Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Hazel leaned against the wall, watching Jacob with a smile on her face. He was standing in her kitchen with his hands on his hips, staring up at the wall above her refrigerator as if it was speaking to him. She bit her lip, repressing a giggle and thinking to herself how incredibly cute he was. His gray eyes held an amused glint, and his rich brown hair was a little unkempt, although his trim beard looked as tidy as usual.
“What seems to be the trouble, doctor?” she teased.
He turned to her with a grin. “I’m afraid I’ll have to operate.”
“Wow, that serious, huh?”
He nodded. “I’ll have to cut into the drywall to take a look at the pipe. Good thing you’re renovating anyway.” He gestured to the plastic sheets and cans of paint that were still covering half the kitchen.
“Yeah, that’s Alexis.” Hazel chuckled. “I guess I’ll have to call her and tell her that learning how to fit up cut drywall needs to be next on her agenda.”
“Oh, no, I’ll do that for you,” he assured her. “No extra charge.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, surprised. “Isn’t that a lot of trouble for you?”
“No, not at all.” He smiled at her, and her heart rate picked up as she wondered if what she was seeing in his eyes was tenderness. “Besides, I can’t just cut a hole in your wall without putting it back together again.”
“Okay.” She laughed breathlessly, feeling as though she might be flushing a little. “Well, thank you. We can definitely help you with it.”
“Sure. And at least you haven’t painted this wall yet, right?” He gestured to it, raising his brows.
“True!” She shuffled her position but stayed leaning against the wall. It was almost as if she felt that she needed an anchor of some kind, or she might float up to the ceiling. Whenever he was over in her house, she felt giddy with happiness like some teenager.
“Let me just go back out to my truck to get a ladder and some tools. I’ll be right back.”
“Do you want any help?”
“Hm. It is all really heavy. I’m not sure I can manage it alone.”
“Well, good thing you have me here.”
“A very good thing.” He grinned at her, and her stomach swooped.
She followed him outside to his truck. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and birds were chirping in the trees. It was early enough that the neighborhood around them still seemed hushed and sleepy, and she felt almost as if they were the only two people around for miles.
Jacob opened the back of his truck and easily pulled out his ladder with one hand.
“Too heavy, huh?” she teased.
“Aww, this guy’s made of plastic. It’s those big bad tools I definitely need help with. Here.”
He handed her a long piece of metal with something that looked like a spigot on the end.
“This is all you need help with, huh?” She laughed.
“Yup. I got the rest of it.” He grinned at her as he grabbed a big bag of tools and closed the back of his truck with one hand. Then he grabbed the ladder again and they started back toward the house.
“What is this thing?” she asked curiously, holding it up to the light.
“It’s a torch.”
“It’s a what?” she squeaked. “As in, fire?”
He belted out a laugh. “Don’t worry, I won’t start anything on fire. You trust me, don’t you?”
“Oh, I do. I definitely do. I’m just surprised. That’s how you fix pipes, huh?”
“Mm, hmm. Sometimes, anyway.”
They smiled at each other as they stepped back inside the house. She felt comfortable in a way that she didn’t feel with anyone else, and he made her feel light-hearted and cared-for in a way she treasured. She wondered for a moment what it might be like to date him. She had a feeling it meant that she would worry a great deal less about all of life’s little problems.
I like him so much , she thought, watching as he set up his ladder and started to climb it. He’s so kind, and capable, and good-natured.
Her heart fluttered as she thought about what Alexis had said—that there was a good chance that Jacob was interested in her, based on how much time he’d spent fixing things for her in the past few months. It was definitely true that he’d been looking out for her, and maybe it really did show that he was interested in her. The thought bolstered her courage as she considered what to do.
“Just give me a minute to cut out some of this drywall,” Jacob said. “I’ll start with a little piece, so I can take a look at this pipe. If I need to replace it—which I’m guessing I do—then I’ll have to take out more of the wall.”
“Do whatever you need to, I trust you.” She smiled at him, even though his back was turned to her as he started to work on the wall. “I wish I could bake cookies or something while you’re working, but Alexis has my stove Saran-wrapped.” She looked with a chuckle at the plastic sheeting covering her stove.
He laughed. “No need for cookies, although I appreciate the offer. Sounds cozy—me cutting the wall open while you bake cookies.”
