Chapter Nine

The absolute nerve of that guy.

Jack was patronizing. He was arrogant.

And the worst thing of all…he thought what everyone else thought about her. That she was an emotional rollercoaster with men. And he’d said he didn’t want to hurt her, like he was the one who let women down because they couldn’t help falling for him.

Well, she didn’t want to have anything to do with him, either.

She collapsed onto her new couch.

She liked Jack. She’d felt they were becoming friends. They’d confided in each other. They’d had such a nice day. Well, until the almost-kiss anyway.

But then he’d gone and ruined everything.

As if she were the one who was getting too interested. So interested that he had to warn her away. Yet she was the one who’d pulled away.

This was really messed up.

And she totally agreed with him—she wasn’t going to risk making the same mistakes as she had in the past.

But if she totally agreed, then why was she so…angry? The guy was a jerk who probably thought he was God’s gift to womankind—he probably gave versions of that same I-would-hate-to-hurt-you speech all the time. So it was much better this way. And it was what she wanted. Wasn’t it?

All Juliet managed to do in the first five minutes she was home was scare poor Ellie under the bed with her stomping around. She made tea to calm down but couldn’t drink it. Finally, needing some fresh air, she put on some clean sneakers and ran the three-fourths of a mile to her sister’s charming little house in the Blossom District, close to downtown. She peeked through the wooden gate and found Tessa in her garden, sitting with her feet up in the afternoon sun, reading a book. The clouds had dissipated from earlier and the sun was out and shining brightly.

“Hey there,” Juliet said as she released the squeaky latch on the back gate to the little yard, which consisted mostly of a brick patio surrounded by a garden where ivy and little ceramic garden gnomes ran rampant. Cosette, Tessa’s cat, sprawled out on the warm bricks, occasionally flicking her tail in interest as she watched chipmunks scamper up the old trees.

Just then, Leo walked out of the garden shed with a shovel. “Hey there, sis,” he said to Juliet. “Since when did you become a Longhorn?” He must’ve noticed that her face turned practically the same bright color of Jack’s sweatshirt, because he said, “Oh, sorry—maybe I shouldn’t have asked that.”

And maybe if she hadn’t been so upset, she wouldn’t have forgotten to change. “It’s not what you think,” she said, then looked at Tessa. “I know you probably just got home from the bakery, but do you have a minute?”

Leo leaned on his shovel. “I think I’ll make us some iced tea. And…dig up the garden another time.”

“You’re the best,” Tessa said, shooting him a genuine smile.

It was wonderful to see her sister so happy. And so in love. Juliet was thrilled for her, but she couldn’t help wondering if she would ever find love herself. Maybe she would be on an emotional rollercoaster with men her entire life.

“Thanks, Leo,” Juliet called as he opened the slider door to the house. To Tessa, she asked, “You sure it’s okay? I don’t want to interrupt.”

Her sister reached over to squeeze Juliet’s hand. “Honey, I always have time for you.”

“I know, but I’m really trying to be more mature now. To avoid making things into crises. To not come running to you with all my troubles.”

Tessa held up a book. “If you get my mind off of this, I’ll listen to anything.” The title read How to Have a Great Labor. On the cover, a woman sat in a hospital bed, covered from the waist down with a blue surgical drape, smiling gleefully. “Did you know that if you go into labor by yourself, you should sort of sit up in case you have to catch your own baby?”

“Stop reading that book right now.” Juliet grabbed a chair from the table set and dragged it over to where Tessa sat.

“Tell me about it.” Tessa laughed and tossed the book onto the wrought-iron table. “So, what’s on your mind?”

“Taking the town counselor job was a bad idea. I’m trying so hard not to make mistakes. To be wise and sensible. To not let my emotions guide me straight into trouble.”

Tessa sat up a little and frowned. “Exactly what kind of mistakes are we talking about here?”

Cossette walked daintily over and wound herself around Juliet’s legs. On impulse, Juliet reached down and scooped her up into her lap and cuddled her. “I’ve only done the job one day, but I feel like I’m handling it fine. It’s the faux-cowboy part that’s upsetting me.”

