Now, as Jake listened to Robyn express her regrets in leaving him, his mind was on Lacey and he wished it was her sitting across from him chatting with him, telling him how special he was. Instead, she had cut him off until he’d proven he wasn’t interested in Robyn. Which made him want Lacey all the more.
Jake frowned. “All we can do is learn from our mistakes.” He picked up a roll and began spreading butter on it.
“I’ve learned more than you know, Jake.” Robyn rested her forearms on the table as she focused intently on him. “I still love you. I hope you know that.”
Now this was going to get awkward.
He must have hesitated too long, because Robyn released a loud sigh and leaned back in her chair with her arms folded across her chest. “You don’t love me anymore, do you?”
His answer was unequivocal. “No. I don’t. I’ve moved on.”
Tears filled her eyes, and Jake had to work hard not to roll his as her display of emotion brought back memories of her reaction whenever she failed to get her way.
“Are you saying there’s no chance for us to get back together?” Her voice shook slightly.
Did she really mean what she was saying? Regardless, he had to tell her the truth. “I’m sorry, Robyn.”
She jumped up from her chair, startling him, and knelt beside him, her eyes imploring as they sought his out, her hands on his arm. “I can’t believe you don’t have feelings for me anymore. We were so good together.”
He stared down at her, his heart beginning to soften. He told himself not to do it. Not to let her get to him. “We were,” he said, his voice gentler than it had been moments before. “But that’s in the past, Robyn. When you decided to leave, that ended it for me.”
Tears overflowed her lashes. “I’m sorry, Jake. Can’t you forgive me? I was wrong, okay?”
Her tears were starting to get to him, but all he felt was pity. Whenever tears came to Lacey’s eyes—and she’d had good reason to have them—she had tried to hide them. Not tried to manipulate him with them. “I’m sure you’ll find someone else.” Maybe she already had. He’d never heard from her after she’d left.
She leapt to her feet, her tears drying. “It’s because of that woman, isn’t it?”
“What woman?” But he knew she meant Lacey.
“From before. The one who made the sandwiches.” She laughed a bitter laugh. “I can’t believe this.” Stalking back to her seat, her shoulders tense, she sighed audibly before sitting back in her seat. “Where did you meet her? At that stupid sports bar you love to go to? Pineapple’s? Is she one of those firefighter groupies?”
Insulted on Lacey’s behalf, outrage pumped through him. “You know what, Robyn? I don’t think it’s going to work out for you to stay here after all.”
Fury passed over her face, but she didn’t speak. Instead, she slowly stood and glared at him, then with her jaw tightly clenched, she said, “I’ll get my stuff.”
Within twenty minutes she’d cleared out, leaving without so much as a good-bye.
Jake stood on his front porch, and as her tail lights faded in the distance, he felt like he’d dodged a bullet.
He was glad Hurricane Robyn was gone.
A smile lit his face.
Now maybe Lacey would be convinced that he wasn’t interested in Robyn. Especially when he told her she was the one he wanted.
Twenty-Seven
He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Lacey’s number, but it went right to voice mail. After leaving a brief message asking her to call him, and saying he had something important to tell her, he disconnected and tucked his phone into his pocket.
He thought of Robyn’s accusation that he’d met Lacey at Pineapple’s. Laughing quietly, he shook his head.
No, but he was going to go over there and grab a beer.
Lacey listened to Jake’s message again. What did he need to talk to her about? He had said it was something important. Worried that he was going to tell her that he was back with Robyn, she put off calling him.
“You know,” Amber said when she caught Lacey listening to the message a third time, “you’ll never find out what he has to say unless you call him back.”
“I know. But it’s getting late, and he starts work early tomorrow.” She chewed on her lip. “But I guess it would be okay to call him at work.”
“I’m sure it will be fine, and if he doesn’t answer, you can leave a message for him.”
“That’s true.” Feeling slightly better, Lacey got ready for bed, then read until her eyelids were too heavy to keep open.
When she woke the next morning, the first thing she thought about was calling Jake to see what he wanted to tell her, but she worried about bothering him at the station. Instead, she sent him a quick text: If you want to call me when you have a minute, I’m available.
To her surprise, he called back within five minutes. Lacey’s finger hovered over her phone, eager to hear what he had to say, while at the same time scared.
She would never know what he had to say until she answered.
Taking a deep breath, she swiped to answer. “Hello?”
Just hearing her voice did interesting things to Jake’s heart. And knowing he would have good news to deliver filled him with cheer. He was in his room at the firehouse with the door closed, grateful for some privacy.
“Lacey. It’s Jake.”
“Hey.” Her tone showed cautious optimism. “Are you at the station?”
“Yep.”
“I, uh, I got your message.”
A wide smile filled his face. “Good. So, I have some news.”
Lacey nearly held her breath as she waited to hear what Jake had to tell her. “Okay.”
“Robyn left.”
