by Annie Rains
Chapter Eight
Trisha inspected her reflection in the mirror. Soft white top. Tangerine skirt. Strappy sandals. Her hair was down and flowing past her shoulders. She felt feminine for the first time in a while.
“Mom, you look beautiful.” Petey stepped into the doorway.
The compliment had the opposite effect of what it should. It made Trisha want to trade out the skirt for a pair of long shorts and the sandals for her favorite Converse sneakers. Beautiful was for dates. Which tonight was not.
Trisha looked at Petey and then her gaze jumped to her closet, trying to think quickly of what she could change into. Sophie’s advice was all wrong, and that was because Sophie was assuming, despite Trisha’s objections, that this downtown outing was romantic.
The doorbell rang, and both Trisha and Petey turned in that direction.
“He’s here! He’s here!” Petey took off running down the hall that led to the lakeside door.
Trisha didn’t budge. She could delay things by changing, but she’d have to walk out there and explain first. And how could she explain needing to change out of her current attire for something…less.
She released a soft breath and followed the sound of Petey and Jake talking. Jake looked up as she approached, and something shifted in his laid-back demeanor. His gaze seemed to narrow in a way that made her want to run and hide.
“Wow. You look really nice,” he said.
Trisha swallowed and looked down for a moment.
“I told her she looked beautiful,” Petey said, bouncing on his heels.
Jake slid his gaze over to meet Trisha’s, the corners of his lips curling up just enough. “You were right, Copilot. Your description is more accurate than mine.”
Petey seemed proud that Jake would approve. Her son was hanging on every word Jake said. It was sweet. But also concerning. He missed his father.
“I don’t want to be overdressed for downtown. Maybe I should change.” Trisha gestured back down the hall. “I wasn’t really sure what to wear. Maybe shorts or capris would have been better.” She felt like she was babbling.
“No, that’s great as long as the shoes are comfortable. There’s no driving on the main downtown stretch. We’ll have to park and walk. There’ll be dancing too.”
“I’ll probably just watch,” Trisha said, burning from the inside out. Because who would she dance with? Jake? “I have Petey to look after,” she explained.
“Mom, you and I can dance together,” Petey said.
Even better. Trisha looked at her son. “Okay then. I guess we’re ready to see what all the fuss is about.”
Jake reached to open the door for them. “Now, don’t expect anything fancy. We’re a small town. We make our own music, our own food, and our own fun.”
“You keep forgetting I come from a small town too.”
“That’s right.” Jake held the door as she and Petey walked through. “I looked up Sweetwater Springs online. Somerset Lake is smaller.”
Trisha froze on the middle step. “You searched for Sweetwater Springs? Why?”
Jake’s eyes narrowed again. “Because I’d heard of Sweetwater Springs but couldn’t remember where or why. I was curious why anyone would choose to move to Somerset Lake.”
Trisha forced her shoulders to relax. And the defensiveness out of her voice. Searching Sweetwater Springs wouldn’t automatically bring up Peter’s story. Would it?
“It sounds like an amazing town,” Jake said.
Trisha turned and continued walking down the steps and then followed him to his truck. “Sweetwater Springs is a wonderful town,” she agreed as Jake held the rear passenger door open for Petey and then opened the front one for her. “Thank you.” She waited nervously as Jake shut her door and headed around the truck to get in on the driver’s side.
He cranked the motor and put the truck in motion. “Sweetwater Springs seems like a quaint little place,” he continued. “Lots of shops along Main Street,” he said as he pulled out of the driveway.
“My best friend, Sophie, owns a boutique,” Trisha said.
Jake’s gaze dropped before returning to the road. “Is that where you got that nice”—he glanced in the rearview at Petey—“correction—beautiful—outfit?”
Trisha turned to watch outside the passenger window. She’d gotten this skirt before Peter went to prison. When she’d felt free to purchase nice things without people wondering if they’d been purchased with stolen money. “I did. My best friend gives me discounts.”
