Chapter Five
W hy, oh why, did she always end up having to carry her groceries into the apartment during a fierce downpour?
Was she a victim of poor planning or merely fickle weather?
When she had set off for the grocery store that Saturday morning after dropping Addie off at a birthday party, the sun had been shining and the birds had been singing. Yes, she knew a storm lurked on the horizon. She couldn’t miss those dark clouds gathering offshore. But she hadn’t expected it to hit so quickly or with such ferocious fury.
Now she sat in her car in the driveway of Brambleberry House, waiting for the weather to cooperate and the rain to slow at least enough that she could carry a few bags inside without becoming completely drenched.
She also had to let out Theo, whom she had left in his crate inside her apartment.
She had just about decided to run for it anyway when a sudden knock on her window startled her. She gasped at the unexpected sound and momentary fear pulsed through her as she saw the large, hulking shape of a man standing outside the door.
He shouted something she couldn’t quite hear over the noise of the storm. Lightning flashed nearby, followed almost immediately by thunder. So close!
The instant she recognized Wes standing outside her car with a large umbrella, her instinctive panic eased.
She opened her door just a crack. Even in the small space, rain poured in.
“Do you need help? I saw you pull in from upstairs. When you didn’t go into the house, I was worried something might be wrong.”
“Yes, something’s wrong. We’re in the middle of a hurricane, in case you didn’t notice.”
He chuckled, a deep, pleasing sound that drifted to her even over the tumult of the storm.
“This is not a storm. I’ve been in actual hurricanes when I was in the Army stationed in Florida. This is only a little squall.”
“It’s still enough to soak my groceries. I don’t feel like eating soggy bread for a week. I was waiting for it to let up a little.”
“Makes sense. You could do that, if you want to. Or I brought you out an extra umbrella. You can run up to the porch with it and I’ll grab your groceries.”
“Thank you. I usually keep a few in my car, but Addie and I both used one last time we had a big rain and I think I left them inside the apartment.”
“Open the back of your car and head inside. I’ll grab as many groceries as I can.”
“I can grab a few bags, too.”
Why had she picked today to do the big grocery shopping, her monthly trip when she stocked up on the necessities they used most?
Oh yes. She remembered. Because as much as she adored her daughter, shopping with Addie usually took twice as long. Her daughter liked to look at every book on the racks, every possible cookie at the bakery and each little item in the tempting little toy section.
She scooped as many bags as she could carry in one hand while juggling the umbrella in the other and hurried up to the porch, where she quickly entered the security code on the front door.
Wes was close behind her. He didn’t bother with the umbrella, she noted. He simply sprinted inside so the reusable shopping bags filled with groceries didn’t have much time at all to become drenched.
“Is that everything? I can go back out.”
He held up both hands, where she saw he had at least three shopping bags in each. “This is everything. One question. Are you planning for the apocalypse?”
She shook her head. “I’m on a teacher’s salary and only get paid once a month. When I grocery shop, I try to buy in bulk and freeze food to make it last.”
She supposed she hadn’t ever really lost the fear that she would never have enough to provide for her daughter, which she knew was a lingering worry from her insecure childhood.
“Thank you for bringing it in and helping me keep everything dry. I can take it up the stairs from here.”
He gave her a look that showed he clearly took offense at her suggestion. “I’ve got it. I haven’t had a chance to go on my run today, since I had to take Brielle shopping for a friend’s birthday present, so I’ll count this as my workout for the day.”
He hefted the bags high, which made her smile. The gloomy day suddenly felt much brighter. “Brielle must be at Carly Lewis’s birthday party, too.”
“Apparently it’s the social event of the weekend.”
“Of the whole month, according to Addie. She was thrilled to be invited to an older girl’s party.”
“I can imagine.” He made it up the stairs without a sign that carrying the heavy bags was any exertion at all.
“So Brielle’s mom has left the country?” she asked as she opened her apartment door for him.
“Yep. I’m flying solo. It’s a little daunting to know I’m alone right now in the parent department. Lacey is now two thousand miles away. If I had a problem, I know I could always reach out to her, but it’s more than a little intimidating to realize I’m on my own.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“I hope so. The prospect of two weeks of being on my own with Brie gives me even more respect for single parents like you, who do this alone all the time.”
She smiled as she started putting groceries away. “I’m lucky. Addie is easy.”
“So far. The girls haven’t hit their teens yet.”
She groaned, not wanting to think about how fast her child seemed to be growing up.
