Burned

by Hope, Amity

  “I agree.” She took a sip of her drink. “I’m thinking less formal. Maybe even a tea length wedding dress and bridesmaids’ dresses? Some strappy sandals?”

  I nodded. “I love the idea already.”

  “I want to do something truly unique for a wedding favor. But oh my gosh, I have no idea what!” She tugged her hand through her hair again. It was an agitated gesture that I knew well. “Enough about this,” she decided.

  “What? No! It’s your wedding! This is huge! We can talk about it all day long!” I said.

  She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to stress myself out already. We’ll talk about it later. For now, let’s talk about you.”

  I arched an eyebrow at her.

  “How did your night go? Was Jake surprised?”

  I smiled and grinned. “Yes. I should give Maggie a call to thank her. I’m so glad that I didn’t let Darby’s shenanigans ruin everything.” I grimaced. “I was so close to letting her destroy Jake and me.”

  “But you didn’t,” Holly pointed out.

  I fidgeted with my mug, swirling the remainder of my drink around. I glanced at Holly again. “I need your opinion on something.”

  She nodded. “Go for it.”

  “Do you think Jake’s biological dad is as indifferent as Jake thinks? I mean,” I rushed to add, “how can he be? He has a son. And he came to the hospital on a moments’ notice to donate blood.”

  After her return to Harmony Bay I had told her what I’d learned about Jake.

  She nodded, thinking it over. “What does Jake think?”

  “He thinks it doesn’t mean anything. It was a matter of life or death so he either had to show up, or live with a guilty conscience for the rest of his life.”

  “You don’t buy that?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. I placed my mug on the table and began to gently twirl it between my fingers. “And that’s what bothers me. He could be right. But what if he’s not? What if he’s just too afraid of rejection to put himself out there? What if Frederic has left him so messed up that he let a relationship with his real dad pass him by because he was too afraid? Compound that with Darby walking away from him, the guy is bound to have some issues.”

  Holly narrowed her eyes at me. “Why do I have a feeling you aren’t going to let this go?”

  “Because I don’t think I am.” She nodded knowingly. “I think I want to find this guy, talk to him. See what he has to say.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a great idea,” Holly said hesitantly.

  “It’s the perfect idea,” I argued. “If his dad wants to see him, then maybe he and Jake can…I don’t know. Bond? Be a family?”

  “And if not?” she pressed.

  “Then Jake will never have to know. See, perfect,” I stressed. If this man didn’t want to see Jake, I would never tell Jake that. I wouldn’t hurt him that way. To me, it was the ideal solution. Holly didn’t look convinced. “You hate the idea.”

  She leaned back in her chair. “I almost married a guy who cheated on me. The whole town knows that I caught him,” she cringed and looked a little ill, her hands waved in the air, “you know.”

  I nodded. I did know. She had caught him in the act with his brother’s girlfriend. Real stand up guy, that Collin.

  “I was engaged to a guy who still has his mother do his laundry. A guy who talks to his family’s Pomeranian as if it were a human. I,” she said as she poked herself in the chest, “am probably not the best person to give advice.”

  “Great,” I said as I pushed my chair back. It was time for me to start getting ready for work. “I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.”

  ~*~*~

  Hot air blasted me in the face as I exited the air conditioned Grove City Realty. One of the many advantages of loving my job was that the work days always flew by. Of course, it helped that I only worked part-time. Regardless, my work day was done.

  I tugged my phone out of my oversized purse. I was hoping for a message from Jake, even though I knew he had a full schedule today. Instead I was alerted to four missed calls from my mother.

  I sighed as I meandered down the busy sidewalk. As tempting as it was to ignore her, I realized the irony of the situation. How could I expect Jake to reach out to a parent while I was actively avoiding my own?

  I settled into my car, cringing at the oven-like effect the summer day created. I rolled down the windows before pulling out of the lot. The missed calls seemed as if they were screaming my name.

