by Kat Brookes
“I appreciate the offer,” Addy said to both Jake and his momma. “But I’d hate to make a mess of your kitchen.”
“That’s what kitchens are for,” his momma replied. “To create messes in. To bake to your heart’s content in. And to gather with those you love in.”
Addy’s gaze flicked to him and then back to his momma, sending a surge of warmth to Jake’s heart. Was it possible Addy felt the same special pull between them? He found himself praying more and more for the same kind of happiness his brother had found with Lila. After years of being content to be a bachelor, his focus on the orchard, Jake felt his heart suddenly yearning for more. For Addy, who was like living sunshine, lighting up his days. Always making him smile. She had helped to bring him back from a very dark place, had made him truly appreciate not only the second chance at life God had given him but his life in general. She was a true blessing in his life. His heart’s true love.
“If you’re sure,” she told his momma and then looked to Jake, “and if you don’t have other plans, then I’d love to have your help with this last recipe.”
He smiled. “I’m more than sure. Besides, I’ve tasted your culinary creations. There’s no way I’d ever turn down the opportunity to serve as taste tester for one of your recipes.” Especially knowing that she intended to donate some of her earnings to a charity. He loved that about her, her giving, caring side. They both devoted time to helping others in need, making him feel even more connected to her.
“And if this cookbook does well...” Lila prompted, glancing in Addy’s direction.
“If it does well?” Mrs. Landers pressed.
“I was thinking about putting a second cookbook together and donating a portion of those sales to your church’s future mission trips.”
“Addy,” Jake’s momma said, pressing a hand to her heart, “that’s so generous of you.”
Heads bobbed in agreement around the table.
“It really is,” Jake said, feeling a small surge of anxiety. He’d always looked forward to mission trips, for the chance to serve the Lord. And then the Congo had happened. Forcing his rising fear from his thoughts, he called on his faith to give him strength. Because he refused to let the darkness that had happened that day keep him from sharing the light of God’s love.
“Coming home,” she went on, “being surrounded by all of you, with your deep faith and generosity to others, has made me realize how much I’ve missed being a part of that.”
She could be, Jake thought to himself. He wanted nothing more than for Addy to move back to Sweet Springs permanently. To sit beside him in church. To share laughter with him. To watch old Westerns with him. To love him.
“You’re generous, sweetie,” Mama Tully said.
“But not when it comes to God,” Addy admitted with a frown. “I should be doing my part in helping to spread His word to others. If not through mission trips, then through my gift of cooking, raising additional funds through a cookbook I put together.”
The mission program through his family’s church had been a part of their lives for as long as Jake could remember. It had begun with their daddy, who had taken part in several shorter mission trips when he and his siblings were younger. After he’d taken over as the church’s head pastor, Mason and Jake had volunteered for their first mission trips. A few years later, Violet did the same. Only now that his brother had a family, Mason would keep to shorter trips. Jake couldn’t blame him. If Addy were in his life, he wouldn’t want to be away from her for very long, either.
“Then we’ll have to pray your first cookbook is a huge success,” Lila said with a smile.
“It will be,” Finn declared with the utmost confidence. “Aunt Addy lets me taste her recipes. Yummy,” he said, sitting back to rub his tummy.
“I second that,” Jake agreed, rubbing his, too, eliciting a snort of laughter from his nephew. He looked to Addy. “My only regret is that you won’t be here for me to test your recipes for that second cookbook.” Wouldn’t be a daily part of his life, something he’d come to look forward to. Oh, and how he would miss the warmth of her smile.
“I’m not even sure there will be one,” Addy told him. “If the first cookbook doesn’t get off the ground, there probably won’t be a second one.”
Jake helped himself to another biscuit. “Your cookbook is not only going to get off the ground, it’s going to be flying off the shelves.” He’d make sure of it. Because Addy deserved to have both success and happiness in her life.
* * *
“Hey, Vi,” Jake said as he rolled into the kitchen, where his sister was working on a flower arrangement she’d brought home from The Flower Shack after dinner.
“Jake!” his sister gasped as she glanced up. “What are you doing moving around the house by yourself?”
“Taking back some of my independence,” he replied matter-of-factly. “My physical therapist told me I can start using my arm in a limited capacity.” He demonstrated by lifting it slowly out to the side.
“Limited,” she repeated with a scolding frown as she stood and walked over to push his chair over to the table, where she’d been clipping the stem off a flower. “I’m sure that was meant as in lifting a fork or buttoning your shirt. Not getting yourself around the house in a wheelchair.”
Jake laughed as he worked the arm of his injured shoulder back into its sling. “I promise I’m allowed to do a bit more than that. And for your information, I took my time getting my chair to the kitchen. Slow and steady. It’s all good.”
She shook her head with a defeated sigh. “I think you’re more stubborn than Braden. I keep telling him that I don’t need his help at The Flower Shack, yet does he listen? No.”
