“No, tea’s great, but I’ll come with you.” She turned toward him and spoke in his ear over the loud music. Her breath on his neck left chills in its wake. He paused for a deep breath before pushing back from the table then fought the instinct to guide her through the crowd with a hand on her back, as his habit had been with Claire.
“I know you just met them, but this is the best group of people you’ll ever know.” The counter near the kitchen was quieter, taking away the excuse to lean in close to Livy again. A waitress came over and said she’d check on the table’s food.
“Jen is so sweet and kind.” Livy followed Jack’s gaze back to the table of his friends. “Lane is fun and spunky. The guys seem just as genuine and nice as you are. Though I must say, Greg is a lot more laid back when not wearing his apron!”
Jack nodded in agreement.
“I’m so glad I came tonight,” she said.
“Me too.” Jack grinned.
Livy leaned back on the high top counter. She tapped a boot and nodded to the beat of “Friends in Low Places.” Jack couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She seemed relaxed, as if she had let go of some burdens she’d been carrying. Was she more confident about the decision to move? Maybe the city was gradually wearing off of the natural country girl in her. Whatever it was, she wore it well.
“I’ve always loved this song.” She shifted her eyes from the band to Jack and held his gaze. She had to have noticed him watching her, but she didn’t seem bothered or uncomfortable. He relaxed against the edge, too. They listened to the band for another minute before the bartender tapped Jack’s shoulder and presented two large baskets of wings.
They brought the food back to the table, met with rousing cheers. The group engaged in more lively conversation and laughter over the food.
After a while, Jen turned to Livy. “Jack mentioned you bought your grandmother’s old house. We all knew Mrs. Johnson and are happy to see the house restored.”
“Yes, that’s right. I needed a change, I guess. New York chewed me up and spit me out.” Livy glanced at Jack and shrugged her shoulders. Her vague explanation was endearing.
“Whew, mercy.” Hank let out a long whistle. “We’ve all been there.” His head shook slowly as he bit into another wing.
“Felt chewed up and spit out, have you?” Lane shot a sharp look at him.
“Well, um, not by you, dear,” he said sheepishly.
Lane let out a long, tired sigh and rubbed her round belly. “Oh, good grief, I’m too tired to even give you a hard time.” She blew a kiss in Hank’s direction. They may have bantered and poked, but his friends loved each other so well.
“Jack said you visited your grandmother one summer when you were young,” Meredith spoke up. “Did you attend church with her?”
“I visited a few summers, but only played with Jack one summer. And yes, every Sunday I was here Gram and I went to church.” Livy answered.
“I’m pretty sure I remember you being in our Sunday school class. Did you usually wear a white lace dress and a blue bow in your hair?” Meredith motioned above her head as if tying an invisible ribbon.
Livy’s eyes widened and she swatted at Jack’s arm in disbelief. Amusement lit up her face. “Yes, every Sunday.”
“We were all in that same Sunday School class,” Jen added. “Isn’t it crazy to think we all have met before, even if years and years ago? And now, here you are again.”
Jack found Livy staring back at him with a tenderness that both stole his breath and quickened his heart again.
“Here I am,” she whispered.
Here she is.
***
An hour or so later, Greg and Meredith announced they were ready to leave. But Jack hoped Livy would stay a while longer.
“The rooster crows early and the coffee don’t brew itself.” Greg pulled out his wife’s chair and helped her into her jacket.
“I’ve hit the end of my rope, too, darn it.” Lane narrowed her eyes at Hank, who laughed.
“Ah, the night-owl has finally been tamed,” Hank teased. “I’m doubling up on mail routes tomorrow, so I start early, too.”
Hugs were shared between the women. Handshakes between the men.
“I’m going to walk them out. Will you be here when I get back?” Jack leaned in to ask Livy.
She answered with gentle eyes and a nod, making it easier to walk away from her.
Jack followed Hank and Lane to the parking lot to get a tool that Hank had borrowed.
“Jack, Livy seems great,” Lane said as Hank helped her into their car. “I hope you’ll bring her around more.”
