Bittersweet Surrender

by Diann Hunt

  An employee stopped Carly in the hall to ask if she could go home early. Carly was thankful for the reprieve that allowed her to avoid Magnolia’s question.

  Once they arrived at Carly’s office, Magnolia made herself comfortable on the sofa while Carly walked over to her desk. Unfortunately, Scott was nowhere to be seen. Somebody had probably warned him.

  “Pastor is waiting to hear from us. He wants to present the name to the board and then get a plaque with the coffeehouse name ready. They want to announce it to the congregation and present the plaque. We have to tell him soon.”

  Carly looked at Magnolia and couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Ivy had been her only child. All Magnolia’s hopes and dreams had been wrapped up in her. Now she was alone—well, with Carly, but they weren’t blood related. Though they had a long history together. She had seen Magnolia practically as much as her own mother when she was younger, since she and Ivy had been inseparable as kids.

  “Magnolia, you know Scott. He’s not one to make a big deal about people and names.”

  Carly knew as soon as she’d said it she’d be sorry.

  “Well, what could it hurt to acknowledge my daughter for the good she did in the church? Ivy deserves the honor. She was a wonderful young woman.” Magnolia’s eyes narrowed, her jaw set. “I want her to get this.”

  Carly had to admit Scott was being too stubborn about this whole thing. What could it hurt to have the coffeehouse named for Ivy? It would ease Magnolia’s pain. True, Magnolia could bumble things, but she also had a big heart. Just like Ivy.

  “I’ll talk to him. He’s under a lot of pressure right now getting our taxes ready and all that, but when things calm down, I’ll talk to him about it. You’ll have to tell Pastor to put it on hold for a few weeks.”

  Magnolia sighed. “Seems like the mother ought to have final say in this matter,” she grumbled as she got up. “I’ll see you at dinner. Organic whole-wheat penne.”

  Carly realized she’d have to go fast food if she ever hoped to eat a good greasy hamburger and fries again in this lifetime.

  After working a little while, Carly stood and stretched. She could use a little more coffee, so she walked over to their pot and picked it up to fill it with water in the kitchen.

  “Hey, how’s it going, sis?” C. J. stood at the office door entrance.

  Though she loved her brother, her stomach clenched. She didn’t want to deal with this right now. “Hi, C. J. What are you doing here? Rita doesn’t have an appointment, does she?” Carly couldn’t remember Rita’s name on the appointment schedule, but she hoped that was why he was there.

  “No, no.” He walked over to the sofa and sat down.

  Sensing she was not going to get that coffee anytime soon, she placed the pot back in its holder.

  “I was just in the area and thought I would drop by.” He flashed a wide grin.

  He obviously wasn’t going to give up easily. C. J. never just dropped by. “C. J., I told you, I don’t have five thousand dollars to give you.” Couldn’t he understand that she had a life, had needs, just the same as he did? She was getting weary of bailing him out and was feeling a bit selfish with her money.

  He held up his palm. “No money. I wanted to apologize for acting like a spoiled brat earlier. I just get nervous when I owe some of these guys.”

  “Which is why you shouldn’t gamble.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” he said with a definite warning that she was overstepping her boundaries.

  She glared at him.

  “Okay, maybe I’ve struggled with that from time to time, but not today.” Another grin. “Aren’t you glad?”

  “Delirious.”

  “What’s up with you? You don’t seem your usual sweet self. Seeing too much of Jake?”

  That caught her attention. “Way to talk about your best friend.”

  “He is my best friend. That doesn’t mean I want him dating my sister.”

  Carly spotted a note from their hairstylist saying they needed more styling gel and made a note to get more. Before her death Ivy had done all the ordering. Thankfully, she had left the spa with an ample inventory. Carly was just getting around to ordering some things. She looked up at him. “Look, C. J., we’ve been through this. I’m not fifteen anymore. I don’t need your approval to date.”

  “You don’t know Jake the way I do, sis. He’s my best friend, but he’s not marriage material.”

