| |
Okay, so Jamie wasn’t lying when she said Jason Wright was a handsome guy. He was. He was tall, lean, and chiseled. He made Captain America look like second place in a national pageant. However, Reesa also found he had an easygoing, fun personality which made him seem like even a better catch. She wasn’t sure what his story was or why he’d had bad luck with his relationships, but Jamie had already texted her that she would be arriving to provide coffee and an early lunch for the two of them so as to “sneak a peek of him in a tool belt.” Reesa had yet to feel a thrill or rush of attraction towards the man, but she enjoyed his company, and he was patient in his teaching. Her cell phone rang and curious as to why Theo would be calling her mid-morning, she held up a finger for Jason to pause in his explanation over framing. “Good morning, Theo, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Hey.” Theo’s voice sent a small buzz of warmth through her, but she tamped it down so as not to give herself away to Jason. And because she was still trying to convince herself that she was crazy for even thinking Theo could be more than a friend. “How’s it going?”
“Good.” Reesa leaned back in the deck chair and waited for him to give her the real reason why he called.
“I forgot what time Clare gets out of school.”
“Ah.” Reesa babbled off the release time, but she didn’t think that was the real reason for his call. He was quiet. Too quiet. And he went to the same high school. Surely the release schedule hadn’t changed that much over the years. He would at least have some idea of the time. “Is that all you needed?” Again, silence lingered on the phone before an annoyed sigh filtered through.
“I was just checking on you,” Theo admitted, and she could tell he hated doing it, which made her smile.
“I see. Well, Jason is just teaching me all I need to know to build a magnificent structure. I’m learning that without lateral bracing, my pergola can just sway in the wind and blow away if too big a storm blows through... which he informs me, happens often. And that if we attach sections of rail in between pergola posts that will strengthen the pergola. Installing 45-degree bracing in between the post and header beam also will increase stability. And we will be using 6x6s for support posts which will further strengthen it. This sucker isn’t going anywhere. Though now, instead of a pergola, I kind of want it to be a covered deck and porch, so he’s helping me draft that idea as well.” She paused a minute. “How’d you like that? I sound like I know what I’m talking about, don’t I?”
She could hear the light hint of a smile in his voice. “Yeah, you do. Sounds like it is going well, then.”
“It is. Billy Lou is going to swing by in a bit and see what new ideas we have drafted up and then we will go from there. Really right now we are just measuring out the space.”
“Well, I’ll let you get back to it, then.”
“Thanks for checking up on me.” Reesa muttered her goodbyes and hung up, setting her phone aside. “Sorry about that. Neighborhood watch making sure all is okay.”
Jason smirked. “T.J. knows I’m helping you?”
She nodded. “Why?”
“I’m just surprised he doesn’t seem to mind.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He and I go way back,” Jason said. “We tended to have the same taste in girls.” He smirked.
“Well, we aren’t dating, so I don’t see why he would care who I’m working with.”
“You’re not dating?” Jason asked, nodding towards her phone. “But he was calling to check on you?”
“He’s sort of one of three people I actually know here, and he’s been sweet to help my daughter and me get situated.”
Jason’s dimples flashed a minute as he chuckled. “Right. Well, let’s get the tape measure and some string, and we’ll rope off our area. Sound good?”
“Yes. Let’s get to it. I want to have it up before Billy Lou arrives so she can envision the space and make the call on what we do moving forward.” Reesa walked with him over to the back porch.
“Are you going to paint it or stain it?”
“Probably stain it. I mean, we would want it to blend with the cabin I would think.”
He studied the old house and grimaced. “Yeah, that cabin needs a new coat of protectant on it. Otherwise, you’ll just be trying to match the color of rot.”
“Is that something you do?”
“No, but I have a guy.”
“Good. I love this little place. I want to make sure we take care of it.”
“I’ll mention it to Mrs. Whitley and see if she wants me to line that up. It’d be good to do that all at once when the deck is finished. Because you may have to replace some boards on the house, sand some down, and then re-stain the whole place. Then everything could match.”
