John increased the speed on Caleb’s treadmill and pounded uphill.
“You’ll set a world record if you carry on like that,” Caleb said. “Are you going to tell us what’s wrong?”
“Not yet.”
Steven slid back and forth on the rowing machine. “It must involve a woman,” he wheezed. “John hasn’t run this hard since we started training.”
“You should be thankful I’m here,” John said. “The Welcome Center is full of guests, Christmas is around the corner, and we’re providing four times the usual number of food parcels.” He sucked in a lungful of air. Either he needed to stop talking or slow down.
“Why are you giving out more food parcels?” Caleb asked.
“It’s cold and people are hungry.” John hit the speed button and slowed the treadmill. Even for him, the pace he’d set was grueling. “We might have to provide some temporary beds. We don’t usually get this many people coming to Sapphire Bay in December.”
Caleb stepped off the cross trainer. “It still doesn’t account for your death wish on the treadmill. Wait a minute. It doesn’t have anything to do with Shelley’s ex-boyfriend, does it?”
“Ex-fiancé,” John muttered.
Caleb’s eyebrows rose. “Touchy, irritable, and pedantic. I think John has been bitten by the regret bug.”
John glared at the laughter on his friend’s face. “There’s no such thing.”
Steven slowed the rowing machine to a crawl. “Sure, there is.” He grabbed his towel and wiped the sweat off his brow. “The regret bug is a first cousin of the love bug. They both have the same sting, but one makes you feel better than the other.”
“And I know which one I’d prefer,” Caleb said.
John didn’t want to know about either of the bugs. He was tired, grumpy, and annoyed that he hadn’t apologized to Shelley.
Caleb threw John a towel. “Spill the beans. It will make you feel better.”
John had said the same thing to Shelley before she told them about Jarrod. And look at the mess that had created. “It won’t make me feel better. It will just make me realize I’m more of an idiot than I thought I was.”
Steven shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I feel that way at least once a week around Bailey.”
John took a deep breath. “Shelley and I had a disagreement.”
Caleb snorted. “You don’t have a disagreement with a Jones sister. They’re full-throttle, guilt-producing arguments. And take it from me, you’re always wrong.”
“What did you say to Shelley?” Steven asked.
“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”
Caleb sighed. “When has the truth ever mattered? Sometimes, all I have to do is sneeze the wrong way and Sam sends me an evil glare.”
Steven’s eyes widened in surprise. “Maybe that’s where Bailey gets it from. It must be a family trait.”
John slipped off the end of the treadmill and bounced off the wall.
“Are you all right?” Caleb asked.
Rubbing the back of his head, he sent his friends a rueful grin. “It’s just as well Shelley isn’t talking to me. If I’d married her, we would have been brothers-in-law.”
Steven stopped rowing. “And you only just figured that out?”
“I had other things on my mind,” John muttered. He stretched his calf muscles before they turned into iron bars.
“Yeah,” Caleb laughed. “And I bet those things had nothing to do with Elena’s risotto. So, what’s with the disagreement?”
“Shelley wants to stay in Sapphire Bay.”
Caleb and Steven looked at each other.
“That’s it?” Caleb asked.
“Isn’t that enough? She could apply for a job that’s everything she’s ever wanted. But she doesn’t even want to consider it.”
“None of us are doing what we planned on doing when we moved here,” Caleb said logically. “I was going to spend my days hiking in the mountains and creating computer applications that would blow everyone’s mind. Now look at me. I’m married to a woman who designs top secret surveillance systems and throws up every time I make coffee.”
Steven smiled. “I guess that’s why you don’t offer us coffee, anymore.”
“You’ve got that right. Sam can’t afford to lose any more weight. Being sick doesn’t help her or the baby.” Caleb frowned at John. “Be thankful you’ve only got Shelley to worry about.”
Steven started a set of push-ups. “Why do you want Shelley to go away?”
“I don’t want her to go away, that’s the problem.”
Caleb scratched his head. “Now I’m really confused. You have an argument because Shelley wants to stay in Sapphire Bay, but you don’t want her to leave? You really are crazy.”
Steven rolled onto his back. “Sounds to me like the guy who visited you had more on his mind than saying goodbye.”
“I don’t know what Shelley saw in him.”
“He probably thought the same thing about you.” Steven counted out the next set of push-ups.
“Who cares about the ex-fiancé, anyway?” Caleb asked.