She laughed breathlessly, wondering if his comment had a flirtatious edge to it. It sounded like the kind of thing a couple might do, and for a moment she felt almost dizzy as she wondered if he liked her in the same way she liked him. She took a deep breath, trying to gather the courage to say something to him about how interested in him she was.
At that moment, Alexis stepped into the kitchen. She was about to say “good morning”—Hazel could see her lips starting to form a “g”—but then she stopped when she saw Jacob on the ladder. Alexis was wearing soft socks, and since she hadn’t spoken, Jacob didn’t seem to be aware that she’d come into the kitchen, because he didn’t turn around and greet her.
“He’s here!” Alexis mouthed at Hazel, grinning from ear to ear. “You should say something to him!”
“What?” Hazel mouthed back.
“Say something to him!” Alexis mouthed, jerking her head in Jacob’s direction.
Hazel shook her head, suddenly feeling as chicken as Alexis had accused her of being the other day. “Not right now,” she mouthed back, shaking her head.
Alexis put her hands on her hips and gave Hazel a significant look.
“Do it,” Alexis whispered, her voice barely audible.
“What was that?” Jacob asked cheerfully without turning around.
Hazel cleared her throat loudly. “Oh, nothing. Just trying to get rid of this frog in my throat.”
He chuckled and kept working, clearly unaware that there was a silent conversation going on behind his back. “So far what I’m seeing is that I’ll need to replace this pipe. Looks like there’s a crack in it, which could explain the sounds you’re hearing. And we don’t want it to burst.”
“No,” Hazel said as she tried to shoo Alexis out of the kitchen. “We definitely don’t want that.”
Instead of leaving the kitchen, Alexis kept gesturing to Jacob. “Do it now,” she mouthed.
“No!” Hazel whispered. As much as she did agree with Alexis that she should say something to Jacob about how she felt about him, doing it with her sister secretly watching on the sidelines was not what she had in mind.
“What?” Jacob asked, starting to half turn around. Alexis ducked out of sight behind the refrigerator.
Hazel quickly feigned a cough. “Sorry, my allergies are starting up with a vengeance.”
“Mm, I hear that. Have you tried nasal spray? It did wonders for me. My ears used to get kind of stopped up from the sinus pressure. Everything sounded like I was under water, but I never knew why.”
“No, I haven’t tried it. That’s a good idea, thank you,” Hazel said as she tried to drag Alexis out of the kitchen.
“Just talk to him more,” Alexis whispered into Hazel’s ear. “Be more flirtatious!”
Hazel was about to gesture with frustration, since Alexis’s constant silent comments had been preventing her from interacting with Jacob in the way she wanted to, but at that moment, Samantha skipped into the kitchen.
“Oh, hi, Jacob,” she said. “Aunt Alexis, why are you whispering to Mom?”
Jacob turned around, surprised, and Alexis froze for a split second before smiling at the handyman with the utmost poise. “Good morning, Jacob! I was just asking Hazel if she wanted me to run out and get everyone coffee.”
Jacob seemed to buy this explanation without question, and he smiled. “Coffee maker covered in Saran wrap too, huh?”
“No, but Alexis likes to treat people to coffee every now and again,” Hazel said, grinning. “You want some coffee, Jacob? Our treat.”
“Sure. I’d take some black coffee. Sounds great, thanks, Alexis.”
“And I’ll take a lavender latte, thank you, sister.” Hazel grinned, pleased that she was at last going to be successful in getting Alexis out of the kitchen.
“Can I have coffee?” Samantha asked hopefully.
“No, but I’ll get you a hot cocoa or a steamer,” Alexis said, smiling at her niece. “You can come along with me and pick your drink out.”
Alexis waved goodbye to Hazel, and a moment later, she and Samantha disappeared through the back door.
“That’s sweet of her to get everyone coffee,” Jacob said, shining a flashlight inside the hole he’d made in the drywall.
“Mm. Yup, it is.” Hazel grinned quietly to herself.
“Yeah, I definitely need to replace this pipe. Would you be able to take the piece of drywall that I’ll hand you in a little bit? I don’t want to just drop it, and that’s easier than coming all the way back down the ladder.”
“Of course! Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”
Jacob turned around and smiled at her for a moment, and his smile was so sweet and affectionate that the moment he turned around again, she placed her hands on her cheeks, feeling weak at the knees.