From his crate, Theo whined to be let out. She winced. She was a terrible dog mom. She should have done that first thing. “Oh shoot. I’d better take him outside. He’s been in his crate for an hour while I went shopping.”
“Why don’t I take care of that and you can keep putting away your vast quantities of vegetables?”
“That would be great, actually.”
“I’ll take him out to the fenced area of the garden. That way we won’t need the leash, especially since I don’t expect he’ll be that crazy about hanging out in the rain, either.”
“We call that the dog yard, since that’s where the Andersons put their little Sophie.”
The entire Brambleberry House property had a wrought-iron fence surrounding it, but it was open in front for the driveway. The completely fenced area adjacent to the house was the perfect size for Theo.
She had just finished finding room in her refrigerator for the rotisserie chicken she planned to shred and use in multiple recipes when she heard a sharp rap on her apartment door.
She hurried to open it for Wes and Theo, both of them drenched.
“Oh my! What happened to the umbrella?”
“It broke in the wind ten seconds after I walked outside.”
“You’re soaked. Let me find you a towel.”
She grabbed two—one for Wes and one for Theo.
“Thanks,” he said as Jenna picked up her dripping dog and began rubbing him briskly with the towel, trying not to notice how Wes’s blue T-shirt clung to every hard muscle of his chest.
He dried off his hair, not seeming to care that the towel left the ends tousled and sticking up in random directions.
He looked as if he had just climbed out of the shower.
Her shower.
She swallowed and turned her attention back to the dog. She did not want to go there, even in her imagination.
“You seem to know what you’re doing in the kitchen.”
“You mean because I bought a little of everything at the grocery store?”
“Yes. Plus I think you have some things there I’ve never even heard of.”
“I like to cook. I don’t have a lot of time during the school year so summer gives me a good chance to experiment and try some new recipes.”
“I should do that. I’m sure Brielle will quickly get tired of eating pizza or going down to the taco truck on the beach.”
“Who could ever get tired of that? We love pizza and tacos.”
His mouth lifted into a slight smile that made her suddenly aware that they were alone here in her apartment, without either of their girls.
And she was suddenly aware that he was an extremely attractive man.
“We should grab tacos together sometime while I have Brielle with me full-time.”
She swallowed, her mind racing. Was he asking her out? Panic raced through her. She wasn’t ready. Not to date again, to allow herself to be vulnerable again. She wasn’t sure she would ever be ready.
Just before she would have made some excuse, common sense reasserted itself. He was not asking her out on a date. He was suggesting that, as two single parents, they share a meal together with their children.
She swallowed. “That would be good.”
“How about midweek? That’s when I get really tired of coming up with something to cook.”
“We could probably make that work.”
“Great. I’ll be in touch.”
She remembered suddenly the loneliness she had sensed in the garden, when they had talked in the moonlight.
Wes had been incredibly helpful to her on several occasions. The least she could do was repay the favor, even if it meant stepping outside her comfort zone.
She hesitated, then plunged forward. “I could also show you how I make a few of my basic recipes. I’m far from an expert but I do have a few specialties and I’m always happy to share. It would be the least I can do, after everything you’ve done to help me the past few weeks.”
“You don’t owe me anything. But I’m sure Brielle and I would both appreciate a few new recipes to add to the mix.”
“We’re having lasagna tonight,” she said, then went on before she could change her mind. “I have a good recipe for an easy roll-up lasagna that’s delicious and Addie never even notices the spinach I slip in. You and Brielle are welcome to join us, if you don’t have plans. Consider it my way of paying you back for pizza the other night and also for sacrificing your comfort for my groceries. We could say around seven.”
If he was surprised at her invitation, he hid it well. “That would be great. Thank you. I was trying to figure out what to fix for dinner.”
“That’s one of the hardest things about being a parent. I hate the idea of having to make that decision every single day for the rest of my life until Addie goes to college.”
“I hear that.”
“On the other hand, I try to remember to be grateful that I’m not like my mother and I’ve never had to worry that my child will go hungry.”
“That’s a good way of looking at things.”
He gazed down at her, that half smile playing around his mouth. She shivered at the intense light in his eyes and had to hope he didn’t notice.
The moment seemed to stretch out between them, soft and seductive.
What would she do if he kissed her right now? Would she be afraid and pull away? Or would she sink into his arms, surrender to the heat simmering between them?
She didn’t have the chance to find out. He didn’t kiss her. Instead, he broke the connection between them, a small muscle flaring in his jaw.
“I should go change into dry clothes so I can pick up Brielle.”
She glanced at the clock on the mantel, an odd combination of relief and disappointment coursing through her.
