“Honey, how long have you known men? Some like hot sauce, some like plain fare. There’s no rhyme or reason to their tastes.”
“That’s bullshit. I can’t believe Scott married her. She doesn’t belong here, Janie.” And now without doing a single thing, Jordan had another good-looking man interested in her. A man who seemed to have fallen under her spell just as Scott had. Jordan’s luck with men didn’t sit well with Sissy.
Janie, a tattooed woman pushing forty, threw back her black hair and laughed, “From what I’ve heard she won’t be here for long. Even if she does get that place open on time, there’s no guarantee she’ll be able to keep it going by herself. She still has a long row to hoe if you ask me.”
The hope that Jordan might still fail got Sissy back in the chair where Janie once again grabbed foil and began dabbing lightener on Sissy’s dark roots.
On their walk down Main Street Jordan spotted a poster in one of the store windows and pointed it out to Nick. “I forgot about the street fair. They’ll be carnival rides, a parade and plenty of food booths. We should plan to go.” She remembered going last year with her sister when Hutton had been just three months old. They’d had fun looking at the homemade arts and crafts. Then all of a sudden, her shoulders slumped. “I should’ve been open by now. If I’d planned a little better, the street fair would have brought in guests sooner. If I were already opened, already had guests coming in for the street fair, I wouldn’t be cutting things so close now.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Stop beating yourself up. Tourist season doesn’t begin for real until June. You’re getting a jump by opening in May a full month beforehand. Think of it that way.”
She looked up at him as they strolled through the double doors of Ferguson’s. He looked as relaxed as she’d ever seen him, well except for when he’d been playing with her nipple. The Cove seemed to be agreeing with him. “Thanks, Nick. You always know what to say, how to make me feel like—I’m not such a failure.”
When a new lighting display caught her eye, she turned to touch the glittering crystals of a chandelier. But then, so did Hutton. From her stroller she made a grab for the same display. Luckily, Jordan caught her daughter’s hand right before she latched on to a very breakable and expensive, light fixture.
Noticing the sudden save, Nick commented, “Nice reflexes, mom.”
“Gotta have a lightning pair of hands.”
“Which should we check out first, drywall or the insulation? Drywall, I think it’s what we need to put the finishing touches on that hall bathroom. Then we get the estimate for the insulation.” And putting down insulation would be a messy, dirty job, one he’d give anything to be able to hire out. Ah, well, he thought as he headed toward the back of the store.
It was true she’d gotten caught up in the shopping expedition but listening to him now, she needed to tell him how things were. After all, pride could only take you so far. She shouldn’t be shopping for anything, not even the baby carrier for the bike. And insulation wasn’t going to be cheap. She took a deep breath, looking around to see if anyone was close enough to hear and whispered, “Nick, it’s like this… I haven’t been able to pay anything on my account…”
Nick looked visibly pained. At that moment, he spotted Ferguson heading straight for them. He wondered if he had time to get Jordan and Hutton out of the store. But before he could act, Ferguson was getting closer. And a few seconds later, Jordan spotted the guy, too.
Remembering her overdue account, Jordan wanted to run and suddenly felt like such a loser.
“How are my two favorite customers this morning?” Ferguson asked in what sounded to her like an almost cheerful tone. Was this the same man who’d sent her threatening past due notices for the past four months? Funny, Jordan thought now, she hadn’t gotten one of Ferguson’s letters lately, which had her chewing at her lip.
“What can I do for you two today? Do you need to order more flooring? I can give you a better price this time around. And good news, there won’t be a six week wait.”
Nick was afraid he knew where this conversation was headed. But before he could speak up, Jordan said, “We have enough flooring, thanks. Look Mr. Ferguson, I know I need to make a payment but if you could just be a little more patient with me…”
“No need for that now, this guy already brought your account current weeks ago.”
Jordan’s knees almost buckled. She turned to gape at Nick. “What is he talking about?”
“Jordan, it’s no big deal. It’s taken care of.” Nick sent a go-to-hell look Ferguson’s way just in time for the man to abandon ship.
“Well, I’ll leave you two to sort this out. Don’t forget we’re having a sale on paint and wallpaper this week. Twenty-percent off.”
When Ferguson was out of earshot, Jordan turned to Nick. “You shouldn’t have done that. I appreciate everything you’re doing but… Paying on my account is too much.” She looked mortified, like she wanted to run out of the store and hide.
He wasn’t about to let this ruin their morning. “Don’t do this, okay? We had a heart-to-heart talk about your account the first day I came in here. I gave him a minimum payment and convinced him to extend the line of credit.” Okay it wasn’t exactly the truth, but he didn’t want her to know the exact amount.
Jordan looked skeptical. She didn’t want the whole town knowing about this. “Maybe we should head back to the vet’s office. The waiting room might be cleared out by now.”
Nick realized she was self-conscious. He could offer to pay for the baby seat, but that might just embarrass her even more. If he handled this right… “Tell you what, you take the dog, head back to the vet, I’ll check on that insulation and drywall.” He grinned, trying to make her feel better. “It shouldn’t take long. I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”
“Nick, why don’t we forgo the insulation and the other stuff? I don’t want to run up my tab here.”
