by Leah Atwood
She gladly accepted the coffee and took a sip. “Mmm, peppermint creamer. How’d you know I liked it?”
“Took a wild guess. I remember how excited you were about the seasonal flavors at Addy’s, so I figured you’d enjoy the peppermint during Christmas.”
“Thanks.” The coffee tasted sweeter for his consideration and thoughtfulness.
He handed over a white paper bag. “I picked you up a maple donut as well. They just brought in a fresh batch from the bakery.”
“Did you eat one yet?”
“Maybe.” He drew the word out on a long breath with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Maybe two.”
She laughed. “It’s hard to eat just one, but after two, your stomach will remind you that too much of a good thing does exist.”
“Speaking from experience?”
“Yes, and lots of it.” She placed the bag next to her purse, intending to eat the donut later once she could savor it. “I’ll never be one of those girls who pretends to eat healthy all the time. You can take away my bread and fried food, but don’t mess with my sugar.”
He lifted his Styrofoam cup to his mouth and took a drink. “If I ever make you mad, remind me to pick you up a box of chocolate instead of flowers.”
“Or…” She wiggled her brows. “You could do double duty with a bouquet of chocolate flowers.”
“I’ll remember that.”
AJ showed up to relieve her and insisted she leave now despite twenty-minutes remaining on her shift. “Enjoy the rest of the day.”
She grabbed her purse and tucked the donut bag inside. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
“He seems nice,” Landon said as they walked away.
“AJ? He’s the best.” She glanced back at the middle-aged, balding man. “He comes across very serious, but he’s a jokester. We can always count on him to make us laugh during our meetings when things get boring.”
He shook his head. “I can’t see it.”
She nudged his arm. “That’s because you’re judging the book by its cover. Trust me, spend ten minutes with him, and your ribs will hurt from laughing.”
“I believe you.”
“He’s generous as well. Several years ago, he and his wife started a food bank at their church and use personal funds to stock it when it runs low.”
His sly smile reappeared. “I’m glad you mentioned he had a wife. For a minute, I thought he might be competition.”
She snorted. “He could be my dad.”
He shrugged. “Some women like older men.”
“Not me. I prefer them within the same decade.” Her cheeks warmed with the sudden realization they’d been flirting.
“Someone, who is, say, twenty-eight right now?” His cheekbones became more pronounced with his high grin.
She tapped her fingers. “I’m twenty-seven, so I’d say that’s a good age.”
“Glad to hear.” In a fluid, unpretentious movement, he reached for her hand and laced their fingers. His gaze met hers, silently asking permission, giving her the option to pull away.
There would be questions later, curious glances from her friends and neighbors, but none of that mattered for now. She and Landon had been brought into each other’s lives for a reason, and she had a hint of what it could be. Time would tell, but she’d enjoy the present.
She squeezed his hand. “Where to next?”
He took a deep breath. Both knew the question had multiple layers, but he replied to the surface. “What all is there? You’re the expert.”
“I’d suggest starting outside and knocking that off the list before the sun goes down. We’ll have plenty of time.”
They waded through the crowd until they reached the side door. As Landon reached for it, the door opened from the outside and Drew and Amie Sullivan walked in.
“Merry Christmas.” Amie reached to give her a friendly hug, then paused, casting a conspicuous glance at Jessa and Landon’s joined hands. To her credit, she raised her gaze and acted like nothing was out of the ordinary.
Drew extended a hand to Landon. “I’m Drew Sullivan, and this is my wife, Amie.”
“Nice to meet you.” Landon completed the handshake. “Landon Reeves.”
“Are you from this area?” Drew used more discretion than his wife in his appraisal of the hand-holding.
Landon shook his head. “Pennsylvania. I found Jasper Lake by accident due to the detour, and it’s grown on me.”
“It has a way of doing that.” Approval brightened Drew’s features. “I tried living away from here after college but moved home after a few years of working in the city.”
Amie looked at Jessa. “You’re not working the chamber booth today?”
“My shift ended at noon. AJ is there now, then Rachel will take over.”
“That’s good. Then you each get to enjoy the activities.” Amie stretched her neck and looked around. “Have you seen Aunt Sally in here? We were supposed to meet her outside, but I don’t see her anywhere.”
“Actually, yes. I saw her at Anna Mae’s quilt booth not even five minutes ago.”
“Great.” Amie tugged on Drew’s sleeve. “I don’t mean to rush, but if we don’t catch up with her now, we might never.”
Drew laughed. “Nothing slows down Aunt Sally.”
“Sounds like my Gran.”
“We’ll see you around. If you’re going to be in town a while, stop over for dinner.” Drew tipped his ballcap, then he and Amie left in search of her Aunt Sally.
Jessa nudged Landon. “FYI, everyone here will know your name within ten minutes.”
“Small town gossip?”
“Jasper Lake is no different.” She rolled her eyes. “Even on a day filled with other activities, there’s always time for spreading news, whether it be real or fake. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it on my account. My brother married a girl he’d just met, and my sister got pregnant her senior year of high school.” He offered a calming, reassuring smile. “I learned a long time ago not to let it bother me.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. Although her family had been a prime target lately, she hadn’t become accustomed to it yet, but since Landon wasn’t bothered, it lifted part of the burden.
