5. Chapter 5
Chapter 5
James
I took a deep breath, releasing it into the air around me in one long, slow exhale. It was exactly the kind of late spring morning I loved most—a slight chill in the air, fog hanging heavy over the glassy surface of the water, the sun easing up along the horizon.
I dipped my paddle into the water, reaching with my other hand to push off from the dock. Within moments, I was floating out into the mist, the fog quickly enveloping my kayak in its folds until I could no longer see the shore.
But after all these years, I knew Lake Elska like the back of my hand—even in the dark, I always managed to find my way home again.
I fell into a steady rhythm of slicing the water with my paddle in alternating movements, gliding along silently. In the distance, I could hear the haunting call of the loon—Minnesota’s state bird and common resident on our lake—echo across the water. A few others called out in response, and soon, a chorus began.
Sometimes the weekenders who drove up here to their cabins found them annoying, but I’d always liked them. The loons belonged here, on the water, like nowhere else. And probably far more than most.
I could relate to that myself.
I’d been eager to shake off the city as soon as Jack and I had pulled into Dearing Creek late yesterday—but I’d been forced to deal with another issue on the Kinney project and wasn’t able to get out here on the water like I’d hoped.
It was just as well—I’d been tired anyway, and in a mood.
Sure, I was happy to have Jack home again. And not just for myself—I knew it was something he’d been needing, too. A fresh start, closer to me and Jesse as well as his dad, who hadn’t been in the best of health these past few years. And God knew his baby sister, Lacey, could use the support—especially now, with her two-year-old, Eli. He’d have plenty to keep him occupied in his new life, beyond starting his fishing charter business.
No, it was the text from my boss, Mel Aaronson, that had set me on edge—it’s like I couldn’t take two goddamn days off from work without getting harassed about something.
I shook my head, irritated at my own crankiness. None of this was Mel’s fault, really. I knew he had his hands full, as I did, dealing with the clients on this particular remodel. I’d been assigned as Lead Designer on the project four months ago—but with how high-maintenance Joe Kinney had been with all of his demands, I’d also been having to spend way too much extra time on the job site lately. Even Jesse, who was in charge of the plumbing work, had been fed up with the guy.
Just another rich asshole who thinks his time’s worth more than the rest of us.
Feeling my jaw clench, I took another steadying breath to relax myself. Out here on the lake was meant to be my time. I wasn’t going to let the frustration from one job take that from me.
I had to admit, though—the voice inside, nagging at me to branch out on my own, had been growing louder these days. Already thirty-four, I’d been working for Mel almost since I’d graduated from Lake View High. I was grateful because the man had taught me a lot, even beyond my training at the tech college. Mel gave me opportunities that others maybe wouldn’t have, allowing me the opportunity to learn and master various skills within the company before I landed on design. I owed him more than I could ever repay.
Even still, I’d spent much of the past few years imagining what it would be like, owning my time, my success… my future. Too much of what had happened up to now had felt beyond my control. Maybe it was time to prove to myself that I could be more.
But the pull towards starting my own business was only the half of it. The reality was, I was trapped in an impossible situation—-with no idea of how to move forward without making things even more complicated.
I mean, don’t get me wrong—I was happy living in Dearing Creek. It was my home, and I had no intentions of leaving this place that had welcomed me with open arms back when I was a young boy, grieving the loss of his mama. And I’d always been somewhat of a loner, outside of the guys—another reason why the idea of being my own boss—-and having a greater stake in my success and career path—-was definitely tempting.
But all the same, I still wasn’t sure I was ready to face the main hurdle that was necessary to get me there.
I began to turn the kayak around slowly to head back. The fog had mostly lifted by this point, the surface of the water sparkling with the soft yellow glow from the early morning sun, peeking up over the horizon. I could see Mervin Flenderson sitting on his dock with his usual cup of coffee aways down the shoreline, and I waved as he tipped his hat in my direction.
Then I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, piercing my solitude. Resting the paddle on top of my kayak, I pulled it out to see a message from GiGi:
GIGI: Morning, love. Do you have time to sit and have a cup of coffee before you head off to work?
