Clearwater Romance

by Marissa Dobson

  “Like you even have to ask. I have a glass poured and sitting on the table inside for you.” She opened the screen door, letting him pass with the boxes.

  “You’re amazing. If Cameron didn’t snatch you up first, I would have fought him for you.” He teased. There was something about Tessa that made him forget his worries. She had a calming vibe that put him at ease.

  “If he doesn’t start getting up with his daughter in the middle of the night, you might not have a hard fight.” She teased back, while suppressing a yawn.

  “Maybe Daddy should be on duty tonight?”

  The screen door opened. “Hey man. I leave you alone with my wife for two minutes and you’re trying to convince her I should have baby duty all night.” Cameron stood just inside the kitchen, his arms crossed over his chest, and smiling at JC.

  “Anything for you, buddy. I’m here to give you more time with your family and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” JC sat the boxes on the counter and grabbed the tea Tessa made him and a sandwich.

  “One day I’ll repay you.” Cameron reached for his black coffee before handing Tessa her cappuccino.

  “Not for a very long time, my friend.” Caring for his siblings had taught JC the qualities needed in a good father. His mother had said he’d be a perfect dad someday, but he didn’t want to rush it. Actually helping his mother raise his brothers and sisters had acted as its own form of birth control. He was almost afraid to touch a woman for fear he’d end up with nine children he couldn’t afford. Twins ran in his family for generations, and in his family there were three sets of twins, leaving only JC and the youngest two as single births.

  “We’ll see,” Tessa mumbled before settling onto the chair next to him.

  * * *

  With Express-Ohh’s lunch rush dying down, Rebecca’s peace returned as well as the memory of the hunk of man that stood before her only a short time ago. Picturing his solid body in her mind, she wondered what injury cut his career short. He seemed in perfect physical and mental health. Maybe he had an underlying mental issue that left him unfit for duty. Regardless of his injury, he was one hunk of man she’d like to dig her nails into.

  Her cell phone’s vibration on the counter pulled her from her fantasy. She leaned forward and read the screen. Dad. Hitting the Talk button, she brought the phone to her ear. “Hi, Dad.”

  “Becca, how are you, sweetie?” His raspy tone came through the line, reminding her of a strong espresso. Maybe it was the strong, rich, flavor of the coffee that made her compare her father’s strength, to her love of espresso. Her father was still full of life, as long as he was away from her mother.

  “I’m good, Dad. What’s going on? You never call in the middle of a work day.” Her suspicion rose.

  “Can’t a father call his only child because he misses her?”

  “Dad…” Rebecca frowned. Something was up.

  “I miss you, and I have a few days off. Why don’t I come for a visit?” There was a hint of hesitation in his voice.

  Her father never took time off work. He only travelled to get away from his wife. It was his escape and Rebecca couldn’t fault him for it. After he retired from the Navy he tried to settle down, to be the man her mother wanted, but all the years of him being away had left a wedge between them. Rebecca’s mother was unwilling, or unable, to give up the bottle for her husband, and he couldn’t stand to be around her in a drunken state. Dad had said divorce wasn’t an option because he loved her.

  “Are you visiting alone or with Mom? Because you know how I feel about that.”

  “Alone. I need to see you Becca. What do you say?”

  She nodded as if he could see her. “Okay. When?”

  “I’ll be there tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” She abruptly stood from the chair, nearly knocking it over.

  “Yeah, if that’s okay. I’m in Denver for a job so I’ll drive up and get a room at Winterbloom Bed and Breakfast. Are you working tomorrow?”

  Her mind raced with everything she’d need to do before her father’s arrival. “No…no, I’m not working. I’m off the next two days. There’s no reason to stay at Winterbloom, I’ve got a guest room. You’ll stay with me. You have my address. What time should I expect you?” She tried to hide the panic from her voice, but her gut was telling her something was amiss. Her father didn’t just drop by for a casual visit, especially not in the middle of a work week, no matter how close he was to Clearwater.

  “I’ll leave first thing in the morning and I should be there around two. We can have a late lunch in Jackson Hole and catch up. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.”

  She caught the edge of sadness in his voice. She was accustomed to hearing him miss her. He had been away most of her life with deployments and training. He had been a good father, better than her mother was a mother, even if he had been absent a lot. “Sure, Dad. I look forward to seeing you…but are you sure everything is okay?”

  Rebecca heard commotion in the background and her father speaking to someone else. “Okay, I’ll be right there.” There was a long pause of silence before he returned to their conversation. “I just want to see you, but Becca I have to go now. I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”

  “Love you too, Dad.” She ended the call and snatched the pen out of her hair to make a list. First, was a spring clean of her apartment, especially the guest bedroom. She tapped the pen on the counter, her mind more on her father than the list. There was something in her father’s words, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. He wasn’t just missing her, he was hiding something.

  Chapter Four

  Rebecca glanced around the apartment again, checking to make sure everything was in order. It had been nearly eight month since she saw her father, and even longer since she saw her mother. Clearwater allowed Rebecca to keep her distance from the problems her mother created, but she hated the distance it caused in her relationship with her father.