  By the time I hit the first stop sign, Mom’s line was ringing in my ear.

  “Lanna!” She sounded truly delighted to hear from me.

  “Hey, Mom. What’s going on?”

  “I just miss you. That’s all.”

  “Really.”

  “Why do you always sound so surprised?” She laughed, a tinkling sound. She sounded genuinely happy.

  Why did I sound so surprised? It wasn’t as if I could actually answer that with honesty. It would only hurt her feelings—and start a monumental argument. But the truth was that I never felt as if she wanted me around when I was around. So why would she be missing me now?

  “I think you should come home for a visit.”

  “I can’t,” I said, hands tapping against the wheel as I maneuvered my way out of town.

  “Of course you can,” she admonished.

  “No, Mom. I really can’t.” I sighed. “I just took two weeks off of work. I really can’t take any more time off.” I was not about to tell her that I probably could. Denise would appreciate the hours. But I had no desire to go home. Besides, I was afraid it would look bad to take more time off during the busy season. I wanted to stay on Terry’s good side. With a little bit of luck he’d hire me on as an agent someday soon.

  “Then we’ll come to you!”

  “We?” I echoed.

  “Rick and me, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “What do you think?”

  I bit my lip. My car was silent, aside from the sound of my tires whirring across the blacktop. My initial response was to tell her no. But I realized I’d been pushing her away a lot lately. I had been upset about her reaction to Kyle. Maybe I needed to get over it. Holly was probably right. Mom did care about me. She probably had reacted the way she had out of concern.

  “Lanna…?” Her tone was plaintive.

  I pushed a smile into my voice. “Sure. You should come. You and Rick. How are things going with him?”

  I was truly curious. It had been a few weeks since she made the proclamation that she was intent on saving her marriage. While a few weeks might not seem like much, in my mother’s world of revolving door relationships, two weeks was…encouraging.

  “I’m not going to lie,” she said magnanimously. “It’s been a lot of work. But I know it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

  I saw no point in arguing with that.

  “When shall we come?”

  I crinkled my nose in frustration. She wasn’t about to let this go. “You know, maybe this fall would be good.” Before she could argue that it was too far away, I rushed on. “You know how the real estate business is. It has to be super busy for you right now.”

  “I would make it work,” she assured me.

  “It’s busy for us too,” I said. “I would rather you come when I can spend some time with you.” It wasn’t exactly true but I knew it would make her happy.

  “I suppose that does make sense. Don’t put me off too long, Lanna,” Mom warned.

  “I won’t.” It wasn’t as if she’d let me.

  “Are you still enjoying your job?” she asked as she went into involved-mother mode.

  “Yes.”

  “And you are still planning on getting your license this fall?”

  “Yes. I’ve already registered for classes.”

  “Excellent.” She hesitated a moment. When she spoke again her tone wasn’t nearly as chipper. “And that boy?”

  “I assume you mean Jake.
What about him?”

  “And I assume you are still with him, given your suddenly snarky tone,” she said lightly. “Just be careful, Lanna.”

  Was that condescension I heard? Or just concern. I shook my head, frustrated with myself because I didn’t trust my own judgment. My mother always left me feeling off kilter.

  “I should go. I have a stop to make.” I was lying. She probably heard it in my voice but she didn’t call me out on it.

  “Keep in touch, please. I’m not the only one that knows how to use a phone,” she scolded.

  “I called you back, didn’t I?” There was that snark again. It had just slipped out without my meaning for it to.

  “I’m just saying that once in a while, it would be nice if you called first.”

  We said our goodbyes and disconnected.

  I drove the rest of the way home in peace, though not in quiet. I cranked the radio. By the time I pulled up to the beach house I felt calm again. I had spent my morning break researching Jake’s dad. I hadn’t found a lot. But I thought maybe I’d found enough. Ziegler wasn’t a very common last name. I silently thanked Maggie for her slip-up. I had found a Robert Ziegler that resided in Grove City. That had to be him. I hoped. I had an address. Whether it was recent, I couldn’t be sure. Regardless, I would start there and do more research if necessary.