I glanced at the time—six forty-five. Time to wrap things up here so I could get myself cleaned up.
JAMES: No, sorry… running tight on time. But I promise I’ll make it up to you later this week. Dinner Thursday, right?
GIGI: Yes… and don’t even think about skipping out on me this time.
JAMES: You’re so bossy sometimes.
GIGI: It’s what you love best about me.
Chuckling to myself, I pocketed my phone and resumed paddling. I don’t know what I’d ever done in my life to deserve her, but thank God for that woman.
I really needed to get my head out of my ass and stop feeling restless or worrying about what came next. I knew I was lucky to even have options to consider.
Things could’ve turned out so much differently for me, considering how they’d started.
That’s what everyone said, anyway. I didn’t see any reason to believe otherwise.
“James, can you give me a hand?”
Jesse’s voice filtered out from the Kinney’s new master bathroom, where the plumbing was finally being completed today. Walking in, I saw his denim-clad legs sticking out from beneath the cabinets of the newly installed double sink.
“Yeah? What do you need?” From my angle, I could see my friend trying to position one of the sinks properly into the countertop, but he appeared to be losing the battle.
“What does it look like? Just hold this in place for a minute while I line up the pipes. Tim was supposed to be up here helping me, but he left early.”
I wandered over, grabbing hold of the sink’s porcelain edges to steady it. “Alright, I’ve got it. Do what you need to do.”
“Thanks, man.”
As Jesse worked to maneuver things down below, I glanced around the room. The master suite was the part of the remodel I was most proud of—probably the most beautiful bathroom I’d designed to date. It was simple, modern—clean lines and brass fixtures, softened by pale green and white tile work, warm wooden cabinets and a custom walk-in shower that could easily fit two or more people.
I smirked. It’d been quite some time since I’d attempted a two-person shower of any kind. And the last certainly wasn’t as comfortable as I’d made this one. I made a mental note that if I ever decided to upgrade the shower at my place to add some solid grab bars.
Because you just never know when you might need them.
“What’re you laughing about up there?” Jesse’s voice echoed up through the drain. I hadn’t even realized I’d made a sound.
“Just thinking about the shower install. Nice size, isn’t it?”
Jesse made a noise as he tightened the last of the sections. “You can let go now.” As I stepped back, he shimmied out, dropping his wrench into the toolbox at his feet before pulling up to standing. As he brushed himself off, I watched the residual sawdust from the new baseboards float around his short, sandy blonde hair like a halo. “Believe me, I’ve been taking photos and sending them to Tara. She’s already informed me that she expects an upgrade to ours after the baby arrives this fall.”
I raised an eyebrow. “She knows that’ll probably just lead to more babies, right?”
He shrugged, grinning. “I dunno… I kinda feel like it’s worth it either way, don’t you?”
Chuckling, I clapped him on the back. Of the three of us, Jesse had always been the most easy-going and never let too much ruffle his feathers. But as much as I enjoyed giving my friend crap, I couldn’t wait to see him as a dad—-I knew he was going to be amazing at it. Even if he ended up with an entire army of Baby Sundgaards, due to his and Tara’s inability to keep their hands off each other.
“Well, I feel like I’m missing out on all the fun in here.”
Jesse and I locked eyes for a moment at the familiar voice before I turned towards Denise Kinney, who stood leaning elegantly against the doorframe of the bathroom, eyeing us with an amused expression.
Her husband Joe had been traveling for most of the week for his manufacturing business, so we’d been dealing with his wife in his absence. I didn’t know if it was better or worse—in a way, I’d almost prefer Joe’s hovering demands over Denise and the way she looked at me as though I were her next meal.
I noticed her dark hair was hanging loose today, and that she seemed to have missed a couple of buttons on her white blouse. For a moment, one could almost forget that she was the mother of two college-age boys. The years—or rather, the enhancements—had worked in her favor.
Anyway, dodging Denise Kinney—including whatever she was gunning for, outside of this remodel—was a headache I didn’t need right now. Already, her ‘design questions’ over the last several days had kept me anchored on site more than I liked. All I wanted was to wrap up my part of the project and move on.
