Chapter Three

 

Snow swirling around him, Jake stood in front of O’Rourke’s door. Where was Emma? Probably taking her sweet time, knowing he was standing outside freezing his balls off. Finally, she came into view, stomping through the snow, glaring at him already. The closer she came, her blue eyes glittered like sapphires; her cheeks were as rosy as a juicy Red Delicious.

She wasn't in a forgiving mood by the set of her stubborn jaw. The truth was, he’d ambushed her in California nine years ago and tried to force her into something she didn’t want. Their breakup sat squarely on his shoulders. How long was she going to hold it against him?

“Hi, beautiful. Where have you been?” His frosty breath mingled with hers, which was probably the closest he was going to get to her tonight.

Those familiar pouty lips of hers— when he’d kissed her under the mistletoe— were almost his undoing. Stand down, Cutter. She’s not feeling too kindly toward you at the moment. Kissing her, even in a friendly, “hi, how are you doing” situation, would probably get him a punch in the gut.

Still a good twenty feet away, he squinted to see her face. Damn, those killer eyes of hers were narrowed to pinpoints. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she could read his thoughts. “Did you stop off for a hot chocolate along the way?”

Pointedly ignoring him, she reached for the brass doorknob; he got to it first, putting his hand on her back and gently nudging her inside.

Stopping abruptly, Emma turned to face him. “Don’t think for a minute we are here together because we’re not.” Her declaration was accompanied by several firm pokes to his chest.

“Whatever you say.” He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her through the mass of warm bodies.

The familiar smell of pine did improve the characteristic odor of beer and popcorn. Douglas fir roping looped over the rustic ceiling beams and the large mirrors behind the bar. Every bartender wore a Santa hat. Not as refined as the Cromwell Inn. Refined was not what Jake was seeking tonight. He needed to relax, kick back, and have some fun. He was not on call tonight, so he could settle in and have a few beers.

“Emma! Over here!”

He steered them in Maddie’s direction, where she was waving madly and trying to yell over the buzz of animated conversations.

“Oh…I have missed you,” both women said at once. They laughed and rocked into a hug.

“I see you didn’t come alone after all.” Maddie eyed him. “Hey, Jake. How’s it going?”

“Great.” He shed his coat, dropping it on one of the vacant chairs. Then, despite Emma’s insistence that he wasn’t there, he helped her off with her coat—any excuse to put his hands on her.

“Maddie,” he interrupted, cutting Emma off before she ramped up to speak. “What would you like to drink?”

“A Gray Goose martini, please.”

“And you?” He looked at Emma and questioned if she would refuse his offer.

She frowned. “A glass of Pinot Grigio, please. I’ll buy the next round.”

As if he would let her. He ignored the brushoff, then headed to the bar and flagged one of the Santa-hatted bartenders. After he’d gotten their drinks, he pushed his way through the crowd.

“Hey, Doc.” A red-cheeked, rotund man, beer waving in hand, grinned. “I’m taking your advice and hitting the ski slopes tomorrow. Got my very first lesson. I am so pumped.” He jostled his sticklike buddy, sloshing his beer down the front of his bright Christmas sweater.

“Hi, Pete.” Jake had been trying to get his former ACL patient to start walking for over six months, and the very unathletic man decided to start with snow skiing. He wasn’t about to embarrass him in front of his friend. “Well, take it easy out there. During the holidays, most of the hills will be packed.” Hopefully, the man would stick to the bunny hill and not get into too much trouble.

“Ladies.” Jake delivered their drinks.

“Thanks.” Maddie winked at him, taking a sip of her martini.

“Thank you, Jake.” Emma’s gaze didn’t stay on him for more than a cursory nanosecond, then darted back to the noisy crowd.

The two women sat at the long table. He took a position behind them, sipping his beer and checking out the band. Everyone seemed to be in a festive holiday mood, with twice as many couples on the dance floor than on a regular Saturday night. Like the bartenders, each band member wore a Santa hat, and the front of the stage was decked out in giant candy canes and twinkling colored lights.

“I know you have to make a decision soon on your mother’s condo,” Maddie told Emma. “Would you please at least consider moving to Haley? You have so many friends here. Think about it. We could see each other every day. Our kids could marry each other. We could be grandmothers together and rock on your front porch.”

