Close to His Heart

by Carolyne Aarsen

  Tess clung to him, feeling a happiness she hadn’t felt in years.

  Just here. Just now.

  She repeated the words to secure them in her mind.

  She wouldn’t have to lay open the shame that dogged her the past few years. She could leave it in the past and truly move on. She could be with Jace. When the painful memories resurfaced, she would do what she had always done: push them back where they belonged. She wouldn’t need to deal with them at all.

  And maybe, just maybe, he would be willing to stay here in Sweet Creek.

  Chapter 9

  “Heard you and Jace went to the lookout point.” Claire said, wringing out a cloth in the sink and then wiping down the coffee machines.

  Tess shoved the mop in the pail and shot her sister an annoyed look. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Claire to mind her own business, but she knew that wouldn’t stop her sister. If anything, it would pique her curiosity.

  “Where are things going with you two, anyhow?” Claire continued.

  “Where they should be.” Tess wrung out the mop. “One day at a time.”

  “With a detour to the lookout point.”

  “We’re old friends. He wanted to talk. That’s all.” She wasn’t mentioning the kiss. Her sister didn’t need to know everything.

  “You sat in church together.”

  Tess heard the faint condemnation in her sister’s voice and felt a sliver of apprehension.

  “It just worked out that way.” Tess wiped up the water she had slopped over the floor, then dropped the mop back in the pail. “Anything else you want me to do?”

  Claire looked at Tess. “You’re not telling me everything, sister.”

  “What’s to tell? You seem to know every bit of my life as it is.”

  “What changed between you and Jace? Once upon a time you couldn’t even tolerate hearing his name, now you’re hanging around with him.”

  “Just because of the fundraiser. That’s all.” Tess wheeled the pail back to the storage room. When she returned, Claire was leaning against the counter.

  “You know I love you, Tess.”

  “I’m not talking about Jace.” Tess grabbed her jacket off the chair and stuffed her arms in the sleeves. She wasn’t ready to explore the tentative place she and Jace had come to. It wasn’t perfect but for now it was a good thing.

  “I know you two used to date. I know at one time you were serious,” Claire continued, determined to give Tess advice whether she wanted it or not.

  “And I know you’ve never been crazy about him,” Tess retorted. “I’m sure you have your reasons, but Jace is a good person.”

  “Jace has his own agenda, Tess—always has. I wouldn’t be a good sister if I didn’t warn you to be cautious. I’m pretty sure you don’t like what he and his buddy Chuck have planned for our town. Those condos? You surely can’t agree with that.”

  “I don’t know...”

  “I do, and I don’t like it. Another thing you can be sure of is that he’s going back to that high-powered city job of his. He won’t stay in Sweet Creek. He’s too ambitious for that.”

  Tess looked at her sister’s expression of concern, and self-doubt skittered across her mind.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” she said with an edge in her voice.

  “You think you can convince him to stay here? Jace has never had any love for this town or his parent’s ranch. You know that.”

  She did, but maybe, since he started working here and since working on the fundraiser, his opinion had changed. Sweet Creek was a good place, and she did not want to think about him returning to the city.

  Back to Carson MacGregor’s company.

  Her cell phone rang, jolting her into reality.

  It was Jace.

  “Hey. What can I do for you?” she said, turning away from Claire and the disapproval she saw in her eyes.

  “Did you get a call from Sheila?”

  “What about?”

  “She said we were supposed to get together tonight to organize the catalog.”

  Tess mentally scrambled over her agenda. “This is news.”

  “Can you come? She said she couldn’t come tomorrow night, and there’s no way I’m going if you’re not there.”

  “Are you afraid?” Tess smiled, relieved that despite the emotions roiling around her insides, she could still tease him.

  “Well, yeah. I’d rather not be alone with her.”

  “I’m at the coffee shop. I’ll be right there.” She flipped her phone closed. “Sorry, Claire. I have to run. Fundraising stuff.”

  “You’re seeing Jace again,” Claire stated with a frown.

  “And Sheila,” Tess said.

  She didn’t need to have any of her own self-doubts voiced. One small part of her hoped, in the tiniest way, that Jace would change his mind. That he would stay.

  But that was for another time.

  For now, it was simple, she reminded herself. Just her and Jace and the now as they spoke of the other day.

  She flung her purse over her shoulder and hurried down the street.

  Sheila was leaning against her car when Tess approached Jace’s office. She wore snug, faded blue jeans tucked into leather boots, and a low-cut T-shirt.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked with a frown, pushing herself away from her vehicle.

  “Jace just called me,” Tess said. “Reminded me of the meeting.”

  “You didn’t need to come,” Sheila said, a snippy tone in her voice.

  “I don’t want you to have to do all the work. That wouldn’t be fair.” Tess gave her a smile that wasn’t returned, and she knew exactly what Sheila had hoped would happen.

  A few minutes later, Jace parked his car beside Sheila’s. As he walked toward them, his gaze caught and held Tess’s.

  She couldn’t help the thrum of her heart at the look in his eyes and his slow smile. “Hey there,” he murmured.

  “Hey, yourself.”

