Jake's Return

by Liana Laverentz

  Idly, she reached up to rub the silver heart he'd given her so long ago between her thumb and forefinger, the way she often had when thinking of Jake. She hadn't worn it in years, for that very reason. But tonight she'd been looking for connections, not this cold distance he was hell bent on keeping between them.

  "Aren't you going in?"

  Rebecca jumped at the sound of Jake's voice next to her ear. How long had she been standing there, lost in thought? Her breath caught as she realized he'd left everything but his cut-offs behind. Oh no. A half-naked Jake was not conducive to discussing anything rationally. To talking, period.

  "Sure.” She turned away, peeled off her shorts and shirt, and slid out of her sandals. Beneath her clothes, she'd worn her black lap-swimming suit. Behind her, she could feel Jake slip into a panther-like alertness that did nothing to ease her already escalating pulse rate at the idea of him watching her undress, however innocently. She dropped her shorts, shirt and towel on a lounge chair and headed for the diving board. Without looking back at Jake, she stepped onto the board, paused to collect herself, then executed a surprisingly flawless dive, considering how rattled she felt.

  The water felt frigid against her flushed skin. Brisk. Stimulating. She came up for air at the shallow end, and slicked her hair back, to find Jake still watching her.

  Lord. How was she supposed to breathe, much less think, with him looking like sin defined and scowling down at her like some dark-eyed warrior from the past? Had she truly done the right thing, keeping Katie a secret all these years? Or had she done it to protect herself?

  "Coming in?"

  "Right behind you."

  He followed her example and made a graceful arc off the diving board, then joined her in the shallow end. Watching his muscles bunch and ripple as he came up for air and slicked his own hair back made her feel hot and flushed all over again.

  His eyes locked onto hers and turned dark as coal. She shivered in a purely elemental response. He smiled an almost predatory smile.

  "Mom! How about a game of keep away?"

  She looked over to where Katie stood in the water watching them, holding a beach ball and wearing a half-confused, half-hopeful expression.

  "Sounds good,” Jake said. “I'll take the deep end."

  Half an hour later, Rebecca called an end to the game when she realized Katie spent very little time holding the ball. Her usually very competitive and agile daughter had managed to mis-throw the beach ball more times than she had all summer, leading Jake and Rebecca to bump bodies with unnerving frequency as they scrambled to keep the ball away from each other.

  Rebecca's budding suspicions about her daughter went into full bloom when Katie pulled herself out of the pool and announced she needed to call Jenna. Before Rebecca could even consider what to do next, Katie was gone and Jake was closing in on her like a shark.

  He broke through the surface three feet away from the corner she'd retreated to, to catch her breath. He flashed her a killer smile, then glided closer, still smiling. “Alone at last."

  Her arms resting on the decking behind her, Rebecca realized she was trapped.

  "Not that I'm complaining,” Jake said, still smiling. “I haven't had that much fun in years."

  The almost speculative look in his eyes told Rebecca his mood might have improved during the game, but he hadn't been any more oblivious to the amount of body contact they'd made during the game than she had. The knowledge sent a fresh current of awareness humming through her veins.

  Jake leaned his head back and looked up at the stars. “God, this water feels great. Brings back a lot of memories."

  Rebecca sent him a droll look, all too aware she'd had nothing to do with those memories. Many a night she'd heard muffled giggles and quiet splashes in the dark pool after midnight, and had known it was Jake and his on again, off again girlfriend Mimi Modano. They'd come by when her mother was out, and Aunt Martha was asleep.

  He caught her expression, and smiled a slow, knowing smile. “So tell me,” he said, as he edged closer and sent her pulse rate soaring. “Were you ever jealous of Mimi?"

  "No. At the time I was disgusted.” And heartsick.

  "Why?"

  "She couldn't keep her hands off of you."

  His smile turned fondly reminiscent. “I remember."

  "I believe that's why you dated her."

  "We never dated, Becca, we just..."

  "I know what you did with her, Jake."

