Chapter 20
20
J ake arrived early the next morning, his truck rumbling into the driveway. Capri stood on the porch, waiting, arms crossed against the cool morning air. She had packed up most of the items in the cabin to accommodate the renovation, and the living room was now a maze of boxes, each one labeled with a Sharpie scrawl.
“Morning,” Jake said as he hopped out of the truck, giving her a quick nod before grabbing his tool belt from the passenger seat.
“Morning,” Capri replied, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She led him inside, weaving through the boxes with an ease that came from days of packing. “I’ve got most of it cleared out, but there’s still some stuff to move.”
Jake’s gaze landed on one of the boxes, his brow furrowing. “ Gilmore Girls ?” he asked, sounding both surprised and amused.
Capri looked over and saw the familiar handwriting on the side of the box. She laughed, a little embarrassed. “Yeah. My stepdad and I used to watch these DVDs together. It’s kind of our thing.”
Jake raised an eyebrow. “No kidding? You’re looking at one of Stars Hollow’s biggest fans right here.”
Capri blinked. “Wait, what? You watch Gilmore Girls ?”
Jake chuckled, clearly entertained by her reaction. “I grew up with two sisters, and it was either learn to love Lorelai and Rory or get stuck watching home makeover shows. I chose Gilmore Girls .”
Capri smirked, shaking her head. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or worried.”
“I’ll take impressed,” Jake said with a grin, stepping over to help her lift the box. “Where do you want this?”
“Upstairs, against the wall in the bedroom,” she replied, trying not to notice how effortlessly he hoisted the box. She led him up the stairs, her stomach doing a little flip as they entered the bedroom. It was mostly bare now, save for the bed, dresser, and a few stray items that hadn’t been packed away.
As Jake set the box down, Capri felt a strange tension in the air. She wasn’t used to having anyone in her personal space like this, especially not someone who seemed to fill the room so effortlessly. She busied herself with grabbing another box from the hallway, acutely aware of how closely Jake moved behind her.
He straightened up, looking around the room. “Nice space. Lots of light.”
Capri nodded, avoiding his eyes. “Yeah. It’s a good spot.”
The silence stretched just long enough to make her feel a little flustered. “I’ll show you what I packed up from the kitchen,” she said quickly, motioning for him to follow her downstairs. She heard his footsteps behind her, measured and unhurried, and that odd awareness of him hadn’t quite faded by the time they reached the bottom.
Jake rolled up his sleeves, surveying the downstairs space with a practical eye. “Before we get to rebuilding, we’ve got to tear some things down. Old wood’s gotta come out, especially in the kitchen. Apologies in advance for the mess—it’ll look worse before it looks better, but it won’t last long.”
Capri shrugged, hands on her hips. “I’ll survive.”
Jake chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. “That’s the spirit.”
With that, he got to work, and Capri headed out the back door into her mother’s garden. It was overgrown, in need of weeding, but she could still spot the bright green heads of lettuce peeking through the soil. She figured she’d busy herself with pulling weeds and cleaning the bedding areas.
She crouched down, pulling at clumps of crabgrass and dandelions with focused determination. The earthy smell of the garden was comforting. A little too comforting, perhaps, because she didn’t notice the soft rustle in the bushes behind her.
Until it was too late.
The sharp, unmistakable scent hit her before she even turned around. A skunk—stark black and white—stood just a few feet away, its tail raised high like a warning flag. Capri froze, eyes wide. “No, no, no?—”
But it was too late. The spray hit her with precision, an acrid stench that immediately made her gag.
“Are you kidding me?!” she groaned, stumbling backward, trying to cover her nose as the smell sank into her clothes, her hair—everything. She heard the sound of the back door creaking open and turned to see Jake standing there, his sleeves rolled up and wearing an expression that was a mix of amusement and concern.
“Capri… you, uh… okay over there?”
She threw up her hands in defeat. “Does it look like I’m okay?!”
Jake bit back a laugh, plugging his nose with his fingers. “Just checking. You might want to… take care of that.”
Capri glared at him, though the corners of her mouth twitched. “You think?”
He crossed his arms, leaning casually against the doorframe. “I’d offer to help, but I’m pretty sure my nose can’t take it.”
She continued to stare at him, incredulous, as the smell worsened with each passing second. “Jake Carrington, if you don’t quit laughing?—”
But before she could finish, a laugh escaped him, deep and unrestrained. And despite herself, Capri joined in, the absurdity of the situation too much to resist.
“You’re lucky I don’t make you take a tomato bath too,” she grumbled, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
Jake just grinned, his eyes still twinkling. “I think you’ve got this one covered. I’ll just… stay upwind.”
Capri stepped out of the shower, her skin still tingling from scrubbing what felt like every inch of herself. She’d used every trick in the book—tomato juice, baking soda, even vinegar—but no matter how much she tried, the faint scent of skunk still clung to her like a persistent shadow she couldn’t shake.
Wrapping a towel around herself, she glanced in the mirror and sighed. Plans for lunch with Jake were clearly off the table now. No way was she going to sit through a meal smelling like this, no matter how faint.
Still, she dressed and headed downstairs, only to find Jake wiping down the countertops where he had started clearing debris.
“You good?” he asked with an easy smile, his eyes twinkling as he glanced at her.
