The step she took toward him made Luke think it wasn’t an empty threat. He paddled back a few strokes to gain some distance from Rose and her hot temper.
“You’ve done some irreparable damage here and I’m not about to let you do any more. As far as I’m concerned, your lake house reservation is canceled. I expect you to be gone by morning.”
Luke’s head spun. He couldn’t tell if it was the incessant rocking of the boat that made him suddenly nauseous, but he felt bile rising in his throat. How had everything changed since this afternoon? When he’d left Jolene, she’d been upset, but it wasn’t with him. When he’d told her to wear her warmest winter gear for their evening together, he saw her face brighten with anticipation.
But suddenly here he was, ordered to leave Merrylark by sunrise.
“Rose, please. Can you just let me talk to her? I don’t know where any of this is coming from. There has to be an explanation.”
“I’m not going to let you charm your way out of this, Luke.”
At that moment, Ace barked at the back door, two sharp and startling yelps. Rose looked over her shoulder.
“You need to leave, Luke. Now.”
It wasn’t a battle Luke was going to win. Rose’s love for her sister was fierce and she was in full-on protective mode. Nothing Luke could say would change the way Rose saw things. Luke wondered if he should even bother trying. But to not challenge her was to give up, and that wasn’t something he was willing to do. Not when it came to Jolene.
“Rose, please, just five minutes with her—”
Rose bent down and picked up an oar from the dock. She took a leap forward and jabbed it at the rim of Luke’s boat. The vessel wobbled violently.
“I warned you, Luke Handley!” She slapped the side of the boat again. “Don’t test me or you’ll end up at the bottom of Merrylark Lake!”
“Alright!” he shouted, then lowered his voice. “Alright. I’ll go. But will you please tell Jolene I came by? Will you at least do that? I don’t want her to think I forgot about our evening together.”
“I think she thinks you’ve already forgotten about everything, Luke. Now she just needs to forget about you.”
How could that be? Luke’s head hurt from trying to process the sudden turn of events. But doing as told, he rowed his way back to the lake house. He wasn’t quiet about pulling the boat up onto the dock this time. Anger fueled his movements. He threw the oars down on the wooden boards with a clatter. Twisting off the lid to his Thermos, he dumped the hot chocolate into the lake, watching it pour from the canister. It was wasteful, but somehow he felt better doing it. He gathered the blanket and basket and then stomped his way back up the pier.
The house was freezing inside, which didn’t help his mood. He tossed a couple of logs into the fireplace and lit the kindling, frustrated when the flame took longer than he liked to ignite. After what felt like an eternity, a blaze roared to life. Luke crossed his legs on the floor directly in front of it. He stared into the flames, watching the white-hot glow change in colors from blue to orange.
How had things turned out this way? One moment he was ready to make plans to move to Merrylark for good, the next he was ordered to evacuate immediately. The thought of leaving on these terms made Luke physically ill. He couldn’t leave without saying goodbye, but he knew he wouldn’t have that chance, not if Rose had anything to do with it.
Everything felt so right this afternoon after talking with Kiara. She’d confirmed what Luke already knew—that he needed to tell Jolene he’d fallen in love with her. And just because Jolene suddenly didn’t want anything to do with him, that didn’t mean he could just shut off his feelings for her. If anything, it made them stronger. The thought of Jolene alone and brokenhearted only made Luke want to comfort her all the more. He just hated the fact that he was the one who somehow brought on that heartache.
Standing from the fire, Luke walked over to the tree in the middle of the room, taking in the memories, the stories, that night back when he’d wanted nothing more than to kiss Jolene and hold her in his arms. Now that would never happen. In reality, he might never even hear her voice again.
For the first time, Luke wished Roger would’ve just left him and Bessie on the mountainside, stranded and unable to make it up the hill. Maybe everyone—and everything—would’ve been better off if Luke had never come to Merrylark at all.