He took a different tack. “Then let me handle this. You can pay me back first chance you get.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“Jordan, are we friends?”
“I’d like to think so.”
“Okay then. I want to do this.”
“But… What if…?”
“I believe in what you’re doing. Think of it as an investment. You’ll pay me back. I’m not worried.”
Jordan bit her lip again, clearly not at all comfortable with the prospect of owing him money. “But…”
“No buts. I want to do it.” The look on her face said he needed to work an angle, so he changed tactics yet again. “Look, you’re providing me with employment and a place to stay. I haven’t felt this good about myself in a long time. Before I came here I’d tried…a lot to work out my…issues. You have no idea how much it means to me to feel…better about things.” More than she’d ever know.
“Really?”
“It’s true. Think how much I would’ve spent on therapy to feel this much better.”
“Okay, I’ll let you pay but only if you consider it a loan and put it in writing, like a contract. The money we spend today will be added to the total of your investment. Deal?” She held out her hand.
He smiled and took her hand in his. “Deal. Now, let’s go see if we can find that baby carrier.”
An hour later, they walked out of Ferguson’s together heading for the vet’s. Nick had enjoyed every minute watching the expression on Ferguson’s face when they’d ordered the insulation and drywall and arranged for delivery. If anyone six months ago had told him he’d get such a kick out of spending money on such things he’d have called them crazy. Yet, what he’d told Jordan was absolutely true. He hadn’t felt this good in too long to remember. And that was worth something.
At the vet’s, Doc Sullivan recognized Quake from the Bronson’s litter of puppies eleven weeks earlier, which meant that Quake was still a little too young to get neutered. But he did get his shots and his ID chip. Because the poor dog reminded Jordan of how
Hutton looked after getting her shots, they dropped him off at the car for a little nap. They left the window rolled down on the car where he could get plenty of fresh air while Nick treated them to lunch at the Hilltop Diner.
They walked in to a busy, noisy lunch crowd. And once again, found there was no place to sit, not an available chair in the entire place. Just when they were ready to turn around and leave, they spotted Murphy in one of the booths waving them over where he was eating with Carla Vargas, the social worker. As soon as Nick and Jordan made their way over to the table, Carla, a stylish, petite woman in her early forties with olive skin and coal black hair she wore clipped back off her face, got up from her side of the table to slide in beside Murphy, who introduced Carla to Nick.
“Have a seat. We’ve already ordered but Eileen will be along with our food any minute now and you can tell her what you want,” Murphy told them amicably.
Jordan motioned to Nick they needed a high chair for Hutton and he went to retrieve one from the stack next to the cashier. Jordan settled Hutton into a high chair while Nick slid in ahead of her in the booth giving her the outside seat so that she could deal with the baby. About that time Eileen Faraday, wearing a hot pink waitress uniform, set two steaming plates of food in front of Murphy and Carla. Automatically, she grabbed two menus, and handed them to Nick and Jordan. “What can I get you two to drink?”
“I’ll have iced tea.”
“Make it two,” Nick added as he picked up his menu.
“How’s it going, Jordan? Murphy tells me it’s just a matter of time before we’ve got us a bed and breakfast in the area,” Carla said, as she dug into the Tuesday special, two cheesy enchiladas with rice and beans.
“Nick’s been working like a fiend. He’s made so much progress in such a short amount of time I think we might actually pull it off.”
Carla glanced up from her plate long enough to notice the look on Jordan’s face. The woman radiated with happiness for the first time since she’d known her. Was there something going on between these two? she wondered, as she took a sip of her tea. Carla had heard about Nick’s encounter at McCready’s as well as the other gossip around town. But a blind woman could pick up on the vibes passing between them. She wondered if Nick even realized how his eyes lit up any time he glanced over at Jordan.
Smiling Murphy added, “That’s good news. You two make a terrific team.”
Nick noticed Jordan’s cheeks redden. He wondered if she might be thinking about last night and how they had gone after each other without much effort. God, how he had wanted her. It had taken everything in him to walk out of that living room without taking her to bed. Looking over at her now, as the sun drifted through the front windows and settled in her hair making it glisten golden, his heart did a funny lurch.
“You fish, Nick?”
“Been a long time,” Nick said, trying to get his mind off the way Jordan’s body had felt up against his.
“We’re taking Wade’s boat out this weekend, fishing for surf perch and striper, maybe some cod. You’re welcome to join us.”
“You should go, Nick,” Jordan urged. “It’d be good for you to get out, take some time off from the brutal schedule you’ve been keeping.”
“I really need to finish a couple of the bathrooms before taking time off.”
“It’s a standing offer. If you don’t make it this weekend, we’ll go again, but probably not until after we put the street fair behind us. You guys are coming, right?”
Nick looked at Jordan, who was scanning the menu and didn’t answer him. Nick gave Murphy a safe answer. “Probably.”
