by J. H. Croix
It was later afternoon now, I was tired, dirty, covered in soot and smelling like smoke. I was hoping to catch a few minutes to talk with Janet, along with grabbing a cup of my favorite coffee. I glanced around at the crowded café. This place was busy no matter what. Summers made it even more so with the tourists pouring into town. Throw some rain on their plans, and every store and restaurant in town was packed.
I headed for the back of the line at the counter. I’d only been there for a second when I heard my name. I glanced up to see Janet standing in the swinging doorway into the kitchen behind the counter.
“You got a minute?” she called.
“Of course,” I replied.
She waved for me to follow her, so I stepped around the line and slipped behind the counter. The door swung shut behind us, muting the low hum of conversation in the café. Janet wore a flour-covered apron and promptly returned to whatever project she was working on in the bakery.
I leaned my hips against a counter running along the wall, facing the stainless steel table where she was working.
“Maisie’s dad still staying here?” I asked, not bothering with the preliminaries.
Janet rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yes, I was actually planning to call you, so I'm glad you stopped by.” She reached for a rolling pin to one side of the table and started methodically rolling out small circles of dough. “Hank seems to think he can stay here as long as he wants. I gotta tell you, I've known guys like him. Give them an inch, and they'll take twenty miles. I told him he's got until tomorrow and then the room is booked.”
“Is it really?” I asked, torn between bitter laughter at how entitled Hank was and swearing at the effect it had on everyone around him.
Janet glanced up from what she was doing with a quick grin. “Yes, it’s actually booked. A family reserved it a few weeks back when they lost a reservation at another place nearby. He’ll have to leave. Did you ever buy that ticket for him?” she asked.
I shook my head, my heart clenching painfully in my chest. Any reminder of Maisie made my heart ache. “No, Maisie wasn't ready for it, so I held off. Why’d you want to call me?” I asked.
“Well, for starters, what the hell is going on with you and Maisie now?”
I shrugged, my heart twisting a little more, my mind flashing to the closed, guarded look in her eyes the other night.
“I don't know,” I said because there wasn’t much else to say. “She won’t talk to me.”
“Dammit,” Janet muttered under her breath as she set the rolling pin to the side and quickly dropped filling in the middle of a row of pastry circles. She looked back up at me while she worked. “She’s not used to having anyone there for her. Her dad showing up is pushing all of those buttons. She might think she wants space, but I don't think that's what she needs.”
“So you wanted to call me about Maisie?” I asked.
Janet shook her head. “Actually no. I heard from my attorney, Robert Marsh, the one who set up Carol’s will and trust for Maisie. He called me because she listed me as the back up power of attorney if needed.”
My gut clenched, suspicion immediately entering my mind. God knows what Hank knew about Maisie’s situation and everything she'd inherited from her grandmother.
“What did you hear from Robert?” I asked.
“Hank called over there. Hell if I know how he got Robert’s name. Robert said Hank was asking all kinds of questions. I'm guessing he got wind that Maisie might've inherited that land and trust fund. My guess is he’s hoping to hit her up for it,” she said darkly.
I kicked my boot against the wall behind me. “Fucking asshole. This is exactly why I wanted him out of town as soon as possible. It's not that I don't want Maisie to have a chance to visit him. I can see she loves him, but he breaks her heart.”
Janet nodded emphatically. “I know. That’s exactly what I'm worried about.”
“I'm not so sure I'm the best one to give Maisie a hint on this,” I said.
Janet eyed me for a long minute. “You think not?” she asked.
A harsh laugh rumbled in my chest, a hint of bitterness rising with it.
“Look, I thought things were going somewhere with us. I know I'm no expert at this kind of thing…”
A small smile curled the corner of Janet's mouth. “No, you're probably not an expert.”
“I’d love to let you lecture me right now,” I said with a small chuckle. “…but we need to nip whatever Hank’s doing in the bud.”
She sobered, her eyes flashing with anger. Hell, anger was coiled tight in my gut just thinking Hank had gone to the trouble to track down the attorney who handled Carol’s will. I didn’t know the finer details, but I knew Carol had owned lots of land. Before her husband passed away, he’d bought up several large chunks of land in and around Willow Brook. Alaska might be wild, but land in this part of it was worth good money. Carol had left everything she owned to Maisie.
As I considered this, I rolled my head from side to side, trying to ease the tension bundled there. “I cannot fucking believe Hank went to the trouble to find out who handled Carol’s will. What do you think he knows?”
“Well, Robert didn’t tell him a damn thing. He didn’t even confirm he knew who Carol was. But who knows what Maisie’s mom told him before she passed away? It’s not like she’d have known how well her parents planning would pay off as far as investments and whatnot, but she knew how much land they owned. He was fishing for info, no other reason for him to be calling the attorney.”
I kicked my heel against the wall behind me again, running a hand through my hair with a sigh. I was trying to imagine how it would go over if I inserted myself any deeper into this mess between Maisie and her dad. I kept picturing her face when he showed up at her door. The sad, weary frustration mixed with the heaviness of guilt. I thought about what I'd pieced together about her childhood since then. Realizing that she'd spent most of her life fending for herself. I wanted to act as her shield, but I knew it was important to her to stand on her own. It made me sick to realize how willing her father was to emotionally blackmail her just to get something out of her. Men like Hank skated through life by stumbling upon luck, and the begrudging help of others. I imagined he loved Maisie in his own haphazard way. But it was in his nature to always look for the easy way to score a buck. I looked back over at Janet.