Tessa nodded toward the longhorn on Juliet’s sweatshirt. “Jack.”

“We moved a tree for Jerry Caldwell out near the county line, but we got stuck in the pouring rain, so Jack drove us to his grandmother’s.” She tugged on the longhorn to explain. “I had…I had a wonderful time. Jack was open and funny, and his grandmother was adorable, and she made us this wonderful lunch…but then…we almost kissed.”

Tessa sat straight up. “You almost what?”

“I pulled away,” she rushed to say. “I didn’t kiss him. And then you know what he did? He gave me a lecture on how he didn’t want to be the one to hurt me. How arrogant! Like he’s thinking I’m the kind of woman who’s just waiting to fall hard for the next guy who walks into my life.”

Leo walked out with glasses of iced tea. “I’m not supposed to be listening. But I have something to say.” He handed out the glasses of tea and grabbed a seat. “Jack’s a great guy, but he’s got his own issues. And maybe he pushed you away for those reasons rather than because he really wanted to push you away, you know what I mean? Maybe it’s not about you at all.”

Juliet felt a little lost. “Are you saying he wasn’t pushing me away because of my issues, but because of his?”

“Exactly.” Leo sat down at the table and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I guess what I’m saying is that I’ve never known Jack to have a real relationship.”

Tessa sipped her tea. “My best advice is that I think you need to find your inner Lulu.”

Juliet turned to her sister. She’d hoped at least her own sister wouldn’t bring that up. “I hate my inner Lulu, Tessa.”

Tessa laughed. “That chubby little toddler was boss.”

Juliet threw up her hands. “She was ridiculous. She climbed a water tower. She was a spoiled little brat.”

“Well, I’m only two years older, but I remember her being sweet and loving and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, just like you do now.” She paused. “And…little Lulu took chances.”

“I wouldn’t even be able to climb the water tower anymore. I’m afraid of heights, remember? Probably from the PTSD of scaling it the first time.” She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, rubbing her temples. But it wasn’t taking away her massive, Jack-induced headache. “Where were our parents, anyway? Letting a three-year-old escape like that. Geez.”

“Ask Mom. I’m just talking about following your heart and taking some risks instead of closing yourself off.”

“I’ve taken chances in the past and look how those have turned out. I’m the three-engagement wonder. No one trusts me to be their therapist. Priority one is getting my job back on track. Besides, you can’t possibly be telling me to take a chance with Jack.”

“I’m all for taking chances,” Leo said carefully. “But not necessarily with Jack. I mean, the man’s my best friend and I love him like a brother, but he’s a risk.”

“Leo,” Tessa said gently, “you were a risk, too.”

He shrugged. “Well, you saw the best in me. But I know Jack too well. I just don’t want Juliet to get hurt.”

What was implied, but not said, was again.

Tessa shared a look with Leo. “You just know his romantic history,” she said. “But Jack’s a quality guy. And sometimes you gotta take a chance.” Tessa turned to Juliet. “I mean, look at me. I met Leo again after all those years apart. Next thing you know I’m married, through pastry school, and starting my own business.” She patted her belly. “Oh, and this business. All in the blink of an eye.”

“You two are too cute.” Juliet was really happy for her sister and for Leo. They’d overcome a lot and made it work. But Blossom Glen was small, and the chances of her finding a once-in-a-lifetime love were even smaller. Not that she was even thinking about that now. Because…she needed her job, food, and rent. She nudged the cat off her lap and stood. “Thanks for the talk. Bring Cosette over for a Caturday date with Ellie sometime, okay?”

As Juliet hugged her sister and brother-in-law and then walked back to the gate, she thought of a few things. One was, she couldn’t afford to take the chances that Tessa had so cavalierly talked about. She wasn’t going to ruin her life further by getting involved with someone who should come with a red-flag warning.

So she’d fallen in love impulsively a few times. Was that a crime? It had just gone way too far both times before she bailed.

She was going to set herself up for success. Do a great job as Town Counselor. And break her old patterns of picking men who were all wrong for her. Starting with staying far away from Jack emotionally. She would never make those same mistakes again.

