by Rachel Hanna
"Actually, I already did my meditation this morning in my room,” he said, proudly jutting out his chin. “So, why don't we take my car into town, and I can help you pick up some things?"
Jill smiled. "Actually, I have to get quite a lot and I don't think your little car is going to do the trick. But we can take my truck," she said. The look on his face was priceless.
"I've never driven a truck before," he said.
"Patrick, nobody asked you to drive," she said as she smacked him on the shoulder and walked to the front door.
They walked outside and over to Jill’s beat up red truck. It sat up high and required her to climb to get inside, but she loved it. Something about an old pick up truck riding along the mountain roads made her feel at home.
"Nice truck.”
She giggled. "It might not be much, but it's mine. And nobody can take it away from me." She knew she shouldn't have said the last part. Making him feel guilty for something he wasn't really doing wrong was probably getting kind of old. And she was supposed to be helping him, not trying to make him feel bad.
"Shall we go?" he asked without cracking a smile.
They walked over to the truck, and surprisingly he walked around and opened the door for her.
"Thank you."
After he shut the door, he walked around his side and jumped up into the seat next to her. She had to admit he looked pretty at home sitting there. For a split second, she couldn't imagine him driving that fancy car that was parked a few feet away.
"So where are we going?"
"Well, I need to get some groceries but I also wanted to get a few things that we need around the property. Some new pavers for the sidewalk near the garden. Some extra fencing for the garden to keep the deer out…"
She pulled down the driveway and out onto the main road, which was orange dirt.
"Jill, if you don't mind me asking… Why are you buying things to improve the property if you’re going to lose it?"
Hearing him say that she was going to lose the property had bothered her before, but she was starting to make her peace with it. She didn't like it, but it didn't make her want to cry and fall to the ground anymore. At least that was progress.
“Because right now it's still my property. And I have to take care of it.”
“Got it. Well, I'm here to help in whatever way I can. I will lend you my ample muscles for as long as you need them," he said, flexing them proudly with a smile on his face.
"I like this side of you." She didn't mean to say it out loud. She had been thinking it, but she certainly wasn't trying to get it to come out of her mouth.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. Today you don't seem like the uptight billionaire that you did when you first showed up here."
"I'll take that as a compliment," he said with a laugh.
They drove along for a while, just chatting about various things. It wasn't exactly an exciting drive but it took a good twenty minutes to get to Whiskey Ridge so they had to make the best of it. The winding roads made travel take a lot longer than in the city.
Jill liked driving into Whiskey Ridge as often as she could. The small town feel, complete with the town square, was just what she needed to make herself feel connected sometimes. There wasn’t a lot in Whiskey Ridge either, but it was more than she had access to at The Retreat.
She loved going to the diner, the coffee shop and sometimes just sitting in the gazebo on the square watching people go by. She would always try to imagine what their lives were like, and that fed her creative imagination.
Winston actually lived in Whiskey Ridge and had for his whole life. His fondness for The Retreat originated from the fact that he had camped out in those mountains throughout his entire childhood and adulthood.
Jill pulled into the small parking lot of the only grocery store in town. It was a mom-and-pop place, and certainly not like a big chain grocery store. When she parked, she glanced at Patrick who was staring at the building with a slight smile on his face.
"What?"
"This is the grocery store?"
"Yes it is. It's not quite two-thousand square feet, but it's big by Whiskey Ridge standards."
"Wow. And you're sure we can get what we need in here? Maybe we should drive to the next big town."
"We can get what we need, Patrick. You'd be surprised at how little we need up here. Life doesn't have to be so complicated or expensive."
Jill opened her door and jumped down from the truck as Patrick did the same. They walked into the store, Patrick still looking around like he’d landed on Mars.
"Well, hello, Jill!" a rotund woman said as they walked in the door.
"Hey, Doris. How’re you doing today?"
The woman pulled her into a tight hug. "Doing just fine. Coming down for some supplies?"
"You know it. Listen, how's your husband doing? Did he get over his knee surgery okay?”
"He did. But he's a big baby. Had me waiting on him hand and foot!"
Patrick stood there as the two women chatted for a few moments, obviously uncomfortable. For someone who had done so well in business, it struck Jill that he wasn't really good with interpersonal communication.
After Doris went back to her register, Jill grabbed a shopping cart and started walking through the store with Patrick walking closely beside her.
"You seem a little uncomfortable," she said, smiling over at him. He loosened up a bit.
“Is it that obvious?"
“To me it is. What's going on?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm just used to the big city."
"So you don't like the small town atmosphere?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "It's not that. I guess I just feel like the spotlight is on me in situations like this. You know, in the city, you can sort of blend into the crowd. But in a small town, everybody's business is out on display. Or at least that's how it feels."
Jill chuckled. "No, that's a pretty good assessment."
As they rounded the corner into the produce section, Jill froze in place. She stared across a huge display of apples and couldn't believe her eyes. It was her sister. She seemed to be alone but was holding the hand of a little girl who had the cutest blonde curls. Just like their mother.