“He wouldn’t be the Braden we know if he didn’t.”
“True.” She returned to her seat and reached for the flower she’d laid on the table when she’d seen him enter the room. Inserting its neatly trimmed stem into the arrangement on the table in front of her, she said, “Stubborn or not, it makes my heart so happy to see you getting better each passing day. But then I suppose having someone take such good care of you could only have helped the recovery process.”
Having Addy by his side made him happy. If only it didn’t have to end. At the reminder of what Addy had done for him, he said, “I was hoping I might find Momma in here.”
“Nope,” his sister replied. “All you got was me. Where’s Addy? The two of you are usually together.”
“She went to the mall with Lila to offer her opinion. Apparently, brides not only need a wedding dress for their big day, they also need a special dress for the rehearsal dinner, too.”
Violet laughed. “Be thankful Mason’s getting married first. You’ll know all there is to know when you get married someday.”
His getting married. He thought of Addy, envisioning her a creation of satin and lace. She would make a beautiful bride someday. His, he wanted to proclaim. But her heart wasn’t his. Yet.
“You know,” his sister went on, “I’ve been so busy helping at The Flower Shack that you and I haven’t had much time to really talk.”
“Uh-oh,” he teased. “This sounds serious.”
“I suppose it is,” she replied. “I just wanted to say how grateful I am for all the TLC Addy’s been giving you since the two of you patched things up. She’s helped to bring my brother back to me.”
He nodded. “I have to believe God brought her back into my life to help heal me. She has been so patient and caring. Even when I didn’t deserve it.” And he loved her for it. Loved her for everything that made Addy who she was.
“I think you’re right,” Violet told him with a soft smile. “And coming back has helped to heal her as well. Addy did something that hurt all of us deeply. Offering forgiveness for something like that takes time. And it needs to be done at each person’s level of comfort in doing so or not doing so.” She picked
up a branch of baby’s breath and worked it into the assortment of bright flowers. “I’m just thankful you were able to finally forgive Addy, as we had chosen to, because I’ve never seen you happier than you’ve been these past few weeks.”
He couldn’t deny it. Being around Addy did make him happy. Completed him when he hadn’t realized a part of him had been missing. She had helped him push away the bad memories of his time in the Republic of Congo—and made him appreciate that, by the grace of God, he had a future to look forward to. One he saw Addy in so clearly. Only time was running out to make her see they were meant to be so much more than friends “Addy just so happens to be the reason I was looking for Momma.”
“She should be back soon,” Violet told him as she busied herself with her floral creation. “She ran into town after dinner to meet with Reverend Hutchins at the church.”
His brows drew together. “This late?”
“It’s only six-thirty,” she replied. “Momma wanted to go over some of the specifics for Mason and Lila’s rehearsal dinner that’s being held in the church hall. At least, that’s the reason Momma gave me this time,” she said in a strange singsong kind of voice.
Jake looked up, pinning his sister with his gaze. “This time?”
She laughed. “Come on, Jake, you know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t,” he said even as Addy’s observations came rushing back to him.
“It’s been to discuss church fund-raisers, potluck dinners, decorative changes to the Sunday school rooms. But we all know it’s more than that. Momma and the reverend are sweet on each other. They enjoy spending time together. She just isn’t ready to tell us yet.” He gave an acknowledging nod, Addy having already made him aware that there might be something special happening between his momma and the reverend. She deserved to be happy. So did he. And like his momma, he needed to seize any opportunity he could to hold onto the happiness he’d found with Addy.
“What did you need Momma for?” she asked.
“I wanted to talk to her about setting up a book signing at the market for Addy before she leaves to go back to Atlanta. Once her book is up for sale, of course.”
“Of course. What a great idea,” his sister said. “That’s so sweet of you.”
“Mason’s not your only brother who has the ability to be sweet.”
“I’m home!”
They looked toward the open doorway at the sound of their momma’s voice.
“Jake and I are in the kitchen!” Violet called out.
“Hi, honey,” she said to Jake and then looked to the bouquet on the table. “It looks beautiful, Violet. You have a real gift for creating floral arrangements.”
Violet smiled. “Thanks, Momma. I enjoy making them.” She looked to Jake. “Tell her your incredibly sweet idea for helping Addy out.”
And so he did.
* * *
“I think that’s it,” Addy said as she set the last of the bags of baking supplies she’d brought with her on the Landerses’ kitchen table.
“Once again,” Jake said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”
“You will be,” she assured him. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about being my guinea pig for this recipe.”
“Not a chance,” he told her. “The offer still stands.”
“Good,” she replied with a smile. She enjoyed having Jake’s help whenever she was cooking or baking. He assisted as well as he could with the limited use of one arm. He never complained about his limitations, just worked around them. She found herself falling more and more for this strong, determined man. “I guess we’ll get started.”
“Would you mind holding off long enough to take a short ride in the Gator?”
She looked to Jake. “Right now?”