Capri shrugged, wrinkling her nose. “As good as I’m gonna be. I still smell like a skunk.”
Jake leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “I’ve been around worse. You up for lunch?”
Capri blinked, surprised. “You… want to have lunch with me? I smell.”
He chuckled. “Capri, I’ve been through muddy construction sites, knee-deep in goodness-knows-what. A little leftover skunk smell doesn’t scare me. I bet you have some food in that refrigerator. How about we whip something up together? I’m starving.”
She hesitated, but the idea of making lunch together was too tempting to pass up, especially when the alternative was sulking alone in her room over her lingering odor. “Alright,” she said, grabbing a hair tie to pull her damp hair back. “But you’re in charge of chopping. I can’t be trusted with sharp objects right now.”
Jake laughed again, and they moved around the kitchen, getting out the ingredients. Capri rummaged through the fridge, pulling out the lettuce, tomatoes, some cheese, and deli meat.
“I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich,” Jake said, searching the cabinets, then pulling out a pan and setting it on the stove. “Back home in Alabama, my mom taught me a few tricks.”
“Alabama, huh?” Capri said as she sliced the lettuce. “That’s a long way from Jackson Hole.”
Jake nodded, slicing a tomato with practiced ease. “Yeah, I miss it sometimes. Grew up on a farm with my brothers and sisters. But once I got into carpentry and architecture, I was drawn to the mountains. Something about building homes where the land shapes the design, you know?”
Capri glanced over at him, admiring the way his hands moved with such care. “And Jackson Hole? What brought you all the way out here?”
He flipped the sandwich in the pan. “Wanted a fresh start. I worked in Alabama for a while, but it never felt right. The Tetons, though…they called to me. The landscape, the work—it just fit. And here I am.”
There was something about the way he spoke, with a quiet certainty that Capri found deeply attractive. He didn’t have a complicated backstory or some grand plan for the future—he just followed what felt right. She admired that. She admired…him.
She swallowed, her thoughts drifting to his eyes—deep, kind, even-keeled. It was the first time she really let herself linger on the thought, how she liked the way he looked at her. How he made her feel seen, even in her most chaotic moments.
Dick once said, “Hair will turn gray, weight will change, teeth will fall out and bodies shrink with age. But the eyes…the eyes grow old with you.”
She dared to meet Jake’s gaze and found he was watching her now, too, with a hint of something she hadn’t noticed before.
“You always wanted to be a builder?” she asked, trying to distract herself from the way her stomach was doing small somersaults.
“Yeah. I prefer renovations,” he said, shrugging one shoulder. “There’s something about taking things apart and putting them back together better than before. It’s honest work. It’s what I like.”
Capri caught the way his words echoed what he was doing in her cabin—tearing down the old to rebuild something stronger. And it wasn’t lost on her how similar that felt to her own life, except she wasn’t quite sure how to put the pieces back together.
They finished making the sandwiches, adding a salad and some potato chips to their plates. Capri pulled out a couple of beers, and they sat at the small kitchen table, the scent of warm bread and melted cheese filling the air.
As they ate, Jake asked about her life—what brought her to Thunder Mountain, what she loved about running the rafting business. “I grew up here. Thunder Mountain is my home. These people are my extended family, especially my girlfriends.”
She found herself talking easily, sharing stories about her friends and how much she adored the mountains. She told him about Charlie Grace, Reva, and Lila…how they’d remained tight over the years and how much that meant to her. “They know me…you know what I mean?”
Even as the words escaped her lips, she silently acknowledged that even they didn’t know the entire her…the lonely part. No one knew that side.
Through it all, she became increasingly aware of Jake’s interest in her. The way he leaned in slightly when she spoke, how his eyes lingered just a little longer than necessary, the softness in his voice when he asked her questions.
Capri knew what that meant—she wasn’t oblivious. And the truth was, she liked it. She liked the way he looked at her, the way he was drawn to her in a quiet, steadfast way. It was different from what she was used to, and that both intrigued and unsettled her.
Over the years, she’d dated plenty. All casual. Lots of good times. But nothing—and no one—had ever penetrated the hard shell she’d built around her. She was lonely, yet couldn’t seem to invite anyone in.
The question was…why?
And why was she risking seeing Jake differently?
The realization crept up on her, catching her off guard. She cleared her throat, abruptly pushing her chair back from the table. “I should clean up. There’s still a lot of work to do in town. Bodhi will need my help before taking out the final group of rafters.” She stood and gathered their half-empty glasses.
Jake raised an eyebrow, glancing at the dishes in her hand. “I can help.”
Before she could protest, he was up and by her side, collecting their dishes. His hand brushed against hers as they reached for the same plate, and Capri felt a jolt shoot through her, a warmth spreading up her arm that made her heart skip a beat. For a moment, the world seemed to still, and she was acutely aware of the closeness between them, the gentle touch of his fingers against her skin.
Her breath caught, and she pulled her hand away quickly, setting the plates down on the counter with a clatter. “Thanks, but I’ve got it,” she said, a little too quickly, turning her back to him as she busied herself at the sink.
But the touch lingered, and as she rinsed the dishes, she couldn’t help but feel the rush of conflicting emotions swirl inside her. She wasn’t ready for this—whatever this was. Yet, at the same time, part of her wasn’t sure she wanted to let it slip away.