by Irene Hannon
Jake read the uncertainty in her eyes. “Just give me a chance, Maggie. That’s all I ask. Spend some time with me. Just the two of us.”
Maggie sighed. After tonight, there was no way she could refuse. She might be foolishly walking headfirst into danger, but Millicent Trent was right. Not very many people got a second chance at love. She’d be a fool to let it slip by without even considering it.
“All right, Jake. But right now we really do need to get back. The twins will be wondering what happened to us.”
He grinned. “I think their imaginations will fill in the blanks. They’re probably celebrating the success of their strategy right now.”
Maggie took the hand he extended, and as he laced his fingers with hers, she suspected he was right. She knew that the notion of a rekindled romance between their aunt and Jake made the twins feel hopeful and excited. She ought to chastise them for their unrealistic expectations. But how could she, when her heart suddenly felt the same way?
Chapter Ten
Jake tossed his jacket onto the couch, set his briefcase on the floor and reached up to massage his neck. It had been a day full of meetings as the faculty prepared for the new school year, and he was tired. Classes started in a week and Jake was inundated with lesson plans and paperwork. The latter was no problem, of course. His years in the navy had prepared him for that, he mused, his mouth quirking up into a wry smile.
The lesson plans were another story. Teaching a course here and there during his career in the service was one thing. Planning a full load of classes for an entire semester was another. But not much could dampen his spirits after yesterday’s dinner with Maggie. His heart felt lighter than it had in years.
A sudden thud from the direction of the garage drew his attention. What in the world was his father up to? he wondered, heading out to investigate.
When Jake reached the door to the garage, he paused only long enough to note that Howard was struggling to lift one of the boxes containing his woodworking tools. Then he strode rapidly across the floor and reached for it before the older man could protest.
“This is too heavy for you, Dad.”
“I could have managed it,” Howard declared stubbornly.
Jake didn’t argue the point. They both knew he wasn’t supposed to do heavy lifting or strenuous work of any kind. Making an issue out of it would only lead to an argument or cause his father to retreat into miffed silence. So instead, Jake nodded toward the once neatly stacked boxes, which were now in disarray. “What are you doing anyway?”
Howard stuck his hands in his pockets. “Maggie called. They need some craft items for a booth at the church fair, and she asked me if I’d make a few things. I couldn’t say no, not after she’s been so nice and all since I got here. But I need to set up my equipment.”
Jake deposited the box on the floor and surveyed the garage. There was a workbench in one corner, and he nodded toward it. “Will that spot work?”
“That’ll do. I just need to set up the saw and lathe.”
“I’ll take care of it for you after dinner.”
“I can do it myself.”
Jake planted his hands on his hips and turned to face his father. They were going to have to address the issue anyway, it seemed. “Dad, this equipment is too heavy for you to lift,” he said evenly. “You know that. Why didn’t you just wait until I got home?”
Howard shrugged. “Didn’t want to be a bother.”
Jake’s tone—and stance—softened at the unexpected response, and he reached over and laid a hand on his father’s stiff shoulder. “You’re not a bother, Dad.”
The older man glanced down, his shoulders hunched. “I just feel in the way these days. Maybe I can at least do something productive for the church.”
Jake frowned. Did his father really feel that useless? Maggie had intimated as much, but Jake had been so busy getting ready for school—and worrying about his relationship with her—that he hadn’t really thought much about how his father was feeling. Maybe he needed to.
“Well, we’ll set it up tonight. Tomorrow we can run into Bangor and buy whatever wood and supplies you need. And a couple of space heaters, so you can work out here when the weather gets cooler.”
Howard looked at him warily. “I don’t want to put you out.”
Jake’s gaze was steady and direct. “I’m glad to do it, Dad,” he said firmly.
As Jake prepared for bed later that night, he thought about his conversation with his father and how they’d worked side by side earlier in the evening to set up the workshop, Jake doing the physical work, Howard providing the direction. It reminded him of younger, happier times with his father. Maybe, just maybe, they were finally taking the first tentative steps toward a true reconciliation, he thought hopefully.
He recalled Maggie’s promise to pray for them, and his own conclusion that it would take a miracle to put things right between him and his father. Jake had always been skeptical of miracles. But perhaps he was about to see one come to pass after all.
* * *
“Please, Aunt Maggie?”
Maggie stared at the twins. They’d ganged up on her again, and she couldn’t seem to come up with a reason to say no. Ever since her birthday the week before, they’d been grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat, dropping hints about her and Jake, urging her to call him, to accept his invitations for dinner, to sit on the porch with him when he dropped by unexpectedly in the evening. But she needed some space to mentally regroup after their last tumultuous encounter. Those few minutes in the fishing shed had caused her too many sleepless nights.
“Won’t you do it for us, Aunt Maggie?” Allison cajoled.
Maggie sighed, realizing she’d lost this battle. If the twins wanted her to invite Jake to accompany them to the airport in Bangor when they departed for college in two days, how could she disappoint them?
“All right. You guys win. I’ll ask. But remember, he’s getting ready for school, too,” she warned. “So don’t be surprised if he can’t make it.”
