by Rachel Hanna
"This is he. Who am I speaking with?"
"This is John Marshall. I'm the attorney in charge of the shopping center development over on Riverside."
"Oh, yes. How can I help you Mr. Marshall? I would think that you wouldn't be working as it's the day before Thanksgiving."
"Well, sometimes business matters take precedence, as I'm sure you know. I'm just calling to let you know that this deal is falling apart. Some of the permits aren't in order, and we're having zoning issues."
Jackson took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, a sign of stress in the Parker family. "What? I thought everything was in order when I left town. I spoke to Susan, and she said that we were all clear on the zoning issues."
"Well, Susan isn't an attorney, now is she? She was wrong. We have some outstanding zoning issues, the appraisal still hasn't been completed, and we are having all kinds of issues with neighbors complaining to the City Council."
"So what do you want me to do?" Jackson asked exasperated.
"There's nothing we can do during the holiday, but come Monday morning we either need to tie up these issues or the client is planning on walking away. I just wanted to let you know so that you could be mulling over any ideas."
Jackson hung up from his call with stress seeping from his pores. He felt like the wind had been sucked out of him because the Riverside deal was huge. The commission alone on the deal would carry him for months, if not pay for a full year of living expenses. He was counting on that, and the stress was getting to him. It wasn't like he didn't have other deals in the works that would support him, but he didn't want to lose the biggest one.
As he rounded the corner, he noticed that the new coffee shop, aptly named Jolt, was open. If there was one thing he needed right now, it was a nice cup of coffee. He pulled the door which activated a bell letting the employees know that he was there. However, no one came immediately. He stood there for a moment, hands in his pockets, looking around the place. It looked pretty different than the last time he'd been there when it was owned by someone else.
The countertops had been replaced, and the light fixtures looked new. It looked like the tables were the same, but there was some new artwork on the walls. It appeared that the new owner was trying to make the place more contemporary, more modern. He noticed a small stage in the corner where it appeared that musicians must set up to play.
As Jackson walked further into the coffee shop, he noticed a teenage boy sitting in a chair behind the register listening to his iPod with headphones in his ears. Jackson stood there for a moment staring at the boy who was either ignoring him or not noticing him at all. His head was bopping to the music as he played some kind of game on the iPod.
"Hello?" Jackson called. "Hello?" he said louder while standing in front of the boy.
The boy seemed either be ignoring him or deeply engrossed in the music he was listening to.
Jackson started waving his hands to get the boy's attention, and he finally looked up. He had shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes, and he looked completely irritated that Jackson had interrupted his music. He finally popped out one of his earphones and looked at Jackson without standing up.
"Yeah?" the boy said. If there was one thing Jackson hated, it was a smart mouth teenager. Having helped to raise his four siblings, he had been through that more times than he could count. Eye rolling, sighs and just general disrespect drove him up the wall. It was one of the reasons why he hadn't had his own children yet.
"Do you work here? Jackson asked in an irritated tone. He'd had a hard enough morning without listening to this kid gives him attitude.
"Not really. My mom owns this place, but she's upstairs on a phone call."
"Well can you take my order then?" Jackson asked running his fingers through his hair. He was quickly losing patience with this kid.
"I guess," the boy said with a sigh as he took his headphones out and set them on the shelf behind him. Slowly, he stood up and made his way to the cash register as if Jackson was putting him out.
"What do you want?" he asked smacking on his piece of gum.
Jackson held this tongue because he wanted to say quite a few things, but he decided against it. After all, this kid was young and obviously not very bright if he was talking to an adult that way.
"I'll have a no foam latte with soy milk and a dash of cinnamon on top." The boy looked at Jackson and then started laughing. "Can I ask what you're laughing at?" Jackson said with his steely eyes focused on the boy.
"Yeah. It's kind of a girly drink, don't you think?" Jackson couldn't believe the gall that this kid had. No respect for authority at all.
"I don't think it's your job to tell me what kind of drink I should have. Why don't you just ring it up and take my money, kid?" Jackson said leaning into the counter. Just then, a woman with curly red hair came down the stairs and walked up behind the boy. Jackson's first thought was how beautiful she was, but right now she looked pretty irritated.
"Is there some kind of problem?" she asked with her arms crossed.
"Actually, there is. Your cashier here has been very rude to me and I don't appreciate it."
"Rude? What has he said to you?" she asked cocking her hip out and continuing to keep her arms crossed.
"Well, for one thing he had his headphones on and completely ignored me when I came in." Jackson wasn't sure why he was complaining to this woman in the coffee shop, but he was frustrated and irritated and probably taking a little bit of that out on her.
"Well, he doesn't officially work here. This is my fourteen-year-old son," she said still keeping her arms crossed. Something about her was alluring but Jackson couldn't quite put his finger on it. He loved her curly red hair, but her attitude seemed to match her son's.
