by J. H. Croix
The view had gone hazy in front of her as she thought about why she’d generally avoided men like the plague. Randy had seemed nice at first. She didn’t trust herself to know if someone was out to fool her just like her mother had been fooled. It had nearly destroyed her mother. Until Travis, no man had tempted her to bother trying. With a shake, she forced her mind to the moment. She needed to get to work.
That evening, she sat in the back of the high school auditorium while Stella gamely played through another piece during recital practice. Piano had turned out to be a saving grace for Stella. She was naturally gifted and loved playing. It was the one activity Janie had managed to nudge Stella into during the first few years after she’d started staying with Janie. Stella had been socially awkward and shy, preferring to be invisible back then. She was still on the shy side, but piano lessons and her subsequent participation in band at school had helped her find friends and gave her something to be proud of.
Janie and a few other mothers took turns carpooling for the kids in recital practices, and tonight was her turn. She used the time to grade homework and plan assignments out for her classes. She finished one stack of spelling homework and slipped it into a folder.
“Hey Janie,” someone said.
She glanced up at the sound of her name and grinned when she saw Ginger Sanders sidling her way down the narrow aisle. Ginger was a speech therapist at school with her. They often took lunches together. Ginger’s straight dark hair was tied back with a bright red ribbon.
She plunked down beside Janie with an elaborate sigh, her blue eyes twinkling when she glanced to Janie. “Grading homework, huh?”
Janie nodded. “Of course. I usually get all caught up when I’m on carpool duty. What brings you here?”
“We had to schedule a few planning meetings for some kids, and Principal Turner decided we should do them after school.” Ginger rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I’ve worked with Nancy for years, but it’s always driven me nuts that she wants to do things after hours.”
Janie returned the eye roll. “I know. God love her, but the few times I’ve been stuck doing that, we’re there for hours.”
Ginger nodded emphatically. “Exactly! It’s almost eight o’clock! Anyway, when I was passing by, I saw you hiding back here, so I thought I’d pop in. What’s up?”
“The usual. You know how busy it’s been at school. Between that and Stella, that’s my life.” As she made the comment, she realized how true it rang. That was her life—work and her daughter. She loved her job and loved Stella to pieces. When she’d become a foster parent, she hoped to simply be able to be there for children passing through rough times. She never forgot that if she hadn’t had a mother who stood up for her and a family to rely on, she might very well have ended up in a similar situation because of Randy. Yet, she hadn’t counted on Stella landing in her lap and almost instantly crawling into her heart. Adopting Stella brought so much to her, and she felt so enriched by how their family had come to be. Yet, beyond that and her own family and friends, her world was a small circle. Travis, who seemed permanently camped in the edges of her mind now, strode boldly front and center.
Ginger arched a brow, yet remained silent.
“What?” Janie asked, crossing her legs and absently fiddling with the stack of papers on the small tray.
“I know it’s never fun to be a topic of gossip, but rumor has it you were at dinner with Travis Wilkes at the brewery the other night,” Ginger said, barely suppressing a smile.
Janie felt her cheeks heat and silently swore. “Are you serious?”
Ginger nodded and bit her lip. “Would I lie?”
Janie sighed and shook her head. “So what if I was?”
Ginger slapped her hand on the armrest of her seat. “Oh my god! You had a date and you didn’t tell me. And not just a date, but dinner with Travis Wilkes who’s eye candy to half the damn town.”
Janie figured her cheeks were practically glowing at this point. “It was just dinner. That’s all.” Yeah, dinner and a kiss to die for.
Ginger leaned back, her eyes sobering. “Look, I figured you’d rather hear the gossip from me than someone else. You gave me the same respect back when I started seeing Cam. You don’t really date, so I kinda thought you might actually like him. All joking aside, Travis is a solid guy. Cam knows him pretty well because he’s one of the back up first responders for the ski lodge if Cam or Gage aren’t available. Don’t feel like you have to explain yourself to me, but you know you’ll hear about it from Becky Wright, so…”
Becky was another teacher at the elementary school. Although she was married and had been for years, she loved drooling over single men and tended to trade in gossip just like this. Janie took a slow breath and wrinkled her nose when she looked over at Ginger. “Right. Of course. If you heard about it, Becky probably knows more about my dinner date than I do.”
Ginger grinned and shrugged. “She knows what crazy story she’s concocted. Anyway, at least tell me if you like him.”
Janie glared at her and then shrugged. “Look, it’s the first date I went on in I don’t know how long. He’s a nice guy, and he’s…” She paused, another wash of heat rolling through her, this one something quite different from embarrassment. The memory of his lips on hers sent desire spinning inside and heat sliding through her veins.
“He’s hot is what he is. I mean, he’s not for me, but he could be for you,” Ginger offered with a wink.
Janie laughed softly. “It was just dinner. Okay?”
“Yeah, but you don’t really do dinner. He dates here and there, but it’s nothing more than way casual.” Ginger paused, her eyes narrowing. “Are you okay?”