  “Shall we get at it,” Sheila snapped, as she pulled her laptop out of her car. “I have other things to do.”

  “Of course you do.” Jace gave Tess a wink, tugged the keys out of his pocket, and let them in the front door.

  Sheila went in and stalked down the hallway, her hair swinging with every step.

  Jace caught Tess by the arm and tugged lightly.

  “Thanks for coming on such short notice,” he whispered. “You saved my life. I hope you didn’t have other plans.”

  Tess smiled quickly. “No plans and no problem” was all she said, suddenly feeling shy around him. In spite of their shared history, she felt as if they were starting from a new place.

  She hoped it was a better place.

  They entered the room just as Sheila was setting up her laptop. “Let’s get started,” she said, frowning at her computer screen. “We should first make the cards that will go with each item as we catalog them. Tess, why don’t you start with the stuff in the other room?”

  Sheila handed Tess a stack of papers on a clipboard, a pen, and a large envelope, and gave her detailed instructions on how to label and track the items.

  “I’ll help her,” Jace said, heading out the door ahead of Tess.

  He rolled his eyes as he closed the door on Sheila’s murmured protest.

  “I think she likes you.” Tess gave him a teasing smile as she entered the other room and flicked on the light.

  Jace turned her around, placed his hands on her shoulder and gently kissed her. “Now my day is much better.”

  Tess let her eyes follow the contours of his face and traced the scar that ran down his cheek.

  “My day is better, too,” she said quietly.

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Jace stroked her hair back from her face. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too,” she whispered.

  Jace looked like he was about to kiss her again and she pressed her hand to his chest. She wouldn’t be rushed.

 
; “We better hustle if we don’t want Sheila to come here and find out what’s happening.”

  “I think she should find out what’s going on,” Jace said, his tone quiet. Then he sighed. “I guess you’re right. I promised I would take things slow.”

  Tess opened the envelope that Sheila had given her and glanced around the room. “So, which item should be number 0001?”

  Jace held up a coffee mug. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.”

  Tess laughed, and in minutes, they fell into an easy rhythm, joking about some of the items and admiring others. As they worked closely together, Tess grew more aware of Jace. But she also grew more confident.

  This could work, she thought, stealing a quick glance at him. They could truly start over. Square one.

  She could put the past behind her.

  “I just remembered. Helen phoned,” Jace said. “She wanted some information on the fundraiser. She said she tried to contact you.”

  “Oh,” Tess realized with a start. “I left my cell phone in my car.” She looked over at him. “What did she say?”

  “We were supposed to meet with Helen and I thought we could reschedule for Friday at her place,” Jace continued. “After the fundraising meeting.”

  Tess’s mind went utterly blank. Oh, brother. She was scatterbrained today. She hadn’t checked her calendar this morning. “Sure. Sounds good.”

  Jace frowned. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about the fundraising meeting as well?”

  She didn’t like the emphasis on the phrase, as well.

  “I have it written down,” Tess said defensively.

  Jace held her gaze, as if trying to figure out what happened to the girl who used to remember everything. The girl who used to be told something once and remember every detail a few months later.

  That girl is gone, she wanted to tell him. I no longer want to be that girl who was so determined to be everything to everybody.

  A quick knock on the door gave her a start. Sheila poked her head into the room, her eyes flitting from Tess to Jace. “I’m getting a coffee. Anyone want one?”

  They both shook their heads, and Sheila gave a tight nod. “Okay, I’ll be back in a bit,” she said, disappointment lacing her voice.

  “What are we discussing at the meeting?” Tess asked after Sheila left, thankful that she hadn’t interrupted them any sooner.

  “I got a call from the fundraiser chairman. The speaker we had booked for the fundraiser officially cancelled.”

  Tess clutched the quilt she had been refolding. “That’s terrible news.”

  “I know. We’re working on some of our backup speakers, but it’s not looking too good. Do you think Helen might be convinced to do a longer set?”

  Tess shrugged. “Might be worth asking. She seemed open to the whole idea.”

  Jace smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  He glanced out the window beside the door of the office, then stole a quick kiss.

  Tess’s heart fluttered double-time at the casualness of his touch.

  He’s kissed you before, she chastised herself. But this felt different; time had moved them to this tentative place.

  And what are you going to do when he talks about going back to the city?

  Tess banished the questions that had the potential to ruin her good mood. She and Jace were together right now...and that was enough. The future could wait.

  She shot a quick look Jace’s way as she labelled the quilt. “You don’t seem upset about what’s happening with the fundraiser.”

  “I am, but I never thought we needed a speaker, especially once Helen got on board. The evening was full enough. If Helen will expand her set list, I think people would sooner hear her than a speaker.” He leaned back against the table, his eyes snapping with suppressed enthusiasm. “The other reason I’m not too upset is that I got a call from Carson just before you came here. He wants me to work with one of his most important clients.”

  She frowned as a sense of unease feathered through her.

  He’s never going to stay. Claire’s words were like a premonition now.

  Jace caught her by the hands and smiled. “You look disappointed.”

  Tess gave him a negligent shrug. “Yeah. Just a bit.”

  “You knew I would go back.”

  Tess didn’t reply. She didn’t want to get into a fight over this. Not when things were gelling between them.

