10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
W as it something in the drinking water?
The women in his life just weren’t being cooperative.
And Jackson didn’t know why. That wasn’t true. He knew exactly why his mother didn’t want to move and why Carrie wouldn’t consider starting something with him. The truth of the matter was that he knew the solution to both of those problems—staying in Bayberry.
It would mean giving up a job he’d worked his entire career to achieve. He was the vice-president of the London office where he was well-compensated. And he had an apartment with a fabulous view of the city.
And even though he had all of that, he was no longer happy. His job came with long hours and the weighty decisions always came to rest on his shoulders. Day in and day out, it was a lot. It didn’t leave much time for a private life.
It wasn’t that he didn’t date. He did when his schedule allowed. There was just no one special—no one who made him want to turn his life upside down for them. At least not until now…
He stepped into the vacant storefront. He looked around, amazed at the progress that had been made so far. If he was still trying to do this work by himself, it would have taken him weeks to get this much done.
“So, what do you think?” Mark asked.
“I think I should stick to computer software and let you do this stuff.” He walked farther into the space. “You do good work.”
“Thanks. Do you know what sort of business is going to move into here?”
Jackson rubbed the back of his neck as he continued to look around. It would be so easy to envision it as a jewelry store, a clothing boutique, or perhaps what it was in the beginning, a restaurant. He liked the thought of a small eatery, just like his grandparents had had for many years.
“I don’t know,” Jackson said.
Mark crossed his arms and leaned against an upright piece of lumber. “Have you ever considered keeping it for yourself?”
“Me? Here?” Jackson shook his head. He couldn’t believe his friend was suggesting that he give up the life he’d built for himself and move back to Bayberry.
Mark arched a brow. “Why are you so surprised by the idea?”
“Because my life isn’t here. It hasn’t been here in years.”
“But it could be again. Your family and friends are here.”
“But my work is in London.”
There was a pause before Mark said, “Carrie is here.”
Jackson’s gaze snapped toward him. “What are you saying?”
“Nothing that the whole town isn’t saying. When you two are together, the whole area around you becomes statically charged.”
Jackson glanced away as he shook his head. “It’s not like that.” He thought of the kiss the prior evening. It had been electrically charged…until Carrie shut him down. “We’re just friends.”
“Maybe you should try and change that before you run out of chances with her. After all, it’s the most romantic time of the year.” Before Jackson could respond, Mark walked away.
Jackson was left with his thoughts. The more time he spent in Bayberry, the more confused he got. There had been chemistry in the kiss. Carrie might not be willing to admit it, but it was there.
He inwardly groaned in frustration. Why did life have to be so complicated? Not so long ago, he knew what he wanted out of life. He had a five-year plan that included buying a house in London. He’d been saving for years. And to his relief, his investment portfolio had done exceedingly well. But was he willing to give up his plans for a real chance with the girl who got away?
He drove back to his mother’s house. He decided to see if there were any photos of the old restaurant. He climbed into the attic and dragged down a chest full of old stuff.
He settled in the living room and sifted through black-and-white photos of an era gone by. Some of the snapshots were of loved ones who had left this world when he was a young kid, but their memories lived on. In other photos, he didn’t recognize anyone. He checked the backs, but there were no notations of who was pictured in the photo.
Then he stumbled across photos of the family’s restaurant. As he studied them, he noticed the place had been well taken care of. He wondered how the building had fallen into such disrepair. It was a shame, too, because it looked like it was a very popular spot.
Buzz. Buzz.
It was probably his office—again. They’d woken him that morning at 4:00 a.m. with a question that they should have known the answer to. He should let this call go to voicemail.
And yet he found himself setting aside the photos in order to reach for his phone. To his surprise and relief, the call wasn’t from the office. Instead, it was Brittany Scott. His first instinct was not to answer it.
But she had helped him by including Totally Chocolate as part of Happy Hearts. With a resigned sigh, he pressed the phone to his ear. “Hello.”
“Hey, Jackson, it’s Brittany. I was wondering if I could stop by.”
Her request caught him by surprise. He glanced around at the mess he’d made while sorting through the photos. “Now isn’t a good time.”
“Oh, I see. How about lunch tomorrow?”
He wished it were Carrie calling to make these plans. “I don’t know.” Maybe it was best to let her down now. “I’m not really interested in dating right now.” Unless Carrie was to ask him out.
Brittany let out a giggle. “You thought I was asking you out?”
But she had asked him to lunch. Right? “Well...”
“Jackson, I just need to see you so I can get the sales contracts for your mother’s house and the commercial building in town. She contacted me and said they were ready to be picked up.”
“Oh.” Suddenly, he felt foolish for thinking this meet-up was something more than business. “Right, I knew that. Why don’t I drop them by your office tomorrow morning?”
“I would appreciate it. And Jackson, do I need to worry that Carrie isn’t going to have a special menu in time for Happy Hearts?”