  The clock struck two and a knock sounded against the thick wood door of her two-bedroom apartment. She timidly stepped to the door, her heart beating frantically in her ears. Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle.

  Even nearing fifty, her father was toned. His years in the Navy had instilled good values. To this day he worked out at the gym three times a week, and every morning, rain or shine, he went for a two mile run. Rebecca envied his dedication.

  His hair had grown out a little from the crew cut he normally sported. The only sign that showed his age was the hit of grey showing around his temples. The deep brown tan, from hours in the sun, reminded her proudly of the job he took after leaving the military. Instead of deployments and training, he was now an architect, designing and building homes for military men and women who were injured as a result of their service.

  He dropped his small, black duffle bag. It hit her floor with a thump.

  “Dad.” She smiled as he extended his arms wide. He wrapped his arms around her, filling her lonesome heart with love. Clearwater had become her home and she had made many friends, but without any family around, she was lost and alone. Her father’s hug drained away the loneliness and doubts.

  “Becca, I’ve missed you.”

  She wanted to remain in the comfort of her father’s arms, but finally stepped aside to allow him inside her apartment. “Come in. You’ve had a long journey. Do you want to rest for a bit before we go for lunch?” Once the words were spoken she realized how stupid they sounded. Her father had never taken a nap in all the years she’d known him, no matter how long he had been awaken. He just couldn’t sleep in the afternoon.

  He shoved his bag with his foot before stepping into her apartment, and shutting the door. “I’m fine. The drive was good. I left Denver before rush hour traffic. I’m hungry. How about we have lunch in Jackson Hole? I heard there’s a delicious Italian restaurant there, and I know how much you love Italian.”

  “Sure. Let me grab my purse. If you want to put your bag in the guest room, it’s the f
irst door on the right.” She nodded toward the hall leading from the great room.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  Collecting her purse from the kitchen, she slipped it over her shoulder and tucked her cell phone into the pocket of her jeans. She wanted to ask why her father chose now to visit. Was he terminally ill? Had her mother drank her liver to failure?

  As her father returned from the bedroom, she stuffed away her questions. He’d tell her in his own time. Pressuring him wouldn’t make him spill whatever secret he was hiding any sooner.

  * * *

  JC added the last student’s information into the first self-defense class database that was set to start in two weeks. He then pushed away from the desk. It had been a long day and he still had two hours to go. Coffee, that’s what he needed. He considered going to Express-Ohh’s, not just because their coffee was better than the crap sitting in the pot in his office, but also to see Rebecca again. She weighed in his thoughts since their first encounter.

  “JC, got a minute?” Jordan leaned against the doorframe. Jordan, a former Marine, was now retired and settled into a quiet life with his wife Chloe, running Winterbloom Bed and Breakfast.

  “Sure, come on in. I was just pouring myself a cup of coffee, would you like some?”

  “No, thanks.” Jordan sank into the chair in front of JC’s desk. “Cameron asked me to teach a self-defense and weapons training class specifically for business owners in Clearwater. One evening a week, an hour long each, over the course of three weeks. I’d prefer Thursdays, but any day except Fridays works for me. Can you set this up?”

  “Sure. With so many of the business owners being female, it would be good for them to learn basic self-defense. Clearwater is pretty safe, from what I hear, but being so close to Jackson Hole you could have tourists passing through who cause trouble.” JC glanced at the computer screen, checking the scheduled class rooms. “How about Thursday evenings from seven to eight, starting the second week of September? The course will be complete before tourist season.”

  “Works for me. I’m flexible on the number of attendees, but ten would give me more hand–on-hand training. If there’s more interested, maybe we can split into two classes, one at seven and the next at eight. Whatever works in the schedule, just send me a list of the participants so I can tailor some of the training to their needs.” Jordan rose from the chair and nodded toward JC’s coffee mug. “You need the good stuff from Express-Ohh’s.”

  JC laughed and walked Jordan out. He went back to his office and took another drink of the muddy coffee. His stomach rumbled in protest. He ignored it and sat at his desk. Instead of making a run to town to catch a glimpse of Rebecca, he had more work to get done. It was for the best. He didn’t need to be anywhere near her, even if he craved to see her again. Friendship only. He vowed.

  He grabbed his notepad and jotted down the names of some local businesses that might be interested in the new class. He’d create a flyer and head into town tomorrow to get people to sign up.

  * * *

  The Italian restaurant overlooked one of the ski hills, but without snow the scenery didn’t have the same attraction it boasted in the winter. Rebecca arched her back against the booth, trying to ease the tension that had settled there. An awkward silence settled between Rebecca and her father, which was very unusual for her normally talkative father.

  “Dad, what’s going on? This isn’t like you.” She leaned forward, placing her folded hands on the table.

  “I was hoping to tell you after lunch, but I can see it’s unavoidable.” He placed his hand over hers. “Your mother and I are getting a divorce.”

  The surprise of his blunt comment stole her words. “What?”

  “I know this is a shock, but our marriage just doesn’t work any longer. It’s time to accept that.”

