“Oh, I noticed.” He looked her over, the color rising in her cheeks telling him his comment had the desired effect.
“Come on, I’ll give you sweats to wear.” Maggie offered as she breezed by them. She took Kate’s hand and swept her inside.
Jack turned his attention to the front yard. Josh had already changed out of his church clothes before the meal and Paul and the others were filing in and out of the house getting their ratty clothes on to play. It was a tradition, of sorts, to play a tag football game after Easter Sunday meal, not unlike Thanksgiving. But the epic fun games were when it rained and mud was involved. Everyone brought clothes to change into. Almost every year God obliged them with some water from above and Jack was never more grateful than this year. Seeing Kate get muddy was going to be the highlight of his day.
The front screen door creaked and Kate emerged with Maggie in tow. Nope, make that Kate dressed in baggy sweats and a t-shirt that said “Architects Know Where to Draw the Line” in bold black letters would be the highlight of the day. The woman was stunning even in gray sweats and his brother’s weird t-shirt.
She pointed a finger at his nose and said, “Not a word.”
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “If I were to say anything it would be...”
“I told you. Not. A. Word.”
He laughed as she stepped past him and stood on the edge of the porch, surveying the large child-like adults now tossing a football, as well as an occasional mud ball at each other. Gwen and Rose were settled into rocking chairs on the porch, cheering and clapping. Abby sat in Rose’s lap, chewing her fist and drooling.
Kate shook her head, her ponytail swishing across her back. “This is crazy.”
Jack came up behind her and whispered in her ear, “I think it’s time you tried a little crazy, princess. You just might like it.”
He turned and went inside to change before she had a chance to answer. Or protest. When he returned a few minutes later, ratty jeans and old tennis shoes in place with a long-sleeved tee covered in paint stains, Kate had taken two steps down but still hadn’t gone out into the yard. He could see just the idea of stepping out from under the shelter of the porch roof had her flustered. He came down the steps and took her hand. “Come on. The first step is always the hardest. But it’s worth it.”
He smiled at her. If anything, to reassure her she wasn’t alone. The slight curve of her mouth and glimmer in her eye said she got the message. He would be there for her. Hold her hand. Help her move away from all that scared her.
She took a step down towards him. One more and she’d be standing in the rain. She took a deep breath as her feet brought her down the final step. Drops of rain plopped onto her head and cheeks. She giggled.
It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.
He led her to the group, now organizing teams. Paul, Maggie, and Jack would be a team. Josh, Hannah, and Kate the other. They lined up across from one another, Jack facing Kate.
“You ready for this, princess.”
“Bring it.” Her grin lit up her face.
As Maggie hiked the ball to Paul, Jack headed right for Kate but spun at the last second. He ran past her but not before she hooked an arm around him and held on. Paul passed him the ball, which he caught one handed, but went to his knees, the added weight of Kate dragging him down.
“Nice tackle, Kate.” Josh said as he helped them up.
“It was really more of a hold on for dear life until he has to stop kind of tackle,” Maggie teased.
“Yeah, not bad, MacIntire.” This from Josh.
“Shut it, sister. And thank you, Josh. Remember, I grew up with brothers. Let’s keep this game going.”
“You heard the woman,” Paul said. “Let’s do this.”
Twenty minutes later, they were all so covered in dirt and muck it was hard to tell who was who. Jack couldn’t take his eyes off Kate. Once she’d stepped into the yard, she was a whole new person. Full of life and humor. She wasn’t even bothered by the fact that her ponytail was now caked with mud. Her laughter rang through the air like a song.
It was the final play of the game. Kate’s team needed a touchdown to win. Hannah hiked the ball to Josh who threw a perfect pass to Kate. Catching it right before Jack could get a hand on it, she ran for the end zone. He would hear it from the other guys later, for sure, but he let her get just ahead of him to score. And, oh, was it worth it. She spiked the ball into the ground and danced around, her teeth gleaming white through her dirt caked face. She sang some song about “suckas” and pointed at all of them. Jack laughed so hard he had to lean forward on his knees.