…

On Monday, there was a water main break on the far end of Main Street, and the water had to be shut off to all the businesses. So Jack’s day started with a flurry of phone calls and tugs in a million directions. He fought back a yawn and the unsettled feelings that had knocked around in his head all weekend about Juliet. And caused him to lose sleep.

They would soon pass. It was for the better. That near-miss kiss had been an accident.

That’s what Jack had been telling himself over and over. But he was honest enough to call himself a liar.

He was walking back to city hall after assessing the damage when he noticed the line for Christmas Every Day spilling out onto the street. Either they were having the biggest sale in history, or there was a problem.

Turns out the line also snaked through the store. And at its very origin, in front of the big antique cash register surrounded by colorful glass Christmas balls dangling from the ceiling, was a young woman in a silly elf costume whom he recognized as Juliet’s younger sister, Vivienne.

A woman at the front of the line was talking very loudly over a sizable box which sat atop the counter. “I ordered a Santa hat, a Santa top with a belt, and Santa pants online. Not Santa panties.”

Santa panties?

Vivienne righted her green-and-white striped hat, which had slipped down over her dark curls. “Yes, ma’am,” she said politely, “but the date of purchase was three months ago. I’m sorry, but that’s past the time our return policy—”

“I live in Chicago,” said the woman, who was wearing a red-and-green sweater with pompoms dotted all over, despite it being an unseasonably warm October day. “I waited until I had to come back this way on the turnpike.”

“I understand,” Viv said calmly, “but this could have been mailed back within the return time limit.”

“I’ve been a faithful customer for the past ten years,” the woman said. “And I didn’t order twenty-five pairs of Santa panties. I want to speak with the manager.”

Jack walked up to the counter. “Hey there, Viv,” he said. “Hey, ma’am. My name’s Jack Monroe, and I’m the mayor of Blossom Glen. Thanks for patronizing our shop. Hope you don’t mind if I borrow our little elf for a minute.”

“Oh, hello, Mayor.” The woman appeared a bit flustered, her pompoms swaying as she clapped a hand to her chest. “As long as you can set things straight,” she said in a condescending tone.

Jack pulled Viv aside down an aisle. At eye level on the shelf, a Santa was popping out of an outhouse, waving a roll of toilet paper with a list of kids’ names on it. It was just one example of the quirky Christmas stuff that was literally packed from wall to wall. And it was what made people flock here from six neighboring states. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Delores is on a buying trip,” Viv whispered. “It’s been one holdup after another because that ancient register is old and…useless. Someone returned like, fifty ornaments, and I had to punch in all the SKUs by hand. Now this lady won’t budge. But if I let her return twenty-five pairs of Santa panties three months late, Delores will send me ho-ho-home with no job.” Her mouth turned up in the slightest smile.

For a flash, he could see her resemblance to Juliet, which got him thinking about the great day they’d had. And how he’d ruined it, said something stupid that she mistook for an insult. But he pushed all that out of his mind.

Viv looked stressed but okay. And at least she was cracking jokes instead of crying.

“Delores is the kindest woman alive,” Viv said, “but she doesn’t allow anything risqué in the store. The panties are an online-only item. If I let the customer return them late, I’ll have to eat the cost because we can’t put them in our inventory and resell them here.”

Jack frowned. “How much is it for a pair?”

“Around six bucks.”

“Okay, how about this. You return her money. And I’ll take care of the panties.”

Viv rolled her eyes. “I don’t even want to know what that means.”

“It means I’m going to sell them.”

“Where? On Ebay?”

He smiled as they walked back to the register. “Nope. Right here.”

Jack cleared his throat and checked out the long line of customers. And the people happily browsing the tightly packed aisles. “Hey, everyone,” he said in his mayor’s voice. He waited until everyone had stopped talking and was paying attention. “We’ve got a seventy-days-before-Christmas special today. Come and get yourself a pair of holiday panties for just eight bucks cash right now. A limited-time offer, today only.” He spotted Hector Gonzales, the owner of the Foggy Bottom, Blossom Glen’s local watering hole, who could take a joke. “Hector, you know you want some for Gladys.”

