14. Harper
Harper
The last few weeks have felt like something out of one of Bree’s Hallmark movies.
I run into Jace at the coffee shop most days, and lately, I find myself watching for him and even take a little extra time to look nice before heading over.
He hasn’t mentioned the property again, and I heard a rumor that it’s now off the market.
Since he hasn’t mentioned anything, I’m assuming he passed on it, and the level of disappointment I feel is concerning.
I’m definitely not going to be making it to the coffee shop today, which means no spontaneous run-ins with Jace.
I just dropped Lizzie off with Shaina and am heading to the hardware store.
A storm came through last night, and a massive branch fell down, damaging my roof.
I’ll need to get someone out to properly fix it, but in the meantime, I’m sure I can at least patch it, so Lizzie’s room stays dry.
I’m dreading the call to any roofer. They will take one look and say the whole thing needs to be replaced.
I’ve been setting aside money for the last year to pay for it, but it’ll still hurt to see the savings disappear in one swoop.
The store was extra busy for a Saturday morning.
Lots of folks, like myself, had their homes damaged from the storm.
Luckily, I was able to find a sheet of plywood, some nails, and a large tarp.
It was the last one and looked like it might have been used and returned, but desperate times and all that shit, so I bought it.
Now, I’m standing in front of my house. My old ladder, which had been in the back shed when I moved in, is leaning against the house, and there’s nothing left to do but get this giant ass piece of wood up onto the roof.
Looking up at the roof, which suddenly seems much higher than it had a few hours ago, I wonder if I might be in over my head.
“Here goes nothing,” I say to myself, gripping the sheet of plywood and starting the arduous climb to the roof. About halfway up, I nearly topple off the ladder and let loose a string of curse words that would make a sailor blush. Once settled, I climb another rung.
“See, Harper, no need to overreact. You’ve got this.” Just a few more feet to go. “That’s right, you can do this.” Talking to myself keeps my nerves in check. Suddenly, I’m at the top of the ladder.
“Okay, Harper, just one last push, get the plywood onto the roof.” I grunt and heave then finally get the board onto the roof. I shout in glee, cheering myself and my strength.
“Fuck, yeah! See, you are a strong and capable woman, Harper, and you’ve got this!” The board shifts, sliding back toward me, nailing me square in the chest. “No, you don’t, you do not have this.”
My arms windmill in an attempt to stay on the ladder, but it tips from the motion, and a scream is ripped from my lungs as I fall.
My hands reach out, trying to find purchase, but slide uselessly on the slick shingles.
For a terrifying second, I think I’ll free fall, then my fingers snag in the gutter at the same time as I hear someone roar, “Hold on!”
I grip the gutter with all my strength and cringe as the water and muck run down the front of my shirt.
“I’ve got you, Harper, hold on.” Recognizing Jace’s voice, relief sweeps through me. The ladder is propped under me and my feet flutter, trying to find a step. Just as I do, firm hands grip my hips, holding me in place. “You’re good. Let’s get you down. Can you climb?”
I nod, and we make our way down, Jace’s strong frame right below me the whole way. The second he reaches the ground, he’s lifting me from the ladder, yanking me into a hug so tight I let out an, “Umph.”
“You’re okay, you’re okay,” he repeats into my hair, like I’m some weak ass woman that crumbles under pressure. Dammit, it’s probably because he saw my panic attack the other day. The thought makes me more defensive than likely warranted.
“I know that, Jace!” I push out of his arms, finally glancing at his face. The look in his eyes gives me pause.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Harper.” Spinning away, he removes his ballcap, tossing it to the ground, then scrubbing his hands through his hair roughly.
The motion makes it stick out in a deliciously mussed sort of way.
“I was telling myself that you were safe. Do you have any idea what it did to me seeing you dangle from the roof like that? Wondering if I would make it to you in time, or if I’d have to watch you crash to the ground sustaining God knows what trauma?
Fuck!” he yells, and I’m frozen, unsure how to respond, so taken aback by his response.
“Do you have any idea how lucky I feel that my road was blocked by a downed tree, and I ended up on the street you happen to live on? So many things could’ve gone differently, Harper. What were you even doing up there?”
“The storm damaged the roof and it’s leaking into Lizzie’s room. It needed to be patched, so I was doing it.” I fidget with my fingers, feeling like I need to defend my stupidity.
When he turns back to me, the look on his face sucks the air from my lungs.
Just as I step toward him, ready to give in, ready to stop resisting this pull between us, a loud scraping sound comes from the roof.
I look up in horror as the sheet of plywood I had wrestled onto the roof falls.
Jace moves faster than me, pushing me to the side, the board clipping his shoulder.
“Jace!” I cry out, rushing to him, examining him this time. “I’m so sorry.” He laughs—the moron actually laughs. I slap his other shoulder, huffing angrily at his response. “It’s not funny, you could have been hurt. Let me take a look at your shoulder, at the very least.”