23
Jolene
AS WAS USUALLY the case, things didn’t seem so bad in the morning. Of course there were those first few seconds right after waking to Ace’s alarm-bark where Jolene had forgotten why her eyes were swollen and red, why her nose was stuffy and raw. But when the reality of what took place the day before came rushing back, all it took was an intentional, deep breath to keep the emotions at bay.
Luke wasn’t the man she’d thought him to be. Oh well. Jolene would move on. When she reminded herself that just last week the name Luke Handley meant nothing more to her than a temporary next door tenant, things didn’t seem so bad. All she had to do was mentally rewind her week back to when she didn’t know he even existed. It wouldn’t be that hard.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Rose said when Jolene shuffled into the kitchen in her pink robe and fuzzy slippers. “Or should I say bedhead? That is a serious rat’s nest you’re sporting there, sis.”
Jolene opened the cupboard and reached for a red mug that had the words Silent Night inscribed in white lettering on the side. “You know you’re jealous. That perfectly straight, ready-to-wear hair can’t be any fun to style. I like to start my day off with a challenge.”
Rose laughed and took a sip of her coffee. “How’d you sleep?”
“Great, actually. I can’t believe I crashed so early.”
“You’re worse than a toddler. You were out like a light practically before dinnertime!”
“I did wake up for an hour or so around midnight,” Jolene said, shrugging. “A couple chapters of that science fiction novel I’m reading was all it took to get me to fall back asleep.”
“Must be a riveting storyline,” Rose teased.
“Oh, it is,” Jolene answered sarcastically. “Sis, I feel awful that you came all this way to hang out with me and I left you alone last night. I didn’t miss anything exciting, did I?”
“Nope,” Rose said a little too quickly. “Not at all. This town really shuts down after dark, doesn’t it? Like the entire population goes into hibernation mode. All was quiet on the home front.” Rose shifted her eyes, avoiding contact with Jolene. “Anyway, Patrick called early this morning. Apparently Ava’s got another ear infection. Won’t stop crying and grabbing at her ear. I told him I’d head home as soon as you woke up, but I wanted to make sure things were okay here before I left you.”
Jolene put her coffee mug on the counter so she could place her hands on her hips. “Seriously, Rose? Go home!” she scolded. “I’ll be perfectly fine. Promise. Taking care of your daughter is much, much more important than anything I’ve got going on. You should’ve left already!”
“You’re both important, Jojo,” Rose emphasized. “You were in a pretty bad way yesterday, sis. That Luke sure did a number on you.”
Jolene felt sheepish when she admitted, “Is it bad that I kinda, sorta miss him already?”
“Please do not tell me you miss that lying, two-faced—”
“Okay, okay. I get it. He’s not your favorite person.”
“And he shouldn’t be yours. He’s not good enough for you, Jojo. Nowhere even close.”
Too tired to argue, Jolene shrugged. She appreciated her sister more than she could express. But she couldn’t switch off these feelings for Luke that had steadily grown over the last week. It would take time and a whole lot of out of sight, out of mind.
Rose left within the hour, kissing Jolene on the cheek and once again reminding her how valuable she was and how she deserved nothing but the best. Jolene believed her. She didn’t deserve to have her heart broken; no one did. But that was the risk
one took in letting others get close. When you opened yourself up to love, you also opened yourself up to pain.
After a long, hot shower, Jolene towel dried her hair and ran some peach lip gloss across her lips. She put on her favorite purple cable knit sweater, paired with black leggings and tugged on her fur-lined boots. Today was all about comfort. She had no plans other than curling up in front of the fireplace with a book and Ace. It was the perfect remedy.
She collected a book from her nightstand—this one a quick historical read—and padded out to the family room. She noticed Ace sitting by the narrow rectangular window flanking the front door. He didn’t bark, but his attention was clearly fixed on something just outside.
“What is it, buddy?” Jolene asked, coming to his side. “Something out there?”
Opening the front door, Jolene’s shoulders slumped. There, placed in the center of her Welcome mat, was a cardboard box, its flaps crisscrossed to keep the lid securely closed. Jolene bent down to pick it up. She didn’t have to open it to know what was inside. When she stood up and looked outside, the bare, unembellished tree lying on its side on the curb next door made her heart feel like it bottomed out.