“Ah. The BFF perk.” Jake glanced over. “Sweetwater Springs has some nice parks advertised on the town’s home page too.”
“The dog park is my favorite,” Petey said from the back seat. He was definitely paying attention to every word they were saying. “Bailey would love to go there. My aunt Sophie used to take me there with her dog, Comet.”
Jake glanced over at Trisha. “Your best friend is Petey’s aunt? That makes her your sister-in-law, doesn’t it?”
“It’s complicated,” Trisha said, wishing Jake would slow down with his questions. “If you wanted to know more about my hometown, you could’ve just asked. You didn’t need to do extensive web research.”
The corners of Jake’s mouth turned down. “It wasn’t extensive. I couldn’t sleep, and I typed your town’s name into my phone. I guess you intrigue me, which means everything about you, including your hometown, intrigues me. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
Trisha swallowed. “No, you didn’t. And to answer your question, yes, Sophie is my best friend, and she’s also family now. She married my, uh…”
“She married my uncle Chase,” Petey supplied from the back seat.
Jake glanced at Trisha. “Your brother?”
This was getting too personal for Trisha’s comfort. She resisted squirming where she sat with every fiber of her being.
“No.” She turned to look out the passenger window again just in case her face gave away how uncomfortable she really was. “Chase is my former brother-in-law,” she answered. But that was as close to talking about her ex-husband as she was getting tonight.
* * *
Former brother-in-law told Jake a lot. He thought that was more than Trisha wanted him to know.
She was divorced. Her best friend was married to her ex’s brother. Was her ex still living in Sweetwater Springs? Is that why she’d moved away?
Jake didn’t ask all the questions circulating in his brain right now because the tension rolling off Trisha was as thick as the walls she’d built up around her. Instead, he slowed at a common parking area. It was already half full with vehicles. “We leave the truck here. The village green is about a half mile down. See why I told you to wear comfortable shoes?” He winked at Trisha without thinking, and the air seemed to buzz to life. His goal tonight was conflicted. He wanted to help her get to know the people of Somerset Lake because she seemed all alone here. But he also wanted to push her out of town. For Vi’s sake. At least if he listened to the rest of his family.
Jake opened his truck door and stepped out. He was a gentleman, but Trisha didn’t give him time to walk around and open her door. She was already on the ground and helping Petey climb out. Instead, Jake headed to the tailgate to grab the supplies he’d brought with him. He pulled out the large basket that Vi had insisted he bring tonight.
“What’s that?” Trisha asked.
“A picnic basket.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “Well, I can see that. What is it for?”
Jake laughed softly. “To have a picnic.”
Trisha didn’t seem to find his answer funny. “Petey and I already ate.”
“Just a sandwich,” Petey said. “I’m still hungry.”
“Knowing my grandmother, there’s something really good in this basket for you, Copilot. And she always includes something sweet.”
“Yes! This is going to be the best night ever!” Petey said. “At least since we moved here.”
The boy’s exciteme
nt was contagious because Trisha was smiling again. “That was nice of Vi.”
“She’s the most thoughtful woman I know. I’d guess there’s enough food for a week in here, judging by the weight of this thing.” He laughed nervously, some part of him wanting Trisha to be happy and also happy that she was here with him.
They walked while Petey dominated the conversation. Jake found that if he listened well, Petey gave him a few clues into who the Langly family was.
“My uncle Chase is a veterinarian. He came to my class last year and talked about animals. But he had a black eye so my friends were kind of more interested in that.”
“A black eye?” Jake repeated.
“Yeah. Uncle Chase punched a guy, and the guy swung back,” Petey said. “Then they went to jail.”
Trisha’s hand moved to Petey’s shoulder, an obvious message that Petey received loud and clear.
“But it wasn’t Uncle Chase’s fault,” Petey said quickly.
“It was a misunderstanding,” Trisha agreed.