“I don’t want it to look too new, though.” Reesa leaned her weight on her right leg as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the quaint cabin. “I like that it looks old.”
“It can still look that way, just have some repairs done. Otherwise in a year or two, you’re going to have a bigger mess on your hands.”
“Alright...” Reesa turned a sly smile on him, and his left brow rose in response.
“What?”
“How are you at building porch swings?”
He laughed. “Not my wheelhouse. I can do it, I just don’t. I mostly focus on framing houses, barns, and decks. But—”
“Let me guess, you know a guy?” Reesa grinned as he laughed.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Jason leaned towards her, his eyes dancing in flirtation as Jamie rounded the side of the house with her hands full carrying a cardboard cup holder with four cups of coffee and a box of some culinary creations she’d picked up as well. She paused when she spotted them, and a knowing smile spread across her face as to what she’d just interrupted.
“Hey guys! Jason, it’s so good to see you!” She handed him a cup of coffee and he took it with a friendly toast towards her as he walked away from the two of them to fish around in his toolbox for his tape measure. Jamie gave a little shimmy with her shoulders as she waltzed her way towards Reesa. “Girl,” she whispered. “He is looking good.”
“Shhh,” Reesa warned. “You don’t want him to hear you.”
“And what was that?” Jamie bounced her fingers between Reesa and Jason. “Did I interrupt a little flirtatious tryst happening?”
Reesa rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. We were just talking about the deck.”
“Mmhmm.” Jamie set the box of pastries on a wooden stump by the current porch railing and watched the man walk towards them. “He moves like a sexy lion on the prowl. Oh my.”
“Jamie,” Reesa hissed, staring at her friend in shock. A nervous, bubbly laugh escaped her lips as he approached and as if he knew what they were discussing, flashed a killer smile.
“Ready?” He held up his tape measure.
“Yep.” Reesa motioned for Jamie to have a seat and get comfortable, her friend not hesitating a moment.
Between the first and second round of measurements, Billy Lou arrived and joined Jamie on the back porch, the two women watching Reesa’s interactions with Jason closely. Reesa began tying off the last of the surveying string, Jason walking up to help. His fingers brushed over hers as he took over the task and she quickly moved out of the way to let him finish. She saw Jamie’s amused smirk at her actions and felt a blush stain her cheeks.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t hire Jason to nudge Theo into asking her out, but are you sure it was a good idea?” Jamie whispered to Billy Lou.
“Now, Jamie, why on Earth would I do such a thing like that?” Billy Lou asked, her eyes wide. Her feigned innocence was fleeting, though, and Jamie giggled.
“You are bad, Billy Lou. Just straight up bad.”
“I can’t help it. You’ve seen the two of them together. Theodore cannot let Reesa slip through his fingers. She is precious and just in the short time she’s been here, I have seen that boy relax, smile, laugh, and serve in ways I haven’t seen in years. It’s like she’s awakened him from some sort of stagnant and lonely slumber and is slowly bringing him out of his shell. He needs this.” Billy Lou motioned towards Reesa as she and Jason discussed numbers and joists.
“I don’t disagree,” Jamie agreed. “But I don’t know if Reesa is even looking for a relationship. She doesn’t seem too focused on herself. Everything is about Clare.”
“I can’t fault her there,” Billy Lou admitted. “But I’ve also seen a change in her as well. She’s come to depend on Theodore in ways that flirt with the line between friendship and relationship. The two of them will have to own up to it here soon and figure it out. It’s not fair to either of them to live in limbo like that. So, if a handsome, available bachelor needs to be thrown in as a plot twist to get the ball moving, then I’ll pencil him in.”
“You think T.J. will come home early from work?”
“Oh, honey, I’m betting on it.”
Jamie hooted as Billy Lou lightly fluffed her hair and smiled. “He won’t be able to stand it.”