  "Good. Then this won't come as a surprise.” The next thing she knew, he'd braced his arms on either side of her and was kissing her. Gently, tenderly, with sweetness and finesse. No other part of their bodies touched as he made love to her mouth with an erotic thoroughness that rocked her senses. Rebecca considered lowering her arms from the decking, then realized if she did, she'd either have to hold onto Jake or go under.

  Either way, she was sunk.

  Long moments later, Jake pulled back, leaving Rebecca feeling dazed and disoriented. “I've missed you, Becca."

  She didn't say anything. When he leaned back to see her expression, she stared at him, totally confused. “What do you want from me, Jake?"

  "More of this.” His mouth found hers again and without thinking, she reached for him, reached for the dream she'd denied herself for what suddenly felt like every day for the past eighteen years. Jake groaned and deepened the kiss, adding a note of pure possessiveness. Rebecca wrapped her legs around his waist in response, with no thought for anything beyond the moment.

  And what a delicious moment it was. Supporting them with one hand on the edge of the pool, Jake slid his free hand between them to palm a full, aching breast. Rebecca moaned, just as the floodlight at the top of the stairs to the apartment flashed on. A split-second later the storm door opened and shut.

  "Mom?” Katie called uncertainly.

  Rebecca released Jake so fast she went under. He caught her beneath her arms, but not before she got a snootful of water. She came up sputtering and coughing and feeling like an absolute idiot.

  "Mom? You okay?” Katie asked, running down the stairs.

  "She'll be fine, Katie,” Jake quickly reassured her over his shoulder as he discreetly straightened the top of Rebecca's bathing suit. “She just, ah, swallowed some water.” His voice sounded rough as gravel.

  Katie came to a halt on the decking beside them. “Jenna's mom's on the phone. She wants to talk to you."

  Her eyes still watering, Rebecca looked up at her daughter in bleary confusion. “Right now?” She'd only met the woman once or twice. She'd found Mrs. Mueller to be on the self-righteous side, but nothing she couldn't handle in small doses.

  "Why don't you tell Jenna's mom that your mom will call her back in a few minutes?” Jake suggested, guessing Rebecca needed some time to pull herself together.

  Katie's small voice sounded strangely ominous as she held out the phone. “I don't think she wants to wait that long."

  Jake and Rebecca exchanged puzzled looks. He climbed out of the pool, then reached out to give her a hand up. “You okay?” he asked, as he handed her a towel.

  She scrubbed at her face. Her nose and throat burned. “No, I've apparently lost my mind.” What was she thinking, wrapping her legs around Jake's waist in full view of her daughter?

  "Want me to wait around?"

  She looked at him then, and knew what he was asking. She also knew she wasn't ready to discuss what had just happened, nor was she emotionally prepared to discuss their daughter. Not anymore.

  "I don't think so. It's late and ... I need to help Katie get ready for bed."

  Jake lifted an eyebrow, but was kind enough not to point out that Katie seemed more than capable of getting herself ready for bed. “Thanks for dinner, then. And the swim. I enjoyed myself.” He turned and tousled Katie's hair. “G'night, Peanut. Guess it's time for me to go. See you around."

  "See you,” Rebecca managed past the lump of emotion in her throat at the tenderness in Jake's voice toward Katie, th
en turned to climb the steps to her apartment. Once inside, Katie vanished while Rebecca put the receiver to her ear. “Hello?"

  "I understand you're entertaining that ... that convict tonight. Jenna tells me he came over for dinner and a swim."

  Rebecca's stomach took a header. Just what she needed right now. With an effort, she kept her voice calm. “Jake's no longer in prison, Mrs. Mueller. He's out on parole."

  "I don't care what he is. I refuse to allow my daughter to continue playing with yours as long as that man is around. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, exposing your daughter to such blatant vulgarity."

  "Excuse me? Mrs. Mueller, what are you...?"

  "Do you deny you were kissing that man in the swimming pool?"

  Rebecca stared at her telephone receiver in shock. Were her neighbors watching her?

  "I picked up the telephone and distinctly heard your daughter saying to mine, “Oh, my God, Jenna. They're kissing in the pool. French kissing."

  Rebecca's cheeks flamed. “Mrs. Mueller. I ... I don't know what to say."

