by Debbie White
Jack looked up. “Why are you crying, baby?”
“It’s just that I’m trying to be everything for everyone, and not doing a very good job of it.”
Jack slid his chair out and rested his hands on his lap. He tilted his head, while knitting his brows together. “Excuse me? You are more than everything to us. You are a perfect wife and mother, and that’s all I care about.”
“I have a business to run,” she said, trying to hold back the tears.
“And you have help. You just need to let them do what you pay them to do.”
Annie nodded. “It’s hard to let go of something you’ve built from the bottom up.”
“I get that, Annie, I do. But, if you want to see your business flourish, then you need to hire great people to help you, and then stand back and let them do it.”
“And then there is everything with Grandmother and Auntie.”
“What about them? If you’re talking about the latest issue, that’s been solved. Betsy and Charles have moved in.”
“I know they have, but I can’t help but think I’ve let Grandmother and Auntie down somehow, as well as my dad.”
“Your dad would be proud of what you’ve accomplished, and I think he’d be happy with Betsy and Charles moving in over there. He wouldn’t want you to give up your life entirely.”
Annie hung her head down. Ashton squealed and began to kick the foot tray of his high chair. Annie returned her attention to him and smiled. “Want some more sweet taters?” She put a little on the edge of his baby spoon and slipped it between his lips. He kicked the foot tray again, and then in one quick movement, reached up and hit the spoon, knocking it out of Annie’s hands.
“Whoa, big guy,” Jack said, leaping out of his chair to help with the cleanup.
Annie took the bib Ashton wore and wiped the splattered potato off his face. She locked eyes with Jack and watched as he crossed the room and stood right in front of her. “What? Do I have sweet potato splatters on me too?”
Jack reached up and wiped the spot on her nose and then licked it. They both laughed, and soon Ashton laughed right along with them.
Jack wrapped his arms around her, and like a spoon, filled her spaces while holding on. She could feel his warm breath on her neck, and she snuggled deeper into his folds.
“I love you, Mrs. Powell,” he said, whispering in her ear, lifting her hair a bit as he did with his breath.
She reached back and rubbed his arm. Since he’d started working with woodworking tools, he’d developed more muscles in his arms. “Ooh, I like what I feel,” she teased.
“That right there, is pure muscle,” he said, gloating.
She moved a few inches out of his reach and then turned over on her other side to now face him. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair and down the side of his face. “I’ve been so preoccupied with my inadequacies that I’ve failed to ask you how your new business is going.” She pulled herself toward him until she was just inches from his face. She stared into his deep eyes and waited for his response.
“First of all, you don’t have any inadequacies. Stop with that kind of talk right now.”
She tipped her head.
“It’s going pretty good. I’ve gotten two new orders for Christmas yard decorations. One is for a set of reindeer and sled, and the other is for a cutout of Santa and Frosty.”
“That’s great, dear. This is the perfect time of year for that. What can I do to spread the word?”
“I’ve made some fliers for the bakery, and Dad put up one at the shop. Oh, and Diane is spreading the word at the vacation agency.”
“Good,” Annie said, nodding.
“I want to let people know that my skills are not just limited to Christmas decorations, but it’s a start.”
“Absolutely. We should take pictures of the cradle and the dining room table and everything else you’ve made.”
“I’m way ahead of you. However, I do need your help with something.” He reached out and pulled her even closer. He leaned over and kissed her softly on her mouth and then pulled back.
“What’s that?”
“A name for the shop. We still need a name.”
Annie’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe we forgot to name it!”
Jack brushed his hand down her head. “It’s okay. We can do it now. Any ideas?”
Annie tilted her head and stared at the ceiling. A smile spread across her face. “I do. How about Powell’s Sweet Wood Design?”
“That’s perfect, Annie. I love it. I’ll start on my sign tomorrow. I love how you thought of a way to incorporate sweet into the name.”
“I’m glad I’m good for something,” she said, winking.
“Oh, baby, you’re good for a whole lot more,” he said, kissing her.
No matter how tired Annie felt, when he kissed her, she suddenly felt like she was twenty years old and full of vigor. She kissed him back, trailing sweet kisses up and down his neck, finally resting her warm lips on his.
“I’m calling to invite you all over to the house for Thanksgiving,” Annie said to Milly on the phone.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m very sure. We’d love it if the grandparents could come, too. Grandmother and Auntie will be here. They love visiting with Cora and Polly. We’d also like to extend the invitation to Danny’s folks, Susan and Preston.” Annie waited for Milly to make an excuse for them.
“Okay, we’ll come, and I’ll let Susan know about your invite, but no promises there. They might have plans with that uppity social club they belong to. I don’t understand how they can put that first before family.” Milly sighed. “You can be assured that the rest of us will be there, but you must let me help do some of the cooking, Annie.”
“Jack is going to fry the turkey, so if you want to bring your homemade mac and cheese, that would be great. I’ll ask Mary to bring a couple of pies and Grandmother and Auntie will make their cranberry sauce.”
“I know my mother would love to make her dressing,” Milly said.
