Chapter Eleven

Jack walked out of city hall and straight down the street toward Castorini’s Italian Restaurant, which was already hopping with the lunchtime crowd. It was a sunny fall day, and tourists were strolling along the sidewalks, sitting under the yellow canopy of leaves, eating ice cream. He walked past the crowded candle factory gift shop and Christmas Every Day. The smell of warm, fresh bread hit him even before he approached Bonjour Breads!, where he gave a wave to Juliet’s mother, Mrs. Montgomery, through the window.

When he reached the restaurant, he walked around to the back door and into the kitchen, where the mouthwatering scent of garlic and simmering tomatoes hit him hard. Leo, wearing a white apron over his gray T-shirt and jeans, was stirring a giant sauce pot on the big, industrial-sized stove.

Tessa sat nearby, gently tapping a sieve over a large container of tiramisu, causing powdered cocoa dust to fall gently over a layer of whipped cream.

Tessa looked up. “Hey, Jack,” she said with a smile.

“That looks amazing,” he said, but his heart wasn’t into it like usual. His new town counselor, in addition to sapping his mental energy, apparently had also attacked his appetite. What would be next?

No, not that. Certain other appetites seemed as raring to go as ever, especially in her presence.

Leo walked over to Tessa, putting a loving hand on his wife’s back. “Rub lower please,” she said, giving a stretch. “Carrying this little person around all day is hell on the back.”

“You look great,” Jack said. “You feeling okay?”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “I have tons of energy and food tastes like an orgasm.”

“Hey!” Leo said.

She kissed him playfully on the cheek. “I didn’t say better than an orgasm.”

He kissed her back. “Well, okay then.”

They were so perfect together it was…sickening. Something tugged at his heart. Not jealousy, exactly, but the feeling that he’d never find what they’d found.

Wait…was he even looking for that? They were clearly exceptions to his rule that true love was all a fantasy, anyway. He wished them the best, but he knew better than to dream.

Jack surveyed the packed dining room through an opening in the kitchen where Leo’s dad was busy placing beautifully presented plates. “Business is booming.”

“Since Tessa took over the desserts,” Leo said, “we’ve got people coming in just for those. Plus we’ve sold more cappuccinos and lattes than we have in months.”

Tessa shook her head in disagreement. “I think it’s that people take one look at the menu—and the hot chef in the kitchen—and end up staying a while and eating a meal.”

“Hey, I heard that,” Mr. Castorini called, giving Jack a wave. Jack grinned and waved back.

Tessa looked at her husband with moonstruck eyes. And he looked the exact same way right back.

“Am I…rigid?” Jack blurted.

“Rigid? You?” She assessed him carefully. “Well, you do take off your shoes whenever you come over to the house and line them up perfectly at the door.”

“And I’ve never seen a paper out of place on your desk,” Leo added. “And every time we go out and you take a shot, you turn the shot glass upside down and stack it. And when we go camping, you always do that weird thing with your sleeping bag where you have to fold it a certain way to put it away while everyone else just shoves theirs in the bag.”

He shook his head to indicate enough. “Okay, I’m sorry I asked. Next time I’m going to ask people who don’t know me so well.”

Tessa finished sprinkling the cocoa on top of the sumptuous dessert. She reached for a nearby knife, cut a generous piece, and handed it over to Jack. “Sit down,” she said. “You look like you could use some sugar.”

Between the dessert and Tessa’s kind smile, he couldn’t resist the offer. Jack sat down at the worktable, and Leo walked up and glanced over his shoulder. “Well, if it’s break time, maybe I’ll have a piece, too. I’ll get us some coffee.” Leo looked at his wife. “Decaf?”

“Thanks, but I’ll let you two talk. I’ve got to get back to the shop.”

Leo kissed his wife goodbye and patted her growing baby bump in such a clearly affectionate way that Jack pretended to be checking out his phone. Especially when Leo said, “Oooh, hey, that was a strong kick. I think we’ve got a potential soccer player in there,” and got a goofy, smitten grin on his face.

“Whatever our baby is,” Tessa said, “I’d feel so much better if they had a place to sleep when we come home from the hospital. Oh, some names would be nice, too.”

“I can come and help you paint that nursery,” Jack offered. He looked at Leo. “If you cook, we will come.” Leo had done this before; cooked up a storm and had Noah, Tessa’s sisters, and Jack over to help paint their garage last spring, and it had been worth every bite.

