit thinner perhaps, but then she always complained about her weight, even though she was perfect. We didn’t see each other that often, and looking back now, I realize that when we did get together, she made an effort to look normal.”

  He picked up his mug again and this time he drained it. “More coffee?” he asked, holding out the thermos. Lexie shook her head, and he poured more into his mug.

  “Anyway, she got a batch of bad stuff from someone on the street and overdosed. Luc woke up in the morning, walked into her bedroom and found her... dead.” He scrubbed a broad hand over his face. “She’d choked on her own vomit. He calmly walked to the neighbour’s apartment and knocked on the door.”

  A muscle in his jaw bunched as he fought for control. “For months afterward, I saw that scene in my mind every time I closed my eyes.” He raised his head, his eyes
haunted. “I should have known. I should have helped her. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.”

  Lexie allowed several minutes to pass before she spoke. “I could give you a dozen arguments as to why it’s not your fault, but I’m sure you’ve heard them all. Plus some I haven’t thought of.”

  He ducked his head in acknowledgement.

  “Your sister may have been one of the unlucky ones, but at least Luc has you.”

  Jesse raised his head. “That’s another thing. On the phone the other day... when he called me... that was the first time he called me ‘Dad’. I’ve been waiting for six months to hear him call me Dad, and it had to happen over something like that.”

  “What happened, Jesse? Why did he call?”

  He grabbed his mug, rose and took a few steps to the porch railing. “Somehow some of the older boys found out about Janie’s death. They told him she’d killed herself because she didn’t want him.”

  “Oh, Jesse!” Lexie fought back tears. “What in the world is wrong with kids these days? Were we ever that mean?”

  “I sure as hell hope not.” He turned to face her. “Anyway, that’s why I ran off.”

  “And with good reason.” Lexie rose, boosted herself up on the porch railing and rested her back against the roof support. A few feet away, Jesse copied her position.

  “Did you have to fight for guardianship, or whatever they call it?” she asked.

  “No.” Jesse traced an initial that had been cut into the railing. “That’s one thing Janie did right. She realized that as a single mother she was vulnerable, so she had a will, and specified that Luc should come to me.”

  “What was it like, becoming an overnight father?”

  Jesse grinned. “I was terrified at first. I was trying so hard to do everything right that I didn’t pay enough attention to my businesses, and they suffered a bit. But then I realized that Luc needed a normal routine, and that part of that routine was me going to work.” He looked past Lexie and smiled. “He’s full of energy, that’s for sure. Looks like he’s talked Brandon into going down to the beach.”

  Lexie turned to see Luc and Brandon weaving their way between the rocks. “He’s sweet, isn’t he?”

  Jesse looked up, startled. “You’ve met him?”

  “Yes, he came into my room this morning.”

  “I’m sorry. I told him he could explore but I didn’t think to tell him not to go in the cabins.”

  “It’s okay, really.” She held his gaze. “I thought you were his father.”

  “No, I...” her meaning sank in and a devilish gleam lit his eyes. “You thought I was married.”

  “Yes.”

  He leaned forward, and the heat in his eyes was unmistakable. “Didn’t you wonder why a married man was pursuing you? Why he couldn’t wait to see you again?”

  “I didn’t know that.” She caught her bottom lip with her teeth and wondered if he could hear her heart thundering.

  “Don’t do that,” he said, his voice rough like sandpaper. “You’re driving me crazy.”

  “Jesse...”

  His gaze lingered on her lips. “You do that a lot, you know. And every time, I think it should be me nibbling on your lip.” He moved forward, took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and tipped it up. “Right here,” he said softly, rubbing the pad of his thumb against her bottom lip. “That’s where I’d start.”

  “You would?” she asked, wishing he’d hurry up and show her.

  “But you’re not ready yet.” He pulled back and smiled down at her. “You’re telling yourself that we only met a couple of days ago.”

  “Well we did just meet a couple of days ago, but...”

  “No buts.” He moved back against the post and sat there with a confidence that should have been irritating. But it wasn’t... it was intoxicating. “I can wait,” he said.

  “You can?” In an odd way, he was making sense. But she didn’t want him to make sense. She wanted him to grab her and kiss her silly.

  “I can wait until you think you know me. That’s it, isn’t it? You think you don’t know me well enough. How about another week? Would that work?”

  “Yes. No.”

  “Which is it, Lexie? One week? Two? Another month?”

  “Dammit, Jesse. You’re confusing me.”

  “Aha. A little show of temper. Does that mean you care?”

  Lexie’s eyes flashed. “You’re toying with me, and I don’t like it.”

  “Nothing could be farther from the truth. There’s something between us, Lexie and we both know it. We’re adults, and if we don’t know what we’re doing by now, heaven help us.” Leaning forward, he brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek in a gesture so tender her legs almost buckled. “What are you afraid of?”

  “I don’t know,” she stammered, pleading for him to understand. “You don’t really know me, Jesse. You may think you do, but you don’t.”

