Chapter 6
Oh, my ovaries! When I walk around the corner of the main house, following the sound of wood being chopped, I stumble upon the most magnificent scene. Jack and Finn wield long axes and skillfully swivel them through the air, having them come down on logs with great force. Splinters of kindling fall left and right, covering the ground around their feet. Both have taken off their flannels and sport their underwear, a white T-shirt in Finn’s case and a white undershirt with Jack. Drenched in sweat, the fabric clings to their bodies and accentuates the muscle play. And those suspenders only serve to enhance their appeal. I mean, do suspenders have any purpose but to look sexy?
A greater woman than me would have made herself known, but I can’t help but stand still and watch all the bulging, stretching, and rippling muscles. This display is quite the show, and I can’t get myself to turn away. Jack has a full-sleeve tattoo on his left arm, and I can see tattoos peak out under the sleeves of Finn’s shirt, too. I never knew I liked tattoos this much.
Chopping wood is all about force, or so I had assumed. Watching the two men I realize it takes great litheness, too. There is grace in the movements, especially when raising the axe over the head, which reminds me of dancers.
“Whoopee, huzza!” Finn exclaims and laughs. He carefully puts away his axe and performs a little victory dance before he hugs Jack. “Don’t worry, Ma loves losers, too.”
“You would know about that, wouldn’t you?” Jack retorts with a grin, patting Finn on the back.
I love it that Jack isn’t a sore loser, but honestly I have no idea what this race was about.
Finn spots me and waves me over. “Want a hug?” he offers playfully, pointing at his sweaty body.
“Rain check?” I wink at him.
Jack frowns, as if the idea of me hugging his brother doesn’t sit well with him. I blush and to divert myself from those bubbling sensations in my tummy I ask about Lilly. Jack and I had agreed to meet for training after all.
Jack startles and looks around him.
“Seriously?” Finn sighs. “She was supposed to be with you? What about using a leash?”
“She doesn’t need one,” Jack says defensively as he pulls his flannel over the vest.
“Lilly doesn’t, but maybe you do.”
We find Lilly lying peacefully on a sun-drenched grassy patch by the pond. Finn goes back to stow away the axes and starts to stack the kindling. Jack and I walk to Lilly. She gets up reluctantly and shows little interest in obeying orders. Clearly she could do with being given the treats right away. If it were up to her, she’d rather just stand leaning on somebody’s legs and get her ears scratched.
For an old family dog this behavior isn’t concerning. Lilly earned her place ages ago and doesn’t feel the necessity to prove herself anymore.
When a car arrives, Jack glances up to see who it is. And Lilly takes her chance to strut off, toward the delivery truck. Her bark is loud and carries far. Everybody on this side of the mountain knows she’s at it again.
“Jack, you will need to do better. You’ve got to get hold of her collar before she takes off. You’ve got to notice anything that might unsettle her before she does.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” he asks me, wide-eyed. “I’m not clairvoyant.”
“You’ve got to be.” I wink at him. The way he doubts his ability to be vigilant enough is touching.
For a while things go well. Jack focuses on Lilly, and he nails the right moment to treat her every single time. Suddenly though, he zones out. He just stands there and stares into the distance. His fingers move agitatedly. Suddenly, he jerks and shudders. “Sorry, I…” He turns around and runs off, leaving me and Lilly behind.
Lilly makes a perfect eye-roll and slumps down.
Someone laughs. A short, plump woman approaches. She has the most gorgeous red hair I’ve ever seen cascading over her shoulders. “You should’ve seen your faces, Lilly’s and yours,” she wheezes. She reaches out her hand. “Hey, I’m Jennie. I work at Robin’s Caffeine Drip, the only place in town where you get decent coffee. You should come and try it.”
“I will. The coffee here is okay, but if it’s better at the coffee shop…”
“It is.” Jennie nods. “I just delivered some muffins for the Winslow’s coffee hour. Make sure you try the red velvet one— it’s spectacular.” Glancing in the direction Jack vanished in, she added, “I had meant to ask R… Jack about something, but he seems preoccupied.”
“And not with training his dog.”
“Artists!” She winked.
“Artist? Do you consider lumberjacking an art?”
Jennie pauses, seemingly confused, but then her face breaks into a wide grin and she says with an exaggerated wiggle of her eyebrows, “Forestry design.”
We laugh together. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this comfortable around someone, and I groan inwardly when my phone rings. It’s a video call from Brittney. Jennie walks backwards, and says, “Caffeine Drip. Good coffee, first one is on the house.” She waves and turns to walk away.
“Hi, Brittney. How are things going?”
“Just peachy. Amanda is having some trouble that she doesn’t want to talk about, Carson has to work from home and requires us to be silent, Jesse is teething, and Kimmi has found my secret stash of chocolate and consequently has mighty constipation. I decided to take a break and listen to an adult who might have a normal conversation with me.”
I laugh. Surfing the chaos is something Brittney is really good at. “Let’s see. This gig is good. It’s refreshing to work with a down-to-earth person. If he’s around, that is.”
“Isn’t he?”
“He just ran off on some very secret mission. But other than that I’m so glad you’ve found me an ordinary Jack.” I chuckle.
Brittney remains quiet. She stares at me.
“ Jack . The dog’s owner. You’ve set this up, you should know his name.”
“Oh, that Jack!” I’ve known Brittney for years now. That voice meant she had no idea what I was talking about. That’s weird. Before I can say something, she asks, “Tell me, what does he look like?”
“He is good looking, he really is. This morning I caught him and his brother in a wood chopping contest and let’s just say, I liked what I saw.”
“Who won?”
“His brother, but he isn’t anywhere as attractive as Jack is.” I ponder for a moment. “Jack is someone you could make a cardboard cut-out of, and it would sell like hotcakes.”
Brittney winks at me. “Does that sound like an ordinary Jack?”
“I know. It’s almost too good to be true.”