Chapter 4
4
Even on his days off, Jake made a habit of swinging by the patisserie at the close of business to ensure the place was locked and instructions for the next day were loaded on the computer.
That Thursday, he was about to step into his office when Janice, one of the front-of-house staff and the only person left in the store, called out to him, “I’m off now, Jake.”
He walked over to her. “Okay. Did you grab some leftovers for the kids?”
“I did, thanks. Oh… and there was a girl—well, a young woman really, in here looking for Jesse the other day.”
Jake frowned. Janice had worked for him for a little over a month, and while she knew who Jesse was, they’d never discussed his twin. “Really?”
“Sorry, I forgot all about her until now. I got a bit flustered at the time and didn’t know what to say, so I asked if she wanted to leave a message, but she said she’d come back another day.”
Having lived in Europe for most of his twenties, Jake knew only a couple of Jesse’s female friends, so he struggled to think who it could be. “Okay. Thanks.”
Janice rummaged in her purse and pulled out her car keys. Just as she was about to open the door, Jake called her back. “This woman, what did she look like?”
“Tallish, long blonde hair. Quite stunning, actually. Very well put together, but natural, if you know what I mean.”
“And she didn’t leave her name?”
“No. I did ask her, but she seemed kind of anxious, like she’d had to pluck up the courage to come in and couldn’t wait to leave.”
“Hmm.”
“Right, I’d better get home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Janice. Have a nice evening.”
Puzzled, Jake locked the door behind her and strolled back to the office. Quite stunning, actually. When they were younger, he’d often been jealous of how easily his twin brother picked up attractive women when, because of his shyness, he’d struggled to even speak to the opposite sex.
Now one of those women had come into his store looking for Jesse.
Jake shook his head. Sad. That’s what it was.
Plain freakin’ sad.
The phone on his desk rang. Jake let it go to answer, but when he heard his lawyer’s greeting, he picked up. “Annabelle. What can I do for you?”
“Afternoon, Jake. You’re still there. Sorry, I should have called your cell but wasn’t thinking.”
“No problem. You sound terrible. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, fine. Well, it will be as soon as I get over this dreadful flu. I mean, who gets the flu in summer? But enough about me. I just wanted to touch base while I had a spare minute to tell you that Molly Parker’s finally made contact as of this morning. I’m seeing her on Monday.”
Molly Parker? “You’re meeting online?”
“No, she’s in town at the moment. I don’t have any other details, but Monday’s the day. I’ll keep you informed of my progress.”
Interesting. Molly Parker was in Clifton Falls, but with all her social media accounts private, apart from a side-on profile picture on one of them, Jake had no idea what she even looked like. According to Jesse, she’d been working in the States for much of last year.
“Then we can set up a meeting with your father once he’s back from Fiji,” Annabelle continued. “Jake?”
“Sorry, my mind’s in overdrive right now. Mum will want to be in on that.”
“I thought that might be the case, although Henry is the primary executor. Still, an informal get-together might satisfy Hazel’s curiosity.”
Or not. “Yeah, maybe.”
“Okay, I’ll be in touch. In the meantime, if you’re talking to your father, can you fill him in? I’ve sent him an email, but he hasn’t replied.”
“Will do. He’s back early next week.”
With their conversation over, Jake swiveled his chair so he had a view of the courtyard through his office window.
He didn’t know Annabelle Sutton well. She was married to a much older man, and they were considered quite the power couple about town, but Jake didn’t move in those circles or have the patience for the upper-crust lifestyle. If he were honest, her brisk manner often intimidated him, but there was no denying she was good at her job.
Perhaps now, with Molly Parker in town, that job would be a little easier going forward.
Jake stood and flicked off the office lights. As he made his way to the back door, he stopped to survey the kitchen— his kitchen—that restlessness stirring as he thought of his twin. Because opening a patisserie was Jesse’s idea. They’d discussed it at length before Jake signed the lease, both agreeing that the business would solidify Jake’s return and give him something to focus on.
But in reality, the opposite was true. Jake’s world had jostled to a halt months before. Sure, the financial rewards were better than anticipated, but without Jesse’s support, he struggled to achieve the sense of purpose he craved.
Later that evening, while making his way downtown to meet friends at an Irish pub on the waterfront, Jake mentally reviewed his conversation with Annabelle about the elusive Molly Parker. What was Jesse thinking, leaving part of his estate to a woman no one had even heard of, let alone knew anything about?
With the place packed, Jake sat at the end of the bar next to Todd, a close friend from his culinary school days. He was just about to pick up his beer when he sensed someone standing behind him.
“Excuse me?”
Jake turned to put a face to the voice and immediately sat up straighter. Before him stood the woman who’d left that envelope in the courtyard. Normally, he wouldn’t remember his customers until they’d been in several times, but there was something familiar about her, and although she didn’t offer a smile, he couldn’t help but stare at her striking features.
“Can we have a word?”
“Sure.” He placed his glass on the bar and motioned for her to take a seat on the stool next to his. “What’s this about?”
She remained standing and cleared her throat before speaking again. “I got your card. I’ve been working overseas, so it took a while to find me.”
“Card? I don’t follow. Do we know each other?”
Her eyes narrowed as she studied him. She inhaled. Exhaled. “No. I guess we don’t. But then, we never really did, did we?”
The music switched to a country rock ballad, and Jake leaned a little closer so she could hear him over the noise. “I think you’re confusing me with someone else.”
“You really don’t remember me?”
“Nope, sorry. But how about I buy you a drink, and you can fill me in?”
She pulled a square blue envelope from her bag and slapped it on the bar in front of him. “No, thanks. You’re eight years too late.”
Puzzled, Jake glanced down at the envelope. By the time he turned to speak a moment later, the woman was weaving her way through the crowd toward the door.
It was then that Jake remembered where he’d seen her before the patisserie. At the traffic lights on Valentine’s Day: Number Nine in the baby-blue cap and snug-fitting activewear.
He turned the envelope over to check its recipient. Immediately recognizing his brother’s neat handwriting, Jake closed his eyes briefly and muttered under his breath, “Molly Parker. What the actual fuck?”