“I have a feeling we’ll all see a lot more of her.” A big smile stretched across Jack’s face. Hank closed Lane’s door, and the two men walked to the front of the car. Hank, the most cautious of the close-knit group when it came to serious matters, was also the only guy tall enough to meet Jack eye to eye. He placed a firm hand on each of Jack’s shoulders.
“Listen. I want to see you come out of your Claire funk as much as everyone else, but there’s no need to rush anything. I saw the way you looked at her when she came into the joint. What is it about this girl?”
Jack paused before answering. I just know would do no good with Hank. He was not the hopeless romantic type. He and Lane had dated for five years before he proposed, and that was after making practical lists and detailed plans to ensure he was ready. “I guess we’ll see.”
Hank shook his head, a rueful smile turning up the corners of his mouth, before he got in the car and pulled onto Main Street.
Back inside at the table with Livy, Jen, and Owen, Jack listened to the women talk about Jen’s school. “You’ll have to come to the school and give a painting demonstration to the kids.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Livy dismissed the invitation with a wave. “I’ve never taught before, and haven’t been around kids a whole lot. They’d probably find it boring.”
“You’d be surprised what kids find fascinating, actually,” Jen said. Jack would have to thank Jen for being so encouraging. The two women shared the same sweet spirit. It was probably why they were hitting it off so well.
One summer when he and Livy were kids, they’d come across a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest and knelt over it together. Livy had been so distraught, crying and insisting they place it in an old shoebox and walk it to the veterinary clinic in town. It ended up being fine, and Livy had made Jack climb the tree to put the bird back into its nest. That kindness hadn’t changed in the woman he watched sitting in front of him now.
***
Another full hour passed, and Livy noticed the band’s numbers take on a slower pace. The foursome sat back and listened, sipping on their last drinks. Jack leaned over to her and whispered in a low voice, “Dance with me?”
She turned and stared at him for a long moment. Should she? Lord knows she wanted to. He smiled, eyes soft, and extended a hand to where hers rested in her lap.
What did she have to lose? Here with Jack nothing else existed—not her miserable failed relationship, not her insecurities, not even her uncertain plans for the future.
When she took Jack’s hand, the feeling of his warm skin against hers sent tingles from her toes up her legs as he led them through a sea of tables and chairs.
The dance floor was a small area in front of the band where several tables had been moved out of the way. Only one other couple swayed to the slow ballad. Jack tightened his grip on her hand as he turned to face her and pulled her close. His other hand gingerly wrapped around her waist. Heart thumping against her chest, she needed to distract herself from the intoxicating proximity to him. Livy’s gaze darted from the band, to the few folks laughing near the front door, and the waitress clearing a table. She breathed in the subtle scent of his cologne and felt her resolve weaken. You’re safe. It’s okay. She wasn’t sure if it was her own resolve willing to calm the nerves, or God’s still small voice. But with a deep breath, courage crept in. She tilted her hea
d back and found a mix of tenderness and affection in his handsome face. He pulled their intertwined hands close, too, and they swayed together to the gentle cadence of the band’s ballad.
A dizzying mix of natural familiarity and exhilaration swirled inside her. Could he sense her schoolgirl nerves?
As if trying to create an album of memories of the evening, Livy cataloged his every move. He wrapped his arm around her back a little tighter, pulling her even closer. She squeezed his hand and rubbed his back with her other hand. They moved so slow that the beat of the song no longer mattered. Jack’s hand wandered under her hair and held her neck, silently asking her to look up at him.
There was an intense but gentle desire. His eyes trailed to her lips as their swaying steps stilled. But the last chords of the song faded, replaced with clinking glasses and chatter. No, wait, please. What she’d give for a few more bars to soundtrack the moment. They both looked toward the band, then back to each other. Livy managed a half-smile. Would he have indeed kissed her? She may never know. The band’s lead singer thanked the crowd for coming out and announced they’d return on Saturday night.
