* * *
“Chili,” Bennett repeated, looking at the huge cast iron pot on the stove. Charles wore an apron and finished tossing the salad. “It smells so good, Charles.”
“Thanks.” The other man flashed him a smile and reached for a bowl. “With cheese, or without?”
“Cheese me.” Bennett grinned at his friend, took his bowl of chili, and joined the other firemen at the table a few feet away. Chief Harvey was in today, and he was in the middle of a story about one of his granddaughters.
Bennett was content to eat and listen, so that was what he did. As the group burst into laughter, he did too, and a sense of contentment filled him. Right here, in this fire house, he’d found a sanctuary when he’d needed one the most.
“So,” Alex said from across the table. “I hear you’re dating Jennie Zimmerman.”
“It’s not a secret,” Bennett said, putting another spoonful of chili in his mouth.
“Alex is looking for a date,” Ray said with a laugh. “He’s been striking out.”
“I have not.” Alex glared at Ray but when he looked back at Bennett, he wore a ridiculous amount of hope in his eyes. “You used to date Jennie in high school, right?”
“Yeah,” Bennett said slowly, not sure where this conversation was going. “So?”
“So, his high school girlfriend just broke up with her long-time boyfriend, and he still thinks he has a chance with her.”
“Who is it?” Bennett asked.
“Hilary Steele.”
“Hilary?” Ray asked. “I thought it was Tahlia.”
“Tahlia’s the one with the cat who keeps getting stuck.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m so sick of that cat.”
“You went out with her too, I’m sure of it,” Ray said.
“Once,” Alex said, his neck turning a shade of red Bennett hadn’t seen in a while.
“Oh, I sense a story here,” he said, digging in for another bite of chili.
“No. No story,” Alex said, ducking his head. But he had nothing to hide behind, and Ray started laughing. The rest of the men at the table turned to look at them, interest in their eyes.
“Alex has a story,” Bennett said, leaning back in his chair with a huge grin on his face. “And he won’t share.”
“It’s nothing,” he said, casting a nervous glance down the table. He was one of the newest firefighters in the house, and he’d been talking about taking some wildfire classes just to add more to his resume. Get more experience. Have something to do at work.
Bennett didn’t blame him, but he didn’t want the life of a wildfire fighter. It was completely different out there, no fire house, blistering conditions, and unpredictable winds that could steal a life as quick as a blink.
“Oh, come on,” Ray said. “Maybe we can help.” He turned down the table. “He’s looking for a girlfriend.”
That riveted everyone to Alex, who looked at Bennett for help. “I don’t know the story,” Bennett said. “Just because I have a girlfriend doesn’t mean I know how to get one for you.”
A few men laughed, and Bennett finished his chili while Alex started the story about going out with Tahlia just to make her sister, Hilary, mad. “Or jealous. Or something. It didn’t work.”
Alex took a huge bite of cornbread and glared at Ray.
“Maybe she’d go out with you again,” Ray suggested.
“Tahlia? No.” Alex shook his head with finality.
“Why not?” Bennett asked.
“We don’t have anything in common.”
The conversation moved on to something else, but Bennett fixated on what he had in common with Jennie. Their love of the pier. Ruby’s hotdogs. Teasing each other. Duality. And the fact that they both liked to make things from ordinary materials. Her, with the art. Him, with his carpentry.
But she disliked dogs, and she was messier than anyone he knew. His fingers twitched just thinking about her studio. And they got along okay, he thought.
More than okay, he amended as he remembered the way she’d kissed him before he’d come into work. But she wasn’t ready to put on another engagement ring, and Bennett recommitted himself to letting her set the pace in their relationship.
His shift ended—he’d gone out on one call to help a dog who’d gotten tangled in his leash when the owner had tied him to a fire hydrant—and he stopped by Duality for the cheddar poppers Jennie had requested.
“Evening, Bennett.”
He turned to find Mabel standing behind him in line, her own assortment of hot foods in her hands. He grinned at her. “I love those cheddar burger pockets.”
