by Nan O'Berry
Nate pulled her close.
Frankie grabbed the front of his shirt and laid her head upon his chest. “It’s just not fair,” she grumbled.
Nate planted a kiss on her forehead.“No…It’s not. However, you can’t be everyone’s rescuer.”
“But, Jenna—”
Nate placed a finger onto her lips to silence her retort.“You need to let Jenna fight her own battles.”
“But, Nate—”
“Frankie, let Jenna be the master of her fate.”
She stared up at him and nodded. “I need to let Jenna be the master of her own fate.” She paused, then added, “Even if that’s the problem to begin with.”
“Frankie,” Nate warned.
She held up a hand and made the pledge. “I will stay out of it.”
“That’s my girl.” Nate captured her lips and heard Frankie sigh against him he pulled away a little. “Let’s go upstairs,” he whispered in her ear. “I hear someone changed the sheets and they need to be broke in.”
Frankie grinned. “Race ya!” She slapped his bottom and bolted for the stairs.
№
Jenna pulled her car to a stop and yanked Connie’s bag of fabric from the back seat. “Why did he have to come back?” she snapped and shoved the door closed. Her chest still hurt from the tension that meeting caused. It wasn’t fair. She hadn’t had time to adjust to the thought of having him back to town, when who should she run into?
Jenna sighed.“I didn’t expect it to hurt so much.”
In anger, she kicked a stone out of her way and stomped toward the front door to her little cottage. Dumping her things on the table, she drew out a chair and sat down. “What did I do wrong?” she asked aloud in hopes of finding an answer.
However, no fairy godmother appeared. No light parted the sky and handed her down an answer from on high.
Jenna sighed again and glanced over at her bulletin board. “Planning makes for an easier outcome.” That much she’d learned at school.
She reached over to her purse and pulled out the bulging datebook that ran her life. “Why didn’t I see him the way he truly was?” she whispered again and leafed through the pages. She paused at each page that was flagged with a pink posty that noted a change in her relationship with Rhodes.“It didn’t go too fast.” She flipped back to the first pink note, then back to the one in April. “Three months before the first kiss.”
Closing her eyes, Jenna tried to recall the euphoria that overtook her way back then. But there was no image, no lasting feeling of urgent need. Instead, an image of Carson’s face as he smiled pushed into her head. “How odd. I would have thought I’d recall…” She shrugged. “I need a new agenda. A post Rhode planner, that’s the ticket.” She would not acknowledge the face she did see. She hardly knew the man.
Standing up, she walked to her desk and pulled open the bottom drawer. Shifting through the papers, she pulled a blank planner from the midst. Flipping through the colorful pages, her mouth twisted in consideration.“Not usually my style.” She tilted her head. “But I need to put away anything that has Rhode’s information.”
She thought about it a moment more, then with a nod of acceptance, she shut the drawer and walked back to the kitchen table. Her hand reached into her bag once more and withdrew a cloth pencil case. Unzipping it, she spread an array of colored ink pens across the table.“Okay blue for Connie’s projects, red for bills, purple for….” She paused as her phone made a jingle. Reaching into her bag, she quickly typed in the pass code and the screen sprang to life. Jenna could hide her smile as she read the message.
Hey, did you make it home okay?
She pressed the keyboard and typed back.
Yes, sorry. I got busy and forgot to text. Thank you for thinking of me.
She hit send, then pressed her lips together then her fingers drummed away at the tiny keyboard.How was your meeting?“Dumb,” she mumbled as the message left her phone to its destination.
She stared at the blank screen waiting.Yet, her heart gave a leap when the phone sprang to life.
Yes, thanks. Start tomorrow. Wish me luck.
Wishing you a lot of luck. She typed then hit send. With a smile, Jenna returned to her work. Carson had made her smile…again.
№
Carson used his shoulder to muscle through the throng of people lined along the bar at the Spigot. It seemed everyone who lived in St. Helena chose tonight to gather for a few drinks and some laughs.
“Carson.”