She continued to help him while he worked, and she convinced herself that she needed to bring up her feelings for him another time, sometime when he wasn’t distracted by work.
Besides , she thought with a pang, what if he tells me he’s not interested, and then we have another hour or so together in this kitchen while he works? That would be too awkward.
Alexis and Samantha soon returned triumphantly with everyone’s drinks, and Jacob took a short break to drink some of his coffee.
“That’s great,” he said, half-closing his eyes as he savored the taste. “Ocean Breeze Café, right?”
“That’s right.” Alexis smiled. “Best coffee in town. Well, Samantha and I are going to drink our beverages out on the porch. We’ll catch you both later.”
As she was leaving the kitchen, she gave Hazel another look, and Jacob noticed.
“What was that about?” he asked amiably, seeming to be unaware of what the look meant.
“Oh, she’s probably just wondering why I let you put a hole in our wall,” Hazel said breezily.
“Well, make sure she knows I’m going to make it look as good as new in no time.” He grinned and went back to his work.
Hazel felt jittery as she watched him. She kept telling herself that she should get out her laptop and check her emails while she waited for him to finish his job, but she felt sure that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. Even though she’d convinced herself that today wasn’t the right day to tell him how she felt, she still felt as though a restless, excited energy was buzzing under her skin.
“Well, that does it.” Jacob sighed with satisfaction as he climbed down the ladder. “Should be good as new. I’ll let this first step in the drywall repair dry, and I’ll come back to finish the job soon. Tomorrow work for you?”
“Sure.” Her heart thumped in her chest. “Tomorrow sounds great.”
“I’ve got a bunch of jobs tomorrow, so I’ll have to just duck in quickly and get it done and then be on my way.” His eyes roamed over her face as he spoke.
“Sounds good.” She smiled at him. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll have a cookie for you.”
He laughed. “Hey, I already got some free coffee. I’m a happy guy.”
“Well, I’m a happy customer. You’re like some kind of wizard, coming here and fixing my problems like, ‘Poof!’”
“Like ‘poof!”, huh?” He grinned at her. “I think it was more like ‘clink, clank, grunt, whoosh, squeak.’”
She doubled over with laughter at his joke, as silly as it was, and he started laughing with her too. For a moment, the two of them just stood in the kitchen laughing breathlessly together.
“Well, I’d better get going,” he said finally, glancing at his watch. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.” Despite their words, neither of them moved for a second, and she cleared her throat before she asked, “Do you want to just leave your ladder here?”
“Uh—no, I’d better take it with me. You never know when you’re going to need a ladder.”
“I’ll have to remember that,” she said, grinning at him. “I should try carrying one in my purse.”
He laughed more than was reasonable for her terrible joke as he picked up the ladder and started back toward the door.
“See you tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll be in touch about when.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
Was it her imagination, or was he lingering, as if he wasn’t quite ready to leave? Her heart thumped with happiness as she watched him pause for a moment in the doorway, grin at her, and then turn and walk down the sidewalk.
“Thank you again!” she called.
“You’re welcome!” he called back over his shoulder.
She inhaled as she watched him get into his truck and drive away. She felt certain that he had the most attractive smile in the whole world.
“Look at you, you’re as smitten as a schoolgirl.”
Hazel turned around and saw Alexis grinning at her.
“You!” Hazel cried, shaking her head and laughing. “I have a bone to pick with you. How do you expect me to talk to Jacob when you’re constantly trying to get my attention to tell me to talk to him?”
Alexis shrugged, scrunching up her nose. “I could tell you hadn’t told him how you feel about him yet. I wanted to make sure I gave you a nudge so you would flirt with him, etcetera.”
“Well, I tried to flirt with him. But I’m not very good at flirting.” Hazel sighed, feeling a mixture of smitten and flustered. “And I think you’re right that I should tell him how I feel about him. But I didn’t think today was the right day to do it because he was in the middle of working.”
“Hazel.” Alexis put her hands on her hips. “Do you ever spend time with Jacob when he isn’t working?”
“I—” Hazel protested, and then she started to laugh. “Okay, okay, I see your point.”
Alexis swatted Hazel in the arm. “You need to do more to show him that you’re interested in him.”
“But—I’m flirting with him. At least, it feels like I’m flirting with him.”