Not sure if she was understanding him correctly, but desperately hoping she was, she said, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, she’s no longer at my house. She left. Last night.”
Pure joy burst inside her, but she forced herself to remain calm. “What does that mean, exactly?”
He softly chuckled. “It means you should be convinced that she doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Thrilled beyond words, Lacey’s heart pounded. Was she convinced? Wanting to be, she allowed herself to believe that something was developing between the two of them. Why else would he have sent Robyn away? Wait a minute, had he sent her away? Or had she left on her own?
“Whose idea was it for her to leave?” she asked as she lay curled on her side, her comforter wrapped around her.
“It was kind of a mutual decision, but to be honest I told her I didn’t think it was going to work out.”
It kept getting better and better. An optimistic smile curved Lacey’s mouth. “I’m glad you let me know.”
“I was hoping…” he paused a beat. “I was hoping that you’d come for dinner on Wednesday.” He chuckled. “That puzzle won’t solve itself.”
That puzzle. The one that was Robyn’s favorite. “Maybe we could work on a different puzzle.”
Jake frowned. She had obviously heard Robyn say something about that puzzle being her favorite. But at least she was willing to come over. “Sure. You can pick out whichever one you’d like.”
“I have a better idea. Why don’t I bring one over?”
“That’s a great idea, Lacey.” Jake smiled. That way she would be certain it was a puzzle Robyn had never worked on. “Can I pick you up at six?”
“Yeah. That’ll be perfect.”
“Okay. See you then.”
“Okay. Bye, Jake.”
“Bye.”
Jake disconnected the call, thrilled that things were getting back on track with Lacey.
Lacey set her phone on the bedside table and stretched her arms above her head. She felt better than she had in a long time. Optimism blossomed inside her, and as she considered how much her attitude toward dating had changed, she laughed out loud.
Dating the right person made all the difference.
&n
bsp; As she went over her phone call with Jake, her heart soared with happiness. He had chosen her over Robyn. She could hardly believe it.
She felt so good, she wanted to share her news with someone. To her surprise, the person she thought of was her mother.
She pictured her mom and thought of the last time they’d spoken. Her mother had told her that she could do better than Eric, and though in her heart of hearts she’d known her mother was right, her pride had kept her from listening, and instead she’d told her mother she didn’t need her advice. She hadn’t spoken to her since.
What was wrong with her? Why would she do something like that to her mother—the one person who had always been there for her? Her mother had only wanted what was best for her. Of course she would forgive her for being such a brat. At least she hoped she would.
Lacey picked up her phone and stared at it, her heart racing.
Call her, she thought. Take the first step. You won’t regret it. I’m sure you won’t.
Gathering her courage, Lacey found her mother’s name in her contacts list, and after hovering her finger over the Call button for several moments, she finally pressed it.
“Hello?” a familiar voice answered moments later.
Tears filled Lacey’s eyes and a knot formed in her throat.
“Hello?” her mom said again, then sighed.
Knowing her mom was about to hang up, Lacey took a breath, then said, “It’s me, Mom.”
A gasp, then, “Lacey?”
“Yes. It’s me.”
“Oh my goodness. Lacey. Are you okay?”
Of course she was going to think something was wrong. She hadn’t talked to her in months. “Yes. Everything’s fine. I just…I wanted to call you.”
“Oh, baby. Oh, I’m so glad you called.”
Guilt that she hadn’t done it sooner nearly swallowed her, but she pushed that aside and focused on the conversation. “How are you, Mom?”
“I’m just fine. But how are you, sweetheart?”
At the term of endearment, hot tears pushed into Lacey’s eyes and she took a shuddering breath before speaking. “I’m okay. I moved to Park City.”
“Park City? Why there?”
“I…I broke up with Eric, Mom.”
“You did?” Caution threaded her voice, like she didn’t want to say something that would offend Lacey and turn her away again.
“Yes. And I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you.” Her voice became choked with tears. “I’m so sorry I stopped talking to you. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Oh baby, of course I forgive you. You’re my only daughter. I love you so much.”
Sobbing, Lacey used her bed sheet to wipe her eyes. “I love you too, Mom.”
“Tell me what’s happening with you. Are you living on your own?” She paused. “Are you happy?”
“I’m living with Amber, and I am happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long time.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. You have no idea.”
Lacey lay on her pillow and told her mother everything that had happened since she’d last spoken to her, and when they’d hung up well over an hour later, peace flooded Lacey. Real peace, the kind that came from doing what was right, and as she lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling, it was like a wall around her heart had come down, and she knew she was ready to open her heart to love.
Twenty-Eight
As Lacey waited for Jake to arrive on Wednesday evening, she couldn’t sit still. It had only been a few days since she’d seen him, and since the whole Robyn’s my ex-girlfriend and she’s going to crash at my house for a few days, never mind she’s not incident. Ever since she’d spoken to Jake and had learned that he’d chosen her over Robyn, Lacey hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind.