  “Okay, C. J., if you’ve got something to say, say it.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t need to go into details. But you’re my sister, and I’m saying you’d better be careful. And if I were you, I’d move on to safer ground.”

  Okay, now he was making her mad. Wasn’t it enough that he took her money; did he have to zap the fun from her life too? “Thanks for the warning,” she quipped.

  “’Course we both know you’ll do what you want. You always were stubborn.”

  They needed to move on from this discussion, and fast. “Rita told me that Ivy was working on something for Scott before she died.”

  “What’s that got to do with me?” he snapped. She’d definitely put him in a bad mood.

  “Rita said you were helping her.”

  “What about it?”

  “Ivy hadn’t told me about it. I was just curious what it was.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t even remember now. A photo album or something.” He glanced at his watch. “Guess I’d better get back to work. Have a nice day.”

  Remorse immediately set in as Carly watched after him. Why did she have to be so defensive? She prided herself on helping C. J. through his financial struggles and yet she held it over him. Resentment lined her every word, every action.

  She shoved her chin into her palm, allowing her mind to think through it all. Why would he be against her dating Jake? Was there truly something she didn’t know about Jake or was C. J. just jealous of sharing each of them with one another? Maybe he was afraid Jake would stop her from giving C. J. money.

  It was true Jake had been a “player” in high school, but then a lot of guys had been. People change. Goodness, that had been a very long time ago. He wasn’t like that anymore.

  fifteen

  Amid massages, facials, haircuts, and shampoos, the day got away from her, with only occasional thoughts of Jake and C. J. Just when she had a moment to return to her desk, Katelyn showed up for her first day of duty. She was dressed in a pink headband, top, pants, and shoes. Bright pink.

  She looked like a walking crayon.

  Okay, maybe there was more to Jake and his daughter than met the eye.

  “I’m ready to work,” Katelyn said with an eager grin.

  Carly dismissed the idea of grabbing a coloring book. “Great.” She got up from her desk. “Amber is going to stay here this week and train you at the receptionist’s desk.” Carly glanced over and noticed that Amber was busy with a customer. “How about I show you around again so you can get acclimated?”

  Katelyn chomped vigorously on her gum and nodded. “Thanks for letting me work here. This place is awesome.”

  “You’re welcome.” Carly extended her hand, palm up, to Katelyn.

  Katelyn gave her a questioning look, then frowned. “No gum?”

  “No gum.”

  Katelyn reluctantly pulled the gum from her mouth and gave it to Carly. “Just like school,” she said with disappointment.

  Carly laughed. “You’re a professional now.” She tossed the gum into a nearby trash can.

  “I want a place of my own some day. Like maybe a tattoo salon or something,” Katelyn said as they passed the manicure stations.

  Every mother’s dream.

  As they walked around, Carly enjoyed watching the enthusiasm in Katelyn’s expression. The girl was excited about every aspect of the spa.

  “I’m so glad you’re here.” Without thinking, Carly put her arm around Katelyn and gave her a quick squeeze. It caught them both by surprise, and Carly held her breath, wondering if the
teenager would be offended. But after a second’s pause Katelyn looked up and smiled.

  Carly couldn’t figure out why Jake had such a problem with his daughter. She was a sweetheart.

  “So are you getting settled in at school?” Carly pulled a Coke from the fridge and handed it to Katelyn. “Might as well talk while Amber is busy. We’ll join her in a minute.”

  Katelyn smiled. “Thanks.” They sat down at the table. “School’s going okay. It’s so hard being away from my friends in Chicago.” Her finger traced a design on the can.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sure that is very hard. I’ve lived here forever, so I’ve never had to deal with something like that.”

  Carly always felt she’d been planted in Spring Creek for a reason and that’s where she’d grow. Everyone knew it was hard on a plant to uproot and find a new home.

  Katelyn made a face. “That’s all I’ve ever done my whole life. Dad gets a whim and off we go, somewhere else. He never even considers how I feel. If he wants to leave, we leave.”