“Oh, you’re right. I can’t believe it’s that late. There’s no reason for both of us to go. I can pick up the girls, if you want.”
He nodded, a little tersely. “Okay. That works. I guess we’ll see you at seven, then.”
She wasn’t quite sure what happened next. She only intended to walk him to the door. One moment they were moving together in that direction and then suddenly Jen thought she caught the vague scent of freesias swirling in the air. At the same time the puppy moved across her path. She caught herself just in time from tripping over him but the awkward movement left her unbalanced.
She was going to trip anyway, she realized in a split second. She reached out instinctively, blindly, to brace herself, and her hand encountered damp cotton covering warm, solid muscle.
“Whoa,” he exclaimed. “Careful.”
His arms came around her and held her upright. She stared up at him, this man whose intimidating looks concealed emotions she suspected ran deep.
All of him was hard, dangerous, except his mouth. That was soft, mobile. Enticing.
She stared at his mouth, just inches from her own.
She wasn’t afraid of him kissing her. She wanted him to.
The realization left her more off-balance than stumbling over a puppy.
She wanted to wrap her arms around him and taste and explore that mouth that often looked so stern.
She held her breath, waiting, aching. For a long moment, they gazed at each other, the only sound in her apartment their combined breathing.
Before she could do something foolish like reach up and instigate the kiss, take what she suddenly wanted, Jenna came to her senses.
No. She couldn’t do that. She was not in the market for a relationship, and she was certainly not in the market for a relationship with a hard, dangerous man like Wes Calhoun.
She quickly stepped away, pulling her hands together so that he did not see them trembling. “Thank you. I’m not quite sure what happened there. Maybe there is something slippery on the floor.”
If she didn’t know better, she would almost think Theo had tried to trip her on purpose. She could not say that, of course. It sounded ridiculous. Anyway, why would her sweet puppy do such a thing?
That muscle flexed in his jaw again. “I’m glad you didn’t fall,” he said.
“So am I. Thanks for catching me. I really don’t need any broken bones to start out the summer.”
“Watch out for wandering puppies.”
“I’ll do that. I’ll let Carly’s mom know I’m taking Brielle home, but she might want to text you to make sure it’s okay.”
“Sounds good. Thanks. I guess I’ll see you tonight, then.”
Anticipation curled through her, sharply sweet. “Yes. See you then.”
By then, she would try to have a much better hold on this burgeoning attraction to a man she knew she shouldn’t want.
He had to stop doing this.
Wes hurried up the steps toward his apartment, for the first time feeling the chill of his damp clothing.
He was a glutton for punishment. Jenna Haynes was not the woman for him. He knew that. She was sweet, warm, nurturing. Innocent.
They couldn’t have been more different. He possessed exactly none of those qualities.
That didn’t stop him from wanting her anyway.
Some part of him had responded instinctively when she stumbled. He had reached for her and had wanted to pull her tightly against him and keep her safe from any harm.
He had almost kissed her. The urge had almost overwhelmed him.
Fortunately, he came to his senses in time, seconds before he would have pressed his mouth to hers.
Kissing her, unleashing his hunger, would have changed everything.
They were forging a fragile friendship, one he was beginning to cherish. He liked talking with her. She was smart, funny, kind.
While he might yearn for much more than a friendship, he knew it was impossible between them. He had to get over it.
She seemed to have lost her outright fear of him, but that didn’t make her less wary. She jumped if he accidentally touched her and she still watched him as if not sure how he would react to any given situation.
Why was she so nervous? Okay, yes, he looked tough. He could see himself in the mirror every morning when he shaved. He knew he appeared intimidating and fierce. He had put on muscle in prison, not really as protection or defense but mainly as a distraction.
He might have hoped Jenna would know him enough by now to understand he would not hurt her—or any woman, for that matter.
Maybe her unease didn’t have anything to do with him.
If she had not spoken of her husband in such affectionate terms, he might have thought she had been a victim of domestic abuse. That could still be the case, though somehow he doubted it.
Her secrets were her own, he reminded himself. Everyone had them and if Jenna was not interested in sharing hers, he could not fault her for that.
She seemed willing to be friends. She had invited him and Brielle to dinner, after all, and had agreed to take their girls out for tacos some other time during the week.
Could Wes put away his growing attraction for her and be content with only a friendship?
What choice did he have?
He liked being with her. Maybe in time she would trust him enough and would begin to relax a little more in his presence.
He had very few friends here in Cannon Beach. He didn’t want to lose this one, even if that meant shoving down his growing attraction for her.