“No worry necessary.” He hoped his voice sounded confident because he wasn’t sure about anything these days. “Carrie won’t let you down.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He did too. Maybe this was the excuse he needed to speak to Carrie again.
After they ended the call, his thoughts spiraled back to the kiss. It was a good kiss—a great kiss. He was a hundred percent certain that the feeling had gone both ways. So, why was she fighting it?
There was so much to do.
Carrie rushed around the kitchen of Totally Chocolate. Her priority was creating a menu for Happy Hearts. She sat down at the little desk in the office. She grabbed pen and paper. And then she stared at the blank sheet.
Whatever she selected for the menu needed to be something extra special. The only problem was that she’d drained her imagination when she’d come up with the items for the shop. How was she supposed to come up with something new in such a short amount of time?
Refusing to give up, she opened her laptop and scoured the internet. She rejected every idea because she’d either already done it or because it wasn’t special enough. The minutes quickly ticked by. Her stress level rose as she tapped the pen on the blank pad of paper.
Then she had an idea. She wrote down fresh strawberries and a bowl of chocolate fluff for dipping. And there should be dark chocolate champagne truffles. She smiled. That was two items, but it was the final item that was stumping her.
She moved to the kitchen to make sure there wouldn’t be a problem creating these sweet treats. She grabbed a pan, some molds, and the chocolate. As she worked, her mind raced.
Of course, she might have resolved these issues if she wasn’t utterly and thoroughly distracted by Jackson’s kiss. Truth be told, she’d barely gotten any sleep the night before. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Jackson and then felt his lips pressed to hers. It made her heart race and her lips tingle from the memory.
Why had he done it? He knew they were friends. Nothing more. After all, he lived thousands of miles from her with a great-big ocean between them.
Even if they gave a relationship a chance, when it ended—and it would end because relationships always ended in her experience—she would lose not only a boyfriend but a lifelong friend. The price was far too high to give in to a Valentine’s fling or whatever label he wanted to put on it. They would remain friends. Nothing more.
“What’s wrong?” Alice’s voice drew her from her thoughts.
“Uh… Nothing.” Carrie looked up at her friend, not sure what she was talking about.
“The chocolate is burning. I can smell it from here.”
Carrie smelled it now. She turned to the stove, grabbed the saucepan, and rushed over to the sink. She ran water, but it was going to take a lot more than water to clean up that mess. She sighed.
Alice approached her. “Hey, if there isn’t enough time to put together a menu for Happy Hearts, we’ll be okay without it. Our customers seem very happy with what they’ve tried so far, and I’m sure word will quickly spread, drawing in more customers.”
“That isn’t it.” She worried her lip, not sure she should mention what was really bothering her.
Alice’s gaze narrowed. “Let me guess, it has something to do with Jackson.”
“How did you know?”
“Who doesn’t know? Every time you two are around each other, there are sparks zinging around the room.”
“There are not.” Were there? No. They were just friends. And yet there was that kiss...
Alice shrugged. “Think what you want, but there’s something going on with the two of you. And if I was you, I’d definitely want to investigate things with him. That man is so hooooot !”
“Alice.” She mocked shock, but inside she knew her friend was right. The man was made to grace the cover of one of those glossy magazines. But modeling wasn’t his thing. He rarely posed for a selfie, much less a formal photo session. Over the years, she only had a few of him.
With a mischievous grin on her face, Alice said, “I have to go back to work. But consider what I said. Because if you don’t pounce, someone else will.”
That was one worry she did have. Not that she ever thought they would end up a couple, but now that they were getting older, it was only reasonable to assume they would each get involved in a long-term relationship. And that would definitely change their friendship.
She jerked her thoughts to a halt. She didn’t want to think about that now. She had more important things to do, like salvaging her favorite saucepan. Then she could get back to finalizing the menu before Brittany found another reason to cut her from the event.
The sun was shining.
And he was feeling hopeful.
The next morning, Jackson stopped at Steaming Brew to pick up a couple of coffees, one for himself and one for Carrie. Abby was working, and she gave him a couple of strange looks. He wondered what Carrie had been telling her, but he didn’t ask.
She was surprised that he still remembered Carrie’s favorite—a latte with a shot of espresso, two sugars, and a splash of oat milk. With a thank you, he walked away with a carrier holding the coffees. He strode quickly down the sidewalk. On his way, he made a short detour to the Bayberry Realty office.
He’d no sooner stepped through the doorway than he heard his name being called out. He turned to find Brittany rushing toward him.
She had this big smile on her face. “It was so sweet of you to come see me this morning.”
He noticed her voice was raised just a bit, as though to let everyone else in the smallish office hear her. She leaned forward and air-kissed his cheek. Wait. Why is she acting so strange?
He cleared his throat. “I told you I would—”
“Come see me. And you brought me coffee.” Her smile broadened. “That was so thoughtful.”