On the heels of the unfamiliar desire Travis elicited, Janie felt anxious. She wasn’t used to this. She liked feeling in control. She didn’t like how Travis affected her. For crying out loud, he was nowhere near her right now, and she was thrumming with a need she’d never experienced before, which made her feel out of control and all at the whim of a man. She forced herself to take a breath and caught Ginger’s eyes. “I’m not so used to anything to do with men. I’m a little freaked out I even went to dinner with him. Maybe it seems crazy…”
Ginger shook her head quickly and leaned sideways to pull her into a hug. “We all have pasts and they mess with our heads. You don’t have to talk about it unless you want to, but don’t beat yourself up. I didn’t talk about it much, but I was all kinds of crazy in my head when I started falling for Cam. If you want to talk, just say so and I’m here.”
The tightness in Janie’s chest eased at Ginger’s words. She wasn’t ready to talk just now, but she appreciated Ginger’s no-nonsense, completely non-judgmental support. She nodded slowly. “Thanks. Now’s not the time or place, but thanks for not thinking I’m crazy.”
“You are one of the most rock solid women I know and definitely not crazy.” The music stopped and there was a rustle of sound from the stage. “Looks like practice is over. I’ll head out. See you at school tomorrow,” Ginger said as she stood up from her seat.
“You got it.” Janie stood, collected her papers and slipped them into her backpack before striding up to the stage to wait for Stella and her friends.
Travis walked down the dock at Otter Cove Harbor, looking out over the bay as he made his way to his friend’s boat. A bracing wind was gusting across the water, ruffling its surface and setting the boats in the harbor to rocking in the choppy waves. Otter Cove Harbor was tucked in a tiny cove off of Kachemak Bay. The cove was encircled by rocky bluffs and offered a glorious peek into the bay. He was meeting Nathan Winters to help pull his family’s boat out of the harbor for the winter. Nathan was a good friend he’d met picking up extra work years ago. A few summers of crewing with Nathan and his brothers had eventually brought him to move to Diamond Creek. Nathan and his two brothers ran a fishing charter business that catered to tourists all summer. They also had a commercial fishing vessel, which did several runs a year in betwee
n fishing charters. Travis helped out here and there for Nathan and his brothers because they offered him free charter trips in exchange, a win-win.
Travis saw Nathan wave from the boat ahead as he approached. “Hey man!” he called out once he was within earshot.
Nathan leaned against the boat railing and grinned. “Hey yourself. Damn windy out today. I thought about calling this off, but I figured I had your help, so we might as well.” Nathan’s dark curls blew wild in a gust of wind. He shook his hair away from his face with a laugh, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners.
Travis reached the boat and grabbed a line to tug it flush with the dock. He climbed over and glanced around to see gear spread out over the deck. “Was the plan to make a mess before I got here?”
Nathan’s laugh rang out over the wind. “Nah. Just pulling everything out of the cabin. Come on, I’ve got bins over here.”
Travis quickly got into the swing with Nathan. In short order, they had all the gear emptied from the boat. Travis used a large flat cart to roll everything to the top of the dock where Nathan’s older brother Jared met them.
Jared shared Nathan’s dark curls, but they were paired with sharp green eyes. He was leaning against his black truck and chatting with his wife Susie who had the passenger window rolled down when Travis reached them. When Travis first met the brothers, Jared came across as somewhat serious with an uptight edge. Over time, Travis observed the brothers play to each other’s strengths in how they ran their business. Jared was definitely the detail man. Since he married Susie, Travis had seen his serious edge soften. Susie leaned out the window and grinned widely, her brown curls blowing in a swirl around her face. “Hey Travis! Nathan’s making you do the hard part,” she said with a wrinkle of her nose.
Travis returned her smile with a shrug as he brought the cart to a stop by the truck. “Depends. He loaded most of this, so this wasn’t too bad.”
Jared stepped to the back of his truck and opened it. “Let’s load up.”
As usual, Jared was goal oriented. Travis immediately started transferring bins from the cart to the truck. Susie jumped out and helped as well. Within a few minutes, they had the cart emptied. Susie put her hands on her hips and glanced between them, her warm brown eyes gleaming. “Great job boys! What now?”
Jared glanced over to her. “Now we go unload this stuff up at Nathan’s place. I’ll drop you off at the house first.”
Susie eyed him for a long moment, her grin slowly fading. “You’re not dropping me off. I’ll help,” she replied, a hint of defiance in her tone.
Jared held her gaze for a long moment. “Susie…”
Susie looked to Travis. “He’s being ridiculous. I’m pregnant again and now he wants me to sit around all the time. Could you talk some sense into him?” she asked with a huff.
Travis glanced between them. Jared shook his head slowly, resignation entering his gaze. “Susie, there’s no need…”
“Oh my God!” She threw her hands up. “I’m going to lose my mind if you do this for another six months.”
Travis couldn’t help but grin as he watched them. He’d watched them together time and again, and had come to understand the sparring between them was how they expressed their love for each other. He caught Jared’s eyes. “Not so sure how to help you here.” He flicked his gaze back to Susie. “But, if you’re worried they need help, that’s what I’m here for. I was already planning to follow Nathan up the hill once we got the boat on the trailer.”