“We might take you up on that,” Leo said. Then he kissed Tessa again and saw her out the door.

Love had certainly hit his best friend hard. And Jack was truly happy for him—for both of them. But for the first time, he felt a little…lonely. Leo had always been his partner in bachelorhood. To see him reverse tide so definitively was scary.

“What’s up, Jackie?” Leo said, slapping him on the back. He set down two mugs of fragrant, steaming coffee and sat down next to him.

“I’m really worried about my grandmother’s land,” Jack said. Which was always true. Also, the land was a whole lot easier to talk about than trying to figure out how to articulate the rest of his frustration. Especially when that involved Leo’s sister-in-law.

And what exactly was he supposed to say about Juliet anyway? That he’d come a half inch away from kissing her? That she had him all tied up in knots? And was driving him up an ever-loving wall?

No. No, no, no.

It was the stress of this land thing, that had to be it. No woman had ever tied him up in knots of any kind. Square knot, fisherman’s knot, or love knot. None of the above.

“I thought you said the developer’s plan was coming up for a vote with the zoning commission,” Leo said.

Jack nodded. “Yep. And I got an email this morning confirming the date for the auction.” He stared down at the beautiful dessert, his appetite all but gone. “I can’t stop it, unless I somehow win the lottery and buy the property back.”

Leo took a sip of coffee, deep in thought. “I’m sorry, Jack.”

“Omnibuild’s going to do a giant pitch to everyone. They’ll say that a golf course and condos and shops are going to be great for our economy.”

“Will they be?”

Jack shrugged. “They’re going to bulldoze all that beautiful land. The forest. And I’ve been chatting with my architect friends. For a golf course, they’ll have to re-route the creek. And of course, my grandma’s house will have to go, too.

“Devin Chambers is determined. And wealthy as Midas. And he pays no heed to environmental damage. But none of what he’s doing is illegal. I think everyone’s going to see the cash flow this is going to generate for the town and give it two thumbs-up.”

“Is anyone else bidding on the land?” Leo asked.

Jack shook his head. “Chambers has made it clear he’ll outbid anyone.”

Leo tapped his fingers on the table. “What about that land on the south side of town that you mentioned? Where the junkyard was?”

Ah yes, the junkyard. Jack’s last-ditch idea. “I made sure to apply for federal cleanup funding. A golf course is more suited to that site with less trouble. Except the land wouldn’t be ready for another year or two. If I can convince Omnibuild that it’s worth it to switch gears and use that land instead of my granny’s, I might have a shot. But frankly, it’s a longshot. Devin doesn’t strike me as patient, compassionate, or environmentally friendly.”

Jack’s stomach turned sickly. The coffee smelled strong and bold, and Leo always made a great cup, but today it didn’t appeal. The giant piece of tiramisu, his favorite dessert, might as well have been a pile of lard.

“It’s okay if you can’t eat,” Leo said like the true friend he was. “Take it to go.”

Jack scrubbed his face with his hands. “When I think of telling my grandmother that I can’t fix this—I just can’t sleep. Or eat. I’ve got to find a solution.”

Leo gave him a concerned look. “Well, I’ll do anything I can to help you. You know that.”

“I do know that.” Jack forced a smile, because he knew Leo would do anything for him if he could. “Thanks.”

Jack continued to stare at his dessert. He scraped the cocoa from the top of the whipped cream.

“Jack,” Leo finally said. “What else is bothering you?”

Leo, of all his friends, understood his difficulty in articulating his troubles. But that still didn’t make it any easier to come out with it. “What makes you think there’s something else?”

“Because I don’t think the land problem made you fly down Main Street like your pants were on fire.” He looked up at his oldest friend. “Is it Shelby?”

Jack snorted. “No. That ran its course a while ago.”

His friend nudged him in the elbow and got a goofy grin on his face. “Tell Uncle Leo. Come on.”

“You have to promise not to judge me.”

“Fine.”

“Your sister-in-law is…a challenge.” That was the politest thing he could think of saying.

Leo lifted a brow. “Juliet?”

“Yes, Juliet.” Jack put his fork down and made eye contact with his friend. Because he wanted to be honest. “It’s been less than a week since I got her to help me with my forum, but she’s gotten me involved in solving people’s problems. And complimenting them for their good work. And my grandma likes her way too much.”

“From what she told us, she likes your granny a lot, too.”