  Carly wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t expected Katelyn to open up that way. It seemed the best thing to do to just develop a relationship and not try to solve all her problems.

  “Sometimes it’s hard to understand why people do what they do,” Carly said, before taking a drink from her can.

  “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For not making excuses for Dad.”

  The comment made Carly a little uncomfortable, so she let the matter drop.

  By the time the workday ended, Carly was tired. Scott had taken the day off—didn’t say why. Just a personal day. Not that he owed her an explanation. Still, he usually mentioned why he was going to be gone.

  She had her hands full holding down the fort. But Katelyn adjusted well to the phone, and Carly felt sure they had made the right choice in hiring her—well, at least once she told her to get rid of the gum.

  Jake showed up later to collect his daughter.

  “Hey, there’s my girl,” he said, walking over to Carly and giving her a hug.

  Disappointment shadowed Katelyn’s face—which, for Carly, took some of the thrill from Jake’s hug.

  Some of it.

  “Walk us out to the car, will ya?” Jake whispered into Carly’s ear and she nodded, goose bumps rising on her neck.

  “So how was your first day, kiddo?” Jake asked, mussing Katelyn’s hair. With a frown, she immediately straightened the band in her hair that slid back from his touch.

  “It was fine,” she said, her voice sullen and distant. There was a definite difference in this girl when her dad was around.

  Carly had to help them, somehow. Maybe she’d read a couple of parenting books, call Dr. Dobson, Dr. Phil, whatever it took to get these two in a right father-daughter relationship. She knew how important that was.

  Once they stopped at the car, Katelyn opened her door and settled into the passenger seat while Jake turned around and faced Carly. He tucked her hair behind her right ear, then traced her jawline with his finger.

  “I missed you today,” he said, his voice thick and low, making her stomach flutter.

  “I missed you too.” Her mouth watered in anticipation of a kiss. It could have been from the mint she was eating, but she didn’t think so.

  Jake must have sensed it. Gently placing his hands on her shoulders, he bent toward her and kissed her . . . cheek.

  Okay, not exactly what I expected, but I’ll take it.

  “I’ll call you, Squirt.” He winked at her and got in the car.

  Her stomach zipped to her throat. Her breath came in short little puffs. Tiny white stars flickered overhead. Her brother’s warning flagged her reverie, but she knocked it out of her mind. This was the happiest she’d felt in a long time, and she would not let him rob her of it.

  She wasn’t in a rush to find a man. She’d been hurt big-time, and was in no hurry to go through something like that again. But it didn’t hurt to enjoy this little . . . whatever it was they had between them. If it grew into more, well, then so be it. Jake was a good man. And she liked Katelyn a lot. Maybe she could be just the one to bring their family back together.

  Who knew—maybe Katelyn could be the daughter Carly had never had.

  “You ready?” Scott jogged in place at Carly’s front door, dressed in shorts and a light shirt with a sweatband across his forehead. She couldn’t help but smile. He reminded her of a little kid excited about the first day of school.

  “I didn’t think you would come tonight since you had the day off.”

  “Tired or not, it’s a lifestyle, remember?”

  Fortunately, it was becoming one for her, too, or she would have bopped him for that little comment. In fact, she’d just been preparing to go out by herself.

  “I let Magnolia know I was leaving, so we can go.” She stepped through the front door and patted the key in her pocket before locking the door behind her.

  “I finally got those front shutters painted.”

  “Always the handyman. Ivy said you were every woman’s dream.” Carly chuckled but stopped when she saw the shadow flicker across his face. An uncomfortable pause hovered between them. “Uh, I think Katelyn is going to fit in well.” An abrupt change of subject, but it worked.

  “Good. Her first day went well, I take it?”

  “Yeah, it did. She seemed to fit right in. It was fun to watch her excitement for the place.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Did you see Jake today?” Scott moved his arms in rhythmic motion to keep up his momentum.