His head swiveled in the direction of the voice and he saw Marco Deluca’s hand raised, gesturing him to follow. “Excuse me.” He stepped sideways to make it past the crush of bodies.
“Hey, you made it!” Marco’s hand slap landed on Carson’s shoulder. “How’d the job go?”
“Gonna be good,” Carson replied, raising his voice to be heard over the din.
Marco used his head to gesture toward the bar. “I ordered you a beer. Grab it and follow me.”
Elbowing in between two ladies seated at the bar, Carson grabbed his beer.
The blonde there issued a come hither grin. “Hello.”
Carson gave his own polite smile. “Evening.” His eyes rolled over the tight spandex dress that left nothing to the imagination. No, not his type. With a nod, he read the disappointment in her eyes, and moved away.
“This way,” Marco said and together, they walked over toward the dart game in progress.
“Looks like the clan’s here,” Carson joked as several dark heads turned and smiled.
“Hey, welcome!” Nate called out. “Get in line, loser buys the next round.”
Laughter ensued and Carson set his drink on the high bar table and watched as Nate lined up his next shot. Two trail throws, then he pulled his arm back and let the dart fly.
All eyes followed its trail as it found its mark near the center of the board.
“Nice shot!”
Marco’s arm shot out and gave a mock punch into Carson’s arm. “Don’t play to his vanity.”
“Ha!” Nate grinned and narrowed his gaze to focus on the next shot.
“So how’s it going over at the new house?”
Carson grabbed a handful of peanuts and tossed several into his mouth. “It beats an apartment.”
The next dart thudded into the wall.
“You say that but wait till you have to mow,” Nate grumbled.
“Don’t listen to him.” Marco shot his brother a snide glance. “He’s been gelded by marriage.”
“You wish,” Nate grunted and let the last dart fly home. “Your turn, Carson.”
Putting the nuts on a napkin, he crossed to the dart board and pulled them from the cork. Walking back, he turned to his side and eyed the target. He lifted his right hand, testing the weight of the dart. Then, he aimed and tossed. The dart flew close to the center.
“Oh, look at the pro,” Nate drew out the last word.
“Not bad,” Marco agreed.
Carson chuckled and sent another dart flying. This time it made its mark near the second rim from the center.
“I think he’s had too much practice,” Marco said in jest to his brother.
“Perhaps…” Nate noted. “We need to introduce him to the ladies of St. Helena?”
Marco nodded as he took a drink of his beer. “Get him out in the social life, so he’ll lose his edge?”
“Exactly,” Nate agreed and winced as Carson’s last attempt found the center.
“It’s not necessary,” Carson replied as he made his way back to the table and his beer.
“Of course, it is. Once the ladies find out Teague Murphy is in town, they’ll be lining up at the door!”
Carson stared at his glass of beer. He didn’t want a just any woman. The only one he wanted to line up was the one woman who at the present time was not interested in men.
Chapter Six
For Jenna, the days merged into weeks as she kept herself busy with Connie’s to do list, all in the hopes
of forgetting the now dull pain of Rhodes’ rejection. Even now, as she pushed the scraper across the huge turn of the century table, she tried to focus on the positives on the list in her planner.
“One…keep focused,” she stated dragging the scraper across the grain of the wood.
“Always positive, never negative.”
She swiped the roll of old varnish and stain off the scraper with a rag and gave the wood a hardened glare.
“Enjoy life.” Jenna paused in midstride and glanced up.
Connie stood in the doorway that led to the workroom. “WHEW!” She waved her hand in front of her face. “Have you got enough ventilation?”
“Window is open.” Jenna lifted her gloved hand to point.
“Let’s get the door open, shall we?” Connie moved to the back door and swung it wide, then inhaled deep. “My, what a lovely day.”
“It’s April, it’s supposed to be lovely,” Jenna murmured attacking the wood once more. The scraper moved across the grain of the table with a deep rumble.
“In your planner, have you made time for you?”