He jerked up his head. “She told you that?” What he really meant was, what else did she tell you?

“Yes.” Leo assessed him carefully, like he could see straight through all his grousing about Juliet. “Other than that, she mostly said that you were annoying.”

Jack snorted. Of course she had. “She’s sharing my office and asked me if I wanted campfire or ocean waves as a soothing listening background. And she has succulents. Not to mention she’s dog-sitting Louise Howard’s fluff ball.”

“Wait a minute. Juliet’s working with you in your office?”

“She asked me for an office of her own, but it’s a part-time job and I figured she could take the paperwork home. Not only did she move herself in, but she also moved my town model out. That was the last straw. And you know what? I think she tortured me on purpose just so I’d give her office space down the hall.”

“Everyone loves her,” Leo said in a warning voice. “Be careful if you fire her.”

“I’m not going to fire her, and the position is temporary anyway. She is loveable. And she loves everyone. She bends over backward to help anybody get along. Trouble is, her solutions usually involve me.”

Leo appeared to be on the verge of laughing. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Well, yes. No. I don’t know. I had this idea that if I could connect more with everyone, they’d see my way about my grandma’s land, but honestly, it’s a long shot. Once Devin makes his case, I think everyone in town is going to go along with it.”

“Juliet’s been good for your image. Everyone’s talking about you driving that front loader.” He hid a sudden chuckle with a cough.

“What is it?”

“Have you seen the Gazette today?” Leo got up, grabbed a newspaper from his desk, and tossed it in front of Jack.

He took one look and groaned. The trench photos accosted him in all their muddy glory, he and Juliet close up and looking like…well, looking like they were having way too much fun. “She slipped and fell. It was muddy. I—”

Leo stared at him.

“She’s so…emotional.” He waved his hand in the air. “She laughs, she cries. She feels bad about the land.” He sounded ridiculous, he knew.

“Right,” Leo said. “It would be terrible to have to interact with a human being with feelings.”

“She told me I have issues.”

“You do, Jack.” Leo smiled, then softened his voice. “And I tried to warn Juliet about them. But…I don’t know.” He studied the photos. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but, I just see—I see potential in you, Jack. Just like Tessa gave me a chance. This might be your chance to leave your baggage behind and actually connect with someone. The question is, are you going to let your past get in the way of something good?”

Leo’s words startled him. When Jack had said he didn’t want to hurt Juliet, she’d taken that personally. He got that. But all he was trying to do was to warn her off—to tell Juliet that he wasn’t the kind of man she needed. He’d been trying to protect her from himself.

He was used to doing that—maintaining emotional distance with women. He wouldn’t recognize himself otherwise.

“I’m not going to get involved with her,” he told Leo. His best friend knew him better than anyone. And he’d never want anything to come between them.

“Okay, good,” Leo said, calling his bluff. After Jack didn’t say anything, Leo added, “You’re acting smitten.”

“My heart is safe. The last thing I need is a woman with big emotions.” He said emotions like they were something scary. To him, they were. “And saying this out loud has given me an idea how I can solve this dilemma right now.”

He picked up his phone. “Sharon? Hey, it’s me. Will you please give Juliet the key to room seventeen? Tell her she can move all her stuff down there ASAP. Okay, thanks. Bye.”

He punched the end button. “There. Problem solved.”

Leo shook his head sadly.

“What?” he asked, looking at his friend. “I mean, most relationships suck,” Jack said as he hung up the phone. “I—I don’t even know if I can be in one.”

Leo sighed. “I used to think love was complicated. But it’s really not. It is or it isn’t, that’s all.”

What did that mean? “You sound like Yoda.”

“It means that love can transform your life if you’re open to it. And you can be in a relationship, Jack. You have a lot to offer. More than you think.”

What had happened to his fun, single friend?

“But, Jack…” Leo continued. “If you’re not open to it and you break Juliet’s heart…” He made a slit-the-neck gesture that was straight out of The Godfather. Then raised his brows to make sure he got it.

Jack did. He was just surprised Leo didn’t end with Capisce?

“Warning heard,” he said.

“And also, Jack,” Leo said. “You do know that giving Juliet an office isn’t going to solve the problem, right?”

Jack heaved a heavy sigh. Giving Juliet a space of her own might get her and the fluff ball out of his office, but not out of his mind. He just had to make sure to do everything possible so that she didn’t somehow find her way into his heart.