“You talk to Maisie, and I'll talk to Hank. Do you think she even knows he's been nosing around about this?” I asked.
Janet shrugged. “I doubt it. It's not like she doesn't know how he is. But I doubt she thought he was savvy enough to dig around like this. She doesn't even know how much is in the trust fund that will eventually go to her. I'm damn glad Carol tied it up so tight legally. Otherwise, I imagine Hank would be knocking down doors to get to it. Robert said he was asking a lot of questions. Fortunately Robert had the sense to let Hank run his mouth without telling him a damn thing.”
I took a breath and pushed my hips off the counter. “All right, I'm gonna grab a coffee before I leave. Do you know where Hank is right now?” I asked.
“He hasn’t stopped over here yet, so he’s probably still in his room. You know where to find him. I’ll finish up here and go talk to Maisie in a little bit.”
“Thanks for giving me a heads up. I'll let you know what Hank says. How bad do you think it would be if I went ahead and just bought the damn plane ticket and drove him to Anchorage without letting Maisie know?” I asked.
Janet rolled her eyes. “Not good. I'm gonna go talk to her. Don't worry, I'll take the blame for asking you to talk to her dad. I'll tell her I made you. I would've if you hadn't said yes.”
I chuckled, a kind of sad laugh that was like a small knife to my heart, as I gave a wave and pushed through the swinging door out front. I felt so fucking protective of Maisie. I wanted to make this right for her, and I didn't even know if she would let us have a chance.
Chapter 29
Maisie
I tapped to ans
wer my call. “911, what's your emergency?” I asked.
“Hi Maisie, it's Carrie Dodge again.”
Based on the tone of her voice, she sounded safe so I took that as a good sign.
“Hi Carrie, what can I do for you?” I asked.
“It's Herman again,” she announced.
“Again?”
I bit back the urge to laugh. I knew she loved Herman, but I couldn’t help but wonder what predicament he’d gotten himself into this time.
“Yes, now he’s in a different tree. Do you think you can send the crew out? I hope it's Beck’s crew. He's my favorite,” she said with a sly laugh.
My heart clenched in my chest. Beck was definitely my favorite too. In so many ways. It had been two full days since I’d told him to leave me alone. He’d been tied up dealing with a big fire on the outskirts of town, so I hadn’t even seen him. I supposed it was a good thing he hadn't been around much. At least for me to stay sane. My heart might've shattered if I’d had to face him right away. I was a mess inside. It was causing me physical pain inside to keep my distance, but it's what needed to happen. Every time I thought about any other option, I reminded myself I didn't know what he wanted. If the past was any predictor of the future, I was probably a slightly longer than usual diversion for him and nothing more.
Emotion lodged in my throat, tightening my chest and almost taking my breath away. Every time I tried to convince myself that was how it was and why I needed to do what I was doing, I remembered how it felt to be with him. How it wasn't just sex or desire, how it felt as if we were being bound tighter and tighter, the ropes of intimacy twining around us. Then I would remind myself that was nothing more than my imagination. I was probably making it all up in my head. I forced my attention to my call with Carrie, managing to laugh a little with her about Beck being her favorite.
After radioing the crew, I confirmed with her they’d be there shortly and ended the call. I was instantly restless. I liked to work hard, but with Beck churning through my thoughts the last few days, I didn't enjoy any downtime at work. I spun around, looking back at the row of filing cabinets against the wall. About six months ago, Chief Masters had asked me to organize the last few decades of old files and transition the data into the new computer system. It was a big project and definitely something that would keep me busy for quite some time going forward. I looked up where I left off and got started, pulling the files out, scanning them in and entering the data into the system.
I was deep into the letter C at this point. It had taken me a full six months to get from A to C. The bell dinged above the entrance, and I spun in my chair, relieved to see it was only Janet. Lately every time somebody came in, I half hoped it was Beck even though it made no sense for him to come through the front entrance. That was how much I wanted it to be him.
“Hey Janet, what's up?” I asked, wheeling my chair back to face the front.
She walked to the counter and rested her elbow on it. “Well, I came to talk to you,” she said.
My gut coiled. I didn't know what was up, but I'd been living with that low-level anxiety I always lived with whenever my dad was around. That anxiety was compounded right now with my mixed feelings about Beck and how much I missed him. I'd been working up the nerve to let my dad know that he needed to get on a plane and leave. I’d made the decision myself that I would buy his one-way ticket. He'd been dropping hints left and right that he was thinking about staying. I didn't think I could handle that. I needed the distance and to not feel like he was always looking for what he could get out of me.
Janet's eyes were a little sad and determined. She was quiet for a beat before she spoke. “I'll just get right to the point. Your dad’s nosing around. He called Robert Marsh, the attorney that handled your Gram’s estate for you, asking way too many questions. Robert obviously didn't give him any information, but he told me your dad must've looked up the old property records, because somehow he knows that you inherited several different parcels from her.”