Alexis shook her head. “You’re being starry-eyed and friendly, and men almost never pick up on the starry-eyed part. You need to make it abundantly clear that you’re noticing more than just his commendable skill in fixing pipes.”
Hazel sighed. “I don’t really know how to do that. It’s been such a long time since I was dating—or hoping to date—anyone.”
“Sounds like we need to have a meeting. Hey, Samantha!”
“Oh, no,” Hazel groaned and covered her face with her hands.
“Yes?” Samantha popped into the kitchen so quickly, Hazel wondered if she’d been eavesdropping from around the corner. “What’s up, Aunt Alexis?”
“Come help me and your mother brainstorm ways she can tell Jacob that she likes him.”
Hazel’s jaw dropped. “Alexis!” she squealed in protest.
“This isn’t a secret.” Alexis smiled complacently. “Samantha is very aware you have a crush on Jacob. I bet she helps us come up with some great ideas.”
“Oh, I definitely will.” Samantha grinned and slid into one of the kitchen chairs. “There’s a blank notepad in that drawer behind you, Aunt Alexis. You can use that.”
“Perfect.” Alexis opened the drawer and took out the notepad. “Sit down, sister. You’re not leaving this kitchen until we come up with a list of ideas.”
Hazel threw back her head laughing. As bossy as Alexis was being, she knew it came out of a place of love, and she had to admit to herself that she could use the help. She sat down at the kitchen table next to Samantha, and Alexis whipped up some popcorn for them to munch on while they planned.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Hazel groaned as Alexis set down a bowl of hot, buttery popcorn in the center of the table.
“It’ll be fun, Mom.” Samantha took a fistful of popcorn and tossed some of the kernels into her mouth. “Wow, this is really good. Thanks, Aunt Alexis.”
“You’re so welcome. And I agree, this is going to be fun. What are some memorable ways that Hazel could tell Jacob how she feels about him?”
“Write him a long letter and then leave town, never to return again,” suggested Hazel in a monotone.
“Not an option,” Samantha said calmly. “You have to feed me.”
“I’d take you with me,” said Hazel.
Alexis shook her head, laughing. “Ideas that don’t involve Hazel leaving town. Remember.” She reached over and squeezed Hazel’s hand. “There’s a huge chance he likes you too. Be brave. Let yourself enjoy this.”
Hazel let out a nervous whimper, but then she nodded and forced herself to smile. “You’re right. I will try to enjoy this. And I will definitely enjoy sitting here spending time with two of my favorite women.” She waggled her brows at both of them.
“That’s the spirit.” Alexis nodded firmly and clicked her pen open, getting ready to write. “You could go the letter route without the leaving town part.”
“Maybe.” Hazel leaned back in her chair, staring into space. It felt odd to actually be planning something like this. Her heart was thumping in her chest, but she did feel happy as she sat there with her sister and daughter, making plans for the future. “But I’m remembering what Dean said when we were talking about Julia telling Cooper she loves him. He said that all men like things to be straightforward, and she should just get right to the point. Maybe I should take that approach.”
“Rip off the Band-Aid.” Samantha nodded. “Just walk up to him and say, ‘Jacob. I like you. Would you get coffee with me sometime?’”
“Oof. Now that you put it like that, maybe I’d better write a letter.” Hazel laughed. “That sounds terrifying.”
Alexis shook her head. “I don’t think you should take Dean’s advice. No offense to our brother, but for all his excellent looks, he doesn’t have a girlfriend and is also on my list of people who need relationship help.”
“You have a list, huh?”
Alexis laughed. “It’s short, don’t worry. I’m not planning on becoming involved in the love lives of strangers. Just my siblings.”
Hazel grabbed a handful of popcorn, unable to keep from laughing. “Well, I hope for my and Dean’s sakes that you turn out to be a really gifted matchmaker.”
Alexis crossed her arms. “Don’t you worry about a thing. We’re going to come up with something really great here.”
Hazel smiled at her sister, feeling a glow of gratitude. “I hope you’re right. And thank you both, honestly. I know I’m being all skittish and complaining about this, but the truth is I don’t think I could do it without you. It really helps to have you nudging me forward. I feel like you’ve got my back.”
“We absolutely do.” Alexis leaned over and gave her sister a hug.
“Yeah, Mom, we do.” Samantha smiled at her mother.
