The Heart of Teaberry

by R A Wallace

  “You okay?” Rhys asked.

  “What’s that?” Jax turned around. “Oh, hey Rhys. I didn’t see you there.”

  The two men shared a look. They were both standing in front of a jewelry store the week before Valentine’s Day.

  “Good luck,” Rhys said.

  Jax nodded. He was going to need it. “You too.”

  Rhys opened the door and walked in. He’d never been inside before. It hadn’t occurred to him that there would be so much jewelry. In addition to the long case that ran down the length of the store and separated him from Miles Craney, there were other square glass cases throughout on his side. He gave a sigh of relief when he realized that not everything in the store was a diamond ring.

  “Can I help you?” Miles asked.

  Rhys focused on the man who owned the store. He’d never seen Miles in anything except a suit and tie. Today was no different. Rhys waved his hand in the vague direction of the long glass case.

  “I was hoping to look around.”

  Miles nodded sagely. This was often a difficult time for many men.

  “Take all the time you need. Let me know if you have any questions.” Miles turned to go to his computer. He didn’t want to pressure anyone. In the end, everyone who came into his store had to make up their own mind about popping the question.

  “I do, actually.”

  Miles stopped and turned around.

  “The woman I hope to marry works with her hands a lot.”

  Miles didn’t hesitate. He explained that there were a lot of people who had similar situations. He pulled out some examples of rings and showed the difference with a lower setting for the engagement ring. He also had multi-row diamond rings to show him. Lastly, he explained that it wasn’t uncommon for married people to have a separate, plain band that they wore at work once married. Often, that band was much less expensive. They would wear it without worry of ruining it while at work. They would save the rings they were married in to wear the rest of the time. He also made several other suggestions for Rhys to consider as options.

  It was way more information than Rhys had even hoped for. By the time the jeweler was done speaking, he had a lot more confidence while looking through the options. Instead of having the entire store to look through, Miles had helped him narrow it down to something that would better fit Ava’s lifestyle.

  “Thanks.” The smile Rhys flashed the other man was genuine. Miles had made what could have been a very difficult decision much easier. Rhys headed for the door feeling much better than when he’d arrived.

  His grin grew wider when he saw who was approaching the front door. He held it open for the veterinarian and gave a greeting on his way out, happy that it was someone else’s turn in the fire.

  Casey approached Miles with trepidation. “How’s it going?”

  “The tables are turned, I see.” Miles gave a kind smile.

  “You were always the one coming to see me,” Casey agreed.

  Miles thought of his former furry friend. The old Siamese had lived a long life, but had passed away the previous year. Casey had been there to help him through at the end. Miles had yet to convince himself to get another pet. Maybe soon.

  “What can I help you with?” Miles asked.

  Casey explained what he had in mind.

  Miles nodded his understanding and showed Casey the options based on the given parameters. A short time later, Casey was putting his plastic card back into his wallet when the front door opened again. Casey waved a goodbye to Miles, promising to return on Monday to pick the ring up after Miles made the necessary adjustment to the size. On the way out of the store, he nodded to Everett as he crossed him in the doorway.

  “I know it’s earlier than what you quoted for the pickup, but I happened to be in the area and thought I’d stop by and check just in case.” Everett walked up to the long glass case. He stretched his long arms out, about to rest his hands on the top of the glass case when he thought better of it. If he owned the jewelry store, he’d go nuts trying to keep all the glass clean.

  “Sorry, Everett. It looks like it’s going to be coming in on the day we talked about.” Miles offered an apologetic smile. He had tried to get the ring in earlier knowing that Everett was eager to have it in his hands.

  “That’s okay. You told me at the time you didn’t think you could get it here any quicker. I’ll just have to bide my time until Monday.” Everett turned to leave, then stopped and flashed a self-deprecatory smile. “Just don’t be surprised if I’m waiting for you in the parking lot every day between now and then.”

  Chapter Five

  Seth opened the front door of the Jammin’T and looked around for Jax. Not seeing him, he crossed the restaurant and took a seat in a booth facing the front door. He knew Jax would be there shortly.

  Tyler flipped over the coffee cup in front of Seth and filled it. He checked the front door and saw Jax crossing the street on his way in so he flipped another cup and filled it also. Jax was sliding into the booth a few moments later.

  “Holly has some pie left,” Tyler said.

  “Sounds good to me,” Seth said.

  Jax nodded his head in agreement.

  “You have any trouble today?” Jax asked as he wrapped his hands around the coffee cup.

  “No, you?” Seth watched as Tyler approached with two pieces of cherry pie. He was done with his piece before he realized that Jax hadn’t answered him. He looked over at Jax’s pie.

  “You going to eat that?” Seth asked.

  Jax looked down and wondered where the pie had come from.

  “Yeah, sure. Looks good.”

  Seth reached for his coffee. “Have you thought any more about what we talked about?”

  Jax wiped the pie from his mouth. “Yeah. I agree it’s time to expand. I mean, it’s what I had hoped for when I first started the company. That there’d be a bunch of people working underneath me and that I’d have a whole slew of contracts. Thanks to you, I now have a partner and we’re at that point a lot sooner than I thought I would be on my own.”