The driveway to the lake house was empty. The shades were drawn, just like they had been before Luke first arrived. The front stoop was shoveled and the snow dug out from the driveway. It looked vacant, completely empty.
“He’s actually gone,” Jolene whispered. Ace barked. “Didn’t even say goodbye.” Barking again, Ace let out a growl. “Oh, it’s fine, boy. We’ll be just fine.”
Jolene told herself this would be good immersion therapy. She’d been afraid to be alone again. Well, now she would have to be. She’d be thrust right into the thick of it. She’d have no choice but to face her fears.
But she had expected a goodbye. A note, at the very least. But what would it have said? Sorry, Jolene. I chose Kiara. Have a Merry Christmas and take care. Any way Jolene spun it, a letter of the Dear John variety wouldn’t help mend things. Maybe it was best that Luke left town unannounced. It would be a clean, quick ending.
Still, it all seemed so out of character. What Jolene knew of Luke was that he was an honest, sincere man who had gone through his share of sorrow when it came to relationships. That was why none of this made sense. His pain was still fresh; Jolene knew that. How could he turn around and inflict that same pain onto someone else?
“I’m not going to let this little hiccup ruin the holidays, Ace,” Jolene said. She closed the front door a little harder than usual. “Christmas is about joy and hope and peace and Luke Handley will not take that away from us, right boy? We’ll be okay. Promise.”
Speaking the words out loud felt good, therapeutic even. Jolene could talk her way out of sadness—she’d been doing that for a long time now. So she went about her morning, narrating every thought and feeling and emotion to Ace, who didn’t seem to mind one bit. He’d tilt his head where appropriate, wag his tail, or go in for a scratch behind the ears. His affection did wonders for Jolene’s soul, always had.
It was nearing eleven when her ringing phone stole her attention away from washing the leftover breakfast dishes. She set down a freshly cleaned mug onto the counter and wiped her hands on a towel. When she picked up the phone, Jolene instantly recognized the number.
“Martha! How are you this beautiful morning?”
“Well, I’ve been better, dear.” Martha sounded frazzled. Something clanged loudly in the background. “I seem to have lost my brain during this holiday rush and have more to bake than I have ovens available! I have a huge special order of candy cane shaped sugar cookies to deliver to the elementary school that I completely forgot about! Apparently, I’d promised them by this afternoon and all my ovens here are already full!” Martha paused, exasperated. “I know this is asking a lot, but I was reminded that you have two ovens and was hoping maybe—”
“You don’t even need to ask, Martha. My kitchen is all yours.”
“Really? You are a lifesaver, Jo!” Martha nearly screamed. “An absolute angel.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“I would! I’ll be over within the hour, once I load up the truck with all the supplies. Would you mind preheating the ovens to 350 for me?”
“Already on it,” Jolene said. She turned the dial on the oven and heard it beep in response. “Drive safe, Martha. See you in a bit.”
IF SNACKING ON Martha’s sugary concoctions was the antidote to sadness, baking them took things to a whole new level of happiness. There was no possible way to be anything other than joyful when measuring out the sugar, the flour, the spices. Watching Martha in her element was like being on the set of a cooking show. She would swirl about the kitchen, dancing as she pulled sheets from the oven or flipped the switch on the mixer. It was all timed out perfectly, down to an edible science.
“I think if I worked at The Rolling Pin, I would gain about a hundred pounds,” Jolene said, popping her finger in her mouth to lick off a sugary piece of dough. “Per month!”
“Why do you think they ask me and Gary to be Mr. and Mrs. Claus each year? Believe it or not, but I used to have an adorable little figure like yours. Twenty-five years’ worth of sweets changed that just a little.” She patted her round stomach with her palm.
Jolene thought back to the night of the tree lighting, when Luke had been so eager to whisper his wish into Santa’s ear. She disliked the fact that every thought instantly went back to Luke. She had a lifetime of memories that didn’t involve him, yet the ones that kept coming to mind were solely of him.