"Then I guess you shouldn't leave him down here to take care of your business. I assumed you were open and ready to take my order when I walked in," Jackson said crossing his arms to match her stance. Suddenly he felt like he was in some kind of a standoff with this perfect stranger. "He also made fun of my drink order and told me it was girly."
The woman leaned down and looked at the register tape and then giggled under her breath. "Well…" she said with a sly smile.
"What? You're laughing at my drink order too? What kind of business are you running, lady?" Jackson snapped. The look on her face changed from playful to angry very quickly.
"Sir, I really don't appreciate you coming in here and snipping at my son or me. I don't need customers like you." She stood firm with her arms still crossed and stared him in the eye. Jackson couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was one of the Parker family, the most well-known and respected family in town. Who was this woman running a tiny coffee shop to tell him that he wasn't a valued customer? And was that a Northern accent he heard?
"Well, then, I'll take my business elsewhere." Jackson said before turning around and walking toward the door. "And let me give you a little piece of advice since you seem to be new to January Cove. People don't like it when you don't offer good customer service. This is a small town and word gets around quickly. Good luck to you, ma'am," he said with a wry smile before walking out the door.
Rebecca turned around and glared at her son. "Leo, what have you done? I can't afford to let my name be mud in this town. This business is the only thing we have to support us. Were you rude to that man?"
"No, mom," Leo sighed. "I was just listening to my music and that guy had an attitude."
"Leo, seriously, you have to be alert when you're watching the register for me. If I hadn't come down here, that guy might've gotten irate with you. You have to be more responsible." She ran her fingers through her curly hair and sighed. Raising a teenage son by herself was proving to be harder than she would have ever imagined.
It didn't help that she had an attitude with the guy too. The reason she had been upstairs on the phone was because one of her oldest friends in the world had called from New York. Worried about Rebecca, she was trying to talk to her
about coming home. Talking to her friend only reminded her of what she'd lost over the last decade.
Janine was her oldest friend in the world. They'd known each other since kindergarten and had gone through every life challenge together. But when the unthinkable happened to Rebecca twelve years ago, she just couldn't stay in the area anymore. She and her son needed a fresh start, although Leo was making it a lot harder than it needed to be. Sometimes she felt a little resentful to her son because he didn't really know what he had lost. He was far too young when his father died, but Rebecca sure remembered her late husband. She was sorry that Leo never got to know him, but she couldn't understand how the absence of a man he never knew affected him all these years later.
It still affected her. Every so often she would go through an old box and smell his cologne. Or she would see his favorite movie or hear a song that they listened to together. It seemed reminders were everywhere even though she'd moved so many miles away from home.
Talking to Janine had only frustrated her more. Her old friend couldn't understand why she had to pick up and move all these years after her husband had died. Why did she do it now, Janine wanted to know. The problem was that Rebecca didn't have an answer for that. She had gone with her gut and done what she thought was best for her and her son. Janine didn't understand it, but she was accepting of it. She just wanted to see Rebecca, and Rebecca wanted to see her too.
But the reality was that Janine had a life. She had been married for over ten years, and she and her husband were very happy. They had three small children to take care of. Even though she wanted to help Rebecca, Janine had her own life to live. Rebecca didn't want to interfere with that anymore. She didn't want to ask for help from anyone. Leo was her responsibility, and she had done what she thought was the right thing.
"Rebecca, you know if you come home I will help you. I didn't realize that Leo was giving you such trouble. Dan and I are more than happy to talk to him or help him in whatever way we can…" Janine had said.
"I really appreciate that, but he is my son to raise. Janine, as much as I miss home, we needed this fresh start."
"Don't get mad at me, but is it possible you're just trying to run away from the past? I mean, have you told anyone there what happened to Tom?"
"Janine, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I haven't told anyone here because it's none of their business. It doesn't matter. I'm sick of people looking at me with pity in their eyes. I've done that for over a decade now."
"I don't understand. How do you ever expect to start over if you can't be honest with people about what happened to your husband? It shouldn't be a secret. Why can't you just let people support you?"
"Look, I don't have time for this right now. I have a business to run and I left Leo downstairs. I'll talk to you later." She hated hanging up on her best friend like that, but she just couldn't take anymore. No one could understand the kind of pain that Tom's death brought upon Rebecca. Well, at least very few people could understand it.
Chapter 4
Jackson sat in the cafe across the street from Jolt and wondered about the red haired lady inside. Although their first meeting had been more of an altercation, he couldn't stop thinking about her. There was something different about her. Something deep. A sadness that played across her face, but strength unlike anything he'd ever seen. He wasn't sure what to make of her.
He also wasn't sure why he couldn't stop thinking about her. Obviously, her son was in some kind of turmoil because no normal teenager would act like that to a perfect stranger. He could feel anger in the boy, and he sort of related to it. He remembered being angry like that after his father had died, but he had no idea what the boy's background was. For all he knew, the woman might be married and the father might just be upstairs in the apartment.