Because at this point, I was nearly at my limit.
“Jesse and I were just talking about family stuff, Mrs. Kinney. But we’re about done with this part of the remodel. Just need to install the vanity lights tomorrow, and you’re good to go.”
Denise wandered over to the sink, lightly tracing the countertops with one hand as she studied the space. Then she turned back towards me. “Glad to hear it. But I have an issue I need to address. Can I borrow you for a few minutes?”
Jesse picked up his tool bag and started towards the door. “I need to check in with Mark before we shut down for the day anyway. See ya.” Nodding briefly at Denise while pointedly avoiding my glare, he walked out the door, leaving me to deal with Cougar Town on my own.
Traitor.
I sighed. “Of course, Mrs. Kinney. What’s on your mind today?”
She looked at me pointedly. “I thought I asked you to call me Denise, James.” Walking past me, she pushed the bathroom door shut, and the noise outside of our crew packing up became muffled. “So noisy out there,” I heard her say.
Shit.
“Sorry, Mrs. Kinney. I told you we like to keep things professional on these jobs,” I said, forcing a friendly tone into my voice.
“I see.” Her tone was cool, but I still noticed the corners of her mouth curled into a smile as she returned to face me. “So, I’m wondering about this shower. Can you come take a look at this, please?”
This woman seemed to enjoy making me feel uncomfortable and under her control. But wasn’t that the Kinney way? Between them and the Taylors, all of Dearing Creek was built and run by their money.
Exactly how they liked it.
“Is there an issue with the shower? I thought you signed off on that yesterday.”
Denise had stepped inside the shower now and was gazing upwards at the massive, rain-style shower head. “The shower itself is fine, James. I’m wondering about the shower head. Take a look.”
The absolute last thing I wanted to do was obey her command and find myself cozied up to this woman.
“It’s a bit of a tight fit in there. Can you just point out your concern, and I can take a look at it tomorrow?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you afraid of me, James? I promise, I won’t bite.”
“No, ma’am.” I sighed, then took a step inside. Just get this over with quickly , I told myself.
Once inside, I immediately felt the energy shift. Though there was plenty of room for her to move over and make space for me, Denise kept her feet planted in the center. Awkwardly, I maneuvered myself as far away as I could manage, pressing my back against the glass side wall to avoid contact.
“So, what’s the issue with the shower head?”
Denise pointed upward. “Take a look at the spray holes… don’t they seem… blocked to you?”
Begrudgingly leaning over, I craned my head to inspect the underside of the shower head—when suddenly, I felt a hand on my chest. Before I could react, Denise Kinney had pressed her lips hungrily against mine, her hand now grasping the front of my shirt to pull me in closer while the other trailed down towards the crotch of my jeans.
I tore myself away, practically leaping through the glass walls like a battering ram. What the fuck was she doing?
“Mrs. Kinney, what the hell are you trying to do here?”
Denise slowly, deliberately, stepped out of the shower, her eyes blazing as she looked straight at me. “Come now, James… don’t tell me you haven’t been feeling a little blocked up yourself? You’ve been sending me signals for weeks—let’s not pretend any of this is a surprise.”
“It damn well is to me . The only signal I’ve been trying to communicate to you is that ours is solely a professional relationship, ma’am, and I’m only here to do a job. And none of what just happened is appropriate.”
She crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. “So exactly what are you saying?”
“I need to go. Enjoy the rest of your evening, ma’am.”
Before she could say another word, I opened the door, storming my way towards the main staircase, where Jesse was just a few steps ahead of me, making his way down to where the rest of the crew was loading up materials. Jesse took one look at my face and immediately knew that something was up.
“You ok?”
“I’m fine. You got the rest covered? I’m headed out,” I said, not bothering to wait for his answer.
“Yeah, ok.” I could feel his eyes follow me, as I passed down the stairs and towards the door. But no way in hell was I sticking around for a chat.
As I started up my truck a minute later and put it into drive, all I could think about was putting as much distance as possible between myself and this house.
I was done.