“I don’t make a habit of doing that. I’m housesitting for my parents while they’re on vacation. They asked me to alternate using their cars. According to my father, it’s not good to let vehicles sit for long periods of time without being started.”
“That’s true. Engines need to be run to keep everything lubricated.”
“What’s the problem with your car?”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m not sure. The engine turns over, but it won’t stay started. I just had it serviced last week, too. It’s terrible timing because I’m supposed to be at The Club Car in fifteen minutes. My band is performing at a charity auction there tonight. The two people I’d call to come get me are already there getting set up, and my girlfriend just left to go to a retirement party for her boss.”
“I guess you’re stuck with me then.”
“That’s not how I’d describe it. If you could give me a ride to The Club Car, I’d be in your debt forever.”
“Will you need a ride home, too?”
“Nah. Harmon only lives a few minutes from me.” He reached inside the backseat and grabbed a guitar case. “I really appreciate this, Violet.”
“It’s no problem. I’m glad I could help.”
* * * * *
As Jackson followed Violet to her mother’s Volvo, he told himself that the pleasure he was feeling at this moment had its roots in gratitude. She was helping him out of a jam. It only made sense that he’d be relieved to see her. What was less easy to account for was the sudden quickening of his senses as if someone had flipped on the power in a building that had been without electricity for a long time.
The trend of his thoughts amused him. He was the last person who needed to start engaging in any serious soul-searching. That road led straight to the past; a place he had no intention of going.
“There’s a downside to riding with me,” Violet said as she unlocked the car and opened the door to the backseat.
“What’s that?”
“The air conditioning isn’t working very well. We’ll probably be at The Club Car before the car cools off.”
“That’s okay. You didn’t expect to have a passenger, and I didn’t even ask if I’m keeping you from something.”
She laughed as she got in beside him. “The two cats, five fish, and twenty plants waiting on me will be fine.”
“Do all of those belong to you?”
“Just Bluebell. She was so excited to see another cat until she realized that Jeeves is twelve years old and moves like a slug. Do you have any pets?”
“I’ve got two dogs, very aptly named Abbott and Costello.”
“How cute! My dad is an Abbott and Costello fanatic.”
“As you can tell, I am, too. Most people our age don’t even know who they are. My girlfriend didn’t. I showed her some of their movies, but she didn’t like them.”
“It’s more of an innocent kind of humor that’s very different from the comedians of today. Do you always work weekends?”
“Most of the time, but I try to make it either Saturday or Sunday, not both days. The majority of people looking for houses do so on the weekends. You’re not open tomorrow, are you?”
“No, thank goodness. And I don’t have any catering to do either. I’m taking care of my nephew. He’s only two, but he’s like a little ball of energy. Since my mother’s house isn’t childproof, I’m taking him to River Road Park. They’ve got a really nice playground there.”
“Where did your parents go on vacation?”
“They took a cruise to the Mediterranean.”
“I’d love to get to Europe one day, but there are still some places here at home I’d like to see first.”
“Like what?”
“Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and the redwood forest in California are my top three.”
“When my brother Lance was in college, he spent a summer working as a breakfast cook at one of the lodges in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He said it’s like no other place he’s ever been.”
“My sister has been there. Her job takes her all over.”
“What does she do?”
This was going to be fun. He loved seeing the reaction on people’s faces when he talked about Willow. “Do you know who Sage is?”
“I’d have to be living under a rock not to know who Sage is.”
“Willow is her personal assistant.”
Violet sent him a suspicious glance. “Seriously?”
He held up his hand. “Scout’s honor.” Her laughter brought a smile to his face.
“Talk about a job with perks. I guess you’ve met Sage.”
“Several times. I went to her wedding. Not a lot of people know this, but she got married in St. Marys, Georgia.”
Violet maneuvered around a car and then flashed him a quick, surprised glance. “This is starting to get weird. My friend Holly and her family just moved to St. Marys six weeks ago.”
“If you ever go visit your friend, you might see Sage. She and her husband spend time there when she’s not touring.”
“Is she as nice as she seems?”
“Very much so.”
“It’s gotta be hard to stay grounded when you reach those kinds of heights.”
“That’s where Willow comes in. My sister is a master at keeping people’s feet firmly on the ground.”
“Yours included?” she asked as she pulled into the crowded parking lot of The Club Car.
“She doesn’t have to worry about me. Any idealistic tendencies I had were stamped out years ago.” As he finished, he glanced her way. Violet’s face seemed to have clouded over. She reached over and lightly touched his arm.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It happens every day.”
“That may be true, but I wish it hadn’t happened to you.”
In the face of such sincerity, he hardly knew what to say. Why should she care what had or hadn’t happened to him? He moved to unbuckle his seatbelt, and her hand fell away. It didn’t make any difference. Jackson could still feel the cool touch of her skin on his arm and the slight tremble of her fingers. He’d known she would be a good friend. What he hadn’t foreseen was how much he would like the idea of having her for one.
