Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Noises from the kitchen woke him when it was barely light outside. He pulled the pillow over his head and groaned. A huge yawn popped his jaw.
He felt like he’d been awake all night, but he must have dozed off sometime. His head pounded.
Soon, the smell of coffee and cooking bacon told him he might make it through the day if he could drag himself upright and find acetaminophen in his overnight bag. Easier said than done. But he powered through.
When he peeked into the hallway, the bathroom door was open. He took care of business and freshened up, throwing water on his hair to keep it down. The man in the mirror had the beginnings of a beard and dark shadows under his eyes.
He leaned both hands on the sink and bowed his head. He honestly didn’t know what the hell to do in this situation. Should he drive back to Atlanta and return to pick up Gabby tomorrow?
That might be the smartest course, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He wanted to be with her. Period. Here in Blossom Branch. Or in Atlanta. He was winging it, and he couldn’t find it in himself to regret that. Maybe in some ways, all the uncertainty made this new part of his life more exciting.
When he entered the kitchen, only Dahlia was there.
“Good morning,” he said.
Using tongs, she scooped up the three crispy strips of bacon frying in a pan and laid them carefully on a paper towel. “Good morning.” She waved a hand toward the sink. “Coffee is ready. Help yourself. Mugs are in that cabinet. Breakfast will be done in five minutes.”
“Can I help?”
“Heavens, no. If I can’t throw together toast and bacon and eggs, they might as well put me out to pasture. Sit down and drink.”
Her laughter made him smile. “Yes, ma’am.”
He wanted to ask about Gabby, but he didn’t. For the first time in months, he decided to indulge in caffeine. The coffee was good, very good. Hot and strong. Just the way he liked it. He sipped the life-giving liquid and cradled his aching head in one hand.
When Gabby finally showed up, she was perfectly groomed, but her smile was shaky. The sweater today was pale yellow. It clung to her breasts subtly.
“Coffee?” he asked.
“Oh, yes.” She sat down carefully. “Good morning, Mama. Thanks for making breakfast.”
“Happy to do it. You kids eat plenty.”
The three of them dug in. Silence reigned for the first few minutes. Then Dahlia dropped an unwitting bomb. “How did the two of you meet?” she asked. “I don’t think Gabby has mentioned you, Jason.”
He saw Gabby’s eyes go wide. What little color there was in her face faded.
“Um...” His brain raced, but there was only one possible thing to do. He exhaled. “Gabby and I met in college at UGA, Ms. Nolan. More recently, I was engaged to Cate Penland.”
Dahlia’s eyes widened. She might be emotionally fragile, but she was no dummy. She knew Gabby’s best friends were Leah and Cate. Her gaze went from Jason to her silent daughter and back again. “You must have been through a lot this last year, Jason. I hope you’re on the mend.”
“It was my fault,” he said bluntly. “While it’s true that Cate and I were not a good match, I waited too long to call things off. I kept telling myself everything would be okay. The wedding was a huge, embarrassing mess.”
She reached across the table and patted his hand. “My poor boy. Life kicks us in the teeth at times, doesn’t it? Most of us have a few terrible mistakes in our pasts. People gossip about our failings. Point fingers. The best thing we can do is keep on living. One foot in front of the other and all that. Eventually, the days are not as dark. I hope my daughter has brought some light into yours.”
Jason nodded his head, stunned. His eyes burned. This resilient woman was sharing her hard-won wisdom with him. Gabby was visibly shocked. Perhaps her mother never talked about the past.
“Thank you, Dahlia,” he said hoarsely. “That means a lot. As I told Gabby, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.”
“Then you’re a fool,” she said sharply. “This might have been your first huge misstep, but it won’t be your last. We grow from those broken places. I’m not the same person I was when Gabby was born.”
“It must have been hard raising her on your own,” he said quietly.
Dahlia nodded. “Incredibly so. But she was mine. And I adored her. Still do,” she said, squeezing her daughter’s hand.