His hands grasp mine, pinning them to his shoulder.
“I’m fine, and I promise to let you take a look later.
First, let me check out your roof.” He reaches forward with a grimace, pulling something from my hair.
It’s a clump of wet muddy leaves. Glancing down, I find I’m covered with muck from the gutter, remembering the way it had poured down on me as I hung from it.
It’s my turn to laugh, and soon, Jace is laughing with me, hugging me once more before nimbly climbing the ladder.
I stare for longer than appropriate before I excuse myself and head into the house to clean up.
I make it to the steps before pausing again to watch Jace on the roof, pushing away shingles and debris.
When he pulls his shirt off, mopping his brow, I finally head inside for a very cold shower.
After my shower, which may or may not have concluded with me shouting his name as I came around my fingers, I check on Jace. His truck is gone, but a letter is pinned to my front door.
Headed to check on the job site and run to the store. Be back by five. Stay off the ladder, please!
Jace
Biting my lip, I can’t fight the smile spreading across my face.
Glancing at the clock, I see I have just enough time to check in with Bree, before picking up Lizzie, to be back before five.
Walking into The Toasted Bean, I spot Bree cleaning up some broken glass.
My eyes are darting around, looking for the source, wondering if the storm hit a window.
“This isn’t from the storm, just me trying to carry too much at once,” Bree states with a self-deprecating look on her face. “Everything good at your place?”
“Depends on what you mean by good.” I laugh.
“That’s got my interest piqued.”
“The storm took out a huge branch on that tree in front of the house. It came down on the roof, tearing a nasty hole. Luckily, Lizzie was in my bed and not in her room. Otherwise, it would’ve been much worse.”
“Yeah, I’d say you had some excitement today then. Do you have anyone scheduled to fix it? I’m not super handy but willing to do what I can. I think I have some tarps or drop cloths from when we remodeled the shop.”
“You’re sweet, but that’s actually where things took a turn today. I decided to try to patch it myself.”
“Stupid choice!”
“Rude!” I glare at her, then laugh. “But true. My ladder tipped and I was hanging from the gutter when Jace showed up like Superman.” Bree fans herself, acting like she’s gonna swoon.
“My thoughts exactly. After he chewed my ass out for being reckless, I was about to jump his bones all hot and bothered, when the plywood that knocked me off the roof fell and hit Jace.”
“Shit! Is he okay?”
“He says he is. I plan to check in when he comes back out tonight.”
“Ooooh, he’s coming out tonight? Do y’all finally have a date planned?” Bree is such a romantic, and for once, I find myself having similar thoughts.
“No, he’s coming out to do a better patch job on the roof until someone can properly fix it and likely replace the roof.
But Bree, I’m totally screwed. I thought watching him chop logs was sexy, but it was nothing compared to seeing him on the roof.
When he whipped his shirt off, I nearly came in my pants.
” Bree shrieks, pumping her fist in the air.
“Please tell me this is the part of the story when things get good!” she yells dramatically.
“Other than me getting off in the shower, the story ends.”
“Ugh, but tonight, surely you’ll give in tonight, right, finally say yes?”
“Bree, he might not even ask. Do you know how many times I’ve turned him down at this point? What if I’ve missed my chance?” The last part comes out so pouty and gloomy. “Plus, I have a lousy track record with guys.”
“You have picked some doozies. Which guy was the one that cried out mommy when he came?”
“That was good ol’ Jamie. He also gave me a high five after each time.”
“I still can’t believe you slept with him again after the first time.”
“I had to see if it was a weird fluke or just him. Sadly, it was just him.” Tears are streaming down Bree’s face. My brief time with Jamie is her favorite rerun.
“Yeah, he was special, but I’m not just talking about him. Most guys run as soon as they find out I’m a mom. The couple that stuck around and met Lizzie…well, one ran for the hills, and asshat Colby asked, ‘What’s her problem?’” That had broken me, hearing someone talk about Lizzie like that.
“First,” Bree says, pointing a finger in my face, “I wish you had let me kick Colby in the nuts. He should not procreate, but at least I spit in his drink at the bar last month.” I huff a laugh at the memory.
After spitting in his glass, we sat in a booth and watched him drink it while laughing our asses off.
In our defense, he is a royal douche, and we had started the night with tequila shots, so our decision-making skills weren’t the best, and our moral compasses might not have been pointing due north.
“Second, Jace isn’t Jamie. No matter how close the names are. And Jace knows you're a mom. He’s met Lizzie and still seems more than interested. Maybe it’s time for you to make the move. Ask him for what you want and need. At least have a conversation about it?”
“Oh, yes, and how would that go? Hi, Jace, thank you so much for helping. By the way, I got myself off in the shower today to images of you working on my roof. Wanna reenact it tonight in my bed cause this momma’s so horny she can’t stand it, and my trusty vibrator just ain't cutting it?”
Someone coughs and I freeze. Bree’s eyes go wide, and I already know exactly who is standing behind me.