Emma laughed. “I don’t have a front porch and doubt I ever will. Not too many of those in New York City. I’ve always loved coming to Haley in the summer, getting to stay with Gran and seeing you. Some of my best times were the summers you and I were camp counselors at Rollicking Hills.”

“Don’t forget, college roommates,” Maddie said.

“Of course.” Emma smiled. “As much as I like Haley, it isn’t home to me. I would miss everything I love in the city.”

Maddie’s expression darkened. Jake didn’t blame her for being hurt. After all, she and Emma had been friends since they were five.

“Emma Kimball, it’s great to see you.” A tall, athletic brunette smiled as she gave Emma a bear hug.

“Robin, how are you?” Emma wholeheartedly returned the hug. “I haven’t seen you since your wedding. How’s your handsome husband?”

“He’s fabulous.” She leaned closer and whispered, “He’s at home painting the nursery blue.”

Emma’s blue eyes lit with pleasure. “Congratulations. That’s wonderful. You always talked about being a mother. Four kids, if I remember correctly?”

Jake remembered she wanted two when they’d daydreamed about their perfect, one-day family. He’d planned to lobby for more when he was established in an orthopedic surgical practice.

At least a dozen men and women came over for the next hour to talk to Emma. He stepped back to allow them more space. Yes, her family roots there were deep. Her late grandmother served as mayor for many years. Emma’s mother was a famous artist who got her start at Haley High School. She generously donated several paintings to the school, library, and hospital.

If only Emma knew how much love and respect she had as a third generation Haleyan. Of course, convincing her couldn’t happen overnight. After all, it took him nine years in sunny California, where he’d dreamed of practicing medicine and spending his life, before he realized what he thought he wanted most was not what he needed. Her friends in Haley needed her. He needed her.

The blare of music and Maddie’s raised voice snapped him back to the present. Her cheeks were fire engine red.

“What people…your friends?” She huffed. “The only people you ever mention in NYC are your clients and your mother’s neighbor, Mrs. Mercht. Can you honestly tell me if you have any friends there, your age? Someone you can call up to go to lunch or out for a drink?”

“Do you think I don't have any friends out of eight and a half million people?” Emma’s voice became more shrill with each word. Then, in true Emma style, she rolled her eyes and huffed.

He waited to see if she would stomp her foot.

Maddie’s eyes narrowed. “So, what’s up with Sloan? Where is he these days? You haven’t mentioned him in over a month.”

Him? Eavesdropping was beneath Jake. But who in the hell was this Sloan character? And how did he fit into Emma’s life? But then, Amber Waite slithered up beside him.

“You look lonely standing here by yourself.” Her ruby red nails slid along his biceps. “Come dance with me, Jake.”

“No thanks.” He wanted to say not ever, but that would be unnecessarily rude.

Amber Waite moved to Haley during his junior year in high school. After her recent divorce, she returned to Haley with her young son to live with her parents. Her father was the physician who recruited him into his practice. She never hid the fact she was on the hunt for husband number two—or the fact Jake was on her shortlist.

“Why, it’s Emma Kimball! What a surprise. Slumming it in Haley for the holidays?” Amber didn’t give Emma any chance to respond. “I’d think you’d be strolling down Fifth Avenue finishing your Christmas shopping.”

“Nice to see you, Amber.” Emma stood up, dwarfing obnoxious Amber by a good four inches. “Sorry to spoil your take on my life. I’m merely an underpaid social worker. The only thing I can afford on Fifth Ave is hot chocolate at Starbucks.”

From their nine years together, he was more than familiar with Emma’s every tell, expression and underlying emotion. The rapid-fire twitch in her jaw indicated she wasn’t immune to Amber’s nastiness. Her exasperation was there, bubbling beneath the surface.

“I work at Fordham Hospital in Manhattan in their outreach program for at-risk children,” Emma said.

“Sounds rewarding,” he said. Emma always had a big heart. “How long have you been there?”

“Six years. After I got my master’s and completed my clinicals, they hired me full-time. Then, when mother got sick, I had to cut my hours in half. I hope to return full time, but the program needs additional grant funding for that to happen.”

How could she survive in absurdly expensive New York City on a part-time social worker’s salary? His roommate in med school was on staff at Presbyterian, living with three others to make rent on a tiny apartment on the west side. Then he remembered her “homeless” comment on the phone. “Have you looked anywhere outside the city?”