“I love you, too, Mama.” Gabby squeezed her mother’s hand in return.
Jason didn’t know what to say now, but help came unexpectedly.
Gabby rubbed her thumb over the back of her mother’s narrow wrist. “You should know, Mama, that Cate is very happy now. She married Harry Harrington. Turns out, he’s had a thing for her for a long time. When she ran out of the church, he was the only one who moved fast enough to follow her.”
“That sounds romantic,” Dahlia said.
“Well, not at first.” Gabby winced. “Cate was a mess, as you can imagine. She told Jason to go on the honeymoon without her so she wouldn’t have to bump into him around town. Harry offered her a place to hide out...so she wouldn’t have to go home and deal with well-meaning friends and family. That gave her time to work through her feelings.”
“So, who is this Harry person?” Dahlia asked.
Jason exhaled, realizing he still had a few unsettled feelings about a lot of things. “Harry is a distant cousin of mine...ten years older than me. Once upon a time, when my parents wanted to travel to some exotic location without their annoying son, they asked Harry to keep me while they were gone. He was only sixteen, but he came to my house, and honestly—it was one of the best weeks of my life. After that, we were tight. As I grew up, he became a mentor. I had no idea he’d ever had romantic feelings for my ex-fiancée, so their marriage surprised me, to say the least.”
Dahlia frowned. “Were you jealous?”
Gabby stared at him as though she might have wanted to ask the same question but hadn’t.
He mentally sifted through the months since he had heard the news about Cate’s relationship with Harry. From the beginning, he had asked Harry to look out for Cate...to make sure she was okay after the wedding debacle. That certainly hadn’t included putting the moves on her.
“No,” he said. “Not jealous at all. But I worried that Cate might have rushed into something.”
Gabby smiled at him. “Pot. Kettle.”
He knew exactly what she meant. “This is different,” he insisted. “I’ve been a single man for a year and a half. No rushing for me.”
She didn’t press the issue, but he knew what she was thinking. Since that day at the coffee shop, he had wasted no time inserting himself into her life.
Not that she seemed to mind.
Jason snitched the last piece of toast. “Shall we decorate the tree?” he asked, hoping to shift the conversation to something less personal.
Dahlia shook her head. “That’s more fun when it’s dark outside. We’ll do that tonight. Gabby, has Jason seen Cate’s store?”
Gabby looked at him inquiringly. “I have no idea.”
“No,” he said. “Cate wanted to get married in Blossom Branch, but her parents insisted on the big Atlanta affair. This is the first time I’ve been back here in almost two years.” He and Cate had visited Cate’s grandparents in February before the wedding. The older couple’s Blossom Branch home was a beautiful example of past architecture. After the almost wedding, Cate and Harry had spent some time there.
Gabby stood and began clearing the table. “I don’t think either Jason or I want to run into Cate today. But we can drive around town so he can see what’s changed.”
Dahlia began loading the dishwasher. “You know Cate’s sister is managing the store. I doubt there would be any awkward encounters. Unless Becca spooks you.”
Jason chuckled. “Becca is great. But I imagine this would be a very busy time for her. The Saturdays in December are prime shopping opportunities. I would like to explore, though. Are you up for that, Gabby? You’re welcome to join us, Ms. Nolan.”
“Stick with Dahlia ,” she said. “ Ms. Nolan makes me sound ancient. And thanks for the invitation, but no. My friend next door is teaching me how to knit. We’re making small blankets for the pets at the animal shelter. Even if my pieces turn out crooked, it doesn’t matter. The dogs and cats don’t mind.”
He laughed. “Does that mean you’re a pet lover?” He hadn’t seen signs of an animal in the house.
“No,” she said. “I could never afford one while Gabby was growing up. I hate that she didn’t get to have those experiences, but for a family in financial distress, pets are not an essential item. I know my girl missed out on so many things...” Her voice trailed off. A look of deep sadness came over her face like a cloud.