Jenna paused and gazed over at Connie standing next to her with her arms crossed over the deep blue of the velour jogging suit she wore. “I enjoy life.”
Connie’s perfectly waxed brow arched over her right eye. “Enjoying life is one thing. Taking time for you is another.”
Jenna let out a sigh.
“You know, Jenna, since your troubles at the vineyard—”
“You mean, being left at the altar.”
Connie’s cheeks grew pink. “Yes, if you want to put it so bluntly. Since you were dumped by that no account Rhodes Hatfield, you’ve buried yourself in work. Maybe, it’s time for you to rejoin life.”
“Rejoin life?” Jenna drew back. “I’m back at work.”
“But not back to life,” Connie whispered and stepped up next to her. She placed a gentle hand on Jenna’s arm. “Relax, Jenna. No one’s whispering behind your back. It’s time to move on. Even Rhodes is seeing someone else.”
Jenna blinked. “He is?”
Connie’s brow furrowed. “You didn’t know?”
She shook her head.
“I hear he’s seeing Shana Rena Lewis. Nothing serious, but at least he’s getting out. You need to do the same thing.”
Jenna glanced down at the table. “Maybe you’re right. I was just used to going somewhere with Rhodes as my escort. It seems like the world has changed while I’ve stayed the same.”
“In some ways it has, you’re wiser,” Connie said with a shrug. “Think about it at least.”
Jenna nodded as Connie walked past.
“I think this place needs to be livened up a bit.”
She heard her employer turn on the radio.
A deep voice vibrated the airways. The lyrics spoke of a man’s love.
“Oh, my, maybe this is not the right time,” Connie quickly reached for the knob.
Jenna turned. “No, wait.”
Connie’s hand lowered. “You sure you’re all right with this?”
“Yeah. Just leave it.”
“If you’re sure?” Connie asked and moved to the doorway. “You can turn it off if it gets to you.”
“Yes.” Jenna nodded. She stared at the table. The music swelled as another song began. Lively is what Jenna would call it. A soft smile lifted her lips and she bent back over her work. Surprisingly, she found her movements matched the beat of the song and she’d made short work of stripping the top of the table down. “Who knew that’s all it would take,” she said in surprise. Carrying her utensils outside, she placed them in an old paint can and retrieved a can of paint thinner, pouring a small bit inside. Moving the brush and scraper back and forth to break the bond of paint from the bristles and the point, she heard the song end and a man speak.
“That’s another fine song from Lady Antebellum. I can see from the clock on the wall, it’s time for me to take my leave. Thanks, for spending the afternoon with me here at KVINO, just having you listening makes it all special. Until tomorrow, this is Teague Murphy, signing off.”
Her gaze wandered over to the radio. The voice seemed so familiar, yet she couldn’t place it. The radio didn’t have great speakers as it was like everything else in this room…old. Shaking her head, she shook out the brush and poured the used thinner into a jug marked for deposal. Back inside, she washed the brush and placed it on a clean paint liner to dry. Tomorrow, she would take a clean rag and wipe it down to get a fresh surface, then stain it, before sealing the wash into the wood. Hanging her gloves over the sink, she washed her hands and moved to the front of the store.
“Hey Connie, I’m going out for lunch, do you want anything?”
“No. I’m going out a bit later. Walt stepped out on a plumbing call.”
“Okay, I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Take all the time you need,” Connie called out. “Remember, enjoy life.”
Jenna cast her eyes heavenward. “Great. That’s gonna come back to haunt me.”
With a sigh, she picked up her pocket book and walked toward the door. Stepping out into the warm sunshine, she fished her sunglasses from the large pocket book and slid them onto her face. Determined to enjoy her time away from the Refurbish shop, she started walking toward the St. Helena Hotel. She didn’t know where she was going, only that it felt good to lengthen her strides and eat up the sidewalk.
She stopped at the corner of Spring and Main Street to wait for the traffic to allow her to cross, when the honk of a horn drew her attention to a dark sedan coming to a stop.