Chapter Eight
An older man approached Landon as he stood in line for mulled cider. “Landon Reeves, right?”
“Yes, sir.” He didn’t bother asking how the man knew. By this point in the day, Jessa’s prophetic words had come true, and he was no longer a nameless stranger in Jasper Lake. “And you are?”
“Doug Shepherd. I’m retired now, but I owned the mechanic shop in town until five years ago.”
“My brother owns a shop in Pennsylvania.” Who I didn’t tell I was going out of town, but I’m an adult and I don’t have to account for my absence.
Doug’s eyes lit with interest. “Domestic, import, or both?”
“Domestic, mainly.”
The man continued to pepper him with questions as the line moved forward. He was friendly enough, but Landon wanted to get back to Jessa. They only had a few hours left together before he had to hit the road.
After a fifteen-minute wait, Landon left with two ciders in his hand. Cider of any sort wasn’t his beverage of choice, but when he’d mentioned to Jessa he’d hit his coffee quota of the day, she raved about the cider, and he didn’t want to let her down.
He passed by the restrooms and saw her still waiting in line. Good grief that must have been a long line. Then again, from what he’d learned about Jessa today, she’d probably stopped to talk to multiple people along the way. Jasper Lake made his small hometown of Maryville look like a metropolis.
To join her or not?
He stood still, debating for a minute, but once he saw her rub her hands for warmth, he made his decision. Walking slowly, he went to her. He enjoyed watching her when she didn’t know it—not in a creepy, stalker way, but one in which he was privileged to see the true Jessa.
And that Jessa was
the same one who presented herself to him. No double faces, no acts, only a down-to-earth girl—one he had a growing attraction to.
As he reached her, a couple approximately his parents’ age also showed up at her side and eyed him with interest. He put a smile in place, curious whom he’d meet this time. Hadn’t he met everyone in town already? It sure seemed like it…except any of her family.
Wait a minute…
He glanced at the couple again and couldn’t deny the resemblance.
“Hi, sweetheart.” The lady leaned over and kissed Jessa’s cheek. “I’ve tried calling you all afternoon and couldn’t get through.”
“I’m sorry, Mom.” Jessa reached into her purse and withdrew her phone, made an oopsie face. “It got turned to silent somehow. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“I knew you were safe.” The woman, now identified as Jessa’s mom, smiled. “Everywhere we’ve gone, I’ve been stopped and told you had a new friend.”
Jessa’s face turned dark crimson. For the umpteenth time that day, she introduced him, but this time was different. This time, he met her parents, something he usually saved for much later in the dating game. So late, that his relationships rarely reached that point.
Yet here he was, jumping leaps beyond where he’d normally care to be.
Her father, Ray, came across as a strong, but concerned man. He proceeded with several lines of questioning before offering the customary handshake and welcoming him to Jasper Lake. Once he finally did, however, he also issued an invitation to join them at their spot to watch the flotilla.
“Where’s Phoebe?” Jessa stepped forward with the line, and the others followed.
“She got called into work at five. Before that, she spent the day with us.” Bonnie, Jessa’s mom, frowned. “This year’s Lakeside Christmas hasn’t been the same.”
“Mom,” Jessa uttered in a low, hushed warning tone.
Whatever Jessa tried to communicate, didn’t seem to work. Bonnie’s lower lip trembled. “I’d give anything to go back to the last time we enjoyed this night as a family. Now your brother’s in jail, and no one knows where your sister is.”
Landon jerked his head to see Jessa’s reaction. Did her mom speak the truth? He could tell by Jessa’s mortified wide eyes and scarlet neck that she hadn’t intended for him to know any of that information.
His chest constricted, hurt that he’d confided in her, but she’d obviously left out some very big details of her life. He’d known she hid something, but he’d had no idea of the caliber. Did it change anything? Not really, though he hoped she’d trust him to tell him more now that the information was out there.
Ray slid an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “It’s okay, darling. One day soon we’ll all be reunited again, and life will return to normal.”
Jessa coughed, and her father shot her a warning glare.
She took a deep breath and held it. Slowly, she blew it out and pointed to the front of the line. “I’m next. Where are you watching from? If you go ahead, we’ll meet you over there when I’m done.”
“Our dock. I already paid the fee to reserve it.” Her dad looked at Landon. “We don’t own it, but it’s the one we’d always go to for casting a quick line when we didn’t have time to take the boat out.”
“We’ll see you there soon.” Jessa ran into the restroom that opened, and Landon suspected her urgency came more from a desire to escape him while she lamented her parents airing the family laundry.
Ray laid a hand on his arm. “Jessa needs a solid friend right now. If you can’t be that for her, please stay away.”
How on earth was he supposed to respond to that? “Jessa hasn’t told me much about your family, but I can gather it’s complicated. Strained family dynamics aren’t new to me, but that might be why our paths crossed—so we can help each other through them.”
“My gut tells me you’re a good man.” Ray tightened his fingers around Landon’s forearm. “Don’t prove me wrong.”