“My uncle Chase is going to come visit us soon. He and Aunt Sophie will bring Comet, and Comet and Bailey can play together.”
“That would be fun,” Jake said. “What kind of dog is Comet?”
Petey looked up at Trisha, who was mostly quiet. “A border collie, right, Mom?”
“Mm-hmm. A mix,” she added.
“I think your boy here loves dogs. He might need one of his own,” Jake told her.
She shook her head. “Not right now. We’re still getting settled.”
But she’d been here for a month. In Jake’s mind, she should already be settled. She should’ve seen the downtown area and experienced the goings-on here.
The music grew louder as they approached the end of the street, which veered off into another large, open, grassy field enclosed by towering loblolly pines. There was a stage about a football field’s length away. The current music was a local bluegrass band complete with banjos and harmonicas. The field was speckled with picnic blankets and lawn chairs, lots of people and laughter.
“Looks like a good spot there.” Jake pointed and led the way, weaving through blankets with people sprawled out and enjoying themselves. He was thankful for the breeze tonight. Sometimes in the summer, the heat was sweltering out here. That didn’t prevent people from gathering though. The only thing that turned people away on a Friday night was one of the summer storms.
Jake had been caught many a time out here during a sudden downpour, and he’d walked the half mile back getting drenched while the lucky few with golf carts zipped by.
Jake stopped walking and gestured at an open spot he’d led them to. “Good?”
Trisha looked at the spot and nodded. “Yeah.” Then she looked out at the crowd of people scattered across the field on blankets and in lawn chairs. She watched the music for a moment before Petey tugged on her hand.
“Mom, this is so cool! We should have been coming here every week.”
Jake set the basket down and pulled out the picnic blanket that was folded inside. “I guess your mom didn’t know about this scene. That’s why I’m taking you two tonight. Next time you won’t need me to give you the tour.”
“You won’t come out with us anymore?” Petey asked, his tone making it clear that he wasn’t happy.
“I didn’t say that. I said you wouldn’t need me to.” Jake lifted his gaze to meet Trisha’s, and something sparked inside his chest.
Careful there. Sparks in the summer can lead to a wildfire.
Jake pointed at Trisha as his brain suddenly made the connection it’d been searching for. “That’s it. That’s how I recognize your hometown’s name!”
* * *
Trisha’s heart stopped beating. It was hard to breathe, and the noisy surroundings grew quieter. It felt as if she were floating away on the night air. “Excuse me?”
“The town of Sweetwater Springs sounded so familiar to me, and I just realized why,” Jake said.
Peter’s crimes had made national news more than once. And that always cast a spotlight right on the town of Sweetwater Springs. What if Jake had heard about the financial planner who’d skimmed money from his clients’ accounts, stealing hundreds of thousands over the years? What if Jake followed that trail and it led back to Trisha?
“How?” she asked, bracing herself.
“I saw the news story about Sweetwater Springs on TV last year.”
Oh no. This was her worst fear. She wanted a home for her and Petey without her ex’s shadow. She knew better than anyone that, once one person knew the truth, it was only a matter of time before others started talking. “What news story?”
“The wildfire,” Jake said.
Trisha blinked. “What wildfire?”
Jake gave her a strange look. “A spark caught, and the whole Christmas tree farm in your town went up in a blaze last year. You were there, right?”
“Oh. Right.” She exhaled softly. “Yeah, it was only half the tree farm, but it was a big deal. Granger, the owner, is one of my friends. His daughter accidentally caused the fire.”
Jake shook his head and spread out the picnic blanket. “It was quite the story. I think our local tree farmer sold that farm some evergreens last holiday.”
Adrenaline was still shooting through her veins. She’d felt that fight-or-flight feeling so strongly that—even though the threat was gone, had never been there at all—she wanted to get up, pull Petey to her, and start running.