  Max’s car was in the driveway when I got home.

  I contemplated telling him what I was up to. I decided against it. He and Jake were friends. I didn’t want to tell him something that he might not want to keep from Jake.

  Inside the beach house, I found Max in the kitchen. He had his back to me, earbuds in, and head bopping to the beat only he could hear.

  I walked up to him and tossed an arm around his shoulders. He startled but quickly tugged out his earbud.

  “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “Good!” I said as the sideways hug turned into a real hug. A bear hug. The kind of bear hug where I rocked him from side to side like he always did to me. “Congratulations! Holly told me the news!”

  He squeezed me back and laughed. “Yeah, thanks.”

  My arms slid away and I took a step back.

  He had the makings of a sandwich spread out in front of him. He picked up a tomato slice and tossed it on the pile of meat and cheese.

  “I’m pretty happy,” Max said with a grin. “Never thought I could be this happy.”

  “Well, you definitely deserve it. You’ve always been there for Holly. For all of us, really. I’m so happy that everything worked out for you.”

  “Thanks to you,” Max said because I was the one that insisted Holly take the road trip with him. It ended up being a road trip that changed both of their lives. He shook his head. “Sometimes I still can’t believe everything turned out the way that it did. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.”

  “You got the girl.”

  “I sure did,” he agreed. He shifted around, looking moderately uncomfortable. “Holly told me about Kyle. I hope that was okay.”

  “Eh,” I said with a shrug. “I figured she would. It’s fine.”

  “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that happened to you. I can’t believe,” he said with a scowl, “the audacity of some people.”

  “I know.”

  “You deserve someone great. I hope you find that with Jake.”

  “Aw, Max. Thanks.”

  “Anytime,” he said.

  Chapter 20

  The house was an average looking house. It wasn’t huge, wasn’t fancy, but the lawn was mowed, the shrubs were trimmed. The paint looked fresh and the flowers in the flowerbeds were in full bloom.

  I double checked the address. There was no doubt I was in the right place. Now that I was here, I was having a hard time getting out of the car. The second thoughts I’d begun having had me pinned in place.

  What if the guy was an arrogant ass? What if he was just as bad as—or worse than—Frederic? What if he chased me out of here? Worse, what if he had a malicious attitude toward Jake? What then? I would be the first to admit that when it came to fathers I had an idealistic view of what they should be. What they should do. What I would want my own father to be, if he were here.

  It was hard to imagine my dad. The pictures I had of him were of a man with an outdated haircut and a scruffy beard. He had kind eyes and an engaging smile. It used to bother me that my coloring came from my mother. I used to feel cheated somehow, as if having my dad’s brown eyes would’ve made me feel closer to him.

  It was silly, I knew. But sometimes it was hard to know how to feel about someone you never met. Especially when that someone provided half of your DNA.

  What I wouldn’t give to have even five minutes with him. Just five freaking minutes.

  That single thought was enough motivation for me to finally emerge from my car. Heart pounding, I crossed the street. My palms were sweaty and I scrubbed them on the front of my shorts. My spine tingled with anticipation. Worst case scenario, this would blow up in my face. He’d chase me from the house. He’d maybe toss out a few obscenities at me, curse me for interfering.

  It was a chance I had to take.

  Also? Better he take it out on me than Jake.

  I climbed two low steps and then I was standing at the front door.

  My finger pressed the bell. I could hear the chimes reverberating throughout the house. A few moments later I heard the subtle thud of footsteps approaching. I pulled in a breath, mentally crossed my fingers for good luck, and plastered on a friendly smile as the front door swung open.