Gabby shook her head firmly. “Don’t be silly, Mama. I had everything that mattered. Besides, you know I’m allergic to cats.” She shot Jason a wry look. “We found that out one weekend when I went to a birthday party in the neighborhood. I came home with my eyes swollen almost shut. As you can imagine, that didn’t help my reputation as the odd kid in the class.”
Dahlia bristled. “You were never odd. But children are remarkably cruel.”
Jason tried to steer the conversation in a more positive direction. “Well, Gabby...are you up for showing me everything I’ve missed recently?”
She dried her hands on a blue-and-white dish towel. The kitchen was spotless again. “Sounds good to me.”
Soon, they were in the car and driving around town.
Blossom Branch was famous for many things, but peaches especially. Over the decades, acres of large orchards had provided a source of income for locals and even now served as a draw for tourists. The merchants in town long ago bought into the peach theme. Like the Peach Crumble, other businesses had gone with “peach” names.
Peach-aria for pizza. Peaches to Go if you needed catering. The Peach Pit had been the popular bar and restaurant hangout for decades. The list went on and on. Peaches and Cream served his favorite ice cream.
He took note of the busy streets and the bustle of holiday shoppers. The town had been quieter when he was a kid.
When he said as much, Gabby nodded. “You’re right. Some townspeople didn’t like the attempts to draw in outsiders. But honestly, a community like this would have died if it hadn’t continued to reinvent itself.”
“Did you and your mom ever live anywhere else?” he asked.
Gabby stared out the front windshield, her profile all he could see of her face. “No. Only here. When I went to college, my mother grieved, and I was terrified. But we both adjusted. I think she knew I had to spread my wings if I was going to make our lives different. More secure.” She sighed. “I’m not jealous of your money, Jason. Not even a little bit. But I’ve never been out of the state of Georgia, so I envy you that. Maybe one day when Mama doesn’t need me as much, I’ll travel, too.”
Jason thought about everywhere he had been in the world. The things he had seen and learned. Travel had made his life immeasurably richer. But in the end, it was relationships that kept a man warm at night.
“You’re a good daughter,” he said. He wondered if Dahlia needed Gabby as much as Gabby thought she did. Maybe Gabby’s caretaker relationship was ingrained now. From where he was sitting, Dahlia seemed self-sufficient. Then again, he hadn’t been around long enough to know for sure.
As he stopped at a red light, Gabby half turned in her seat. “I have an idea. Would you like to have lunch with Leah and her fiancé? If they’re available?”
His stomach clenched. He hadn’t seen Leah since the wedding. She was probably as pissed at him as Gabby had been. “Fiancé?” he asked, stalling.
“Yes. Lucas swept her off her feet. Literally, in the beginning. He’s the fire chief here in Blossom Branch. They met when there was a blaze out at Leah’s camp. Fortunately, everything was okay. One of the buildings needed repairs, but no one was hurt.”
He put his foot on the gas when the light turned green, turning onto a street they had missed. “Do you think Leah wants to see me? I’m guessing her opinion is about the same as yours.”
Gabby pulled her phone from her purse. “She’s so ridiculously happy right now, I doubt she’ll hold a grudge about the wedding. Besides, when I talked to her day before yesterday and told her I had bumped into you, she asked a lot of questions. To be honest, she’s curious. Do you care if I call her?”
Jason gripped the wheel until his fingers ached. “Not at all.”
Then he sent up an urgent prayer to the Almighty. Please let Leah Marks be otherwise occupied.
Gabby could tell Jason was nervous. It sounded as if he had been hiding out from family and friends for the last year and a half. If that was true, then a moment like today would be painful. It was clear he still carried a heavy load of guilt.
At first, she had thought he deserved his misery. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Leah jumped at the chance to have a meal together. She said Lucas was off today, so that was good. When Gabby suggested meeting at a restaurant in town, Leah insisted on inviting them to lunch at her house. Apparently, Lucas had smoked a beef brisket overnight, so they had plenty of food.