I felt sick and tired as hot tears pressed at the back of my eyes. Why oh why did my dad always have to do this? He seemed constitutionally incapable of not looking for what he could scam from somebody else. It didn’t seem to matter that I was his daughter.
When I didn’t say anything, Janet continued, “I also sent Beck to tell your dad to back the hell off. Before you go getting pissed at Beck, blame me. I know you love your dad, but he’ll yank on those strings of guilt like nobody’s business. I won’t stand by and let him bully you just so he can score some extra money by selling off your properties. God help us if he finds out you have a trust fund waiting for you when you turn thirty-five. He’ll stay here just so he’s around when you have access to it. Beck will stand up to him and save you the trouble.”
I stared at her for a minute before I realized my mouth had fallen open. Even though I’d pretty much told Beck to fuck off, he hadn’t hesitated to help when Janet asked him to. A rush of emotion rose inside, and I burst into tears. I put my face in my hands and just sobbed. I heard Janet hurrying around the counter and pulling up a chair beside me.
She rubbed my back and clucked a little. I didn’t even know what to do or say. After a few minutes, I straightened and dragged the end of my sleeve over my cheeks. Still rubbing my back, Janet looked around.
“Dammit, where are the tissues?” she muttered to herself.
I pointed to the top of the filing cabinets.
She hopped up and returned with the entire box. I tugged one out and blew my nose, taking several shaky breaths before I gathered the nerve to look at Janet again.
I felt like an idiot to fall apart like this. I didn’t quite know what to do. I finally managed to look at her and found her warm eyes waiting.
“Tell me what you need,” she said.
I took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “Don’t worry…”
“Don’t even try to tell me you plan to deal with this by yourself!”
Her eyes were flashing, and she looked genuinely offended.
“I wasn’t going to say that. I was about to say don’t worry about me getting upset about Beck. That’s all. Honestly, it’s fine if he talks to my dad.”
As soon as I said that, a tight spool of tension unwound inside of me. I couldn’t even wrap my brain about what it meant to stop fighting the tide of emotion inside of me. I didn’t know what the future held, but I couldn’t keep the walls up around my heart. No matter what, Beck was there for me. In ways I hadn’t ever imagined anyone being there for me. The least I could do was not slam the door in his face, metaphorically speaking.
“Okay,” Janet said slowly.
When I looked her way, I could practically see the wheels spinning in her brain.
“And then?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. “I swear, you are purposefully obtuse sometimes. And then what about you and Beck?”
My cheeks got hot, and my heart spun a little. I was anxious and worried and didn’t know what would happen next.
“We’ll see what happens next. First, I need to say goodbye to my dad.”
Chapter 30
Beck
“You can’t tell me to leave. If Maisie wants me gone, she’ll say so,” Hank said, a hint of belligerence in his tone.
I’d encountered him on the short walk from the café to the cutesy B&B Janet owned beside it. As such, we were standing on the sidewalk on Main Street for this little conversation. I was fighting the urge to haul off and punch him when I heard someone call my name.
I glanced around and saw Maisie walking toward us from the direction of the station. I briefly wondered why she hadn’t driven, but that mild curiosity was wiped away in the tidal wave of relief that washed through me when I saw her. Hell, it was so fucking good to see her. I completely forgot I’d been in the middle of confronting her dad and jogged to meet her. I forced myself to stop in front of her, holding back the urge to tug her to me and
pour everything I felt into a kiss. It was still drizzling out, the sky slate gray and the air chilly.
Maisie’s wild curls were damp and had fallen loose from her ponytail. Her thick lashes curled against her cheeks, which were flushed pink. She’d forgotten a jacket. I could see she was chilled with her nipples pressing against her t-shirt. She wrapped her arms around her waist. She hadn’t said a word and just looked at me, her wide brown eyes coasting over my face. My heart set to thudding, and need lashed at me. It was pathetic really, how much of a hold she had on me.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything.
“I miss you,” was the only thing that came out. My mouth was miles ahead of my brain and seemed stuck in the gear of blunt truth when it came to Maisie.
Her eyes widened and then suddenly she flung herself at me. I stumbled slightly as I caught her against me. I wrapped my arms around her and held on tight, tucking my head into the curve of her neck and breathing her in. She smelled of rain hinted with vanilla and the sweet scent that was only her. I dropped kisses along her neck, savoring the feel of her skin pebbling under my lips. My cock was rock hard, pressing against my zipper with raw, insistent need. I lost track of where we were until she wiggled against me, a little laugh escaping. I lifted my head to find her face inches away.
Her cheeks were cherry red now, her eyes glistening, and a lopsided smile unfurling across her face. She bit her lip, and I almost came undone.
This woman could bring me to my knees, and I didn’t give a damn.
“Um, we’re kind of…” she paused, gesturing with her hand.
I glanced around to see a few tourists walking by, their eyes curiously glancing to us and away. Her father had disappeared, and I found I couldn’t seem to care about that right now.
“I suppose you’d rather I didn’t tackle you right here in front of anyone who walks by,” I said with a grin.