Jill was dumbfounded. Her sister was barely out of high school and apparently already had a child who was old enough to walk. A feeling of heartache shot through her chest as she realized she’d missed being an aunt to her niece.
Her sister, Jamie, looked up, obviously shocked herself. They both just stared at each other for a moment before Jamie's face changed into a slight smile. She tugged on her daughter’s hand and took a couple of steps forward closer to Jill.
Patrick stopped and looked at Jill, obviously confused about what was happening, But he didn't say anything, seeming to sense that this was a tense situation.
"Jamie?”
"Hey, Jill. Long time no see."
Jill nodded toward the little girl. “Yes, it has been a long time. Is this your daughter?"
Jamie smiled down at the little girl. "Yes, this is Madison. She’s eighteen months.”
Jill's heart sank. Had it really been that long? It wasn't like she and her sister had ever been overly close given their age difference, but she had hoped that maybe things would change once they became adults. That maybe they would go shopping together and get married and have their children grow up together. That maybe they would break the chain of dysfunction that had held her family together for what seemed like generations.
But apparently that hope was lost. The look on her sister’s face was enough to know that their mother had likely poisoned her mind against Jill.
"I didn't even know you were pregnant."
"How would you? You abandoned mom and me a long time ago."
"I didn't abandon you. You know that's not how it went down."
"Whatever, Jill. You've always had your own way of thinking about things. I hear that you have some kind of anxiety camp for people up in t
he mountains?"
Jill sighed. "That's not exactly how I would describe it, but yes I do help people with anxiety. Lord knows I grew up with it and had to learn how to survive on my own.”
Jamie laughed sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "Always the victim. I guess some things never change."
"Hey, why don't you chill out a little bit?” Patrick suddenly said, stepping forward as if he was going to stand between Jill and her sister. Jill was shocked. Why was this guy standing up for her when he really didn't know anything about her or her past?
"Excuse me?" Jamie said, a snarl on her face.
"It's okay, Patrick."
"No, it's not. You don't deserve to be spoken to like this. For your information," he said, directing his comments straight at Jamie, “your sister helps a lot of people. She's a savvy businesswoman, and you should be proud to be related to her."
"Who are you anyway?" Jamie asked, irritated by his comments.
Patrick froze for a moment. "I'm her friend."
Jamie rolled her eyes again and started pulling her daughter back toward the shopping cart. "Well, obviously you don't know much about her. Good luck, Jill."
With that, she walked away, disappearing down the cereal aisle. Jill didn't know what to say or do. She stood there, her face red from embarrassment, hands shaking. Finally, Patrick turned to her and took both of her hands in his.
"She doesn't know what she's talking about. She has no idea who you are or what you've been through."
Again, Jill felt like he knew more about her than he was saying, but how? Right now, she didn't want to pull on that string. She just wanted to get her items and get the heck out of Whiskey Ridge. Her sanctuary of a town didn't seem safe anymore now that her sister was obviously living nearby.
"Thanks for trying to help, but some things can't be fixed."
"Believe me, I understand."
The look in his eyes told her that he really did understand. That there was more to his story than he was letting on. For that day, Jill had experienced as much emotional upset as she could handle, and she just wanted to go back to The Retreat.
Patrick couldn't stop thinking about what had happened at the grocery store. The ride home had been really quiet with Jill obviously thinking about the interaction she’d had with her long lost sister. He felt so bad for her. He knew exactly what it was like to not have your family there to support you. He had been abandoned, but in a totally different way.
When they got back to The Retreat, Jill had excused herself to go upstairs for a little while, obviously needing some space to deal with her emotions.
Patrick decided to help her by putting up the groceries. They had also stopped on the way home to pick up the pavers she needed for the garden area, so he threw on his most casual clothes and headed out to the yard.
As he worked, digging and clearing and smoothing over the dirt in preparation for the pavers, he thought about the first time he met her. A part of him was surprised that she still didn't recognize him, but shaggy hair and acne had apparently helped to maintain his incognito status.
This place really was beautiful. Even though he had been here against his will all those years ago, the beauty and majesty of the Blue Ridge Mountains hadn’t been lost on him.
He stopped digging and wiped his brow. As he looked around, he had to admit that it was hard to imagine all of this land being cleared to make way for the resort. It was sad when progress collided with beauty.
But some things just had to be done. Someone was bound to do it at some point, so it might as well be him. At least that's what he was trying to tell himself.
"What are you doing?" He didn't have to turn around to know that it was Winston standing behind him, a stern tone to his voice. Even though Patrick was a billionaire and one of the richest men in the world, something about this old man made him tremble a bit.
"Well, Winston, I’m working in the garden," he said, an irritated tone in his voice. In reality, he was irritated at Jill’s sister more than anything.
"Does Jill know you're out here messing with her garden?"