When Jason pulled up in front of the large brick bungalow with the white columns and trim, Gabby sighed. “I love this place. Wait until you see the inside. Most of the windows and hardwood are original.”
Jason got out and locked the car. “I like it from the street side, too.”
Leah’s classic Blossom Branch house was two stories tall with an attic on top. The steeply pitched roof lines and dormer windows looked like something out of a fairy tale. Gabby tried not to covet, but it was hard.
At this time of year, hanging baskets were missing from the wraparound porch. Even so, the house was perfect.
Leah greeted them at the front door with a hug for Gabby and a hesitant smile for Jason. “It’s nice to see you again, Jason,” she said softly. Then she held out her arms. “I think we need a hug, too, don’t we?”
Gabby watched Jason’s face as her friend embraced him. Jason’s body language was rigid, but he made it through the sweet moment. Leah exhaled as if she had done something hard but rewarding.
At that moment, a tall, gorgeous man walked down the hall. He grinned at Gabby and Jason. “I can’t leave this woman alone for a minute. Here she is hugging a strange man behind my back.”
Leah giggled. “He isn’t strange. Jason, this is my fiancé, Lucas. Lucas, Jason.” She slid her arm around Lucas’s waist. “Gabby and Cate and Jason and I were at UGA together. You remember me telling you that.”
The two men shook hands. Lucas nodded. “I remember.” He smiled at Jason. “Gabby and Cate have been great supporters of Leah as she’s been getting her camp off the ground. It was a huge undertaking. I’m very proud of her.”
When he kissed his fiancée’s cheek, she blushed. “Lucas is biased,” she said.
Gabby shook her head. “No, he’s right. You’ve done something amazing. Offering at-risk kids two weeks in the great outdoors, with what? Four different sessions? It’s a huge undertaking. You’re saving the world, and people like me do nothing but play with spreadsheets.”
Jason shook his head, frowning at her. “Don’t sell yourself short, Gabby. Everyone has a place. You’re smart, and you understand numbers. Lots of people can’t do that. So you make a difference, too.”
Gabby let that one slide. It was nice of him to say, but she didn’t believe a word of it. Not compared to what Leah had done and was doing.
As they walked down the narrow hall to the dining room, she smiled to herself to see Leah so bubbly and happy. Her friend was half a foot shorter than Gabby and more rounded. Because she had grown up in the shadow of three overachieving brothers, she struggled with self-confidence. Starting her camp and having the super-hottie fire chief fall for her had brought her out of her shell.
Lunch was fun after a few stilted minutes at the beginning. Lucas obviously knew about the aborted wedding, but because he hadn’t known any of the involved parties until he met Leah and Cate, the wedding that never happened wasn’t as huge a deal to him.
Leah took her duties as hostess seriously. During a lull in the conversation, she addressed Gabby. “How’s your mom doing? I saw her at the grocery store last week. We chatted for a minute. She seemed...”
Gabby smiled wryly. “Normal?”
“I wasn’t going to say that.” Leah’s words were indignant.
“It’s okay. I knew what you meant. Truthfully, my mother is doing well right now. She’s knitting blankets for rescue dogs at the shelter, and she still loves her job at the nursing home. Unlike me, she’s a social butterfly.”
“You work too hard,” Leah said.
Jason nodded. “I’ve been telling her that.”
“Don’t gang up on me,” Gabby said. “For your information, I took part of yesterday off so Jason and I could drive here and help Mom get her Christmas tree. We bought it last night, and decorations are next.”
Leah nodded. “I haven’t done anything to deck the halls yet. Maybe Sunday afternoon. The days go by so fast this time of year.”
Lucas grinned. “And the nights aren’t long enough.” Gabby and Jason laughed, but Leah turned bright red. Even so, her beaming smile said she didn’t mind her lover’s teasing comments about their time together.