“Hey there, gorgeous.”
Smiling, Jenna crossed to the car and leaned into the open passenger side window. “Carson.”
“Hey! You remembered.”
She laughed. “Hard to forget my knight in shining armor.”
“Oh, I like that.”
“What’s up?” she asked.
“I finished work for today. How about sharing lunch with me?”
Jenna’s smile faltered. “Carson, I don’t know.” Was she ready to have lunch or dinner with a guy? Then she remembered what Connie had said. Move on.
“Come on, I’ll let you buy.”
Jenna laughed. “Okay. We’ll share lunch.” She pointed over behind the town hall. “You know where to park. Turn around and come back up Spring. I’ll meet you at the community park with lunch.”
“Sounds like a deal.”
She stepped back and watched as he drove away. The traffic eased and Jenna hurried across the street and into the Pungent Barrel Wine and Cheese shop. Grabbing a basket, she moved up the aisle looking for some cheese. Spotting some smoked gouda, she placed it her basket. Rounding the edge of the aisle, she studied the baguettes and fruit when the sound of voices drifted over to the top of the next aisle.
“You planning anything special tonight?” a deep male voice spoke.
Jenna stilled.
A second later, a woman answered, “Oh…I don’t know. I thought a bottle of wine and we’d watch the sun set.”
“Oh?” His voice grew husky. “And what will we do after the sun sets?”
There was a pause, then she answered in the same wanting breathless tone, “I think we can think of something.”
The sounds of lips connecting followed.
Jenna brought her basket close to her heart. Oh,to be loved and adored like that would last me a lifetime. But it was never going to happen. She ruined everything she touched. Turning around, she put two small French breads into the basket, and moved toward the front of the store.
“This all?” the cashier inquired.
She nodded.
“That’s seven dollars and fifty-six cents.”
Jenna dug in her purse and handed her some bills.
Behind her a woman spoke, “Hand me the jar of pickles.”
Jenna turned her head to look and brushed her hair back.
It was the same woman from the rear of the store. Her boyfriend had his arm loop
ed around her waist and they stood gazing at each other as if no one else existed.
A hot jet of jealousy rushed through her. Why them? Why not me?
“Ma’am, your change?”
Jenna turned her head back to the cashier. “Thank you,” she mumbled holding her hand out to receive the change, as a rush of heat filled her cheeks.
The woman behind the register stared at her strangely, as she shoved the folded bills and coins into her purse, then hurried from the shop.
The sun beat down on her as she moved to the corner and pressed the button on the light, then waited for the cross signal to tell her it was safe to make her way across to the other side of Main.
Her steps shuffled as she made her way toward the parking lot near the community park.
“Hey.”
She glanced up to see Carson standing in the shade of one of the older Pin Oaks. He lifted a small bag. “I got some bottled water…” He stood up straighter looking concerned. “Hey?” Moving toward her, Carson reached out and touched her shoulder. “Jenna?” His voice softened.
She glanced up at him with tears shimmering.
“Ah, come here.” Reaching out, Carson drew her into his arms. “Whatever happened, it can’t be bad enough to bring on tears and ruin that pretty face.”
“Why can’t I find love?” She sniffed and leaned back. “What’s wrong with me, Carson?”
His smile grew. “From where I’m standing, there’s nothing wrong with you.”
“But—”
“Shhh.”
She felt his hand find her chin and gently tilt her face up to meet his.
“Jenna McCormick, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Her eyes widened as he turned his head and leaned closer. The touch of his hands was so powerful that the rate of her heart quickened as his glaze flicked over her. When she didn’t move, his eyes closed. She followed his motion and seconds later, the warmth of his lips found hers. Tentative at first, he seemed to be waiting to see if she might push him away.
Perhaps it would have been smarter. The small simmering heat flicked along her skin making the hairs on her arms stand up almost as if small jolts of electricity were coursing through her body. The kiss lengthened. Jenna’s knees seemed to wobble. To hold herself upright, she looped her arms around Carson’s neck.