“He’ll make it,” Abby predicted with a knowing smile.
And she was right. In fact, he not only agreed to go, he offered to drive.
When the big day arrived, Jake showed up right on time, dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and a cotton fisherman’s sweater that emphasized the broadness of his chest and enhanced his rugged good looks. His smile of welcome for her was warm and lingering, and the smoky look in his eyes wasn’t missed by the perceptive twins. She saw them exchange a secret smile and shook her head. Hopeless romantics, the two of them.
The twins chattered excitedly all the way to Bangor, plying Jake with questions about his overseas travels, and Maggie was content to just sit back and listen to the lively banter. Between her sleepless nights and the rush to take care of all the last-minute details that going off to college entailed—not to mention running the inn—she was exhausted. Up till now the girls’ enthusiasm had been contagious and had kept her adrenaline flowing. It was a happy, exciting time for them—the start of a new life—and she was pleased that their excellent academic performance had earned them both scholarships to the universities of their choice. Those scholarships, combined with their parents’ insurance money—most of which had been put into a trust fund—would offer them security for many years to come. Their futures looked bright, and they had much to be happy and thankful for.
But late at night these last couple of weeks, when all the tumult ceased and she lay alone in bed, Maggie was overcome with a vague sense of melancholy. For the twins, college was a beginning. For her, it was an ending. Their departure marked the end of the life she had known for most of her adult years. Their laughter and teasing had filled her days, and the girls had provided her with an outlet for the bountiful love that filled her heart. Now they would build their own lives, apart from her, and
eventually, special men would come along to claim their hearts. That was what she hoped for them anyway. She wanted their lives to be full and rich, filled with love and a satisfying career and children. It was just that she would miss them terribly. They had been her purpose, her anchor, and she felt suddenly adrift and strangely empty.
It wasn’t until Abby was getting ready to board the plane that the girls themselves got teary-eyed. They’d never been apart for any great length of time, and now they were heading in two different directions, away from each other and the only home they could remember. Abby clung first to Allison, then to Maggie, as Jake stepped discreetly into the background.
“I’ll miss you both so much!” she said, her voice suddenly shaky and uncertain.
“Call me every day, okay?” Allison implored.
“I promise.”
“Goodbye, Aunt Maggie. And thank you...for everything.”
Maggie’s own eyes grew misty, but she struggled to maintain her composure as she hugged Abby again. She wanted this to be a happy moment for them, not a sad one. “Believe it or not, I loved every minute of it. Even the old days, when you and Allison used to delight in confusing me about who was who.”
“I guess we were pretty bad about that,” Abby admitted with a sheepish grin.
“Well, I survived. I even managed to guide two girls through adolescence at once without losing my sanity. Don’t I get a medal or something?”
“Would a kiss and a hug do instead?” Abby asked with a laugh.
Maggie smiled. “I think that would be an even better reward.”
Abby embraced her, and Maggie blinked back her tears.
“Now get on that plane before it leaves without you. I can’t run after the plane like I used to run after the school bus!”
Abby grinned. “Yeah, I remember. Alli, you’ll call, right?” Her voice was anxious as she hugged her twin.
“Count on it.”
“You, too, Aunt Maggie?”
“Absolutely. Now scoot. The bus is leaving,” Maggie teased, trying valiantly to keep her smile in place.
“Okay.” She hefted her knapsack and headed down the ramp.
Maggie and Allison waved until she was out of sight, and then, half an hour later, it was Allison’s turn.
As Jake watched in the background, giving the two a moment alone, he wondered what was going through Maggie’s mind. She seemed upbeat, happy. But he’d caught the glimmer of tears in her eyes more than once today. And as Allison disappeared from view, the sudden slump in Maggie’s shoulders confirmed his suspicion that saying goodbye to the twins was one of the more difficult moments in her life. She suddenly looked lost—and very alone. He tossed his empty disposable coffee cup into a nearby receptacle and quickly strode toward her.
Maggie felt Jake lace his fingers through hers, and she blinked rapidly before looking up at him, struggling to smile. The understanding look in his eyes made it even more difficult to keep her tears at bay.
“You did a good job with them, you know,” he said quietly, brushing his thumb reassuringly over the back of her hand. “They’re lovely, intelligent, confident young women with their heads on straight and hearts that reflect an upbringing filled with kindness and love.”
How was it that he’d known exactly the right thing to say? she wondered incredulously, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat. In the moments before he’d walked over, she’d been asking herself those very kinds of questions. Had she done everything she could to prepare them for what was ahead? Would the values she’d instilled in them survive their college years? Had their single-parent upbringing provided enough love and support and stability? Had she given them an adequate sense of self-worth, a solid enough grounding in their faith, to sustain them through whatever lay ahead? Jake seemed to think so. She didn’t know if he was right. But hearing him say it made her feel better, and for that she was grateful.
“Thank you. I tried my best. I suppose that’s all any of us can do. And I hope you’re right. I hope it was good enough.”