  Seth agreed and he was proud of what the two of them had built together. The problem was, he knew he couldn’t take on a whole family until he had something more stable to support them. Expanding the business was the best way for him to do that.

  “Do you have anyone in particular in mind to hire on?” Seth asked.

  Jax shrugged. “This kind of business, I’m sure we’ll get a lot of high school kids and even college kids. It’s a great summer job for them.”

  “We’ll need to figure out a solid training program,” Seth said, more to himself. It reminded him of being a volunteer firefighter. Once everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing, things went much more smoothly and there were less possibilities for injuries.

  Jax thanked Tyler when he stopped to pick up their empty pie plates and top off their coffee cups.

  “I’ll post a job ad at the fire station too,” Seth said. He watched Jax for a moment. “You okay?”

  “What’s that? Oh, yeah, sure.” Jax shook his head. “Sorry, just things on my mind.”

  Seth leaned back in the seat. “Yeah, I know the feeling. Been that way a lot myself lately.”

  “Have you and Jessilyn talked about maybe getting serious?” Jax asked. “I mean, I know it’s none of my business…”

  “No,” Seth said. “I mean, I was planning on it but that’s why we need to get the business really going. It wouldn’t just be the two of us. In addition to Jessilyn, there’s Evan to consider. If I’m going to take on a whole family, I need to make sure that I can support them. Maybe once we see how the summer goes, you know?”

  Seth stared at his coffee cup. Summer seemed like a long way away.

  “Yeah, I see your point. Trina and I are the same way with Jasmine. We’re a family. It’s just… I don’t know.” Jax rubbed his chin.

  Seth looked up. “What?”

  “All Trina is talking about lately is college. It’s like, al
l of a sudden, that’s more important to her than anything else right now.”

  “What? You’re worried you aren’t both on the same page?”

  Jax shrugged. “I thought we were. Last Christmas was perfect for us, you know? We spent it as a family. I thought it was time.”

  “Time?”

  Jax nodded but didn’t meet Seth’s gaze. “I stopped at the jewelry store earlier.”

  “Is that why you switched your route around?” Seth had wondered about that. “How did it go?”

  Seth was all ears. Once they got the business expanded, he was planning on doing the same thing. He leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on the table.

  “What if Trina says no?” Jax said. He didn’t know he’d said it out loud until he saw the look of sympathy on Seth’s face.

  ***

  Jessilyn found a parking spot close to the feed store and moved quickly to get inside. She usually went straight home from work to get Evan from her neighbor’s house, but she had left work a little early to touch base with Dan on her way home. The town of Teaberry was publishing a flyer to promote some upcoming events and it was part of her duties to procure the ads on the flyers. It paid for the production of them.

  “Hey Jessilyn,” Trina said when she saw her enter. “He’s with a vendor on the phone. He’ll be free in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks.” Jessilyn took a moment to catch her breath. “How are things with you?”

  “Busy. I’m taking as many classes as I can this semester. They’re all online, but you still have to do the work.” Trina leaned against a shelving unit at the end of the pet food aisle.

  “You’re trying to get finished up?” Jessilyn could understand that. “I’m sure Jax will be glad when you’re done.”

  Trina looked around and lowered her voice. “You would think that, but he’s been acting a little funny about it.”

  Jessilyn thought of Seth. “Maybe it’s just something with their business.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Jessilyn shrugged. “Seth has been acting pretty funny too.”

  “He hasn’t said why?” Trina asked. Maybe that was why Jax was acting funny if Jessilyn was noticing it with Seth too.

  Jessilyn shook her head.

  “Hey, Trina. Is this the bag you needed?”

  Trina turned to the tall kid carrying a forty-pound bag of feed over his shoulder.

  “Yeah, just put it down there.” Trina motioned between Jessilyn and the young kid. “Jessilyn, this is Cole. He’s a senior in high school. He just started working here part-time.”

  Jessilyn smiled a greeting. “Taking after Trina? Juggling classes and work can be tough.”

  “Oh, it’s okay,” Cole said with a shrug.

  He watched as Dan emerged from his office in the back and waved to Jessilyn. She excused herself and moved through the store to meet up with him.

  Trina turned to Cole. “How are things going so far?”

  Cole shrugged. “You’re taking classes too?”

  Trina nodded. “College classes, yeah. It does get tough.”

  “I thought you had a kid?” Cole said without thinking. He felt the heat in his face as soon as he did.

  Trina smiled. “I do. Her name is Jasmine, and she’s my little angel. That’s why I’m working and taking classes.”

  Cole knew the feeling. As a high school kid, he was lucky that Dan had hired him on in the feed store. He knew Dan had more options than a kid without a lot of experience. It was why he tried to do the best job that he could. He wanted to make sure Dan wanted to keep him around.

  “I know what you mean about classes and work,” Cole said. “I worry about my grades a lot but so far I’m doing pretty good with everything.”

  “It can be tough juggling everything at once but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, I’m trying to get done with my degree as fast as I can now. Once I have my degree, I can get a better job and then Jax and I will be in a better position to get married.”