Slumping against the counter, Jolene took a spoon and plunged it into the bowl of leftover cookie dough. “Do you ever get any strange wishes as Mrs. Claus?” she asked.
“Oh, sometimes. You know—the greedy little kid who asks for a Lamborghini or a mansion. But then there are the sweet ones who want world peace or for all the animals at the shelter to be adopted by Christmas.” Martha’s eyes twinkled. “And then there are the wishes about love. Those are my favorite.”
“Love?” Jolene’s heart caught. “What kinds of things do people wish for about love?”
“We’ll get the romantic who’s about to propose for the holidays and wishes for a yes. Or the one who’s had a longtime crush and wishes for returned affection,” Martha said. “But my favorites are the selfless ones. The wishes that don’t benefit the wisher. The wishes made for someone else entirely and not for themselves.” Martha put her hand on Jolene’s arm and winked. “We had one of those ones recently.”
Jolene knew who Martha was referring to. She didn’t have the heart to tell her about Luke’s recent bolt from town just yet.
“I think in all of my years of playing Mrs. Claus, that was my very favorite wish of all.”
Even though she wanted to keep from asking, Jolene couldn’t help herself. “And what exactly was that particular wish?”
Swatting her arm, Martha laughed. “You’re not going to get that out of me, missy! Don’t you know it won’t come true if I tell? It’s in our contract—sworn to secrecy.” Martha made the hand motions of locking her lips tight with an imaginary key. She pretended to toss it over her shoulder.
Jolene wanted to say there was no chance of whatever that wish had been coming true, anyway. Luke was gone and he took that wish with him when he left.
Suddenly, the timer chimed for the oven.
“Oh, goody!” Martha exclaimed. “I think we might actually get these down to the school in time! I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, Jolene. You are a lifesaver.”
“I’m so happy to help, Martha,” Jolene replied. She smiled. “And grateful for the company.” She looked at the large bowl of remaining ingredients on the counter. “Do you mind if I keep the extra dough?”
“Darling, if all you charge for your service is leftover cookie dough, you need to raise your prices.”
“You know I’d help you even if the all-you-can-eat sweets weren’t involved.”
“I know you would,” Martha answered and gave her friend a hug. “But it sure helps that they are.”
THE TIN WAS still warm in Jolene’s hands when she grabbed it from the passenger seat. Stepping out of her car, she could hear the horses whinny from in their stalls and even though her heart rate picked up at the sound, she didn’t feel as nervous as she had expected.
“Thomas!” Jolene called out when she got closer to the stable. “Brought you a little something. Freshly baked sugar cookies.”
Thomas looked up, setting a grooming brush down next to Cyrpus’s large hoof. “You brought me something?” He wiped his hands on his pants. “You’re the one I should be bringing gifts to, Jolene. Or your boyfriend, at least. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him the other night. He sure got me out of a real bind there. I know Cyprus is grateful.”
Jolene whipped her head side to side. “He’s not my boyfriend.” She shoved her hands forward, giving the tin full of horseshoe-shaped cookies to Thomas. “And he left for home, anyway. He’s not in town anymore.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Thomas took the cookies and tilted his head. “I do appreciate the cookies, Jolene.”
Gathering her courage, Jolene took a breath. “It’s not a completely selfless gift.”
“No?”
“No.” She twisted her hands together. “I was hoping I might be able to offer them as a sort of trade.”
“A trade? For what?”
“I was just wondering if I could come by the barn every once in a while to spend time with the horses. Maybe learn more about them. Groom them. I’m happy to help muck stalls and things like that.”
“And you want to pay me to let you do that?” Thomas grinned. “I think you’ve got things a little backward.”
“I’ll stay out of your hair. Promise. I just want to learn to be more comfortable around them and I think that will come if I spend more time with them. A friend once told me immersion therapy is a real thing.”
A Lake House Holiday: A Small-Town Christmas Romance Novel Page 17