~
Clare glanced up from her Chemistry textbook as Theo entered his office and slid into his desk chair. He tapped on the keyboard of his computer, hit print, and an older gentleman walked inside. Theo handed him the invoice and the man grunted his approval. He then handed Theo his credit card, Theo quickly and efficiently taking payment and sending the man on his way. No words were exchanged, just a quick and clean transaction for his hard work. The older man tapped the edge of his cap towards Clare on his way out and she offered a friendly smile. When the door closed, Theo penciled something on his desk calendar. “So... is that your typical customer experience?” Clare asked.
Theo glanced up. “Pretty much. Why?”
“You didn’t even tell him thank you.”
“He knows.”
“Does he?” Clare asked, doubtful.
“He’s been coming here for years, so I’d say he’s pretty familiar with how things go.”
“You grunt. He grunts. Grunt, grunt, grunt, and then he leaves. It’s like caveman customer service.”
Theo sighed and leaned back in his chair. Clare held up her hands to ward off a potential bad mood. “Just an observation. That’s all.”
“And how would you have handled it?” Theo asked.
“Well,” She closed her Chemistry book and set it aside. “I would have said, “Alright, Mr. Grunt, we did a carburetor swap and an oil change for you today. That comes to such and such amount.” Clare pretended to accept a credit card with a smile and air swiped it. “Just sign here. Let me print your invoice for you right quick. We appreciate you trusting us with your vehicle. You let us know if there’s anything else you need. Okay? Have a great day.” She lifted a sheet of paper and handed it to Theo with a sweet smile. “And end scene.”
Theo sat, amused at how similar Clare was to Reesa. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “You’re hired. When can you start?”
Clare laughed and then realized he was serious and her face sobered. “Wait, what?”
“Want a job? You could work after school and on Saturdays if you want.”
“Seriously?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Theo asked.
“I don’t know. You look like you always do, which makes it hard to tell. You don’t exactly have a wide range of emotional expression, you know.”
“I’m serious,” he confirmed for her. “You can think about it and let me know.” He clicked off the computer and motioned for her to follow him to his truck.
She gathered up her textbook and backpack, slipping it inside. As they walked to his truck, she asked, “So what’s the pay?”
He hadn’t thought that far ahead, but he considered it a moment. “Eleven an hour.”
“Wow,” he heard her whisper, and he bit back a grin as they climbed into his truck.
“Okay, I’m in.” Clare held out her hand. “But with a few conditions.”
“Shoot,” he offered with a wave of his hand for her to lay them out.
“I don’t work on Fridays. That way, if there’s some sort of teenage festivity, like a ball game or dance, I can go.”
“Okay.”
“And what if I want a Saturday off to do something with Mom, how do I request that?”
“You just tell me.” Theo shrugged as if the answer was simple.
“But what if I end up taking a lot of Saturdays off? Would that be annoying?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Clare, I don’t have anyone working the desk. You’d be a bonus. But if you aren’t there, I can handle it myself. It’s not going to bother me. What will bother me is if you completely neglect the job when you’re actually at the job.”
“I think that’s fair.” She beamed at him. “Mom’s going to be excited. I mean, I help her with her business stuff occasionally, but I get room and board for that help.”
“Seems fair,” Theo pointed out.
Laughing, Clare agreed. “Thanks, Theo. I’m looking forward to helping you out.”
“I do have one question for you,” Theo mentioned.
“What’s that?”
“When you acted out your scene, did you know a carburetor swap was actually a real thing?”
Clare’s eyes widened. “No way?!”
He chuckled at her shock.
“I was just trying to use car jargon. Man, I’m good. See? I’m already learning the lingo. I’ll watch all the fifty-five Fast and Furious movies and then I’ll be a walking encyclopedia of car knowledge.”
“Right... because that is definitely the kind of person someone wants to be working on their car.”
“I won’t be working on the cars,” Clare pointed out. “Just chatting about them.”
“Please don’t.”
She flashed a wide smile and he winked at her as they turned into the driveway to the cabin. “Guess Jason’s gone for the day.”
“Much to your relief,” Clare muttered.
“I have no problem with Jason.”
“But you would have a problem with him if he hit on my mom.” He sat quietly a minute before starting to respond, but she held up her hand to stop him from speaking. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
“I don’t have secrets. And no, I wouldn’t have a problem with him hitting on your mom. I would have a problem with him hitting on any woman. He’s not a standup guy, no matter what people think.”