Jack shrugged and rubbed her arm. “I wonder if they’d keep playing if I paid them.”
“Thanks for the dance, Jack.” Livy whispered, breathless. She smiled and gave his hand another little squeeze as they slowly made their way back to the table.
“Well, time for us to scoot.” Jen gathered her purse and stood by the time Jack and Livy reached them. “My mom’s got the kids, and it’s getting late.”
The two women embraced and agreed to get together sometime soon for coffee. From the corner of her eye, Livy watched Owen shake Jack’s hand with an accompanying sly grin. “So glad we had the chance to meet Livy. She’s really great.”
The four walked out together, then Jack and Livy waved to Owen and Jen as they pulled out of the parking lot.
“Mind giving me a ride back to the inn?” Livy turned to Jack, rubbing her hands together in the chilly night air. “I walked here not thinking of the walk back. Guess I was also counting on your chivalry.” They both laughed at her honesty.
“Of course. My truck is right over there.” They walked the short distance across the parking lot, lit only by the yellow glow of the bar’s sign, in silence. Jack opened the passenger door and waited for Livy to settle on the seat before closing it. She stayed fixed on his tall frame as he circled to the driver’s side and felt the cab rock slightly as he slid in behind the wheel.
“I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed spending time with your friends, Jack.”
“I don’t know what I would do without them. I’m pretty sure you knocked their socks off, too, by the way.” Jack said.
“Oh, sure.” She chuckled.
At the town’s one stoplight, Jack turned to look for crossing traffic. His broad shoulders filled the space of the cab. Her gaze wandered to the hand resting on the gearshift. His hands were gentle—the dance had proven that—but they also appeared strong and capable of taking care of her. She resisted the urge to reach out and hold his hand. Was she looking to be taken care of, protected in ways she’d not been in recent years? There was a fine line between being protected and controlled—if Sam was any indication.
Jack turned toward her, and their eyes met. She only saw desire staring back at her. The back of her neck warmed. Had he seen her concentrating on his hand? The traffic light turned green and cast a brighter hue over them.
Jack made the left-hand turn up the street, and a moment later, they pulled in front of the inn under the branches of a large tree. Bright moonlight shone on the truck’s metallic hood. Jack shifted the truck into park and left it running, the heat continuing to blow toward their feet.
“I’m sure glad you decided to come out tonight.” He looked at his hands now resting on the steering wheel, loosening and tightening his grip as he shifted in his seat. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say he was nervous. How adorable was that? The corners of her mouth turned up.
“Me too. I really needed it after the long day I had.”
“Oh!” She jumped as he smacked the steering wheel and turned in his seat. “I didn’t even ask you how it went at the house.”
She laughed. “It was fine. I got a lot of stuff cleared out from the front rooms, started several piles, and met a really sweet old neighbor who knew my gram. It was a good first day.”
“Well, good.” He let out a sigh, and the truck fell silent again. The windows began to fog up from the cooler air outside and the warmth of the truck’s interior. “That dance was very nice.” His voice lowered again, and he looked right into Livy’s eyes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve danced with anyone.”
“Me too, Jack.”
“I’d like to take you out sometime. I mean, I know we’ve spent a lot of time together since you’ve been in town, but I wonder if you’d let me take you out on a proper date?”
“I’d like that a lot.” In that moment, the tentativeness she’d felt before faded to the background.
“Good.” A big grin broke out across his face. “Friday night? There’s a nice steakhouse up on the mountain in Spruce Pine about thirty minutes from here. I get off early that day and can head home to get dressed then pick you up here around six-thirty.”
“Sounds perfect.” Livy rested a hand on his arm.
The hint of passion that rekindled in his eyes made Livy believe that, when he loved, he loved fiercely.
“Good night, Jack.” But something held her frozen in the truck.
He reached for her fingers resting on his arm and lifted them to his mouth, the heat of his breath warming her skin as his lips brushed the back of her hand. “It sure was.” His husky, deep voice intensified the attraction pulling her closer still. But he let go of her hand and reached to open his door, breaking the quiet moment.