  “Tell me how things are going with the condo development,” she said instead. She wasn’t really interested. Like some of the people in town, she preferred they didn’t get built at all, but she was realistic.

  Jace sighed. “I had a meeting today with the Chamber of Commerce. They have a number of concerns that I’ll have to bring back to Carson.”

  “Are many businesses opposed to the plan?”

  “Most people want it moved and reduced.”

  “And what do you think?”

  Jace pursed his lips. “I used to think Chuck was right. That it should be along the river; but now, I’m not so sure. In fact, I was thinking of asking Carson and Chuck to come to town and see for themselves before I go back to Vancouver.”

  “Here? To Sweet Creek?”

  Jace’s mouth kept moving, but Tess heard nothing past the roaring in her ears. The room spun, and she clutched Jace’s hands to keep her balance.

  Only one word resounded in her mind.

  “No.”

  “Tess. Are you okay?” Jace eased her back into a chair. “You look white as a sheet. What’s wrong?” He held her hands even more tightly, frowning.

  She couldn’t breathe anymore. She closed her eyes, dredging up the anger that had sustained her so many times during the past six years.

  “This can’t happen,” she ground out.

  Jace pulled back. “Why are you so angry?”

  “I told you, this can’t happen.” It was all she could manage. She got up and, without a glance backward, ran to the door.

  “Tess. Come back here,” Jace called out. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  I’m such a fool. I knew Jace worked with Chuck and Carson. How in the world did I think I could keep our worlds separate?

  “Just leave me alone, Jace,” she choked out. “I need to be alone.”

  She burst out of Jace’s office and into the street. She didn’t even glance back to see if Jace was following her. She had one focus.

  Get home. Get safe.

  “Where is Tess?” Helen asked on Friday as she let Jace into the warmth of her home.

  Jace wanted to cover for Tess’s absence by making up an excuse. But the reality was, he had been doing a slow burn for the past couple of days. Since she tore out of the office, she hadn’t called him.

  He stayed away from Claire’s coffee shop yesterday. There was no way he would look like he was chasing her down after she took off without saying anything to him. Again.

  Then, this evening at the hall, when Allen Andrews called the meeting to order and Tess still hadn’t shown up, Jace had gotten really angry. Once again, she was shutting him out, and once again, he was thinking about her too much.

  “I was looking forward to seeing her again,” Helen said, her voice full of regret as they walked to the living room. “She’s an interesting person.”

  Jace pulled his thoughts to the present. “Tess goes her own way,” he said, unable to keep the resentful tone out of his voice. He was dealing with a myriad of emotions: anger that he’d been shut out of her life again, and confusion as to why.

  She knew he was going back to Vancouver. Was that what she was so upset about? Did she think he was staying in Sweet Creek, a place that didn’t hold good memories for him?

  Even as he formulated the thought, he remembered some of the comments people had made about his father. How respected he was in the community. How, despite his disability, he was involved in many functions and events. Jace remembered none of that; all he could remember was the lack of money and his mother’s dissat
isfaction.

  Helen sank into her chair, leaning back, her arms wrapped around her midsection. “Charlie said she was a free spirit.”

  Free spirit is putting it more kindly than I would have, Jace thought as he sat across from Helen. But then, he had known Tess as dependable, someone who stuck things out until the end.

  He glanced around the room. “Charlie isn’t here, either?”

  “He’s out feeding the chickens and goats and getting inspiration for the next song he wants to write. He’ll join us soon.”

  Jace pulled a notebook out of his briefcase and leaned back in his chair. “Charlie said you wanted to go over the set list for the fundraiser.”

  Helen cocked her head to one side. Her hair fell away from her face, revealing the lines around her mouth and the fan of wrinkles bracketing each eye. “I take it you don’t want to talk about Tess anymore.”

  Jace wasn’t sure how to respond to this direct comment so he shook his head. “Preferably not.”

  “I’m being forward because I sensed last time that something was going on between you two. In fact, I was sure you were dating, but Charlie said it wasn’t so.”

  Jace wasn’t sure what to do with the direction of this conversation. Wasn’t sure how much to say, but his frustration had worn away his usual guard. “Tess and I had dated,” he admitted. “But it was many years ago.”

  “What happened?”

  Jace blew out his breath as he tapped his pen on the notebook. He looked at Helen. “I don’t know. She never told me.”

  Helen rocked back and forth in her chair, her eyes focused in the distance. “Have you asked?”

  “Many times.” He pressed his lips together. His emotions were getting the better of him.

  “How long were you two dating?”

  “It started in high school. We went to prom together.”

  “High school sweethearts,” Helen said with a gentle smile. “What came after high school?”

  “University. We grew more and more serious. In fact, I had been saving up for an engagement ring.”

  “Why did you break up?”

  Jace leaned back and crossed his arms, his mind sifting back in time. “We didn’t. We’d been working together for the man I’m working for now. We were doing a summer internship at Carson’s development business. One night she worked late, and the next day, when we were supposed to meet each other, she didn’t show.” Jace stopped there. Helen didn’t need a complete rundown of his and Tess’s love life. Or lack thereof.