Mabel looked at what she carried. “They’re my favorite too. How’s the furniture coming?”
“Just fine, ma’am.”
“And Jennie?”
Bennett wasn’t sure what the older woman was asking. He apparently wore the confusion on his face, because Mabel nodded him forward in line and said, “How are you and Jennie?”
“Uh, just fine, ma’am.” He didn’t normally discuss his relationships with anyone, especially someone like Mabel. Sure, everyone in town knew her, but Bennett didn’t know her.
“She’s a spitfire, that one.” Mabel chuckled. “Reminds me of myself when I was younger.” Something sharp entered her eyes, and Bennett edged forward again, only one more person in line before it would be his turn to pay.
“You don’t let her drive you away, okay?”
“Ma’am?” Bennett desperately wanted to understand what in the heck Mabel was talking about.
“I did that once to a nice man like you, and he let me. Don’t you let her do that.” She nodded that it was his turn, and Bennett turned to put his purchases on the counter. Mabel’s words hung in his mind as he paid, drove to her house, and sat with her on the front steps while they ate their late-night snack.
“Heard from your parents?” he asked.
“Yep.” She nodded, in a much better place tonight than she’d been that morning. “They’re settled in, with somewhere to sleep and eat. Mom’s got an appointment in the morning for her surgery.”
Bennett enjoyed this moonlit time with Jennie and felt himself slipping a little more in love with her. “That’s great. Any headway on the art?”
“You know, I think I got a new idea today that will be great in the west wing.”
“Your contract doesn’t specify what you have to make?”
“Not really. I have to do some sculpture, some painting, and a couple of other undefined pieces. I’m going to talk to Mabel tomorrow about them.”
“Sounds great.” He didn’t ask her if she could finish them on time. Jennie was a professional artist who wanted to work, and she wouldn’t risk her reputation, even to satisfy her muse.
Bennett finished eating and stood. “Well, I better go. I’ve got two dogs waiting at home, and they’ve probably eaten each other by now.”
Jennie laughed as she joined him. “Thank you, Bennett.” She tipped up on her toes and kissed him, and he knew her gratitude was about more than the cheddar poppers. He kissed her back, hopeful yet hesitant that they could make a future together work this time.
Chapter Eighteen
“I was thinking of something like a mirror,” Jennie said, watching Mabel for her reaction first. The old woman didn’t even blink.
Lauren cocked her head and said, “I could see that here.”
“A huge frame.” Jennie put her hand on the sheetrocked wall. Lauren had just told her that this room would be robin-egg blue. “Probably wood, but I’ll put leafing on it to make it look like metal,” she continued, the concept of the mirror coming together in her mind. “It’ll look old and rustic. Regal. But also new and modern.”
“I’ve never thought of a mirror as art,” Mabel said.
Jennie repressed her sigh. Maybe her ideas were too forward-thinking for somewhere like Hawthorne Harbor. She hadn’t put out any calls to Seattle yet, unable to deal with one more thing at the moment.
She had her mom constant
ly weighing down her mind, the three more pieces she needed to finish in the next twenty-four days before the unveiling, and Bennett. And talking to the landlord about buying the house she was currently leasing.
“It is art,” Jennie said. “It’ll be a focal point of this room, and every bride will look at themselves here.” She glanced at Lauren for help, but the woman said nothing.
“I’ll still have the pottery in the reception room,” Jennie said. “And a painting for the bridesmaids room.” She’d been thinking about that painting for a few days too, but since her mother’s diagnosis, she saw browns, dark reds, and mustard yellows. And this west wing in the Mansion wasn’t doom and gloom, autumnal colors of death and decay. So she needed to give herself some space to get into a new place before she could paint.
“And I’ve been thinking….” She gestured for Mabel and Lauren to follow her into the room Mabel had called the family gathering room. It was the room right off the landing, the first spot everyone would see when they came to the Mansion for any type of event and had access to the west wing.