  "I do. From now on, I forbid Jenna to have anything to do with you or your daughter. Once word gets out you're having an affair with that ... that murderer, I don't think any decent mother in Warner will allow her children anywhere near you."

  "Now wait a minute. I'm not having an affair with Jake. We were just—” Kissing our brains out in the pool, in front of our seven-year-old daughter.

  "I'm reporting this to the town council, Ms. Reed."

  Rebecca saw where this was headed. Right into Avery Dillenger's waiting lap. “Fine,” she said in a calm, clipped voice that barely belied her fury. “You do that. Thank you for calling, Mrs. Mueller. It's been enlightening."

  She hung up the phone and scanned the dark apartment. Katie hadn't turned on any lights. She wandered into the bedroom to place the phone on the recharger, looked out the window and saw that the deep end of the pool was shadowed by the garage, but in clear view of the window next to her bed. Obviously her daughter had known what she was doing all along, had fully intended to watch her and Jake from the window. At least the pool lights hadn't been on. Katie would have gotten quite an eyeful if that had been the case.

  "Are you mad at me, Mom?"

  She turned to find Katie anxiously watching her from the doorway. “No, sweetheart, of course not.” She switched on her bedside lamp. “Mrs. Mueller shouldn't have been listening in on your conversation, and Jake and I shouldn't have been ... getting so friendly in the pool."

  "You like him, don't you?"

  "Of course I do, Katie. We grew up together."

  "Did you kiss a lot then, too?"

  "No. We were never ... we were friends."

  And what were they now? Rebecca had no idea. But she knew what people thought of Jake.

  "Katie, I'm going to change, and then we need to talk, okay?” Five minutes later, Rebecca beckoned her still uncertain daughter to join her on the living room couch. As she wrapped a reassuring arm around Katie's shoulders, Rebecca wished she didn't have to have this conversation. Wished she'd kept her hands and mouth and legs to herself tonight. “Honey, Mrs. Mueller isn't going to let Jenna play with you anymore."

  Katie's eyes widened in stunned disbelief. “What did I do?"

  "You didn't do anything, sweetheart. Mrs. Mueller doesn't approve of us spending time with Jake."

  "Because he was in prison?"

  "Yes. For murder.” She hadn't gone into details before, because she wasn't sure what Jenna might have told her, but it was obvious Mrs. Mueller thought she knew what Jake had done.

  Katie's eyes rounded. “You mean he killed somebody?"

  Rebecca closed her eyes. The very thought pierced her heart. But she knew it wasn't true. It couldn't be. The man who had kissed her so gently in the pool tonight and called her daughter “Peanut” couldn't possibly be a killer. “The jury convicted him, yes. But I don't believe he's guilty."

  "Because he's your friend?"

  "Because I know Jake, and I know he would never hurt another human being unless it was in self-defense."

  "Why doesn't Jenna's mom know that?"

  "Because she doesn't know Jake. She's never met him."

  "Then how can she say he's bad?"

  "She's probably heard a lot about him from other people in town. People who knew Jake when he was younger."

  "Was he bad then?"

  "It probably seemed like it. Jake was pretty wild, and he liked to see what he could get away with. But deep down, no, Jake wasn't bad. He just...” Needed someone to love him. “Needed a friend."

  "So what are we going to do?"

  "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

  "You mean if we stop seeing Jake, Mrs. Mueller will let Jenna play with me again?"

  Rebecca doubted it, but she refused to paint the situation entirely black. “It's possible. But I can't promise you anything. She seems pretty upset. Maybe in time she'll see things differently.” She paused, her heart aching for all of them. “And maybe she won't."

  Katie considered this, then said quietly. “Then I guess I'll have to see Jenna at school."

  Rebecca's eyes misted with tears of pride. “Sweetheart, I'm afraid school's not going to be as easy as it was last year."

  "I know that, Mom. I'll be in second grade instead of first."

  "That's not what I mean. There are other parents in Warner who feel the same way about Jake that Jenna's mom does. Parents who won't want their children playing with you because they think Jake will hurt them."

  "That's so stupid, Mom."