It hit him them. Not a bolt of lightning. Not some smack in the face. More a sense of coming home. He’d fallen knock-down, dragged-out, full-on, madly in love with Kate.
Once she’d finished her touchdown dance, he sauntered over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Who gave a damn what the others thought? He looked down at her. “Kate MacIntire, will you go to the sock hop with me?”
She was breathless from her taunting and little jig. “Why do I feel like you just asked me to the prom?”
He laughed. “It did sort of sound that way, didn’t it?”
“I would love to go.”
A lock of hair had come loose from her ponytail. He brushed it back and tucked it behind her ear.
“Not so scared anymore are ya, princess?”
“Not today, no.” She leaned her forehead into his chest.
His arms enveloped her, holding her close. “One day at a time then.”
She nodded in agreement.
Kate attempted to wipe mud from her ear with the towel Maggie had given her. The two of them were in the aptly named mudroom drying off and getting cleaned up. The others had already done so and headed home. Since Kate all but lived next door, she offered to stay and help clean up. After she was cleaned up herself, of course.
“I have a feeling a long, hot shower is the only way to get the job done here. Otherwise, I’ll be picking mud out of my hair, and other various places, for weeks.”
Maggie laughed. “It was worth it, though. It was good to see you smile. Laughing. Having fun.”
“Am I that much of a curmudgeon?” She tried not to sound defensive, but lately the word from those around her aired on the side of her being a total Debbie Downer.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Maggie squeezed a wad of her dark hair with a towel. The sisters had different fathers but shared their mother’s dark hair. However, Maggie’s eyes were brown like her dad’s while Kate’s were more hazel like their mother’s. “You’ve just been...focused.”
“And that’s bad?” Again, Kate pushed down the desire to be defensive.
“I’m not saying that either. Look, I know you are under a lot of stress running Atmosphere, and the fire sure didn’t help in that department. I also know that Barry tends to creep in and upset you.” Her sister shrugged. “I guess I’m just saying it was nice to see you laugh today. Forget about holding yourself together and just...be.”
With that, Kate’s defenses went down. Maggie wasn’t trying to offend her. She cared. It was strange, and cool, how she and Maggie had become good friends before discovering they were related. It made their bond even stronger. Maggie was the only one Kate had told about Barry. Sure, Hannah and the others knew she was divorced; she didn’t hide that. But she didn’t advertise either just how nasty Barry was, and still could be.
And Maggie was right. The side of herself that found its way out today was really her. She loved to laugh and get crazy. Let her hair down a little. Well, today it was more of a fill it with mud kind of thing, but whatever. Details. Yes, she’d always been the girl who didn’t wear the same outfit twice and enjoyed a beautiful pair of heels as much as the next gal, but Barry had squashed her confidence. Made her question herself all the time. She hated that.
Maggie put a hand on her arm. “Hey, I love you. You know that. I am honestly just trying to say it was good t
o see you happy.” She dumped her towel into a basket near the back door. “And I would imagine some of that happiness comes from a certain hunky carpenter’s arms wrapped around you at the end of the game.”
When Jack had hugged her after her touchdown, she could feel all eyes on them. However, at that moment she didn’t care. Come to think of it, she had the urge to talk with her sister now, too. The desire to play if off as nothing was waning. Because it was becoming something. A something she was more and more willing to see happen.
“Come on. Let’s get cleaned up and make some coffee.”
Kate nodded her agreement and followed her sister inside.