Without waiting for him to say a word, she plucked the cup of coffee he’d purchased for Carrie and took a sip. “Mmm... That’s good.”
“Glad you like it.” He thought his tone dripped in sarcasm, but it didn’t seem to faze her. Either he wasn’t good at sarcasm, or she chose to ignore his tone.
The next thing he knew, she’d looped her hand in the crook of his arm. “My desk is right over here.”
She didn’t give him a chance to refuse before she gave a tug on his arm. Because there were people watching this exchange, he chose not to make a scene. He had no idea what she was up to, but he didn’t like it.
Once they reached her desk, she sat down. She gestured to one of the two chairs on the other side of her desk. “Please, sit down.”
“I don’t have time. I just stopped by to give you these.” He withdrew the papers from his inner coat pocket. He held them out to her.
She took them. “Thank you. Don’t worry. I’ll get your mother’s house sold as quickly as possible.”
He cleared his throat. “Things have changed. We’re no longer in a hurry for the sale.”
Brittany’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? Because when I spoke to her, she wanted this done as quickly as possible.”
He and his mother had big decisions to make and he didn’t want them to be rushed. It was more important to take the time necessary to make his mother happy in the long-term. “I assure you that is no longer the case.”
“I’d really like to hear that from her.” Brittany reached for her phone.
“Don’t bother calling the house. She’s not home right now.”
When she looked at him with unspoken questions in her eyes, he chose not to say another word about his mother. “I need to get going.”
“Thanks for the coffee.” She took another sip. “You’re so sweet.”
He removed the carrier from the bottom of his coffee cup. He dropped it into the trash can at the end of her desk. And then he walked away.
He was almost to the door when she called out, “Sorry I couldn’t do lunch. But dinner sounds great.”
He didn’t know what to say to her. If she thought they were having dinner, she was delusional. He kept going, choosing to pretend he hadn’t heard her. And then with long, sure strides, he ducked outside. He couldn’t get away from the real estate office fast enough.
When he reached Totally Chocolate, he noticed it wasn’t open yet. The Closed sign might still be on the door, but he was certain Carrie was inside working. Without the coffee, he didn’t have an excuse to stop in.
And after that kiss the prior night, followed by her gentle rejection, he knew if he stopped now, it would be an awkward, stilted conversation. And he didn’t want that for either of them.
He kept going until he made it to the back door of the vacant storefront. He was impressed by how quickly they’d stripped the unit down to its studs. Now they were in the process of replacing some of the structural beams that had termite and water damage. The only bit of good news was the termite damage was old, and the termites were long gone, so they didn’t have to tent the place.
“Hey, Jackson,” Mark said. “We’re making quick progress. Have you decided what you want to do with the walls?”
Jackson rubbed the back of his neck as he continued to look around. He honestly didn’t know what to do with the place. “When do you have to know?”
“How about yesterday? We need to order supplies once we know how you want to finish the place.”
Jackson knew the smart thing would be to sell this place as-is, along with his mother’s house. His mother could move to London with him. She wouldn’t have to worry about anything, but she wasn’t warming to the idea. And he couldn’t leave her there alone, not again.
Jackson took a drink of coffee that was now only lukewarm. “Give me until tomorrow. All right?”
Mark nodded. “Sure. So, how are things with you and Carrie going?”
“Not so good.” Needing some advice because he felt as though he didn’t know what to do where she was concerned, Jackson mentioned the kiss and her rebuff. “So, I think maybe I should listen to her.”
“And what? Just be friends?” When Jackson nodded, Mark asked, “Did she kiss you back?”
Jackson immediately nodded.
Mark smiled. “Definitely don’t give up. Maybe you just need to do a grand gesture to show her how much she means to you.”
“I don’t know.” She’d rejected him twice. Twice. He wasn’t sure he was up to a third rejection.
Mark shrugged. “It’s up to you. Besides, she won’t be alone long. Rumor has it that Archie Crosby—”
“Who?”
“Archie Crosby. We went to school with him. He was always dressed up and had a pen tucked behind his ear. Anyway, the guy now works for a delivery service, and he’s interested in her.”
“Archie, huh?” He remembered the guy from school. Archie was more interested in himself than anyone around him. He highly doubted the man had changed much. “There’s no way she’s interested in him.”
Mark shrugged. “Don’t know. But she’s not going to stay single forever.”
Mark didn’t wait for his response before walking away. Jackson was left to ponder the situation on his own. He hated that his friend was right. He was running out of chances with Carrie.
Maybe what he had to do was get her to see their relationship—to see him—in a different light. It shouldn’t be so hard. After all, Valentine’s Day was right around the corner. What better time to sweep Carrie off her feet?
But first, he had to do a little bit of damage repair. He looked down at his now-cold coffee. After disposing of it, he headed out to get another one. As he walked back to the Steaming Brew, a plan began to take shape.