  When he opened the door, it was like I’d stepped into a time warp. I was sure this is what Jake would look like in another twenty years. Bobby was tall, carrying maybe just a bit of extra weight around the middle. His blond hair, with just a trace of graying, was trimmed and styled neatly. His tan skin was lightly marred by creases, especially around his eyes as he squinted at me in confusion.

  “Can I help you?”

  I cleared my throat. “Mr. Ziegler?” Asking was a formality. I had no doubt it was him.

  “Yes?”

  “My name is Lanna. I’m a friend of Jake’s.” His eyebrows arched as he waited for me to clarify. “Your son, Jake. I was wondering if you had a few minutes.”

  “Is he all right?” His concern was immediate. “I was under the impression that everything was okay after the accident.”

  “He’s fine.”

  “Oh, all right. Come on in.” He led me into a small but cozy kitchen. Red and white checkered curtains and a matching tablecloth brightened up the room. The floor was white and clean, the countertops white and pristine. Though the room was rather bare, it looked cared for.

  “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water? A soda?”

  “No, thank you.”

  We both took a seat at the table and he gave me a questioning look. “If Jake’s not in trouble, what is this about?”

  “I’m not entirely sure where to start. I didn’t know him at the time of the accident, but we’ve gotten really close this summer.” I took a breath and decided to dive right in. “I apologize if this is none of my business—which it probably isn’t—but I care about Jake a lot.”

  “I’m happy to hear that. How has he been doing since his accident? Have there been any complications?”

  I shook my head. “None that I’m aware of. He’s doing well. For the most part.”

  “The most part?” he asked, his interest clearly piqued.

  “To be honest, I think he’s struggling with what happened after the accident. I mean, how could he not be?”

  Bobby shifted in his chair. A worry line appeared between his brows. “I thought you said he was doing okay after the accident.”

  “Physically, yes. But the way Frederic treated him afterwards, Jake’s taking it hard. He’s been completely cut off from his family.”

  Bobby cleared his throat as he tapped a finger against his coffee mug. “That is most unfortunate.” The tone of his voice was low,
apologetic.

  I stared at him a moment, a frown marring my face. “Unfortunate?”

  He lifted his eyes to me. “It’s not a surprise, really. Frederic has never been a forgiving sort of person.”

  “But Jake’s your son.” I paused a moment, letting the words sink in. Letting him know that I knew the truth. “Because of Frederic, he’s more or less lost contact with his mother and his siblings. I mean, sure, he talks to his sister every now and again. But it’s really not the same. He needs a parent figure in his life.”

  Worry lines dug deeper between his brows, a matching pair bracketed his lips. “Why are you here, young lady?”

  “I’m hoping to help you and Jake reconnect.” I held my gaze steady, my tone firm.

  Something sparked behind his eyes. “Jake asked you to do that?”

  I winced and shook my head. “He doesn’t know that I’m here.”

  “I see.”

  He pushed away from the table and headed to his coffeepot. It was not the reaction I’d been hoping for. I watched patiently as he refilled his cup. When he returned to the table he shook his head at me.

  “I’ve wanted to reconnect with Jake since the day I realized he was mine. But he’s made it pretty clear since his accident that he wants nothing to do with me.” He sighed. “It’s not as if I can blame him.”

  “What do you mean? How has he made it clear? It was my understanding that you and Jake have never actually spoken.”

  “We haven’t. That’s my point,” Bobby said. “I had hoped that after the letter I left him, explaining everything, he would contact me. I gave him my address, phone number, hell I even gave him my e mail. I’ve never heard a word from him.”

  “Wait.” I tilted my head to the side, trying to make sense of what he had said. “Letter?” Jake had never mentioned a letter. It was in that moment that I, for the first time, really began to question the audacity of my actions. I thought Jake and I were getting close. And we were. But really, how well did I know him? Was there more to this story than what he’d told me? It wasn’t like I could judge him for that. I’d held back a whole lot when it came to Kyle. Had he read a letter from Bobby and decided it wasn’t enough? Too little, too late?