“Well, Jamie seemed to like him.”
“She likes the look of him, as do most women. But looks and personality can be drastically different.”
“Is this you subtly warning me so that I will warn my mom against him.”
“No. I don’t play those games. This is me stating the facts. You and your mom can do what you want with them.”
“And if she decided to ignore those facts?” Clare asked curiously.
“Then that’s her choice.”
“And you’d be okay with it?” she prodded.
“Wouldn’t I have to be?”
Clare fell quiet as he parked under the shade of the woods. “No,” she finally answered. “Because my mom is worth fighting over. I can tell you like her. I’m not blind. And you can deny it all you want,” Her voice hardened at the thought of him disliking Reesa in any way. “But if you like her and she started dating someone else and you just passively let it happen because you just didn’t want to interfere or whatever, then you don’t deserve her. She’s worth putting yourself out there. She’s worth waiting for. She’s worth every second you can give her, because she’s amazing. And when she decides to befriend, like, or love someone, she goes all in. It doesn’t matter what past you have or anything. She takes people as they are and who they want to be. She’s worth every ounce of grit you have if you want to be with her.”
“You’re forgetting part of the equation, Clare.”
“Me?” she asked.
“No, me. I may have contemplated pursuing your mom, but if the feelings aren’t reciprocated, I don’t waste my time. I’m her friend, yes, and that’s what it is right now. I’m not going to push for more if there’s nothing on the other side.”
“Can I ask you something... even if it makes you mad?” He inhaled a deep breath and she grimaced. “Which I can tell I’m already flirting the line of making you upset, but one more question?”
“One more. That’s it,” Theo agreed, uncomfortable with their conversation.
“If I weren’t in the picture, would you have already asked her out?”
His eyes widened in surprise at her question. “No, why would you think that?” His voice rose and a relieved smile washed over her face.
“Just checking. I didn’t think that was the case, but it has been in the past with other men. I don’t like the idea of my mom not having a chance with someone she cares about because of me.”
“I haven’t known your mom long enough yet to know if I want to ask her out. I don’t date much.” He flushed at admitting that to a teenager. “But when I do, it’s usually with someone I’ve known longer than a couple weeks.”
“Why?”
He narrowed his eyes at her.
“Ah...” She looked out the windshield. “I’ve hit my quota of questions, right? Sorry. I don’t always know when to turn them off.”
“I don’t like messing up,” Theo admitted. “And let’s just say I play along with your idea that I like your mom—"
“Idea?” Clare rolled her eyes in the stereotypical teenager method but waved for him to continue.
“If I asked her out, she said yes, we dated, and then something went wrong, what then? We’re neighbors. My grandmother is your landlord. That would make things uncomfortable for everyone. And I don’t want to do that to you and your mom. I also do not want to make things harder for my grandmother. She likes the two of you and loves having you in the cabin. I don’t want to jeopardize that for her, so there’s that to consider.”
“I get it.” Clare rubbed her chin in thought and then looked at him again. “But I think you’re totally missing out on the possibility of something great. Who cares how long you’ve known us? And if things go south, then you act like grownups and just deal with it. My mom’s first instinct will be to leave and move somewhere else. That’s just how she’s lived her life. We’ve moved all over the place for fun and for necessity, depending on the situation. But we have never made such deep connections with people as quickly as we have here. You, Billy Lou, Jamie, Teddy. We don’t want to leave. So, if it doesn’t work out, you can both suck it up so we can stay. I’ll even play the ‘me’ card. For Clare’s sake, it will work out no matter what. If you date or if you don’t, for Clare’s sake, life in Piney will be good and permanent.”
Theo extended his hand towards her, and she surveyed the gesture a moment before placing hers in his and shaking hands. A small smile tilted the corner of her lips. “Let’s go see how much damage Dreamy McCarpenter has done to your chances, shall we?”
Exasperated, Theo released her hand and climbed out of his truck to the sound of Clare’s amused giggle.