“Looks as though John does.”
“I don’t care about him,” John muttered. “I care about Shelley.”
Steven collapsed on the floor. “You could have fooled me. It sounds like you’re trying to get rid of Shelley before she decides she’s had enough of you.”
Caleb frowned. “Huh?”
“That’s not true.”
Steven’s eyebrows rose. “Are you sure?”
John wasn’t sure about anything.
“I got lost at the getting rid of Shelley part. What’s happening tomorrow?” Caleb asked. “Is she working from The Welcome Center or staying at Bailey’s?”
“She said she’s coming into the center.”
“That will be awkward,” Steven said unnecessarily.
John sighed. It didn’t take Einstein to figure out that he was in serious trouble.
Caleb stretched his hamstrings. “Do you want Shelley to be part of your life?”
That was the easiest question John had answered all morning. “Yes.”
“Well, then,” Steven said with a grin. “You’ll have to eat a big helping of humble pie. Because, regardless of what you might think, the Jones sisters aren’t pushovers.”
John had never thought they were. He just didn’t know what he would do about it.
By eleven o’clock the next day, Shelley had eaten her way through two bags of chocolate fudge, paid all the final invoices for The Santa Express event, and talked to Kylie from Blooming Lovely about hosting the Valentine’s Day fundraiser on her flower shop’s website.
After creating a draft project plan and organizing the next Santa’s Secret Helpers committee meeting, she was ready to have lunch. Thankfully, John had stayed away from her office. She didn’t know whether he was doing other things or avoiding her. But, either way, she was grateful.
Bailey had suggested treating John like her boss. And she would. But that didn’t stop her heart from pounding when she heard footsteps in the corridor. Or sighing when she smelled the faint scent of his aftershave.
“Someone must be hungry,” Mabel said as Shelley walked into the kitchen.
“I don’t know what the hospitality class is cooking today,” Shelley said. “But it smells delicious.”
“John added four Italian recipes to this week’s schedule. I wonder why he did that?”
Shelley had no idea. Assuming it was because of her mom’s cooking, or because he wanted to make an impression on Shelley, was foolish. “It could have something to do with the herbs that are growing in Mr. Jessop’s greenhouses. He told me that basil, oregano, and rosemary are wonderful additions to any Italian meal.”
Mabel smiled. “Whenever you’re ready for some cooking lessons, just let me know. Or is John going to teach you the basics?”
“John won’t be teaching me anything.” Shelley poured a hot cup of coffee into a mug.
“Do I detect a little disagreement between the two of you?”
Shelley sighed. “Sorry, Mabel. I didn’t mean to be so negative. I’d enjoy learning how to cook with you. But it will have to wait until after Christmas. I’m too busy at the moment. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“That would be lovely.” Mabel opened a box and stacked some groceries inside a cupboard. “You know, when I was your age, I had a wonderful life. I was single and I had a good job and amazing friends. But then I met Allan and everything changed. Because we were older when we fell in love, we brought a lot of different things into our relationship. Both of us had loved other people. Allan had been married and, goodness me, what a lot of expectations he had about us after we got married. But the one thing that kept us together was knowing that we’d found someone special.”
“What if that’s not enough?”
Mabel took the cup of coffee that Shelley handed to her. “Special is always enough. It’s everything else that gets in the way. Allan and I aren’t perfect, but we muddle on and have more good times than bad.”
“Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you’d left Sapphire Bay?”
“I didn’t want to leave. If I had, I would have missed everything about our small Montana town. Allan and I raised four beautiful girls in Sapphire Bay. We’ve joined nearly every social group and organized more fundraisers and parties than you could count. If anything, Sapphire Bay made our relationship easier.”
“How did it do that?”
Mabel took a plate of sandwiches out of the refrigerator and handed them to Shelley. “We don’t have the same distractions that you find in a city. Everyone is warm and friendly and, if something happens that you don’t like, you tell the person. Most people are very forgiving.”
Shelley wished some of Mabel’s positivity could rub off on her. “How do you stay so cheerful all the time?”
“You have two choices in life. You can be happy or sad. I choose to be happy. That doesn’t mean that I’m always smiling or I don’t get grumpy. It means that I’ve made a choice to make the most of each day. Even with my mom being so sick, I try to make her smile each time I visit.”
“I’m sorry, Mabel. I didn’t realize your mom’s sick. Will she be okay?”