"Lost in thought, brother?" Jackson hadn't even noticed Kyle walking into the café.
"What are you doing out so early?" Jackson asked kicking the chair across from him out a little bit so his brother could sit down.
"I had an early appointment, a foreclosure over on the south side. What are you doing over this way?" Kyle asked as he waved at the waitress to bring him a cup of coffee.
"Just familiarizing myself with the town again. I noticed a new coffee shop opened up and a couple of other places, so I just took a walk. Where's Jenna?"
"She just got Kaitlyn off to school. I think she had a nail appointment after that," Kyle said with a laugh. "Listen, I'm glad I ran into you. I'm getting ready to propose to Jenna soon." Kyle smiled, and Jackson was happy for him.
"Congratulations, man. It's been a long time coming," Jackson said with a smile reaching out to shake his brother's hand. "And, if you can find someone willing to marry you, you should definitely lock her down as soon as possible." Kyle laughed at his brother's jab, but there was nothing that could wipe the smile off of his face.
"Now we just have to find you Mrs. Right," Kyle said winking at his brother as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Um, no thanks. I've had enough girlfriends to last me a lifetime. There is no Mrs. Right for Jackson Parker." Jackson tried to play it off as a joke, but he was starting to believe that was true.
"I don't believe that for a minute. You might be the oldest, but I think you're the least mature when it comes to the love department." Kyle shook his head and took another sip of his coffee. "I mean, what is it with you? Why can't you stay in a serious relationship?"
"Who are you, Dr. Phil? It's none of your business, dear brother. You just focus on your love life and I'll focus on mine." Jackson was trying not to sound snippy, but he was getting a little bit aggravated.
"Or lack thereof," Kyle said rolling his eyes. "Listen; keep the engagement thing under your hat. I've got some more planning to do before I pop the question. Got to go. Running by the jewelry store across town."
Jackson waved goodbye to his brother before putting his tip money on the table and stopping by the restroom. He thought more about what Kyle had said to him, but his little brother wasn't in a position to tell him how to live his life. If there was a Mrs. Right out there for Jackson Parker, he couldn't imagine where she might be. He'd looked high and low for years, and there just didn't seem to be a woman out there who could match him. Maybe some people just aren't meant to have soul mates, he thought, as he walked outside and headed down the street toward his car.
***
Adele Parker loved Thanksgiving more than just about anything. Having most of her family together, she enjoyed cooking all the food and catching up on long overdue conversations. And now she had two new women in the family with Jenna and Tessa. Each of the women had brought a new strength to their family, and she was sure that her sons would be announcing wedding plans anytime now. At least she hoped so.
The one thing that was missing from this Thanksgiving was the presence of her beloved daughter Addison. She was so worried about Addison, but she didn't want to tell her sons just how worried she was. Her daughter didn't sound right on the phone anymore, as though she were keeping a secret that was too embarrassing or upsetting to tell. Adele could tell that her daughter had something going on, but she also knew that she was an adult and could make her own decisions.
The truth was that Adele had never really liked Addison's husband anyway. He seemed gruff and a little cocky. But, everybody has their own character flaws, so Adele figured that Addison must have seen something in him that she didn't. She was a mother who didn't like getting too involved in her children's business, unless she felt like she had to step in. If she could only figure out what was going on with Addison, she probably would step in which is why her daughter wasn't telling her anything.
As she rolled out the dough for the yeast rolls, Adele was lost in thought and didn't even hear Jackson walking into the kitchen.
"Mom? Are you in there?" Jackson said waving his hand in front of her face. She wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there, but she got out of her haze and turned around.
"Oh, Ja
ckson. Sorry. I didn't see you there."
"Apparently not," Jackson said raising an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
"Sure. Just thinking about all the things I need to make for Thanksgiving…"
"Mom, it's me. I know you better than anyone else, and something is going on. Out with it," Jackson said. He was right. He had helped her raise his siblings much like a husband would, and he knew her better than anyone else in the world. He knew her facial expressions, her tone of voice and a multitude of other pieces of body language that would tell him when something was really wrong. In fact, sometimes it made him feel guilty that he didn't live close by anymore so that he could make sure to keep an eye on his mother. Maybe that was why she had a mild stroke last summer. Maybe it was because he wasn't around enough to watch out for her. Shrugging off the guilt as best he could, Jackson went back to trying to figure out what was wrong with his mother.
"It's nothing, really. There's nothing to worry about, Jackson. I'm fine. Sometimes mothers just get lost in thought." She turned around and went back to rolling the dough for the yeast rolls, and Jackson knew for sure that something was wrong. He thought for a moment about her mention of being a mother and realized that she had to be talking about her only missing child, Addison.