“Okay, that sounds great. I’ll make sweet potatoes. Ashton loves them. I might make a small batch of mashed potatoes, too. Come over early. Jack wants to toss the football around. The weather is supposed to be great. We can take a walk along the pathway that leads down to the beach. It’ll be so much fun having you all here at Sweet Magnolia,” Annie said, smiling through the phone.
It was a very special day, indeed, and the weatherman didn’t disappoint them in the least. While the men tossed the football around, the women chattered and cooed over Ashton. After they ate a very hearty dinner, the group went for a walk. Jack pushed Ashton’s stroller, and the men brought up the rear, while the women talked up front. After the brisk walk down to the beach, the group agreed they’d made room for some pumpkin and pecan pie.
After the last person left Sweet Magnolia, Annie dropped down on the sofa and placed her feet up on the coffee table. Buffy hurdled her little body up on the sofa and laid her head on Annie. “Another Powell-McPherson holiday celebration success.” She patted Buffy’s head and scratched her ears.
“Little Ashton is pooped. He went right to sleep,” Jack said, sitting down. He patted her leg. “And, a great dinner, Annie.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“Thank you, sir. The turkey was delicious and so moist.” She licked her lips, recalling the savory flavor of the turkey.
“We’re really lucky, you know that?”
Annie nodded. “I have to pinch myself every now and again. We are.”
“Tomorrow is Black Friday. Instead of going out in all the shopping hysteria, why don’t we get our tree?” Jack said.
“That’s a great idea. It will be little Ashton’s first time to a tree farm.”
Jack ran his hand up and down her arm, sending chills up and down her spine. Every time he touched her, he sent some signal that made her stomach tighten and her heart flutter.
“It will be his first of many things. I’m
making him something really special for Christmas,” Jack said with his eyes twinkling.
Annie leaned in suddenly and kissed him.
“What was that for?”
“Can’t a woman kiss her man?”
“She sure can,” he said, grabbing her hand and helping her up from the couch, causing Buffy to slide off onto the opposite cushion. Annie looked over her shoulder at Buffy and Isla as he led her down the hallway.
As they passed Ashton’s room, they couldn’t help but stop and peer in. Jack quietly pushed open the door. Annie stretched her neck to see over Jack’s shoulder and then bobbed her head to the right for a better view.
“Aw, he looks so peaceful,” Annie said, pulling her arm out and wrapping it around Jack’s waist.
“And happy. See that little smile on his face?” Jack beamed. “One of these days, he’s going to be a big boy … off to his first day of school, his first swimming lesson, his first—”
Annie put her finger to Jack’s lips. “I don’t want him to grow up too fast.”
“I know, but it’s inevitable, Annie.”
“I know, but for now, let’s just enjoy him as a baby.” She reached up and hung her arms around his neck, pulling him down. Their lips met, and soon a passionate kiss began.
With his free hand, Jack pulled Ashton’s door closed, mumbling something against her lips.
Annie put her finger up to her mouth and whispered, “Shh.”
The two walked hand in hand toward their bedroom, and Annie wondered if it was possible to be any more in love or be any happier.
Chapter 5
Thanksgiving came, then Christmas. Jack’s business boomed during the holidays, and no one could have been more pleased or surprised than Annie on Christmas morning. Little Ashton, now well on his way to being a big boy, bounced up and down when he saw the brightly colored wagon Jack helped him unwrap. With Ashton’s name clearly painted on the side, this was a special wagon, indeed.
“After it warms up some, let’s bundle him up and take him for a spin,” Annie said, smiling as Jack pulled him around the living room, with both Buffy and Isla chasing them. The shrill sounds of the child’s pleasure blended with the dogs’ excited barks.
“I have something else.” Jack handed Annie the wagon handle. “I’ll be right back.” He dashed out of sight, leaving Annie wondering what he’d forgotten.
“What’s your daddy up to, huh?” She leaned in and tickled Ashton on his tummy. Annie could hear some commotion going on out on the front porch, along with footsteps, grunting, and the sound of wood scraping against wood. She knitted her brows together. “Come here, baby boy,” Annie said, lifting Ashton out of the wagon and carrying him to the sofa.
They’d just sat down when both Buffy and Isla hopped up to join them. Annie cocked her head and waggled her finger at them. “You know you two are not supposed to be up here.”
Jack opened the front door and poked his head inside. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Annie pulled the afghan down from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around them both. “What are you up to?” she asked Jack.
Jack held the door open for them. Annie stepped out onto the front porch. She gasped. “Jack, oh, my! They are lovely.” She dashed toward the whitewashed rockers with big red bows, and plopping down in one, she began to rock back and forth.
Jack joined her and sat in the second one. “Do you like the color? Because I can stain them darker.”
“I love them. Did you make these?”
Jack nodded.
“You are so talented, Jack. And to think it was all hidden behind a dark suit.”
Jack rocked with his head leaning back against the frame. “Yeah, I liked driving and working for the family, but when I started building our house with my own hands, something happened. I didn’t realize it myself how much I’d enjoy working with wood and tools.” He gazed over at them.
“Well, I’m super impressed. And when you can work at something you love and make money at it, that’s just icing, right?”
“Yep.”