  “Yeah.” She smiled with the remembrance.

  Scott raised an eyebrow. “I see things are going well there.”

  “Let’s just say they’re moving along.”

  She wondered how Jake would react when . . . if she told him about her illness and her plans for reconstructive surgery. She still hadn’t said anything; it was too soon. But with the way things were going, “too soon” might find its way to “the right time” before she knew it.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” Scott said.

  Sometimes it was scary how Scott could read her. Maybe if she wore a helmet, it would bar his eavesdropping ways. “You know my brain,” she said. “Nothing there.” She laughed it off while heat radiated across her cheeks, then resorted to an offensive move. “How’s Melissa?”

  Scott rubbed his jaw. Not bad for a guy who was running. Carly bet he could rub his stomach and pat his head at the same time too. What a man.

  “She’s doing well.” That was all he said.

  Carly punched his arm and almost fell sideways. She obviously couldn’t rub her stomach and pat her head at the same time.

  “Ow.”

  “You know I want more than that. Now, let’s have it.”

  He laughed. “You women are all alike. There’s not much to tell. We’ve seen each other a few times. Period.”

  “Good. Hey, I’m having a few friends over Friday night for a cookout. Want to come?”

  He turned and slit his eyes her way. “Is this payback for taking away your chocolates?”

  “Not a bad idea.” They took a few more steps. “It’s no big deal, really. Just a few friends.”

  He grabbed her arm and they both stopped running. Facing her he said, “Carly Westlake, you look me straight in the eye and tell me you don’t have something up your sleeve.”

  Without hesitation she said, “Nothing up my sleeve.” She could say that because her top was sleeveless.

  “You understand that phrase, right? The meaning?”

  “Yes.” She did. Nothing up her sleeve.

  He started running again. “Okay, I’ll come. But remember, just because you’ve found someone doesn’t mean you have to get me fixed up. I’m a big boy and I can handle it myself. As a matter of fact, I’m enjoying the single life.”

  For some reason that just didn’t set well with her Cupid side. “Whatever.”

  He shook his head. “Why is it women can’t stand t
o see a man happily single?”

  “Because it’s not normal,” she snapped. She knew she was carrying this way too far, but for some reason she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

  “Says who?”

  “God.”

  “Oh.”

  “Remember, Adam, Eve, all that?”

  “I haven’t found Eve. She must be hiding behind a big bush somewhere.”

  “I think the bush thing had to do with Moses. Didn’t you learn anything in Sunday school?”

  Carly thought it odd that he didn’t mention Ivy was Eve. She started to say so but stopped herself. He was obviously trying to move on. She needed to let him. “So, any more thought as to the church coffeehouse being named after Ivy?” No neat little segue, nothing. Just bulldoze your way right in there, Carly.

  “Nope,” he said, short and to the point, leaving no question whatsoever as to his intention to stop that discussion right then and there.

  “I really like Katelyn. We just totally hit it off.” She wondered why every time she made an abrupt change of subject, she flipped to Katelyn.

  “That’s great. I’m sure she could use a mother figure in her life. You’ve always been great with teenagers.”

  That made Carly feel a tinge prideful. Kids did seem to gravitate toward her. She’d worked with high school teens in Sunday school, so she related fairly well with their species.

  “I hope I can get her through the transition, you know? It must be hard to move from one town to another when you’re a junior in high school. Not only that, but going from Chicago to Spring Creek has to be a culture shock.” She laughed.

  He joined her, his chuckle warm and soothing. Some days just being around Scott made her tension melt away.

  “No kidding.” He pointed toward a city bench. “Let’s take a break.” They jogged over to the bench and sat down. “Jake is lucky to have you around. Not only beautiful to look at but good with his daughter too.”

  The compliment—offhand and simple—surprised her. She looked up into his smiling face . . . and something seemed to shift. He looked different somehow. It was as though she had seen him in black-and-white and now he was in Technicolor. How odd. Maybe her eyesight was improving.