“She’s ninety years old and broke her hip a few months ago. As mom says, her spirit is strong, but her bones are weak. Our daughters call her each day.” Mabel smiled. “Penny has even taught her how to use video chat. They play cards together each night.”
“It sounds like you have a wonderful family.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without them. Can I give you some advice?”
Shelley nodded.
“No one comes into a relationship without knowing heartache, loss, and fear. Those experiences shape how we react to other situations. Unfortunately, some people have experienced more tragedy and loss than others. That makes them even more unsure of the world. And that’s one of the reasons I enjoy volunteering at The Welcome Center. We’re people’s soft place to fall. Never forget that.”
“I won’t.” Shelley’s cell phone beeped. She read the text and smiled. “I’ve been speaking to an architect about some changes I want to make to the houses I bought. They can meet me at the properties in fifteen minutes.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“It is.” Shelley rinsed her coffee mug and hugged Mabel tight. “Thank you for your words of wisdom. And I hope your mom stays positive. She’s lucky to have you as her daughter.”
Mabel’s arms tightened around Shelley. “I’m the lucky one.” She leaned back and looked Shelley in the eyes. “Don’t be too hard on John. He cares about you.”
Shelley sighed. “I know he does.”
“Good.” Mabel patted Shelley’s arm. “Now go and see that architect. If I’m not here when you’re finished, come to the store. I expect a full debrief.”
“I’ll find you,” Shelley promised. “See you soon.” And with a sandwich in her hand, she hurried toward the parking lot. Hopefully, the architect’s vision and budget matched hers.
Otherwise, her dream homes would disappear and painting each house was the only improvement she’d make.
John paced back and forth. After he’d tutored this morning’s hospitality class, he’d searched for Shelley. It wasn’t until he spoke to Mabel that he discovered where she’d gone.
But that was two hours ago, and she still hadn’t returned.
All sorts of scenarios shot through his mind. Maybe she’d decided that working at the center wasn’t a good idea. She might be at Bailey’s house, working from the dining room table. Or maybe she’d finished talking to the architect and was filling out the application form for the job in New York.
The sound of footsteps in the corridor made his heart pound. When he saw Bailey, he sighed. Before she walked all the way to Shelley’s office, he stuck his head around the door frame. “Shelley’s not there.”
Bailey turned and frowned. “I know. I told her I’d leave some ideas for the flower fundraiser on her desk.” She looked more closely at John. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he lied. “How’s Shelley?”
“She’s fine, too.”
John’s eyes narrowed. Was Bailey serious or was she being as careful as he was?
Bailey crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You know you shouldn’t have listened to Jarrod, don’t you?”
“Some of what he said made sense.”
“That’s how he works. He adds just enough truth into what he says to make you think everything is reasonable. It’s not.”
John already felt like an idiot. Admitting as much to Bailey wasn’t necessary. He could see in her eyes what she thought of him. “Is Shelley still with the architect?”
“No. The architect left half an hour ago. Shelley won’t be back at work for the rest of the day.”
John waited for Bailey to tell him where she was. She stayed silent. It looked as though sisterly solidarity was more important than a pastor with limited emotional intelligence.
Bailey looked at the folder she was holding. “If you want to talk things through with Shelley, she’s in one of the cottages. You’ll earn brownie points if you take a sledgehammer and pry bar with you.”
John grabbed his jacket. “She’s pulling the house apart?”
“More like venting her frustrations on 100 years’ worth of cobwebs and dirt. But don’t worry. The architect told her where to start and what to do.”
He checked that his keys were in his pocket. “Thanks. You’ll never know how much this means to me.”
“Just don’t make a mess of your apology. And take fudge. It might make Shelley more agreeable to talking to you.”
John kissed Bailey’s cheek. “I owe you a big favor.”
“You can name your firstborn after me.”
He looked to see if she was joking.
Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Yes, I was joking. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to leave this folder on Shelley’s desk and get back to the medical clinic. Good luck.”
“Thanks. I’ll need it.” John hurried down the corridor and into the parking lot. Before he met Shelley, he had some tools and candy to buy.
Shelley lifted her safety glasses into place and took a deep breath. Before the architect had left, she’d told her how to take the drywall off the walls separating the small kitchen, dining room, and living rooms. Except her instructions weren’t very in-depth, and Shelley was worried she’d rip old wiring out of the wall and electrocute herself. Or, in a worst-case scenario, pull more than the drywall down and have half the house fall on top of her.