He nodded. “I’d like to take in a little fresh air before we get busy perfecting that final recipe for you. If that’s all right.”
Of course he would. She should have thought to suggest it. But she’d been so focused on making sure she had everything she needed with her, she hadn’t given any thought to the way they had been doing things. On days she came over to stay with him, she would make him breakfast and then they would go for a ride in Jake’s ATV around the orchard, to Mama Tully’s and out to the new house Lila and Mason were building. She loved those long rides, taking in the beauty of the world around them, sharing laughter and conversation. But, more importantly, she loved doing something that made Jake happy. Just as his helping her with her recipes brought her so much joy.
“I wouldn’t mind a little fresh air,” she agreed. “It always helps to free up my creative cooking juices. Just give me a sec to put a few of the ingredients away in the fridge before we go.”
Jake watched her, a wide grin on his face.
“What are you up to?” Addy asked as she closed the refrigerator door.
“Me? Up to something?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. How about we leave the sweet, little innocent boy act as a resource for Finn to use?”
Jake tossed his head back with a chuckle. “Okay, so I’m not so good at trying to hide the fact that I have a secret. But I do intend to hold it long enough for us to take the Gator out for a ride.”
A secret? “Good or bad?”
“All good,” he assured her.
“Then what are we waiting for?” she asked excitedly as she hurried over to where he sat in his chair.
Five minutes later, they were in the ATV and heading off into the orchard.
“Where to?” she asked.
“Head north toward the pond,” he instructed.
She knew the spot well. She had gone fishing there with Mason and Lila during their summer breaks from school. Jake and Violet had joined in a few of those times. She smiled, recalling the little boy Jake had been. Lanky and full of unrestrainable, youthful energy. Big brown eyes and short, wavy brown hair. And a smile that never stopped.
“Don’t we need poles to fish?” she teased.
“We would,” he agreed, “if we were going fishing.” Then he looked her way. “Would you like to?”
“It’s been years since I held a fishing pole,” Addy replied with a smile. “I think I would like to. We always had so much fun at the pond in the summertime.”
“Next time we’ll bring the rods and give it a go,” Jake promised.
And when would that next time be? Once she started working again, she wouldn’t be free to pick up and go back to Sweet Springs for a visit as often as she liked. That made her heart ache. Her life in Atlanta was going to feel so empty without Jake in it. She pushed those thoughts away, determined to focus on the time they had together now.
Addy turned onto another path, heading in the direction of the pond. “Lila tells me your momma met with Reverend Hutchins last evening.” She glanced his way, awaiting his reaction. Jake nodded. “I know. They were going over plans for Mason and Lila’s rehearsal dinner. Violet thinks there’s more to it than that.”
“I believe I made mention of that the day Reverend Hutchins stopped by the market to pick up one of your momma’s pies.”
He frowned. “I thought maybe you were misreading the situation. But now I think you might have been right. I’m trying to be happy for her, but it’s something I wasn’t prepared for.”
“So your momma dating would be a problem for you?”
“No. Maybe.” He sighed. “She’s older than Reverend Hutchins,” he said, as if the fact needed pointing out.
“That again,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
“Several years older,” he attempted to explain. “Not just a few, like you and I.”
So their age difference truly wasn’t an issue for Jake? Addy felt a surge of hope. Because she had long ago stopped thinking of him as that little boy she’d known. “Jake, they’re both adults,” she countered. “And while I
don’t know the reverend’s exact age, I doubt there’s more than four or five years’ difference between them.” Addy did her best to hide her hurt at Jake’s opinion of a man showing interest in a woman who was older than him. At least she knew where he stood on the matter, despite his saying otherwise.
Jake sighed. “It’s not even that as much as it is Momma’s having kept it from us if there is something sparking between her and the reverend.”
That definitely eased the sting a bit. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe your momma hasn’t accepted the depth of her feelings for Reverend Hutchins? Maybe she’s afraid to love again. Maybe she’s afraid of how her doing so might affect her children. Especially you.”
“Why me?” he said indignantly.
“Because you’ve had enough to deal with in your life recently,” Addy explained as best she could, trying to put herself in Mrs. Landers’s place. “I can promise you this. Your momma’s heart is big. There’s more than enough love inside it to share if that’s what she chooses to do. And if she does, you have to know that it wouldn’t lessen the love she feels for you and Mason and Violet.”
He frowned. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“And you think the reverend will hurt her?”
“No,” he admitted with a sigh. “Reverend Hutchins is a good man.”
“If you truly believe that in your heart, then you should thank the Lord for giving your momma another chance to have that special kind of happiness again, if that’s what this thing is with the reverend.” Addy told him. “We don’t always get second chances in life.” But she had with Jake. Only she wanted more than a rekindled friendship. She wanted his heart.
“You really have a way with putting things in perspective,” he told her with a gentle smile. “Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider your career choice and go back to school to be a psychologist?”