* * * * *
When Violet returned from dropping off Jackson, she found her sister Leah in their parents’ living room entertaining Bluebell and Jeeves. Like her brother Lance, Leah hadn’t stayed in Columbus. After graduating at the top of her nursing class, she went to work at a hospital in the coastal town of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“When did you get in?”
“About an hour ago. Didn’t Summer tell you I was coming?”
“No, but I’m happy to see you. It’ll be nice to have company. This big house gets lonely at night.”
“I thought you might be on a date.”
Violet hid a smile. Not even the most delusional person could call giving someone a ride a date. “Why would you think that?”
“Summer mentioned that you’d met someone.”
“I meet new people every day.”
Leah grinned. “Do you blush when you’re asked about them?”
Violet dropped her purse and keys on the coffee table. “I’m not blushing. It was hot in Mom’s car. The a/c isn’t working right.”
“Then you shouldn’t mind telling me about Jackson.”
It was sad when a casual meeting with a man caused this level of excitement among her family members. “There’s not much to tell. He’s a realtor who has an office near Second Time Around. I’m not sure why Summer’s getting so worked up about it. He’s got a girlfriend.”
“When I was at Columbus State, I took classes with a girl who married a realtor. He used to send her flowers all the time. We were all so envious.”
Violet laughed. “What does that have to do with Jackson?”
“Nothing, I guess. I was just rambling.”
“How long are you staying?”
Leah lifted Jeeves off he
r lap and stood up. “Until next weekend. I was supposed to go to the mountains with a couple friends for the 4th, but it didn’t work out. Are you in the mood for Italian? I picked up some eggplant parmesan and Caesar salad for dinner.”
“That sounds great. I haven’t had time to go to the store this week. Did you happen to get any cannoli?” Violet asked as she followed Leah into the kitchen.
“Sure did. I remembered how much you like it.” She reached into the refrigerator and pulled out two containers. “I’ll warm up the food if you’ll fix the drinks.”
“All I’ve got is tea.”
“That’s fine.”
Ten minutes later they were sitting down at the table.
Leah passed Violet the salad bowl. “Is Summer up to her usual tricks, or do you like this guy?”
“Does it matter? As I told you, he’s not available. And before you say anything else, I’ve seen his girlfriend. If she’s the kind of woman he likes, he won’t be interested in me.”
“You can’t go by that.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Men stop in their tracks when they see you coming. I blend into the background no matter what angle I’m viewed from.”
Leah shook her head. “That’s just silly, Violet. Comments like that were understandable when you were fifteen, but you’re an adult now. It’s time to stop being so negative and take responsibility for your part in this.”
“My part? What have I done?”
“You’ve got this…distorted view of yourself, and it’s not healthy. Stop looking for nonexistent flaws, and stop comparing yourself to everyone else. Embrace what makes you unique, and most of all, learn to love yourself. There’s nothing more attractive to a man than a woman who’s happy with who she is.”
Violet resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Just what she needed. Another lecture from someone who didn’t have a clue what it was like to be plain. The research spoke for itself. There was a reason most commercials, movies, and television shows featured beautiful people. No use pointing this out. It was easier to agree that it was all a matter of changing her own mindset, and then ‘ta-dah’ everyone would magically follow her lead. There would be a line of men waiting outside her door. This wasn’t Hollywood. This was the real world.
“I’m babysitting Micah tomorrow.”
Leah laughed. “That was a not-so-smooth change of subject. I must be getting a little too close to the truth. What’s April doing?”
“She and Barry are going to Atlanta to visit friends.”
“What’s your plan for keeping the little terror entertained?”
Violet smiled at this description of their nephew. “I’m taking him to a place where he can’t hurt himself or anything else.”
“Good thinking. This house is definitely not childproof.”
After dinner, Leah went for a walk to stretch her legs from sitting in the car all afternoon. Violet picked up Jeeves and smiled as Bluebell jumped off the couch, determined not to be left behind. When she entered the bedroom where she’d spent so many hours of her life, her eyes slid over the paint-by-number ballerina she’d done while recovering from pneumonia, past the ribbon she won in fourth grade for coming in third in a spelling bee, and landed on the tassel hanging over the edge of the mirror.
Rachel lost hers when she threw her cap in the air at their high school graduation. It was still a mystery as to who went home that night with an extra one. Her glance fell to the pictures stuck in the rim of the mirror. Most of them were of her and Rachel. The one where they went as Sonny and Cher for a Halloween party brought a grin to her face.
As she turned away, she caught her reflection in the glass. Leah’s words floated through her mind. Was there some element of truth in her sister’s criticisms? Was she her own worst enemy?
Chapter Six
The idea came to Jackson when he was in the shower. It was put aside and nearly forgotten while he got dressed only to reemerge when Myrna cancelled their plans to meet for breakfast. He was further relieved to be told that she’d decided to go shopping with a friend as opposed to asking him to come along.