Several husbands, who looked like they’d rather be at the dentist than shopping in a year-round Christmas store, wandered up.

Jack held up some samples, which were either red or green and had words printed on the butt. “We have Naughty, Nice, or Ho ho ho.”

Someone raised a hand. “I’ll take a Ho ho ho.”

“Better hurry up, folks,” Jack continued, “’cause this item is going to sell out right quick.”

“What’cha got there, Jack?” Jim Levinson, who’d just retired from the bank, asked. “I’m looking for something for Sandra’s birthday.”

Jack rummaged through the box. He felt a little like he was selling popcorn at a baseball game, but hey, it was working.

“I’ll take a pair,” Jim said. Some women wandered over. A crowd of local retired guys from the coffee shop did, too.

“Cash only, folks.” Jack held up some different-colored samples. “Relationship therapy for eight bucks.” Someone chuckled. Followed by someone else making a tsking sound of disapproval. He glanced up to find a pretty therapist with a very large frown, which made him do a double take.

Juliet.

As usual, he reacted to her presence with a little zappy shock that ran all through him. Make that pretty, clearly still angry, and definitely not pleased at what he’d just said.

“Not that regular relationship therapy isn’t important, too,” he said nice and loud as an attempt to extract his foot from his mouth. “A good marriage needs both kinds, right?”

She started to turn away, so he held out the box and shook it a little. “One pair left and I’ll give it to you for a steal. Need some Ho ho ho in your life?”

That earned him a giant frown. “You’re ridiculous.” Juliet shook her head and turned to check on Viv.

Okay, he was making everything between them even worse. “Juliet,” he called. He wanted to talk to her. To explain. But she didn’t hear him, because Tyler Wells, the most beloved teacher in town, had called her name at the same time.

Rumor was, he’d never gotten over being dumped by Juliet, and he was now single, having recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend.

“Jules?” Despite his arms being full of construction paper and vials of glitter, he embraced Juliet with a massive hug. “So great to see you!” he exclaimed, using his kindergarten-teacher voice. “I’ve been meaning to call you to congratulate you about your new jobs. Both of them. You look amazing.” Another enthusiastic embrace.

Tyler certainly didn’t have any trouble telling Juliet how he felt.

“Hey, Jack,” Tyler said, finally seeing him. Jack nodded, suddenly realizing he was standing there with a pair of panties in hand. Ones that said Bad Santa Baby, which he quickly dropped back into the box.

Tyler was loaded with his hallmark energy. Parents did devilish things to each other to get their kids into his class. One year some mom had broken into the office and erased a child’s name off the waiting list so her kid could move up. Who knew Blossom Glen Elementary’s kindergarten could be so cutthroat?

“I’m so happy for you, Jules,” Tyler said. “You’re going to be the most awesome therapist ever.”

“Thanks, Ty,” Juliet said. “You look great, too. What brings you in here?”

“Autumn trees art supplies in a pinch.” He held up the red and green construction paper. “I supplement these with other colors.” As he put them into his hand-held basket, he said, “So how are you doing? You heard I broke up with Holly, right? Ever since then I’ve had more time to do art projects with the nursing home folks, and once a week I visit the kids’ ward at the hospital. You should come with me some time. We could catch up.”

Jack’s phone buzzed with incoming text messages. Actually, it had been doing that for the past fifteen minutes, all from various city employees dealing with the water main break. Viv’s register line was under control now and he was down to his last pair of panties, but water mains, police chiefs, and public utilities officials were not doing well at all. And he was filled with a nagging feeling that he’d screwed up with Juliet. Badly. Again.

On a whim, he tossed a ten into the box as well as the rest of the cash he’d collected and pocketed the last pair of panties. Mission accomplished.

But he felt…bad. Terrible, in fact. He hadn’t meant to hurt her.

“You need help carrying that stuff back to school?” Juliet asked Tyler. “I’m headed that way.”

“Oh, I’d love it,” Tyler said.

“Bye, Jack,” Juliet said with a wave. “See you at work. Good luck with the panties!” She gave him a faux-sweet smile. “However you might define that.”

He forced a smile as she walked off with Mr. Wonderful.