  Doesn’t work any longer? Where had he been all these years? Her parents’ marriage hadn’t been good since she was a child. “I’m astonished that it’s taken you this long to realize it.” She shook her head, swallowing all the nasty words she wanted to say about her mother, and about their suffering marriage. “You said you could never leave her, that she needed you. What changed?”

  “Becca, I’ve always loved your mother, that hasn’t changed. But your mother…she’s found someone new. She filed for divorce last week.” Sadness thickened his voice.

  “I’m sorry.” She held his hand, giving it a little squeeze. “Nothing I say will lessen what you’re going through, but you deserve better.”

  “Oh Rebecca, if you could have known the woman I fell in love with.” Her father glanced at their entwined hands before continuing. “Your mother was so full of life. My career stole that from her, and stole the mother you should have had. For that I’m truly sorry.”

  “This isn’t your fault. She made the choice. She didn’t have to stay in a marriage she wasn’t happy in. She chose the bottle over us.” Rebecca wanted to say something else to remove the pain from her father’s eyes, but nothing she said would bring him any comfort. He had stayed with her mother because he loved her, even if she was a mess. Whereas, Rebecca could barely stand to be in the same room with her mother for five minutes without wanting to scream. “What now?”

  “I’ll get an apartment in Denver, it’s central to the airport, and with my job that’s important. Plus it’s close to you. I’m hoping you’ll allow me to visit from time to time.”

  “I never wanted to separate from you. I just couldn’t live like that. Mom was driving me insane. I needed to get out of there, to make a life of my own. Moving to Clearwater has been the best decision for me, made me stand on my own feet.”

  He nodded, his thumb trailing over her knuckles. “I’m proud of you. You’re twenty, supporting yourself, and nearly finished your degree. You’ve become your own woman.”

  “Thank you.” All her life she strived to please her father. Her throat tightened and tears slid down her cheeks. “I hope you’ll visit often.”

  Chapter Five

  JC had been looking forward to Saturday and the town picnic since meeting Rebecca, but now that the day was upon him, here he sat working. Nothing needed his attention that couldn’t wait until Monday, but he was using work to stall going to the picnic. Part of him craved to see Rebecca again, while the other half thought she deserved better than him. She was young and had her whole life ahead of her. While he might be young in years, he grew up too fast. Being the man responsible for his family’s home and a stand-in father for his siblings, his childhood and rebellion years were cut short.

  Before his injury, he longed for a steady relationship—for a woman to settle down with. His fear of ending up like his mother, with children he couldn’t afford, prevented him from taking that step. JC’s family dream was unreachable. He already had a family to provide for…and now he wasn’t a complete man, capable enough to be a husband or a father.

  “JC.”

  He glanced up from the paperwork to find Tessa standing in the doorway.

  “Aren’t you coming to the picnic?”

  “I should stay here. There’s a lot of paperwork that needs to be dealt with and phone calls to return.” He pointed to the paper scattered on the desk.

  “Come on, that stuff can wait.”

  “Not only is my wife beautiful, but she’s always right.” Cameron stepped beside his wife, with Rosie nestled against his chest. Tessa slid her arm around his waist. “Phone calls, seriously? You won’t get any response because everyone will be at the picnic. So come with us. It will be good for you to meet some of the residents. Many of them you’ve spoken to, and now you can put a face to the name.”

  Nodding, JC slid the papers back into the folder and rose from the desk. He followed Cameron and Tessa to their truck, reminding himself his interest in Rebecca was as a friend, nothing more. Who was he trying to kid? Just the thought of her sent his nerves on edge.

  A refreshing breeze brushed his shoulders, cooling his heated thoughts of Rebecca. Waiting for
Cameron to strap Rosie into the car seat, JC glanced back at the shop. In two weeks the place had transformed. The boys had finished adding landscaping around the building. The mature trees around the area brought shade and also gave an appearance they had been there for years instead of only a few weeks.

  On Monday the manager’s flat would be completed. The furniture he had chosen from Country Home Fixing’s would be delivered and he could finally move it. Cameron and Tessa were great, giving him space, but he wanted his own place, where he could relax and not have to worry about being in the way.

  Cameron pulled the truck to a stop not far from where everyone had already gathered. The sun glistened off the lake, gleaming like a diamond in the rough. People gathered on blankets and around picnic tables, while children ran to and fro. A few were even playing in the lake water with their watchful parents nearby.

  JC felt like an outsider, watching everyone having a good time with their families.

  “This is your home now too.” Tessa met his gaze as she slipped the car seat out careful not to disturb the sleeping Rosie from her car seat. “We are one big family here. You’ll enjoy the picnic if you let yourself.”

  It was crazy to run now. He couldn’t sit in the hot truck and wait for them. He was here and would make the best of it. Opening the door, he stepped out and his gaze immediately found Rebecca. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts, a pale pink tank top, and her long, brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. An older man sat across her.

  A twinge of jealousy passed through him, but he had no reason to be jealous. There was nothing between him and Rebecca, even if he wanted to heat up the night with her next to him.

  “Hey, Cameron, JC, over here.” Jordan waved from a picnic table with Chloe and Jennifer.