“Your family has such great history for this town,” Jennie said, choosing her words carefully. “I know you didn’t want anything too huge, but I was thinking of a sculpture for this room that would depict some of that family and town heritage.” She stood in the corner of the room, directly down from the doorway. “Here. And it would be three-dimensional, as if coming out of these two walls and welcoming everyone to Magleby Mansion.”
“Sounds brilliant,” Lauren said.
“I’m thinking hawthorn trees,” Jennie said. “Maybe the family crest, a large monogram, something.” She’d sketched out a couple of things late last night after Bennett had gone, but the piece hadn’t quite come together yet.
“I’d need your help to install it,” she said to Lauren. “And the mirror too, most likely. If you want the mirror.” She looked at Mabel hopefully. “I really think it’ll be a showstopper.”
“I just can’t see it,” Mabel said. “Can you show me a picture?”
Jennie pulled her phone from her pocket and started searching. “It’s like this,” she said, tapping a picture to make it fill the screen.
“Oh, it’s huge.” Mabel took the device and Jennie started to feel excited about the project.
“Yes,” she said. “It’ll be like a piece of art. Sculpture, almost, but not quite. But functional, adding beauty to the room, but not take up the room you need for a mirror. Because it is the mirror.”
“It’s awesome,” Lauren said, peering over Mabel’s shoulder. “You can do that?”
“It’ll be a darker piece,” Jennie said. “Which will stand out against the lighter walls and accents. It’ll look like a really expensive piece of metal. And yes, I can do that. I’ll carve the wood for the frame, and leaf it with nickel and aluminum.”
“It sounds like it’ll take a lot of time.” Mabel handed the phone back.
“Yes,” Jennie said, her determination rising within her. “But I’ve never missed a deadline, Mabel. I won’t let you down.”
“Am I paying you enough for a piece like that?”
“Be honest,” Lauren said.
“Well, what were you going to spend on the mirror?”
Mabel looked at Lauren. “I believe that was part of your build.”
“Just get a plain mirror,” Jennie said. “I’ll give you the dimensions. We’ll mount the frame around it.” She smiled at the other two women. “Okay? This is okay?”
“This is great,” Lauren said. “This place is going to be amazing.” She smiled at Jennie again before she left the room.
Mabel said, “Yes, Jennie. It’s going to be great. Work with Lauren to get everything installed. Let me know if you need anything.”
Jennie nodded, a sense of pride filling her that she hadn’t felt in a while. The collection of pottery had been great, a real wave she’d ridden for a week or so. But to have additional inspiration felt spectacular—made her feel like she could be a working artist again after she’d failed to get married.
She hugged herself, her thoughts immediately flying to Bennett. Could she see herself with him? Living in that immaculate, white house? He’d probably build her an art studio in the back yard, beside his wood shop. The more Jennie thought about it, the more she wanted that future. The little white house, with the little picket fence. The big back yard, with the big black dog. The wood shop, where Bennett worked and wiled away his free time, and her art studio, which she could keep as messy as she wanted.
She couldn’t believe this train of thought, but she definitely tasted the fear it brought with it. She’d have to open herself up again, and she’d vowed never to do that again while she stood in front of a mirror in Cancun.
Even for Bennett? she thought, and as she admired the height of the ceilings in the west wing, she realized that she’d already let him in. At least part of the way. And she wasn’t horribly afraid of widening the door and allowing him a place in her heart.
* * *
I’ll just come over and watch then.
Jennie ignored Bennett’s last text. With only two weeks left until the unveiling, Jennie didn’t have time to do much more than work on her art. She was even getting into the studio before noon, which was a real feat for her.
And Bennett was feeling a little neglected. Her busy schedule had been fine while he built the buffet, but he’d finished a day or two ago, and now he wanted to take her to dinner, hold her in the hammock, or as his latest string of texts had promised, go grab something at Duality and watch the sun set into the ocean.