Annie shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around Ashton. “I think we better go inside. It hasn’t warmed up enough for me or him,” she said, nuzzling his little neck and making him laugh.
After all the hype of the holidays, spring came, and with it came warmer weather. After hiring a couple more workers, Annie cut her hours back a little more. Peter became the full-time baker, with Betsy only coming in once in a while. Morgan left the state to follow her dream of becoming a marine biologist, and Toby and Keith … well were Toby and Keith.
Rebecca and Michael’s new restaurant was the talk of the town, and during their last visit, Annie confided in Jack that she thought that maybe Rebecca could be pregnant.
“Did you see the glow? That’s also known as the early stages of pregnancy,” Annie said, trying to convince him.
“I don’t know. It seems they’d want to wait. They’ve only been married a little over a year and opened up a new restaurant.”
“Bet me a dollar,” Annie said, teasing him.
“I’ll bet you a boat ride,” he said, raising his brows.
Annie knew what he was hinting at—a boat ride without Ashton.
It wasn’t too long after that conversation that Rebecca confided in Annie what Annie had known all along. Annie didn’t let on though. “Congratulations, Rebecca,” she said, hugging her.
“I’ve had a little bit of morning sickness, but nothing too bad. I’m hoping to work right up until the birth.”
“There’s no reason you can’t. And besides, you’re married to a doctor. Everything should just be great.”
“Well, you know what they say about doctors being bad patients? Well, they’re bad parents-to-be, too.” They both laughed.
Annie loved to tease Jack, and she also loved to see him sweat, so when he arrived home after work she set him up good.
“I saw Rebecca today,” she said, while chopping onions for dinner.
“And?” he said, bending his ear to hear that he’d won the bet.
“She’s been a little sick lately.”
Jack sat up straight and widened his eyes. “Sick? Sick as in the flu?”
“Hmm, no, I don’t think so.” She continued to chop and now began to hum some song.
“Okay, Annie, give it to me straight. Is she or isn’t she?” He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head.
“Well, let’s just say, it’s lovely weather for a boat ride.”
Jogging around her in a circle, he grabbed her around the waist. “You mean she isn’t pregnant? You mean I won?”
“Whoa, wait just a minute. I didn’t say anything about you being right.”
Jack let go and stood back. “But you said boat ride. That was the bet. You said I’d bet you a dollar, and I said I’d bet you a boat ride … alone … without the kid.” He looked over his shoulder at Ashton playing with Cheerios on his high chair tray.
Annie pursed her lips tightly. “You are already tired of our baby?” she said with a raised brow.
“No, of course not. I just want to be alone with my other baby,” he said, reaching for her again.
Annie play slapped his hands away. “Well, for the record, Rebecca is pregnant.”
Jack gasped. “I don’t get it. Then why would I win?”
“It just so happens, Jack Powell,” she said moving closer, “that I want to go on that boat ride, too.” She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes.
“You got me,” he said, moving in closer and meeting her lips with his.
Still holding on to his neck, she leaned back and smiled. “You can’t outsmart me, Jack.”
He pulled her in and whispered in her ear, causing the hair on her arms to stand. A deep stirring in the pit of her stomach lurched and pulled. She pulled her in bottom lip and coyly smiled at him. “Love you, Jack,” she said before finding his warm mouth once again.
“What do you mean you d
on’t know where Grandmother or Auntie are? You live with them,” Annie said into the phone.
“Charles and I went out to dinner and a movie. When we came home they were gone,” Betsy said.
Annie’s heart began to race when she thought of the possible situations these two women could get themselves into. Annie took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, I’ll call the police right now and report them missing.”
Before they hung up the phone, Betsy and Charles agreed to stay put, while Jack, Annie, and little Ashton went searching. First stop, was to the church.
“I don’t know. It’s worth checking here. I usually bring them here to visit the grave sites, but just maybe they got a wild hair …”Annie said, trailing off as she slid out of the passenger side. She ducked back in before closing the door. “I’ll be right back.” She pushed the door with her hip, causing it to shut.
Annie made a beeline to her parents’ graves. She paid special attention not to step anywhere but in between the markers. There were no signs of Grandmother or Auntie. While there, she took a moment to brush off each site, and vowed to be back soon with flowers.
She dropped down into the passenger seat. “Nope, not there.” She casually looked back at Ashton seated in his car seat, playing with toys.
“Where to next?”
Annie drummed her fingers on the dashboard. “Maybe the clubhouse at the golf club? Daddy used to bring them there often, and then after he passed away, they kept going out there. They made friends even though they don’t golf. It’s a long shot, but that’s all I have right now.”
Annie searched high and low inside the dimly lit bar area. Empty, except for one table of regulars, she ran her hand along the dark shiny mahogany bar top and asked the bartender if he’d seen them. Her hunch was right, he hadn’t. She made her way toward the sunny garden-style restaurant that also had an extended outside eating area. She asked a few of the staff if they’d seen them, but she already knew the answer. She kicked a stone out of her way as she walked along the path that led her back to the car. Her head hanging low, she tried to think where in the heck those two could go and how could they get there? Annie picked her head up and smiled. Mary!