  Cole looked over Trina’s shoulder and saw a familiar face.

  “Hey, you need some help?” Cole moved away from Trina and toward the other woman. She sometimes needed help loading up her van with supplies.

  Caitlyn smiled her thanks. “Not today, no. I’m just picking up something small. But thank you.” She greeted Trina as she passed her then continued walking to another part of the store.

  Cole turned back to Trina. “What else do you need me to help with?”

  Chapter Six

  Julia closed her locker and turned back to her best friend, Steffie.

  “At least you aren’t stuck with Cole.” Julia rolled her eyes and moved closer to Steffie to avoid getting bumped by the other kids walking through the hallway.

  “Yeah, I have Brent.” Steffie made a face indicating it wasn’t an improvement.

  “At least Brent smiles sometimes,” Julia pointed out.

  Steffie shrugged. “I heard Cole has it rough at home.”

  “That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t enjoy life.” Julia stole a look at a group of guys walking by.

  “I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.” Steffie dug her phone out to check her messages.

  “What do you mean?” Julia had never paid any attention to Cole before. Other than seeing him in the hall every now and then, she didn’t know anything about him. He wasn’t one of the cool kids.

  “He helps support his mom and his brother,” Steffie mumbled as she read a text. She slapped Julia’s arm lightly and laughed. “Read this.”

  Julia leaned over the phone. It was something about another girl in their class. Julia laughed, even though she didn’t really see the humor in it. She figured it didn’t matter if it was funny or not. The girl deserved to be laughed at if everyone else thought so.

  Steffie looked up from her phone and elbowed Julia. Both girls giggled as Cole rounded the corner and began walking toward them. He wasn’t alone. He was flanked by two guys and they were talking as they went down the hall.

  Steffie and Julia remained where they were and watched. They could tell the boys weren’t paying any attention to them.

  “I can’t believe I got stuck with the key man,” Brent complained again.

  “At least it isn’t the newspaper. Who even buys those anymore?” Emilio grumbled.

  “You two are whiners. They’re both good businesses.” Cole opened his locker and switched out some books. “You might even learn something.”

  “Says the guy who got stuck shadowing the mayor of Teaberry. That’s not even a business,” Emilio said.

  “Maybe he’ll get into politics?” Brent joked. “Mayor Cole Vanderen. It has a ring to it.”

  “You two are idiots,” Cole said without rancor as he closed his locker and waited for the other two to finish getting their books.

  “At least he lucked out and got paired up with a girl,” Emilio pointed out. Both he and Brent would be shadowing with other males.

  “Yeah, a lot of good that’s going to do me.” Cole frowned. “I’ll probably end up having to do all the work.”

  “At least she looks good.” Brent slammed his locker. “Even if she doesn’t lift a finger to help.”

  “You always said work was good for you,” Emilio said before slamming his locker.

  “Yeah, but unfortunately not everyone pulls their share of the load. The slackers of the world pull the rest of us down.” Cole began moving toward their next class. “Hey, you guys going to be at the library Thursday afternoon to study for the test?”

  Julia and Steffie watched as they walked away. Emilio and Brent’s responses were lost in the noise of the hallway.

  “We’d better get to class,” Steffie said.

  Julia stayed where she was for a moment, the conversation about slackers still running through her head.

  “C’mon. They’re just jerks.” Steffie began moving away.

  “Yeah, whatever.” Julia frowned and followed her friend.

 
“Did you study for the test?” Steffie asked.

  Julia’s mind was still elsewhere. “What test?”

  “You know. The one everyone has to take?” Sometimes Steffie wondered what planet Julia was on.

  “Oh, that one. No. I mean, why bother, right?” Julia followed Steffie into the classroom. She saw Cole in his seat across the room and gave him a hard stare. He was busy reviewing his notes from the last class and never noticed.

  “It wouldn’t hurt to do well on a test, right?” Steffie muttered, mostly to herself.

  ***

  Cole stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets as he walked down the street on the way from the school to the town administration building. It wasn’t that he hated the snow. It was just that there were more odd jobs available in the summer. He had to admit though, winter wasn’t entirely without opportunities. He had been picking up some additional money shoveling the driveways in the neighborhood around his house.

  He stopped at the corner and looked over at the administration building. This shadow assignment was eating into his work time. They didn’t get paid for it, but it was a requirement to graduate from high school. He had to do it whether he wanted to or not. If it weren’t for the potential loss of income, he may have actually looked forward to it.

  Cole saw the crossing light change and was about to step off the curb and cross the street when a shiny red sports car took the corner a little faster than it needed to. Cole pulled back and muttered under his breath. He checked both directions and then crossed the street, watching the red sports car as he did.

  The red sports car parked in front of the administration building and a figure emerged. Cole didn’t have to guess who it was. The license plate with Julia’s name made it clear. He watched as she dropped a couple coins in the meter then walked briskly up the short walkway to the building. He entered a few moments later and found her standing inside the door. She was using her reflection in the doorway to smooth her hair.

  “Wow, it’s a cold one today, isn’t it?” Julia said.

  Cole stopped himself from scowling at her. He’d walked all the way from the school. She’d walked a few steps into the building.