Now, as she anticipated his arrival at any moment, she felt like she was back in high school waiting for a big date to start. And even though they’d only had three dates so far, it felt like so much more.
A knock sounded at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Lacey said to Amber, who was tidying up the kitchen.
“Of course you will. It’s your hot firefighter.”
Letting a smile burst forth, Lacey went to the door and pulled it open. There he stood with his incredible green eyes and his gorgeous smile.
“These are for you,” he said as he held out a bouquet of colorful flowers. “They have their own vase.”
Lacey laughed as she took the flowers from him and invited him in. “They’re beautiful, Jake. Thank you.”
Glad that she liked them, Jake watched as she carried the flowers to the kitchen table and set them in the middle, happy to know they’d be spending the evening together. “Hi, Amber,” he said to Lacey’s roommate.
“Hey,” she said in reply.
Turning his attention back to Lacey, he was beyond thrilled that she’d agreed to go out with him again. He just hoped Robyn or any other visitors didn’t drop by during their date.
Just don’t answer the door this time, he thought.
Holding back a laugh at the obvious solution, he smiled at Lacey. “You look lovely.” The rose color of her blouse complemented her skin, making her look like she was glowing. Or maybe she was just feeling happy. He hoped he had something to do with that. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” she said, then she grinned. “Let me just grab the puzzle I got.”
This time he did laugh. “Okay.”
Curious what puzzle she’d gotten, when he tried to look at it, she tucked it under her arm with the image facing her body.
“You’ll just have to wait,” she said with a smile.
“Oh,” he said with a grin. “Now you have your own secret surprise.”
She laughed. “Yeah. I guess I do.”
He was fine with that, and as they drove to his house, he glanced at her several times just to make sure she was really there.
Lacey caught Jake looking at her, and each time he did, she smiled at him, and when he smiled back, she thought her heart would burst from happiness. Who knew the possibility of things ending between them would make her come to the realization of how much she really cared about him?
With a side glance of her own, she took in his handsome profile, firm biceps, and overall good looks. But she knew her attraction to him was so much more than physical. She truly believed he was a good man. There was so much more to learn about him, but so far she really liked what she knew. She knew he would do whatever he could to help her—to help anyone. She understood it was his helpful nature that was behind his agreement to let Robyn temporarily move in with him.
Despite that, she was glad Robyn had left.
“Do you know if Robyn found a place to stay?”
Jake looked at her, his head tilted and his eyebrows drawn together. “No. Why?”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed to ask after she’d made such a fuss about her being there, she said, “I just…I heard her say she had no other options.”
Touched by Lacey’s concern—she thought about others, which he loved—before he realized what he was doing, he placed his hand over hers. The warmth of her skin seemed to permeate his soul, and his heart swelled with an unfamiliar longing. A longing to make her his. Kind of shocked by that knowledge, he turned his focus back to what he’d been about to say.
“That’s really sweet of you,” he said. “But I’m sure she’ll be fine. In fact, I have a feeling she did have other options.”
He left his hand on hers, and when she didn’t pull her hand away, his attraction to her only strengthened.
Lacey loved the way it felt to have his hand on hers—his slightly roughened, hers soft, at least on the back. It had been nearly two weeks since the fire, and to her great relief, the palms of her hands were well on their way to healing.
After her first fail at trying to draw, she had yet to try again, but her courage was growing day by day. With her free hand, she held the puzzle she’d bought on her lap, confident that it was completely
different from any that Jake had, and therefore not one that he would have ever done with Robyn.
She thought about Robyn, who obviously wanted to win Jake back, which was probably why she had told him she had no other housing options even if that hadn’t been true. She sort of felt sorry for her, but she had made her choice when she had left town. And Lacey wasn’t going to complain that Jake had chosen her over Robyn.
With another glance in Jake’s direction, and with his hand over hers, her heart blossomed with renewed hope that she just might find her Prince Charming after all.
When they arrived at Jake’s house, and he came around the truck to help Lacey out, it suddenly occurred to her that Eric had never helped her in or out of the car.
Another thing to add to the Jake is wonderful list. He was a gentleman.
“I hope you like what I’m making tonight,” he said as he led her to the front door.
“I’m sure I will.” She softly laughed. “One of these days I need to make dinner for you.”
He opened the door to the house and ushered her in. “Yes you do.”
Lacey loved the promise of his words—a promise of future dates. Then again, Monday had started off the same way. And then Robyn had shown up and everything had gone sideways, so she didn’t want to get too confident.
Wanting to keep her thoughts positive, she turned her mind to the here and now and not on what could happen. Unless that could happen involved good things. She didn’t mind thinking about those.
“What did you make?” Lacey asked as they walked into the kitchen. “And do you need any help finishing up?”
Rescue My Heart: Park City Firefighter Romance Page 13