"Actually she doesn't. But she's had a rough afternoon and I'm just trying to do something to help her." Patrick turned back around and started working again. But Winston didn't go away. He was definitely not somebody who was easily intimidated. Patrick felt like he would never be ever be able to win over this man's approval if he had twenty lifetimes to do it.
“She had a rough afternoon? What did you do?" Now he could see Winston standing in his peripheral vision, his arms crossed and his chest stuck out like he was ready to rumble.
Patrick chuckled, slamming the shovel into the ground where it stood beside him like a bodyguard.
"I didn't do anything to her. We went into town to pick up groceries and she had a not so pleasant run in with a person from her past."
"Oh yeah? And who was that?"
"Her long lost sister."
Winston's face changed. There was a mixture of irritation and sadness. "I imagine that didn't go so well."
"No, it didn't. Honestly, I would never hit a woman but that's the first time I had the urge to."
Surprisingly, that got a bit of a chuckle out of Winston. "I understand that. Jill has told me a lot about her mother and her sister and her evil stepfather."
The old man sat down on a tall tree stump next to the garden. "Well, I can tell you from personal experience today that Jill won't be invited to their Thanksgiving any time soon."
Winston shook his head. "I just don't get it. She's one of the best women I've ever known. Only tries to help people. And to be turned away by her family… Well, they don't know what they're missing. She's like a granddaughter to me. Maybe even a daughter."
"Well, I don't get it either. And I didn't like it."
Winston eyed him carefully. ”What I don't get is, why are you still here?"
Boy, it hadn't taken long for Winston to get right back to the point of not liking him.
“I’m here because she asked me to stay. She wants to help me with my high blood pressure problems.”
Winston almost smiled again but quickly stopped himself. "That sounds like her. Even though you're here to take her land, she still wants to help you."
Patrick sighed. "I'm not trying to take her land. She's going to lose it regardless, unless something major happens to change that. I'm just here to see if it would be a good fit for my portfolio."
As soon as he said it, he realized how stupid and trite it sounded.
"Well, I do hope that you find what works for your portfolio. But meanwhile, I'm trying to protect Jill from getting hurt any more than she already has."
He turned and started walking back towards the cabin. “Hey, Winston?"
"Yeah?"
"I know it doesn't seem like it, but I've had Jill’s best interests at heart for longer than you can imagine.”
Winston grunted, nodded his head slightly and turned to walk in the house.
Chapter 8
Jill stared at herself in the foyer mirror. She could see how tired she was. And seeing her sister in the grocery store had only added stress to her already full plate of it.
Worse than that was that she felt so embarrassed in front of Patrick. What must he think of her? And why did she even care?
Her mind was a whirlwind lately, which was a real problem since she was supposed to be teaching him how to reduce his stress. At least that would get a little bit easier today now that Alice and Ingrid would be leaving. Winston had chosen to stay until Patrick left, probably in an effort to protect her from some perceived threat.
For the next several days, she would be sharing her home with two men who seemed to be at odds for no particular reason. Winston was like an overprotective grandfather to her, and she had to admit she kind of liked it. Having no real family of her own anymore, Winston served as someone in her life who would give her real advice and stand beside her no matter what.
But she knew he was getting on in years. He
wouldn't be around forever, and then she would be dreadfully alone yet again. No husband, no boyfriend, no prospects. No kids to keep her busy. And no sister, obviously. Even though she had a mother out there somewhere, it was obvious that Jill wasn’t a priority to her as she hadn’t reached out in many years.
Yes, she was definitely feeling sorry for herself today. A good night of sleep had done nothing for her mood. She had just gone through the motions since her trip to the grocery store with Patrick the day before. Even dinner was a much quieter affair that night, with Winston regaling them with stories of his hiking adventures in the mountains surrounding The Retreat as a kid. Patrick watched him, but said nothing. It was almost as if he wanted to give some kind of input, but he was far too scared of Winston to do so.
Jill smiled slightly as she thought about the fact that this young man was scared of a senior citizen who used a cane to walk.
"Good morning," Patrick said from behind her. For some reason, seeing him made her feel a little better instantly. She was starting to grow comfortable with him being around. It made no logical sense, of course. He was only there for his own financial benefit. But just having another person around about her age gave her some kind of normalcy.
"Good morning. Breakfast is in the kitchen if you want something. I made some scrambled eggs and bacon this morning. Nothing overly exciting, but it will do the trick." She continued looking in the mirror, finally pulling her hair up into a high ponytail.
“Thanks. That should be plenty. So what's the plan for today?"
"Well, Ingrid and Alice are leaving, so there's no class this morning. But I was thinking about taking another hike if you’re game?"
"Is there more to see?"
Jill turned around, smiling. "There's always more to see. The landscape here changes every day."
"I'm not sure that's true, but I'm willing to take a gamble and see if you're right."
Jill laughed. “Well you don't have much of a choice. You agreed to follow my instructions, and you have several days left."
"I guess it's a little bit like being married,” he said, without thinking, obviously.