She thought of her personal improvement plan and gripped the handle of the sledgehammer. In-depth instructions were a thing of the past. She was spontaneous, adventurous, and could do anything she set her mind to. Besides, how difficult could it be to demolish a couple of walls? She was stronger than she looked, and she had the general store’s most expensive sledgehammer in her hands.
She looked around the living room and saw her neon-yellow hard hat sitting beside her jacket. Quickly, she put it on and lifted the sledgehammer into place.
Three holes in the drywall guided where she would aim her first swing. Cautiously, she drew the sledgehammer back, then propelled it forward, slamming into the drywall. It hardly made a dent. She tried again, this time with more force, but only produced a slightly bigger dent. After a few more tries, she left the sledgehammer on the floor and grabbed hold of the mutilated drywall, pulling with all her might.
A satisfying crack appeared in the sheet and Shelley pulled harder. Before she knew it, she was holding a large, musty piece of drywall and was covered in gritty plaster dust.
“I have a spare mask if you want one?”
Shelley jumped. That couldn’t be John. How did he know she was here?
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He stood in the doorway holding a packet of face masks, a sledgehammer, and two tool belts. “The door was open.”
The one person she was trying to ignore had just walked into her house. Didn’t John know that the main reason she was here was to get him out of her mind? How was she supposed to de-stress when the man you were de-stressing from was in the same room?
Shelley picked up the sledgehammer. “I don’t need a mask. Watch out.” This time, there was a loud crunch as another sheet splintered.
“Do you want me to give it a pull?”
Shelley straightened her hard hat. “I’ll do it later. Why are you here?”
“I want to apologize.”
“You don’t need a sledgehammer and tool belt to apologize.”
John cleared his throat. “One of the tool belts is a housewarming present.” He cautiously crossed the room. “It’s leather and the tools are all good quality. Allan said if you ever need the chisels sharpened, just see him.”
“Allan from the general store?” Shelley laid the sledgehammer on the floor and took the tool belt. It was heavier than it looked. There was a hammer, two screwdrivers, three chisels, a measuring tape, and a small rectangular box.
John must have seen what she was looking at, because he said, “That’s a stud finder.”
Shelley’s eyebrows rose.
“Not for…” John took one look at her face and sighed. “You know what it’s for, don’t you?”
Without showing any sign of the smile that was threatening to break free, Shelley flicked on the power button and ran it across the wall. A shrill beep told her she’d found a stud. “Dad has one at home.”
John reached inside his jacket pocket. “I bought you something else, too.”
Shelley would have recognized the little bag of deliciousness anywhere. “Fudge?”
Another bag appeared from a different pocket. “I’m desperate. If Brooke’s fudge changes your mind about me, the wait in the line was worth it.”
Shelley knew how long the lines outside Sweet Treats could get. She didn’t need to look through the windows to know it was a cold, overcast day. If John was willing to stand in line for fudge, he might still be the man for her.
She took the bags. “What are you apologizing for?”
“I should have listened to you instead of Jarrod. But that wasn’t why I was upset.”
“It wasn’t?”
“I was worried you’d find any excuse to leave because”—John took a deep breath—“because I would never be enough for you. I’m worried that one day, you’ll regret being part of my life and want to leave.”
Shelley frowned. “I love you. Why would I leave?”
“I’m not like Jarrod. I don’t wear expensive suits or earn huge amounts of money. I’ll never own a house in the Hamptons or be able to afford luxury overseas vacations. All I can offer you is me.”
Shelley put the bags of fudge beside the tool belt. “And you don’t think that’s enough?”
“I thought it was until Jarrod told me about the job in New York.”
“I don’t want to live in New York City. I want to live here. With you.”
For the first time since John arrived, he looked hopeful. “Are you sure?”
Shelley stood in front of him. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.” She ran her hand along the front of his shirt. “There’s something else I’m sure about.”
John swallowed. “There is?”
“I need to have the drywall off the timber frames by the end of the day. Did you bring an extra sledgehammer for show or were you planning to use it?”
John smiled. “I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy. Show me what you want me to do.”
Shelley grinned. “Follow me.”
John held her steady. “Does this mean I’m forgiven for not listening to you?”
“You are. And I’ll be even more understanding after the drywall is gone.”