  A subtle change came over him and for a wild, heart-stopping moment, she thought she’d lost him.

  “I do know you, Lexie. I know a lot more than you think.”

  He sat back and studied her.

  I know that you’re a skilled chef. I know that you’re generous when it comes to sharing your knowledge with others. I know you’re compassionate, and you’re probably a loyal friend.

  She opened her mouth to speak and he held up a hand.

  “I know that you care about others. That you quit your job over the restaurant’s poor treatment of your suppliers... good people who relied on your business. I know you chew on your lip when you’re unsure, and I also know that within a few days, you’ve instilled an unshakable loyalty in Carly and Brandon. Those two kids would do anything for you.” He glanced over her shoulder. “I could go on, but speaking of the devil, Carly’s on her way over here. He leaned forward again and the air between them sizzled. “We’ll talk about this some more, later.”

  He looked up. “Hi Carly.”

  “Hello, Mr. Cooper.”

  “I’ve told you. Call me Jesse. Or Coop, if you prefer.”

  Carly frowned and turned to Lexie. “I came to tell you that the power is back on, and we have some customers. They saw the closed sign, but when the power came on, they said they’d wait.”

  “How many?”

  “Eight adults and a couple of kids. I thought maybe if we’re going to cook for Larry’s crew...” Her voice trailed off.

  “You’re right. Sure, tell them they can stay if they don’t mind waiting.” Lexie turned to Jesse. “Will you be having lunch as well?”

  “Why not?”

  Lexie gave him a wry smile. “Why not, indeed.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “MR. COOPER?”

  Jesse looked up as Brandon approached the table he shared with Larry and Luc.

  “I was wondering if you could spare some time after lunch to talk to me and a couple of my friends.” He glanced toward Larry. “Mr. Cousins and I talked a bit yesterday.”

  “He was just filling me in, as a matter of fact.” Jesse nodded toward the counter, where a few gangly youths had taken up residence on the stools. “Are those your friends?”

  “Yes. I hope you don’t mind, but I called them when I saw you arrive.”

  Jesse looked toward Larry, who nodded his approval.

  “Now is as good a time as any. Ask them to come over.”

  Introductions were made and Jesse and Larry shook hands with the new arrivals.

  “So,” said Jesse, looking at each of them for several moments. “How can we help you?”

  Jean-Marc shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “That’s a big question, Mr. Cooper.”

  “Call me Jesse, or Coop.”

  “Okay, Mr. – er, Mr. Coop.”

  Jesse smiled. “Let’s approach this another way. What are your goals?”

  “Wow. Nobody ever asked me that before.”

  “They must have asked you in school.” Jesse smiled to soften the rebuk
e.

  “Yeah, but we answer some questions on a standard form and nobody follows up. They shove a bunch of brochures in your hand about career choices and that’s it.”

  “Fair enough.” Jesse switched his attention to Brandon. “You’ve had more time to think about this. What are your plans?”

  “That’s easy. I’d like to start with a truck selling fries.”

  “You mean like a food truck.”

  “Yes. I’m obviously a few years away from that, but you asked what our goals are, and that’s mine. I hope to find work in one of the beachside food stands this summer. I don’t think practical experience will be too hard to get, but I would also need to learn the financial side. And then there are the permits and everything that goes with that. As Mr. Cousins said, a lot of us need mentors for that kind of stuff. Not someone to do the work for us, but someone to steer us in the right direction.”

  Jesse turned back to Jean-Marc. “What about you? What are you really passionate about?”

  “Passionate?”

  “Yeah. You must have seen someone doing something and thought “I’d really like to do that... forget about how outrageous it might seem.”

  Understanding dawned in the young man’s eyes. “It’s nothing glamorous, but I saw a man setting tile once and thought I’d really like to do that. But I have no idea how to learn. I mean, they don’t exactly offer tile setting in shop class.”

  “Good man.” Jesse gave him a pat on the back. “Now how about you two?” He spoke to the other two teens, and discovered that one had an interest in learning how to build log homes, and one was keen to learn web design.

  “You know,” said Brandon during a lull in the conversation, “there are a lot of kids at school who could really use some inspiration. We’re all at loose ends since the Youth Centre closed, but if we could get together, say once a week and bring someone in to talk to us, it would make a huge difference.”

  “I was thinking about that,” said Jesse. “You could use help with things like putting together a business plan, and setting up an accounting system. Not all of you are going to start your own businesses, but those who do need to know the basic requirements. Come to think of it, that sort of knowledge benefits everyone, not just business owners.” He took a breath and looked to Larry for confirmation. “Larry and I would like to try to re-open the Youth Centre, but we want the four of you and anyone else who’s interested to start a fund-raising campaign. For every dollar you raise, Larry and I will put in ten. But we’re going to leave it up to you to contact city hall and bring us the details on what’s required to re-open it. They’ll want a responsible caretaker, and I have someone in mind.”