After a shower at her place and some clean clothes later, the two sat in front of the fireplace in the living room, coffee mugs in hand. Kate sat in a big chair by the fire, her legs crisscrossed like a kid. Maggie sat on one end of the couch, her feet tucked up beneath her as she leaned on the end of the sofa. A fire Josh had built for them crackled in the fireplace casting a warm, cozy glow into the room. Not that long ago, the two women had sat in the exact same spot, discussing Maggie’s home life growing up and all she’d endured. Kate hadn’t even thought of it until now, but Maggie’s dad was similar to Barry in some ways. It was easy to believe in the beginning that they loved you, but in Maggie’s dad’s case, something snapped, where with Barry, his true nature revealed itself through time. Either way, both men were emotionally abusive. Not something easy for Maggie or Kate to overcome.
“You know I won’t hound you,” Maggie said, breaking into Kate’s train of thought.
“I know. And I do appreciate that.”
“I may tease, but I won’t hound you.” Maggie attempted to hide her wicked grin behind her coffee mug as she took a sip, but Kate could see the mischievous twinkle in her sister’s eye.
“I know that, too. Not as appreciative of that.”
Maggie laughed.
“I like Jack.” She blurted it out, unaware until she said the words how juvenile it sounded.
“Tell me something I don’t know. He’s head over heels in love with you, too.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “You think so?”
“I saw the way he looked at you today. How he watched you. Not creepy, by any means. Just in tune to you. He noticed before any of us how upset you were when you left the table and went after you. And he coaxed you to play in the mud where I’m pretty sure none of the rest of us would be able to do so. Not to mention the way he held you after you scored the final touchdown.”
Kate smiled, holding back a giggle. Sheesh, she couldn’t remember the last time joy had flowed through her like it did right then.
“You see it too, don’t you?”
She nodded, unable to trust words at that moment.
“So, what are you gonna do about it?”
Kate’s bubble of joy faltered a bit. What was she going to do about it?
“I see your wheels spinning but I’m really not sure why.” Maggie leaned forward and placed her mug on the coffee table. She leaned back again, tucking herself under a blanket that sat folded beside her. “When we first met, you sat in this exact room and told me to let go of all the crap I carried around because of my dad. To trust Josh’s love for me and the truth I know of myself because of my faith.”
Kate looked at the fire as Maggie talked.
“And I was scared, remember? Terrified, really. I had clung to all the bad stuff my dad had said for so long I didn’t know any other way. And I honestly believed most of it about myself. But you were right. I let it go, gave it to God, and gave Josh a chance.”
Kate looked back at her sister.
“Maybe it’s time you give Jack a chance to love you. Show you who you really are. Let go and leave behind all the garbage Barry filled your mind with. Take it from one who knows, it’s way better to walk with someone who loves you than to carry around all by yourself the junk someone else piled on you over time.”
Kate took a deep breath and let it out slow. “You’re right. I am scared. Barry was so wonderful at first. So charming, he just sucked me right in. I’m afraid to trust my instincts again.”
“Well, if your instincts are telling you that Jack is charming, they would be right. But I’ve known Jack and long time and I can say without a doubt that what you see is what you get. There’s no jackass lurking beneath somewhere. I guarantee it. He may frustrate you or throw you curve balls, but that just means life would never be boring.” She laughed. “He would never beat up your heart and mind the way Barry did. He would treat you the way you deserve.”
What Maggie said was true. Kate just hoped her battered, beat-up heart was enough for Jack because she was ready and willing to give it to him.
Chapter Thirteen
The following few weeks went by in a blur. Jack got the kitchen finished and was almost done with the stockroom. Business was steady, something Kate was grateful for, and she was able to put new stock that arrived in parts of the kitchen and corners of the store. She hadn’t heard a complaint yet from any customers about boxes around here and there. Of course most of them were locals who knew of the fire and were understanding. However, tourists were gracious when she apologized for it being on the messy side and were always kind when she explained about the fire.
As far as she and Jack were concerned, they’d gone to dinner a few times and even saw the new big action movie that released the former weekend, both of them admitting to loving that particular genre. Jack was surprised she was a car chase, gun fight, fist fights kind of moviegoer, but again, she’d grown up with brothers. It was somewhat tough to avoid. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, right?