Jordan thought about Lilly and the question nagging at the back of her mind. She wanted to offer Lilly a job. But if she had to give up her county assistance and the job didn’t work out, what then? She decided to play what-if with Carla and get her answers here and now. Without giving away anything about Lilly, she danced around the issue and presented a what-if scenario to Carla. She listened as Carla verified what Jordan had feared. If Lilly took a job at The Cove, she’d forfeit collecting her subsidy.
Eileen came back to take their order while they kept up a steady chatter about the upcoming street fair. They watched Carla and Murphy finish off their enchiladas and Hutton chew through several packets of saltine crackers before she began to get restless. Even Nick recognized when it was time for the baby’s nap. Hutton began to fuss and Jordan turned to Nick telling him, “I’m sorry, but I think she’s about ready for a nap.”
“Do we need to get the food to-go?”
Considering how long it had been since she’d seen the inside of a restaurant, she so wanted to stay, even if it was just the Hilltop. “If it’s okay I’d like to try to get through lunch. Maybe she’ll settle down when the food gets here.” She dug in the diaper bag for the sippy cup filled with apple juice. Hutton liked the juice and that seemed to buy them some time.
Thankfully, Eileen appeared with their food, the Tuesday special for Nick and a club sandwich with fries for Jordan which she immediately shared with Hutton.
While Murphy stopped to talk to Margie, the owner, and pay the check, Carla hung back, putting her hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you looking so well, Jordan.” To Nick, she winked and said, “Keep up the good work, Nick. Maybe I can talk Murphy into springing for a romantic weekend once you open up.” And with that, she turned to meet up with Murphy at the counter.
From the booth by the window, Nick and Jordan watched the couple walk hand-in-hand across the street until Nick said flatly, “I didn’t see that coming.” He looked every bit like a man hooked on a big dose of small town gossip. Chomping at the prospect of a rumor, he added, “That sly, old fox.”
“Who’d have thought Murphy and Carla as a couple? I didn’t know. The social worker from Santa Cruz. Comes to town every now and then to check up on a couple of families in the area who’ve had some domestic violence issues. I didn’t even know they knew each other. Come to think of it, I wondered where she stayed whenever she’d come to town for a couple of days.”
Nick laughed. “Mystery solved.”
They ate their meal quickly, trying to anticipate Hutton’s changing mood. The meal could have been tense but was anything but. When Hutton grew crankier and louder, in public no less, Jordan simply scooped her daughter up out of the high chair, cuddling her close making a kind of game out of her cross mood until they left the restaurant and got back to the car.
On the ride home, Hutton fell asleep and didn’t wake up even when Nick lifted her out of her car seat as if he’d been handling her since birth. Jordan stood back and watched, impressed. As he carried Hutton into the house she followed him into the nursery. When they got to the crib, Nick waited patiently as Jordan removed the baby’s shoes as if they’d put her down as a team many times before today. She let Nick do the honors of gently laying her in the crib.
It was the first time in his life, he’d ever put a baby down for a nap. The gesture felt a little awkward, but after watching Jordan, he felt he could handle it. As he stepped back from the bed, he watched as her little puckered mouth made sucking motions in her sleep. He took a deep breath and noticed Jordan’s astonished stare. He shrugged. “I’ve watched you enough.” They backed out of the room, Jordan shaking her head, while Nick felt a contentment he’d never known existed.
While Hutton slept, he unloaded the car and busied himself removing the baseboards from the upstairs bathroom where he intended to replace the drywall. As he pried loose the rotted wood, he considered their morning together. Even when Hutton had gotten cranky, her crying hadn’t bothered him. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed shopping with a woman and doing such ordinary things.
But what would happen when Jordan found out he’d known Scott? That would ruin everything. His lies would surface and she’d look at him different then, for sure.
As he finished gutting the bathroom and cleaning up the mess, bagging the debris to take out to the trash
pile, he decided not to think about it. He wouldn’t think about Scott not when he couldn’t stop thinking about getting Jordan into bed, couldn’t stop thinking about how she’d felt against him. Jordan was unlike any woman he’d ever known. She had a sweet disposition, a bubbly, upbeat attitude in spite of the year she’d had. And she was a good mother who seemed to have an instinctive gentle temperament with Hutton.
On his way to the trash pile behind the garage, he spotted the box containing the baby carrier sitting beside the SUV. After dumping the trash, on impulse, he dug out one of the bikes from the garage. Slitting open the box he spread everything out on the driveway and began to assemble the baby seat. After getting the device together, he started attaching the seat to the back of the bike.
As soon as Jordan emerged from the house she noticed right off, he’d attached the baby seat to the man’s bicycle. Trailed by Quake, Jordan stood on the back porch and watched him put the final screws in to the bike seat.
He looked up and saw her standing on the porch. Their eyes locked. The man who’d bedded more than his share of women wanted to tell her how much he’d enjoyed their day in town together doing nothing particularly adventurous, certainly mundane, but the insecure man who felt like he didn’t deserve her wasn’t exactly sure how to say what he felt. So, he simply sent her a grin before turning his attention back to the bike, keeping his head down until he’d secured the baby carrier in place. He tested his work.
By this time Jordan had closed the distance between them and stood a few feet away.
“What do you think?”
“I think I’m lucky you were looking for work.”
Promise Cove Page 17