Susie rolled her eyes. “There you go, being helpful again.” She stepped to Jared’s side and slipped her hand through his elbow. “Fine. I’ll let Travis help, but only because he’s here to help. Not because I’m pregnant and need to rest.”
Jared dipped his head and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks babe. I’ll cook dinner tonight.”
Travis felt an odd pang. For a flash, he felt as if he was interrupting an intimate moment, if only because of the clear love between them. He couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like if he could have that with Janie. Dude, all you had was one dinner with her. Just where the hell do you think you’re going with this?
He gave a mental shake, his attention drawn back when Nathan called his name. He glanced over to see Nathan striding to the top of the docks, holding a set of keys aloft and jingling them. “You forgot these!” he called out.
Nathan reached them and tossed the keys to Travis. “Meet me at the boat ramp in five, okay?”
“Got it. See you in a few.” Travis glanced back to Jared and Susie. “See you up at Nathan’s place in a bit.” At that, he jogged off.
Not much later, he was standing in the kitchen at Nathan’s place. Once upon a time, Nathan shared the home with his brothers, but Luke and Jared had both gotten married. Nathan had too, but it simply worked out that he remained in the house with his wife Tess. The lower portion of the two-story timber frame home served as the office and storage for the fishing business he shared with his brothers.
“Mind if I wash my hands real quick?” Travis asked, glancing to Nathan who’d just sat down at the kitchen table with a sigh.
“Of course not!” Tess answered before Nathan had a chance. She stood by the counter, her honey-gold curls pulled up in a ponytail. “I just made some coffee for you guys anyway.”
Nathan ran a hand through his hair and waved Travis toward the kitchen sink. “Wash your hands and have a seat.” He glanced to Tess as she stepped to the table with two mugs of coffee in her hands. He took a hearty swallow from the mug she handed him and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Thanks for the coffee,” he said with a wink.
Tess ruffled his hair and slipped away to return to the counter. After drying his hands, Travis plunked down in the chair across from Nathan where Tess had placed a mug of coffee. After a long swallow, he sighed and looked over at her where she was busy chopping vegetables. “Coffee’s delicious,” he said with a nod.
She glanced up, her ginger eyes warm with her smile. “Thanks. Figured you guys could use it after a few hours at the harbor. It’s windy and cold out today. I bet we’ll get snow tonight or tomorrow.”
“Should we bet dinner?” Nathan asked with a wink.
Tess cocked her head to one side and rolled her eyes. “You already promised we’d go to dinner tomorrow night anyway. Plus, actually betting on the weather is silly.”
Nathan shrugged. He tended to look for the joke in anything. He looked over at Travis. “Well, one boat’s out of the water for winter. Thanks for helping us get that done.”
“Glad to. Before you know it, I’ll be hitching a ride on one of your charters.” Travis took another sip of coffee, savoring the rich flavor and warmth. “Gotta say, I’m not much for betting on the weather myself, but I wouldn’t be surprised if snow flies again tonight.”
Nathan chuckled. “Well, it’s November in Alaska. It’s what we get.”
“No complaints from me. I love snow,” Travis said.
“I don’t mind the snow, but driving in it stresses me out,” Tess said with a pause in her chopping.
“Give it a few more years, and you’ll be used to it,” Nathan offered.
Tess blew an errant curl out of the way and rolled her eyes. “Hon, I’ve been here over four years now.”
Nathan arched a brow. “Has it been that long?”
Tess threw a dishtowel at him, which Nathan deftly caught. “Kidding. It’s easy to remember when you moved here because John was over one then. He just started first grade this year.” Nathan caught Travis’s eyes. “Damn, that makes me feel old.” He was referring to his brother Luke’s son. The moment he mentioned first grade, Travis thought of Janie.
Before Travis realized what he was doing, he asked a question. “First grade, huh? Is his teacher Janie Stevens?”
Tess paused in her chopping and looked over at him. “Actually, yes. Hannah was all excited he got her because everyone loves her. Not to be weird, but since when do you ask about kids’ teachers?”
> Nathan looked at him askance. Travis took a gulp of coffee, trying to mask his sudden discomfort. “Uh, I had to do the annual fire safety talks to the school a few weeks back. Janie was my tour guide for the day.” His explanation was entirely factual, but nothing he said addressed the fact his curiosity stemmed solely from his intense fascination with Janie, a fascination he was hoping wasn’t too obvious.
Tess got a gleam in her eyes and put a hand on her hip. “Speaking of betting, I’d bet money Janie’s the woman you had dinner with the other night.”
Travis nearly choked on his coffee. While he sputtered, Nathan snagged a napkin from the holder in the center of the table and tossed it his way. Travis wiped the coffee off his collar and looked to Tess. “What are you talking about?” he finally asked, flabbergasted that Tess knew he had dinner with anyone, much less with Janie.
“Oh geez. You know how gossip is around here. You happen to be one of the few eligible bachelors around town who also happens to be nice and handsome.” She cut her eyes to Nathan who was shaking with laughter. With a shake of her head, she continued. “So, if you didn’t know it, people take note when you take a woman out to dinner. I just didn’t know who. By the look on your face, I’m right about Janie. Well, she’s awesome, so you’d better treat her right,” Tess said firmly before resuming her chopping.