Any time they were together, Jack had a knack for getting her to relax. Laugh. Be goofy. Be herself, really. Parts of her she hadn’t allowed to show in the past few years. He left her little surprises around. A single flower, a art covered postcard with “Love, Jack” written on the back. Such simple words and yet so much meaning within. He was a ray of light that warmed her insides and showed her life was an adventure. And he made her want to let go of fear and take the chance.
They hadn’t talked too specific about where things were going, but rather were letting things roll. With him at her store every day, they saw each other plenty and then time spent together on dates or going out just sort of...happened. It was easy. Everything was easy, natural with Jack. Like Maggie said, she got what she saw with the man. He wasn’t a game player and for that, Kate was grateful.
He’d invited her to his house for dinner. She’d never seen the inside of his place before. She’d passed it a few times as she rode her bike to work so she was aware of how it looked on the outside, but Josh had designed the house, making her eager to see the inside as well.
As she turned on to his street, however, Kate’s mind was lost on what Baylee had come by to tell her just before she’d left the store. The people investigating the fire had told Baylee they were almost positive the fire was started by someone on purpose. But why? She and Baylee had talked for a bit, trying to think through who in the world would want to burn down her bakery, but came up with nothing. Baylee’s background wasn’t perfect, but whose was? But she for sure didn’t have enemies. Not ones that would go so far as to commit arson anyway.
Kate fought the nagging churning in her gut. It had reared its ugly head as soon as Baylee had come by with the news, but she refused to believe her imagination. Barry was a jerk, but not a total nightmare. Not ruthless enough to go after her and hurt Baylee in the process. Or was he? The fact she even thought it, made her question her own character. She shook her head as she pulled into Jack’s driveway. No. No way would Barry do something so awful.
Her thoughts of Barry vanished as she saw Jack come out the front door and down the porch steps. He had on jeans that were worn in all the right places as well as having tears in the knees along with a long sleeved black t-shirt. His boots were the same style as his regular ones, but this pair was spattered with paint.
The h
ouse was simple and small but Kate could see Josh and his personality in the design and details. It had old-school, country charm with a mix of modern lines. It was inviting and warm, much like the man who now walked towards her to open her door and help her from the car.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said as he took her hand and kissed it.
She climbed out of the car and welcomed his other arm coming around her waist, pulling her in and holding her against him. His face snuggled into her neck. He placed a soft kiss just below her ear. Her body tingled.
“Hmmm, you smell as lovely as you look.”
Goodness. The man made her knees turn to jelly. “I’m beginning to wonder if you ever tell me the truth.”
He pulled back and eyed her with a furrowed brow. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you tell me I look beautiful no matter what I have on.” She teased as she looked down at her outfit.
She’d thrown on black yoga pants and a long, tan sweater that morning. A black scarf and boots dressed it up a bit for her to be presentable for work that day, but customers didn’t have to know her clothes felt more like pajamas than anything else. Her hair, of course, was in its signature updo. Not a ponytail, but rather a bun, but still. Put together, just as she liked it.
One corner of his mouth turned up and he kissed her. A soft touch of his lips to hers. “That’s because you are beautiful. And that has nothing to do with what you wear, but rather, who you are.” He kissed her forehead then led her to the house by the hand. She hooked her purse strap on her shoulder and hit the lock button on her key fob as they climbed the front steps.
“Did you bring a change of clothes like I told you to?” Jack asked as he opened the front door and led her inside.
“I did. My bag’s in my trunk. Although, it’s killing me not knowing why I was supposed to bring ‘grubby clothes’.” She made air quotes with her fingers as she talked.
More than curiosity had piqued when Jack had told her they would be doing something that required her to wear different clothes than her normal attire. It took her a long time to find something she even considered ratty in her wardrobe. A fact she wasn’t about to admit to Jack.
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