“Not yet. My preference is to stay there. I haven’t found anything as satisfying as working with these kids.”

He understood. It took him a few years to learn job satisfaction trumped a fat paycheck and the prestige of pandering to professional athletes. “Dance with me?”

She surprised him by letting him take her hand and walking to the dance floor. Accepting his invitation could be a ploy to escape more of Amber’s verbal abuse. He didn’t care as long as Emma was in his arms again. For now, it was enough.

Fortunately, a nice, slow song justified close contact. He pulled her to him, the top of her head still notched perfectly beneath his chin. The scent of her coconut shampoo reminded him of the tanning lotion he used to rub on her back at the lake. He couldn't even remember his name the first time he’d seen her in the red bikini. Since then, she’d come into full-fledged womanhood. Every part of him was blatantly aware of the change.

When she gave up a soft, unexpected sigh and dropped her head against his chest, he felt like he’d discovered everything in life he’d been missing. It staggered him. An incredible rush of light and energy soared into every hollow space inside his body. Was this his second chance with her?

“It appears you found your dancing shoes.” Amber’s snide tone snapped him out of his thoughts. She attempted to shoulder Emma out of the way. “I’m cutting in.”

Storm clouds gathered in Emma’s eyes. He didn’t kid himself jealousy was behind her reaction. Apparently, she’d reached her limit with the bully Amber had been since high school. For some unknown reason, every summer Emma spent in Haley, Amber set out to make her life miserable.

Before Emma could respond, the band stopped playing. Kellan O’Rourke walked to the mic holding the hand of a young boy. “Amber Headlee, I have a message for you. You are two hours late. Your babysitter quit. Your son is right here.”

“What?” she shrieked.

Jake bent close to her ear. “He said your babysitter—”

“I know what he said,” she snapped at him. “My mother is my babysitter. She can’t quit.” She marched to the stage as laughter, mixed with boos, rippled through the crowd.

Emma’s lip curled, and she shook her head in disgust. One thing about her, she was a champion for children; their welfare trumped everything else. As they returned to their table, Jake wondered who the guy in the suit was talking to Maddie. He didn’t have long to find out.

“Emma, I’d like you to meet Ryan Rogers,” Maddie said. “He moved to Burlington last month from Chicago.”

A tall, skinny, three-piece suit-wearing guy clamped onto Emma’s hand. From the reverent look on the guy’s face, he wasn’t about to let go of her without intervention.

“Ryan, is it?” Jake shouted above the noise. The guy’s attention swung from Emma to him. “Jake Cutter.” He offered his hand in a fist bump manipulating Ryan to let go of Emma. “A pleasure to meet you. What brings you to Burlington?”

“First Federal National Bank. I’m VP of marketing for New England.”

“Must be a major adjustment,” Emma cut in. “I mean… Chicago has so much to offer.”

“You’re right. It does,” Ryan agreed. “I’ve been coming to Vermont to ski since childhood. Burlington has a great airport to travel out of.” He smiled. “I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and lived downtown for the past four years. It was time for a change. Haley seems like a great town. Snow skiing in winter, swimming and boating in the summer. I think I am going to like it here.”

“Haley is happy to have you.” Maddie smirked at Emma. “Hey, everybody, I’ve got free lift tickets at Blue Mountain courtesy of First Federal. Good only for tomorrow.” Maddie put a stack of tickets on the table. “Help yourself.”

Emma reached for her coat and purse. “If I’m going skiing in the morning, I should call it a night,” she told Maddie.

Jake grabbed his coat and was going to offer her a ride, but quick draw Maddie beat him to it. “I’ll give you a ride back to the inn, Em.”

“Emma and I are both going back to the inn,” he said. The last thing he wanted was to miss out on spending some time with Emma, one on one. “You live on the other side of town. I’ll take her.”

“Thanks anyway, Jake,” Emma said. “But Maddie and I have a lot of catching up to do.” Defiance sparked in her blue eyes as she slipped into her coat. “G’night, Ryan… Jake.”

“See you on the slopes tomorrow, baby girl.” He used his favorite pet name for her to rile her up. The glare she lasered at him was hot enough to melt a snowman in seconds and would have stopped most men in their tracks, but not him.

She was the one thing missing in his life. After she left him, she haunted his dreams for years. Finally, fate gave him a second chance with her, and he wouldn’t let her get away this time.