Spending a few hours in the park with Abbott and Costello would be more enjoyable than being cooped up in the mall watching Myrna try on clothes. How did he know which blouse looked better with jeans or which shoes made her legs look longer? She looked good in anything she wore, but for some reason that comment was unacceptable. There were degrees of looking good, and an entire subcategory of descriptions for them. It was very confusing.
As for the park, if he happened to run into Violet, he wouldn’t find that confusing. He liked talking to her. Grabbing the leashes, he whistled for Abbott and Costello and headed out the back door.
The first two times he passed by the parking lot, there was no sign of Leonie or the Volvo. He downplayed the disappointment he felt. It had been a long shot anyway. A call from his mother gave his thoughts an entirely different - and not altogether welcome - direction.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Are you too busy these days to return phone calls?”
“I’m sorry about that. I was with clients when you called yesterday afternoon. Then I had a problem with my car, and I was out late with the band. I should have called you after I got home, but I was wiped out.”
“You’re always going somewhere. Don’t you ever take a night off?”
“Occasionally.”
There was a short pause and then, “Do you keep in contact with her?”
There was only one ‘her’. Jackson could feel himself stiffening. “If I answer your question, are you prepared to give me the same courtesy?”
“The situations are in no way the same.”
“You’re right about that,” he said after a moment.
“I didn’t realize you were still so...so angry about it.”
Jackson stopped to adjust Costello’s collar. The last thing he needed right now was for one of his dogs to get loose in the park. “Anger grows cold after a while. Losing someone you love is an ache that never goes away.”
“Then maybe I was right to call even if by doing so I’ve earned more of your contempt.”
“My contempt - as you wrongly call it - isn’t based on what I’ve lost. It stems from the burden I carry; a burden I had no hand in creating.”
There was another pause, this time longer, which meant she was probably crying. Tears were his mother’s favorite weapon. There was no better way to put a man at a disadvantage.
“How many more times can I say ‘I’m sorry’, Jackson? I never intended this to happen.”
A sigh which seemed to come from the depths of his tormented soul slipped through his lips. “You don’t need to keep saying it. It’s over and done with. We can’t go back and change anything.”
“Something about the situation has changed, and I wasn’t sure if you knew about it.”
What could be worse than what he already knew? “What’s that?”
“Carmen got married yesterday.”
Jackson’s steps unconsciously slowed, long forgotten words floating through his mind. I never thought I’d feel this way about anyone, and I never will again. “It doesn’t matter. She was lost to me long before I met her.”
“Loving someone means putting their happiness before your own. If you still love Carmen, there should be a part of you that can be happy knowing she’s not alone anymore, that she’s found happiness with someone even if that person isn’t you.”
The paradox wasn’t in the words, but in the fact that it was her saying them. “You’re right, Mom. I should be happy for Carmen, and I am happy for her. But defending a decision to withhold information from someone you love as putting their happiness first is where we disagree.”
“You’ll never see my side of this.”
“Which is why it’s best that we don’t talk about it.” He took a deep breath, trying to stop the flood of memories threatening to erupt inside his head. “Willow texted me the other day. She was in Seattle.”
&
nbsp; “I heard from her, too. She sent your father a signed football jersey for someone. I can’t remember his name. Are you still dating Mona?”
“Her name is Myrna, and yes, I am.”
“Maybe if you’re still together in November, you can bring her to the anniversary party for Carl and Judy.”
A shudder went through him. After what happened last time, he wasn’t sure he could ever bring a woman home again. “That’s a long trip for just a few days.”
“I hope that doesn’t mean you’re not coming.”
“Oh, I’m coming all right. Willow tricked me into agreeing to give a speech.”
His mother laughed. “She’s good at that. I hear someone at the door. It’s probably the UPS guy. Your father ordered another guitar, and he’s not here to sign for it.”
“I better let you go then.”
“I love you, Jackson,” she said, her voice cracking a little.
“I love you, too, Mom.”
His words weren’t empty reassurances. In spite of everything that had happened, she was his mother, and he loved her. He always would. But he could have done without this particular conversation. Finding out Carmen was married didn’t make losing her any better or worse. He could never be with her. What bothered him was knowing he couldn’t say the words his mother so badly wanted to hear.
While he’d been talking, he hadn’t lost track of his surroundings, but he had temporarily forgotten about Violet. So it was something of a shock to look up from putting away his phone and see her on the playground standing next to a woman pushing a little boy on the swings. His glance traveled from her short pigtails to the tan arms and long legs revealed by her tank top and jean shorts. It wasn’t just her smile he’d find distracting today.
He might have been able to sneak up on her if Abbott hadn’t taken exception to a bulldog coming from the opposite direction. The barking turned more heads than Violet’s, but hers was the only one he paid attention to. Her smile was immediate as was the delight she couldn’t hide. Something achingly familiar tightened in his chest. His glance shifted to her companion long enough to notice a slight resemblance between the two women before going back to Violet. She was still smiling, but the revealing look in her eyes was gone. Had he imagined it?
Mine for a Day (Finding Love Book 8) Page 5