Livy released a long, exacerbated sigh as Jack walked around the truck to her side, opened the door, and reached for her other hand.
His shadow enveloped her as his tall frame obscured the yellow glow from the antique porch light. Even though they didn’t touch, his nearness intoxicated her. His lips parted slowly as if about to say something. Instead, he reached for the doorknob, pushed it open, and nodded for her to enter.
“Coffee in the morning? Say around eight?” Hopefully her voice didn’t give away the anticipation of seeing him again so soon.
He cleared his voice. “Yes, please.”
What was he thinking? Was he as caught off guard by their obvious attraction? Was he also fighting urges? The soft shifting of his boots brought her back to the moment as he scooted to let her by. She walked past close enough that her shoulder brushed his chest. Good gracious, what it did to her to be this close. A surge shot through her and she darted her eyes back to his.
“Goodnight, Olivia.” She liked the sound of him using her full name. Very much.
“Goodnight, Jack.” The heavy door shut behind her.
Livy floated up the stairs. With a flick of the switch just inside the door, Room 12 filled with a golden glow. She tossed her key onto the dresser, and the creak of the mattress filled the quiet room as she sat to remove her shoes. What a lovely evening, in such a lovely town, with such lovely company.
Maybe too lovely. From somewhere deep inside, an uncertainty welled up. It was all too good to be true. Something would go wrong, like it always did. People—maybe even Jack—would disappoint her.
No. Things could change. She came to Laurel Cove believing that. She shook away the momentary doubt.
One thing, however, was absolutely certain. There was quite possibly something very special about Jack Bowdon.
CHAPTER
Nine
J ack’s watch read 7:56. His still-damp hair caught the chilly morning breeze, and he shuddered walking from his truck to the inn. He couldn’t wait to see Livy again. So, when Jasper had called late the night before asking to swap his day off, Jack was all too eager to oblige. He’d surprise her b
y picking her up for breakfast.
Waiting in the lobby wasn’t without its risks. He would likely see Aunt Bea, who’d run wild with any sign that something brewed between him and Livy. Truth was, he wanted to keep that close to his chest for now. Thankfully, he had the excuse of checking on a possible repair before coming in on Saturday to do routine maintenance.
“Morning, Aunt Bea.” He found her watering the houseplants around the lobby, floorboards creaking under her feet.
“Jack! You’re here early. It’s so good to see you, honey.” She stood in front of a large philodendron with a few pruned brown leaves in her hand. Her face beamed with genuine excitement.
“I’m just here to check the sink again so I can get a new part while I’m out today if I need to.” He fingered through some mail on the front desk, forcing what he hoped looked like a casual smile.
Aunt Bea’s eyes narrowed with a sideways glance. “Is that right? I thought you’d already done that.” She set a hand on a hip that jutted out from her apron.
“Well, I’m also picking Livy up. We’re going to head over to the Blue Bird for breakfast.” He held his breath, waiting for her reaction. She said nothing, so he continued with more explanation. “She’s not been anywhere but the coffee shop, and I thought it’d be a nice change of pace.”
Aunt Bea failed to hide a smirk. “Well, that’s neighborly of you. She’s a nice girl, isn’t she?”
That was a pretty subdued reaction compared to what he’d expected. “Yes, Aunt Bea, she’s a very nice girl.” Before she could pry any further, he excused himself to check on the leaky pipe under the kitchen sink.
Jack returned to the lobby a few minutes later, wiping his hands on an old rag, just in time to see Livy coming down the main staircase. It wasn’t the first time the sight of her stopped him in his tracks. He’d have to get that under control if he didn’t want to give away his feelings for her to everyone in town.
Livy was casual in a denim button-up over an old T-shirt as bright green as her eyes. Those eyes. Like last night, her hair was pulled back in a loose braid that fell forward over one shoulder. How different Livy and Claire were in this respect. Jack never understood the need for all that fuss.
Someplace Familiar (Laurel Cove Romance Book 1) Page 9