“Thank you, guys.” Hazel smiled and let out a sigh. “Okay, let’s do this. What other ways could I tell Jacob I like him?”
Dean placed his hands on the steering wheel as if he was trying to brace himself. He felt stunned, almost as if he’d been punched in the stomach.
He was sitting outside the doctor’s office, having just finished an appointment. Sunlight was gleaming on the cars surrounding him in the parking lot, and overhead, the sky was a brilliant blue. Despite the beauty of the day, Dean felt slightly chilled.
I can hardly believe it’s true, he thought, thinking of the bad news he’d received. I’d just kept writing off my joint pain and exhaustion as a result of working too hard.
He swallowed. Now he knew that wasn’t true. He felt a little bit as though he was dreaming—as though he might suddenly wake up and find out that his bad news wasn’t really his reality.
He thought of the pitying look in the doctor’s eyes, and her gentle tone of voice when she’d told him. He ran his fingers through his hair, wondering what he should do next. He felt overwhelmed, and not ready to share his news with anyone yet.
At that moment, his cell phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket in a daze and saw that it was Hazel calling. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel like talking to his twin, but he answered the call anyway.
“Hey, Hazel.”
“Hey, Dean!” She sounded energetic—thrilled even. “Do you have a second?”
“Sure.” He forced a smile onto his face, because he didn’t want her to hear in his voice that he was upset. “What’s up?”
“Well, Jacob’s been here fixing a pipe for me.”
“A pipe? Soon he’ll have fixed everything in your house. I think he likes you.”
“Thank you for saying that. Because that’s why I’m calling. Alexis and Samantha convinced me to work up the courage to ask him out. And I’m going to do it.”
“That’s great. That’s awesome, Hazel.”
“Thank you! I feel like I’m dreaming or something. Of course he might not say yes. But if he does—I’m going to feel like I’m over the moon. It’s scary, but I know it’s worth it to take this step. I’ll always regret it if I don’t.”
“I’m proud of you.” He meant the words, but he was so tired that he was having trouble sounding enthusiastic. He didn’t want Hazel to realize how he was feeling, because he wasn’t ready to share with her what he had just learned from the doctor. “That’s awesome. Let me know what he says, okay? Although I’m sure he’ll say yes.”
“I hope you’re right.” She laughed breathlessly, and he couldn’t help smiling a little bit. He was glad she was so happy. She seemed jittery and nervous as well as excited, and he guessed that if her own emotions weren’t putting her into such a daze, she would have picked up on his deflated mood. Thankfully, she seemed completely unaware that he was struggling to speak.
“Well, I can let you go.” She sounded like she was grinning from ear to ear. “I just wanted to give you that update. I also figure that the more people I tell, the more I’ll be held responsible for actually asking him out. Hopefully this way I don’t chicken out at the last minute.” She laughed.
“I’m sure you won’t. You’ve got this. You absolutely can do this. I can’t wait to hear about how it goes. You just tell yourself you can do it, and then have the courage to go through the motions.”
He thought to himself with a pang that he wished his own situation was that easy. He felt as though he didn’t know what to do moving forward, although it was without question that he was going to need a lot of courage.
“Thank you, twin. That’s good advice. I’ll keep telling myself I can do it. I’ll let you go! Talk to you later. Love you!”
“I love you too.”
“Bye!”
“Bye, Hazel.”
The moment she hung up the phone, he felt a lump rise up in his throat. He wished he could tell her what was on his mind, but he didn’t want to ruin her happy moment. Besides, he needed to figure out how he was going to tell his family. Dropping a bomb on Hazel suddenly over the phone didn’t feel like the right way to break the news.
He closed his eyes for a few moments, and then let out a long sigh. He told himself firmly that everything was going to be all right, and that he could get through his new situation.
But I don’t know how on earth I’m going to handle this , he thought, swallowing and feeling another wave of worry.
He knew that soon, he needed to tell his family. He would need their support in the days ahead. But for the time being, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He started the engine of his car, telling himself that he needed to drink some water and lie down quietly for a while. Maybe he could read a book or go for a nice walk along the beach. As tired as he was, he felt that might refresh his spirits.
He pulled out of the parking lot of the doctor’s office, feeling scared of the days ahead but keeping a tight hold on his courage. He knew that keeping his chin up was the best way to move forward in the face of what he had learned.