  "I know, sweetheart. But life doesn't always make sense."

  "It's a good thing Jake has us then. I mean, without us, he wouldn't have anybody, right?"

  Rebecca's heart nearly broke. She wondered if she was doing the right thing, dragging her seven-year-old daughter into such a miasma of public rejection. But Jake had been cheated out of so much already. He deserved a chance to get to know Katie. Katie deserved to spend some time with her father before he left town again.

  Smiling grimly, Rebecca kissed her daughter's hair. Her sweet, funny, compassionate daughter, who was about to learn how cruel and unforgiving the world could be.

  "Right. Without us, Jake wouldn't have anybody."

  Chapter Eight

  Jake looked out from under the hood of the sheriff's Blazer and up at the sky for the umpteenth time in the last hour. The wind was picking up and he didn't like the looks of those dark clouds moving in from the east. Once before, when he was stationed in Kansas, he'd seen angry clouds like that, and was lucky he'd lived to remember it. It hadn't rained in Warner since the day he and Rebecca had seeded his yard, nearly two weeks ago. The storm brewing today had all the makings of a twister. No doubt they needed the rain, but not at that price.

  He turned back to his work and thought of Rebecca, getting ready for her Thursday afternoon story hour at the library. Thought of the high, cathedral ceiling, the floor-to-ceiling windows in the north and south walls, the rows of heavy bookcases in between. He wondered where Katie was, who watched his daughter while Rebecca worked.

  His daughter. The idea of it still boggled his mind.

  The service bell rang as Avery Dillenger pulled up to the service pump in a long black Lincoln. Feeney had left to run some errands, so Jake was alone. He wiped his hands on a rag, and prepared to face one of his least favorite people. “Fill ‘er up?” Jake asked.

  "Check the oil, too."

  Jake went through the motions, knowing full well the oil tank would be full. With six car dealerships to choose from, Avery Dillenger rarely drove a car that had more than a thousand miles on it.

  "Where's Feeney?"

  Jake ached to say he'd stuffed him in the drink cooler. “Had some errands to take care of.” He didn't offer to relay a message.

  "I'm surprised he left you alone with the cash register."

  Jake kept washing the Town Car's tinted windows.

  "How long are you pl
anning on keeping up this honest citizen charade, Donovan?"

  Jake didn't answer. All he could think about was seeing a long dark car like Dillenger's quietly dropping off a young boy in the middle of the night. He felt sick inside just thinking about it. But that kind of car could have belonged to any number of people who lived in Glenhill.

  "You may have a half-senile old coot like Feeney fooled, but I know better,” Dillenger was saying. “You're nothing more than a no-good lazy drifter. No morals, no goals, no ambition. Look at you, still pumping gas for minimum wage at the same place you worked as a teenager. I wouldn't be surprised if you've scared off half of Feeney's customers since you started ‘working’ here."

  "If you're done, Dillenger, that'll be thirty dollars.” As Jake had expected, all the gas tank had needed was to be topped off.

  "I find your attitude offensive, Donovan. How can you justify destroying Feeney's livelihood to satisfy your own agenda?"

  This, from the man who'd been badgering Feeney to sell him the station for the past five years, so he could raze it and build a mega-dealership. Feeney had told Jake that ten years ago, Dillenger had picked up the bankrupt Chevy dealership for a song. Since then he'd gotten it in his head to become the car king of northwestern Pennsylvania, and managed to buy out or bankrupt all of his local competition. Now he wanted to consolidate. Feeney had also told Jake that Dillenger already owned the four lots behind the service station. All he needed was the land the station sat on, the pinnacle of the triangle, to make the package complete.

  But Feeney wasn't selling. The station had been in his family for generations and he owned it free and clear. He also felt he had a moral obligation to keep Dillenger from buying it just so he could crown himself king. “You'll have to talk to Feeney about that, Dillenger. I just pump gas."

  Why the man didn't have someone at one of his dealerships fill up his cars, Jake didn't know. He couldn't believe Dillenger kept coming to Feeney's just to harass him. They might be second cousins, but Dillenger had never made any attempt to seek him out before—quite the opposite.