He draped his arm around her shoulders. “I don’t think you have to worry about those two, Maggie. You raised them to be survivors. But then, they had a good example to follow.”
Suddenly she was immensely grateful that the girls had insisted Jake come along today. His presence somehow helped ease the loneliness of their departure.
“Thank you for coming today, Jake. It was a lot tougher than I expected, saying goodbye. I—I’m going to miss those two! It will be so strange to be alone after all these years.”
Jake turned to face her, letting one hand rest lightly at her waist as he tenderly stroked her cheek. “You’re not alone, Maggie.”
She searched his eyes, discerning nothing but honesty in their depths. His intense gaze seemed to touch her very soul, willing her to believe the sincerity of his words. And she wanted to. Dear Lord, she wanted to, with every fiber of her being! But she had to be cautious. She had to be sure. She still had too many doubts, too many questions. She would move forward, yes. But slowly. Because only time would provide the answers—and the assurance—she needed.
* * *
“By the way, the date’s set.”
“What date?” Maggie asked distractedly as she snagged another forkful of chicken salad. The mid-September weather was absolutely balmy, and when Philip had called and asked her to meet him for lunch at the outdoor café overlooking the bay, she couldn’t refuse. Even now, her attention was focused more on enjoying the warmth of the sun seeping into her skin than on their conversation.
“The date for your show.”
She stared at him. “What show?”
“The show we’ve been talking about for a year—remember?”
“You mean the show I never agreed to?”
“That’s the one,” he verified cheerily, reaching for his iced tea.
Maggie set her fork down with a clatter. “Philip, you didn’t! You know I’m not ready!”
“You’re ready, Maggie. You have been for a couple of years.”
“But...but I never agreed to a show!”
“True. And why is that?”
Maggie bit her lip. “This is too close to my heart, Philip. You know that. I just can’t take the chance. What if...what if I fail?”
Philip leaned forward and took her hand. “Maggie, there’s no growth without risk. You’ve lived a very predictable, quiet life here for as long as I’ve known you. You think things through and try as hard as you can to make everything perfect. And that’s worked well for you with the inn. You have a successful business and a comfortable life. But some things can’t be worked out on a spreadsheet. Sometimes you have to just trust your heart. I know it’s risky. I know how much your art means to you. It comes right from your heart, exposes your soul. That’s why it’s so good—and also why rejection is so scary. But I’m telling you, as your friend and a professional art dealer, that the risk of a show is minimal. I’ve shown some of your work to my friend in Bangor, and he agrees with my assessment. It will be a great opportunity for you to launch a more serious career. I’ll cancel the show if you really want me to, but I think it would be a big mistake.”
She frowned. “When is this show supposed to be?”
“The opening is scheduled for the first Friday in December. It will run for a month.”
Maggie took a deep breath. It was a scary commitment, but Philip was right. If she ever wanted to pursue serious art, she had to make her work available for critique and review. She needed to take this opportunity.
“All right, Philip. I’ll do it,” she told him with sudden decision. “I guess it’s time to test the waters, take a chance.”
He smiled. “You won’t be sorry, you know.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“And what about the other...ris
ky...situation in your life at the moment?” he asked, purposefully keeping his tone casual.
“What situation?”
“Jake.”
Maggie glanced down and played with her chicken salad. “I’m not so sure about that one. It’s even scarier.”
“Well, it would be a shame to walk away from something good just because you’re afraid. And that’s true for everything—from a show to a relationship. Now, suppose I get off my soapbox and change the subject to something less heavy. Tell me about the girls. How are they adjusting?”
The rest of the lunch passed in companionable conversation. But Philip’s words kept replaying in her mind. Was her fear protecting her—or keeping her from something good, as he had suggested? Maggie didn’t know. But as she left Philip in front of the restaurant and returned to her car, she turned to the source of guidance she always relied on in times of uncertainty.
Lord, I’m confused, she confessed in the silence of her heart. I’m starting to fall in love with Jake again, but I don’t know if that’s wise. He hurt me badly once, and I don’t ever want to go through that pain again. But I feel You sent him here for a reason. If it’s Your will that I give our love a second chance, please help me to find the courage to trust again. Because otherwise I’m afraid I’ll let it slip through my fingers. And I don’t want to live the rest of my life with regrets, the way Millicent has. Please—please—show me the way!
* * *
“Pop! Over here!”
Jake turned at the sound of the familiar voice and smiled at Maggie.
“She’s over there, Dad.” He laid one hand on Howard’s shoulder and gestured toward the church booth with the other.
“Well, let’s go say hello.”
Jake was more than happy to comply. He hadn’t seen enough of Maggie these last two weeks, not since the girls left. September was a popular month at the inn, and she was busier than ever, without the girls to help. But no more busy than him. He had been a bit overwhelmed by the workload at school and had been left with virtually no free time. It was not a situation he was pleased about, but until he adjusted to school and her business slowed down for the winter, there didn’t seem to be much he could do about it. He had to take whatever limited time he could get with her. And accompanying his father to the church fair—especially knowing Maggie was working at the booth—was as good an excuse as any to take a break from correcting papers.