“I won’t.”
“Let’s go, Ray.” Bonnie gave her husband a pleading gaze. “I’d like to find a warm pretzel to eat.”
Landon watched them walk away. His mind spun, processing the last five minutes. Ray’s veiled threat didn’t intimidate him. He’d become adept at reading people and knew Ray was only being protective. More than that, Landon had no intentions of wronging Jessa. Even so, the peculiar situation rattled him.
Hopefully, he’d feel better once he and Jessa had an open conversation.
She came out of the bathroom avoiding eye contact. “Did my parents go ahead?”
“Yes.”
“Did they say anything else?” Her eyes shifted to a wary expression.
“Only a warning to be a good friend.”
A nervous laugh came from her, sounding hollow and tin. “I’m sorry about all that.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” She hunched her shoulders and retreated into herself.
The image made his stomach coil into knots. This wasn’t the Jessa he’d come to know. He crooked a finger under her chin and gently lifted it until their eyes met. “It’s okay. Goodness only knows you’ve been introduced to the skeletons in my family’s closet.”
“You don’t understand.” A teardrop escaped.
“Give me a chance to try.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Not here. We have an hour before the flotilla starts. Let’s go to Addy’s where it’s warmer.”
Without a word, he wrapped his hand around hers and led the way. He’d use any method of comforting he could to assure her that her secrets were safe with him. After hanging their coats by the door, they went to the small library, which had become their unofficial spot.
He sat in the pink chair, remaining silent and giving Jessa the space she needed.
She sat cross-legged on the chair. Olive green socks peeked between the top of her boots and bottom of her pant legs. For the first minute, she stared at her sleeves, pulling them over her hands and gripping the edge. Finally, she looked up. “I had a perfect childhood. My family loved each other, and we spent all the time we could together. My siblings and I grew up in church, and all accepted Christ by the time we reached high school.” She spun her thumbs in a revolving motion. “My brother Hunter was always picked on, especially as he got older and fewer of his friends stuck to the values they’d been taught.”
He reached for a box of tissues and handed one to her.
“A few years ago, he gave up living a Christian lifestyle and started drinking and partying.” She wiped her eyes and continued. “None of my family knew. He frequented a bar in Farthington, but we didn’t find out until after the fact.”
“After what fact?”
“One night, Hunter made the very bad choice to drive home drunk. He ran off the road and into a tree.” Her breathing came ragged, and she took a moment to compose herself. “He’s lucky to have survived.”
And even more fortunate that he didn’t hurt anyone else in the process. Memories of Jerome surfaced. He’d been the passenger in a car with a drunk driver and had been killed instantly when that friend crossed the center line.
Landon wanted to say something, but the right words wouldn’t come. Everything that popped into his brain sounded judgmental and pious, which wasn’t fair because he’d made his own mistakes, only on a different level. “What happened next?”
“He spent a week in the hospital then went to jail. It was his first offense, but the district attorney’s mom had been killed in a drunk driving accident, so he showed no mercy.”
Having strong opinions on the fate of drunk drivers, he bit his tongue. Jessa needed his support, not condemnation of her brother.
She squeezed her eyes. “I know what he did was wrong, and I know he had to face the consequences, but it hurts to see my baby brother behind bars. At the same time, I’m so angry at him. He put his life and countless others in danger and destroyed our family.”
Wrapping
his hand around hers, he stilled her trembling fingers. “I’m sorry.”
“He has two more years to serve, and then he’ll get out. I keep praying he’ll get his life on track, but it won’t be easy.”
“No, but it’s possible. He’ll need his family more than ever.”
Her head tilted to the right, and she looked at him with eyes full of intrigue. “You’re a mystery.”
“What do you mean?”
“I wanted to tell you about Hunter, but then you mentioned your friend was killed by a drunk driver, and you’re so convinced your dad can’t change.” She started to choke on her words, and she cleared her throat. “I thought you’d judge my family, but you're incredibly supportive.”
The words cut to his core. Had he come across so bitter against his dad that she had thought him so cold? He shook his head in slow motion. “Your brother made those choices, not you. How could I hold them against you? And I do believe people can change, but—like I said about my dad—his behavior is habitual, not a youthful error in judgment.”
She gave a closed-mouth smile. “Thank you for understanding.”
“To be honest, I had to learn that the hard way. I nearly ruined my sister’s wedding by refusing to budge on my beliefs.”
Her lips twisted into an amused smile. “I’d like to say I can’t picture that, but I almost can.”
He released her hand, chuckling as he leaned back in the chair. “Remember I told you my sister got pregnant in high school?” After she nodded, he continued. “The baby’s father, Scott, left, but he came back into her life two years ago and wanted to get back together with her.”
“How much time had passed?”
“Seven years.”
She arched a brow. “That’s a long time away before wandering back into someone’s life.”
“Right?” He spread his hands out and upward. “He’d become a Christian in that time and wanted to correct past wrongs and get to know his daughter. He and Tanya fell back in love, but I refused to believe he’d changed and was convinced he didn’t deserve happiness with my sister.”
“I’d have trouble accepting that as well.”