“So, have you made any wedding arrangements yet?” Gabby asked.
Leah shook her head. “It’s too nice right now. Once we start making plans, my mother will drive us crazy. So we’re taking the time to enjoy being engaged. That’s plenty for the moment. And this is our first Christmas together, of course. I love having Lucas to myself when he’s not working.”
Jason smiled. “I assume the camp is closed for the holidays?”
“More than that,” Leah said. “None of our buildings are winterized. My dream is to have winter retreats eventually. The Georgia climate in January and February is typically mild, as you know. I’m not sure if I’ll put up all new buildings or simply retrofit our current facilities with central heat and fireplaces. But it’s exciting to think about.”
“How did you start all this?” he asked.
“My great aunt died about the time I graduated from college. I think she wanted to give me a jump start to keep up with my brothers. She had no children, so she left me this house, a dilapidated camp from the seventies, and a chunk of money. That cash along with various grants was enough to get things up and running. It was a slow process. But finally, our very first campers arrived at the beginning of June.”
“That’s quite an accomplishment,” Jason said. “I’d love to see the camp when you guys are free to give me a tour.”
Lucas nodded. “Next time I have a day off, Leah and I would be happy to take you out there. It’s only fifteen or twenty minutes from town.”
Jason looked at Gabby. “And you’ve seen it all?”
“Oh, yes. It’s very impressive.” She probably should have visited more often, but during the summer, her visits to Blossom Branch were usually prompted by her mother’s needs. It was hard to be two places at once.
Leah tilted her head toward Jason and shot Gabby a questioning glance when the men were engrossed in conversation. Gabby pretended not to see. She hadn’t dated much over the years, and when she did, she certainly hadn’t introduced her dates to Leah and Cate. She was always too self-conscious.
Gabby hadn’t told Leah everything about Jason and the coffee shop and their growing attraction. It seemed too far-fetched. But she had shared the fact that she and Jason were reviving a version of their friendship. As the afternoon passed, Leah studied them none too subtly, as if trying to understand a weird phenomenon.
Fortunately, Lucas had no connection to the University of Georgia. He was essentially an outsider. Today, that was a good thing.
The brisket was delicious, along with twice-baked potatoes and a green salad with everything on it. Jason and Lucas ate impressive shares. Gabby and Leah did their parts. By the time they were all groaning with full stomachs, Lucas brought out a coffeepot.
“Who wants some?”
Gabby watched him pour, loving the way he kissed the top of Leah’s head as he passed by her chair. He had grown up in foster care...lived a hard life. But none of that had soured him. He was a great fire chief, and he treated Leah like a princess.
In truth, Gabby realized that Lucas might have been a better match for Gabby than Jason. Lucas understood what it was like to feel insecure. To wade through a world fraught with pitfalls.
That didn’t matter, though. She had never once felt sexually drawn to Leah’s partner. The heart wanted what the heart wanted, regardless of whether it made sense. For a very long time, Gabby had seen Jason as an unattainable fantasy. First, when she was so young, a teenager starting college—she’d had no idea how to talk to him. Later, when he was engaged to Cate, she’d told herself she didn’t care about him anymore.
Now, a year and a half after the wedding that would have bound him irrevocably to Cate, Jason was free. Unencumbered. And as wild as it sounded, he was interested in Gabby. Each time he called her Gabriella in that deep rumbly voice, her heart melted. He was masculine and yet not arrogant. Tough enough to sleep on a mat in the jungle and yet tender enough to be kind to her mother.
She had no defense against him.
None.
But she was neither naive nor gullible. Jason might be delightfully entertaining in the short term. If she worked up her courage, they could have fun together. In bed. For a very short time. After that, she would live her life, and he would move on. Or she would move him on. The important thing was for her to be in control.
Amid Gabby’s introspection, Leah stood. “I’ll grab dessert,” she said.
Jason rose to his feet immediately. “Let me help, please. I want to see this great kitchen Gabby has told me about.”