Jennie wanted to do all of those things too, but she also wanted to get paid. Needed to get paid. And that meant she had to buckle down and get these pieces created.
The mirror frame turned out to be a real bear of a project, with carving, construction, and covering, and Jennie had rapidly fallen behind schedule on it. Luckily, Lauren didn’t need it to finish the rooms, and it could literally be hung an hour before the unveiling if necessary.
“But that is not going to be necessary,” Jennie said as she concentrated on picking up another piece of nickel leafing so it wouldn’t rip. It had taken a learning curve to figure out how to get the metals on the wood the way she wanted, around all the intricately carved things she’d done without ripping, and adding just the right amount of tarnish to make the piece look old. Now that she had the system down, she was moving along at a good clip, and she could not break for dinner.
Even if she was hungry.
She kept on, determined to finish the whole side of the frame, all the way to the corner, before she allowed herself to rest. And she’d have to get back in the studio in the morning to finish the painting, which sat drying in the corner by the kiln.
“Knock, knock.”
She startled at the sound of Bennett’s voice in her house. Annoyance sang through her. She’d never responded to his text, but he’d obviously shown up anyway. The scent of hamburgers came with him, but thankfully, no dogs did.
“I brought dinner,” he said, pausing in the doorway. “You have to be hungry.”
“I am, yes.” She finished with the piece of nickel leafing, dabbing to get it tight against all the crevices and divots on the frame. She sighed and leaned back, her bicep and her back aching a bit.
“Are you mad?” He stayed in the doorway, not entering.
“I want to be.” Jennie stood and smiled at him. “But that food smells amazing.” She walked toward him, thinking he was the amazing one. “And you look great, too.”
He dropped the bags of food onto a nearby table and received her into his arms. “I missed you,” he murmured right before he kissed her, a slow, sensual kiss that awakened every cell in her body. “Sorry. I just couldn’t sit home by myself for another evening.” He matched his mouth to hers again, and Jennie melted into him, kissing him like she missed him too, because she did.
When she finally came to her senses—with the help of her stomach, which growled at h
er to stop kissing and get to the food!—she stepped back and tucked her hair behind her ears. “So, come in. Which one of these is for me?”
He picked up the bags and dug around inside for a moment, moving a box of French fries from one bag to the other before handing it to her. “I got you a crispy chicken sandwich,” he said. “I thought I remembered you liking them.”
“Harvey’s has nothing better.” Her stomach roared at her and she plucked a few fries from her bag.
“Actually.” Bennett made quite the ruckus reaching into his bag and pulling out a massive foil-wrapped burger. “That would be the bacon brutus.”
Jennie laughed as he unwrapped his burger. “Nothing we eat should be named brutus.”
“I disagree.” He bit into his burger, and Jennie pulled out her chicken sandwich, glad to see that he’d also got the special sauce for her to dip in. Anxiety pulled through her that Bennett was sitting in her studio. But he didn’t say anything, didn’t even glance around. She’d told him plenty about the projects she was working on, but she wasn’t used to having someone see her art before it was finished.
She pushed away her walls, wanting Bennett to be here with her. She bit into her sandwich, and everything got better with food. She asked about Patches, and Bennett said he was doing really great with Gemma.
“I find them curled up together on the couch when I get home,” he said. “Gemma doesn’t even come greet me anymore.”
“I don’t believe that.” Jennie took a long pull of her soda.
“Fine.” Bennett grinned at her and picking up one last French fry. “She does, but it’s delayed.”
Jennie giggled and shook her head at him. “So.” She stood. “Do you want to see what I’m doing?”
“Absolutely.” Bennett wiped his hands like he’d be touching something in her studio, but Jennie thought she might actually swat his fingers away if he did.
“So I’m making a huge mirror frame as a piece of art. Lauren will be getting the actual mirror, but this beast is taking forever.” Jennie thought about kicking the unfinished wood for a moment, but she didn’t.
Hawthorne Harbor Box Set Page 54