She could relate to all the women she’d helped at the women’s shelter over the years. Even after you were out of a bad situation, your body still responded. Everything still sent your guard flying back up.
“You okay?” Jake asked once they were seated. Petey seemed distracted by the surroundings, which was good.
Trisha looked at him. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“You looked a little upset at the mention of that tree farm in Sweetwater Springs. I’m sorry if I brought up a difficult topic.”
If only that was the reason her mood had taken a downward dive. “No. I guess a little homesickness crept up on me.”
“I know the feeling,” Jake said. “I’ve been away from Somerset Lake a long time. My family moved south to Florida, and I went up north because I’ve never been one to follow the herd, I guess. I only come back to the lake a few times a year to see Vi.” He directed his attention to the music, sweeping his gaze to her every few words. “There’s something about being home that heals you. There’s also something about it that opens the wound and pours in salt.”
Trisha swallowed. “You feel that way because of your high school sweetheart? The one you made a spot for in the Lost Love Cemetery?”
Jake picked single blades of grass that poked up beyond the edge of the blanket. “For the most part, yeah. She was killed by a drunk driver. I guess that’s why I became a prosecutor instead of a defense lawyer like the rest of my family. I can’t defend a criminal. I want to be on the side of the victim. The ones who are hurt by someone else’s crimes.” He met Trisha’s gaze and held it.
She hoped he couldn’t see the emotion surging just below the surface. If Jake knew her story and what her ex-husband had done, would Jake defend her? Or would he find her guilty by association?
Chapter Nine
Trisha tried to focus on the music to calm her nerves. She wasn’t ready for any of this. Being out in town, getting submersed in the nightlife, and staring into the soulful eyes of a man who made her feel things she also wasn’t ready for.
“This isn’t going to solve your problem,” Jake finally said.
She looked at him. “What problem?”
One corner of his mouth kicked up. “The reason I invited you and Petey out tonight. You need to experience Somerset Lake. You need to meet people and have fun. Right, Petey?”
Petey turned at the sound of his name. “Can we dance?”
“Vi packed us a basketful of food. Shouldn’t we eat that first?” Trisha asked.
Petey�
�s demeanor slumped. “I’m not hungry, Mom.”
“That’s not what you said back at Jake’s truck,” she reminded him.
“I’m actually not that hungry either,” Jake said. “The food can wait. Let’s rip off the Band-Aid.”
Trisha gave him a questioning look. “What Band-Aid?”
“Somehow I think you’d be content to sit on this blanket all night and just watch. That’s not the point of being here though.” Jake stood and looked around. He seemed to find what he was looking for. Or rather who. He waved, and the person came walking toward them.
Trisha recognized the woman.
“Hey, Lucy,” Jake said.
Lucy smiled widely at him. Trisha remembered Lucy’s comment about Jake’s good looks when they’d met. “Hey, Jake. I heard you were back. Actually, I saw it with my own two eyes from Trisha’s deck.”
“Not back,” Jake corrected. “Just here for maybe a month.”
“That’s too bad,” Lucy said. “The town isn’t the same without you in it.” She looked at Trisha. “Hey, Trisha. Looks like you came out after all. I tried to invite her to come with me,” Lucy told Jake. “I’m not sure how you got her to say yes.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Actually, I can guess how. Women have always had a hard time saying no to you.”
Trisha shook her head. “Oh, we’re just, um, neighbors.” She couldn’t even say that they were friends. They hadn’t crossed into that territory yet, but she thought they were going in that direction. The vibe between them had changed yesterday when he’d been so great during Petey’s emergency. And with her.
Jake had also opened up to her. He’d told her about his first love. But Trisha hadn’t shared anything, and that’s why they weren’t exactly friends. Their relationship was one-sided.
“I took Trisha and Petey here tonight because they haven’t experienced Somerset Lake until they’ve experienced a summery Friday night downtown,” Jake said, his voice a little more Southern when blended with the nightlife and old friends.
