Chapter 11
TRIPP
Tripp parked his truck a block from the elementary school and headed for the entrance quickly, hoping he wouldn’t run into anyone who wanted to chew the fat.
He and Jillian had been texting a little bit over the past week. And when he was at the house removing wallpaper from the living room on Thursday afternoon, she had come in to help. She told him that the girls were both at a birthday party, and claimed that she had nothing to do.
He was pretty sure that someone as busy as Jillian could have found plenty to keep her occupied, but he was grateful for her help and even more so for her company.
They had spent the late afternoon and early evening laughing while they worked, having so much fun that he had eventually dared to ask her if she and the girls would like to go with him to the elementary school’s Fun Festival today.
He could still see the surprise and pleasure in her eyes as she said yes.
That doesn’t make this a date, he reminded himself. We’re just spending a little time together…
He tried not to mentally add the words as a family. But it was hard. The more time he spent with Posey and Marigold, the more he liked them both. Posey was easy to connect with from the start, while Mari was more introverted, but he got the sense that she was opening up a little with him.
He strode quickly down the sidewalk, past homes adorned with lights and evergreen wreaths. He was grateful that all of the nearby neighbors had shoveled the walkways, making it easy for everyone, young and old, to make their way to the school.
Sugarville Grove was good that way. They were all used to the snow, and also used to pitching in for each other the way that he helped out the Johnsons. Tripp was sure there were neighbors shoveling for each other in town too, which meant a safer walkway for everyone.
When he reached the school, he scanned the festival crowd out front and was relieved when he didn’t see Jillian and her girls already waiting for him.
Tripp was determined to show her that he was a man she could rely on. And silly as it seemed, getting here early so she didn’t have to wait or worry because of him felt important.
Being on time for a date never had been on his mind before. In fact, Tripp was pretty famously careless about timing. Mostly because it was hard to predict the end of a workday when you worked on a farm.
But if he was honest with himself, he’d never been this eager to impress a date before.
It’s not a date, he reminded himself.
But it felt like an audition, or an interview, at least. And as much fun as they’d been having, he knew Jillian was still deciding whether or not to get more serious with him, and he wasn’t taking anything for granted.
Tripp was going to have to earn every morsel of her trust after what she had been through—both what her husband had actually done, and what she thought Tripp himself had tried to do.
He’d been hurt and angry when Allie explained to him why Jillian ran from him all those years ago, and if he was being honest, it still stung.
Sure, he was kind of a troublemaker back then.
He had skipped class to wrap Mrs. Hamilton’s entire car in Santa Claus wrapping paper the day before winter break his junior year.
He’d come to a sports award ceremony the following spring dressed head to toe as the Cat in the Hat, with a pretty spectacular makeup job, thanks to Allie.
He’d even let a cow loose in the school once as a senior prank.
But he had never been mean. At least, not on purpose.
The time he’d spent with Jillian back then had really meant something to him. All those whispered jokes in the headset, and trailing behind her as she checked off every item on the list to prep for the play, those times had been like a haze of peace and pleasure for him.
He was sure there had been a hum of electricity between them whenever they were close. And he was pretty sure she felt it too. A handful of times, he’d seen something special in her eyes, that spark of recognition like her soul was trying to touch his.
I was an idiot, he reminded himself. I didn’t even think about how to tell her I liked her.
But there was one thing he’d gotten right back then.
Jillian was really special. And all the things he’d liked about her then, he liked even more now.
The depth of her concern and care was even better suited to motherhood and nursing than to schoolwork and activities.
And the drive that had her careening around the hallways back then was more centered now, focused on the people she loved.
It was only the sadness he caught in her eyes once in a while that made him miss the past. She kept it well-hidden, but Jillian was mourning a life that was gone, and the man who had once been part of her dreams.
Deserving or not, that man had held her heart at one time. And Tripp would have to battle the impact he’d made and the scars he’d left if he wanted to bring Jillian back to the present moment and help her open her heart to love again.
He wished he could battle the man in real life. A simple drive to the city to confront him would give Tripp a whole lot of satisfaction, but he knew he wouldn’t win Jillian’s trust by punching her ex in the nose. It would only reinforce her thinking that he was still an impulsive troublemaker.
So, Tripp would have to practice patience by showing up for her and her family as many times as it took for her to know he was worth trusting.
He reached the front of the school, where they had agreed to meet, and settled in to watch for them.
But he didn’t have long to wait. Just a minute or two later, Jillian’s car pulled up to a lucky spot close to the school, and the girls spilled out onto the sidewalk, all pink cheeks and sparkling eyes.
He admired the way Mari grabbed Posey’s hand and made her wait for their mother. Posey had spotted some other kids, but she cooperated right away with her sister in a way that reminded Tripp of his brother Tag’s kids, Olivia and Chance, back when they were smaller.
A moment later, Jillian appeared on the sidewalk too, her green eyes searching the crowd in front of the school.
“Hey,” Tripp called to the three of them, giving a wave as he strode across the school lawn to meet them.
“I hope you didn’t wait long,” Jillian said, a tiny furrow in her brow.
“We’re both early,” he reassured her right away. “I just got here myself.”
She smiled, looking at peace again.
“So, what do you want to do first?” Tripp asked the girls.
“What is there?” Posey asked.
“Well, I know there are tons of treats and snacks,” Tripp said. “And there are games and activities on the playground and in the meadow.”
“Games?” Mari asked, looking interested.
“Yes,” Tripp told her. “I’m not sure which ones, but we can check them out and see. And there’s a Ferris wheel this year, just a little one. They’re setting it up in the parking lot.”
“Wow,” Jillian said. “That’s impressive.”
“I guess the festival went well last year,” Tripp said. “So they upped the ante.”
“Let’s do the Ferris wheel,” Posey yelled.
Tripp looked to Mari, who nodded, and they all set off.
Tripp couldn’t help but notice some of the looks he got from friends and neighbors as they walked. Most of them seemed pretty happy to see him with Jillian and her girls, which was nice.
Of course a few people, like Thora Wexford, only narrowed their eyes suspiciously as he passed.
But then Thora was one of a string of women he’d dated casually over the years.
And admittedly, he’d broken things off with her for no real reason pretty much as soon as it felt like she was getting serious about him.
She probably thought he had a lot of nerve trying to date a woman with kids.
And with anyone but Jillian, she’d be right.
He wished he could just tell everyone that this was different.
But it probably wouldn’t change anything.
That’s exactly what the old Tripp would have said at the beginning of any relationship.
He’d never started dating anyone with the intention of hurting them or stringing them along.
But his good intentions always just fizzled out somewhere along the way when he thought about spending his life with them.
He might not have known he was carrying a torch for Jillian for all those years, but it was pretty clear to him now, that had been exactly the case.
Tripp wasn’t really sure how to explain any of that to Jillian though, or how she’d react if he tried. So, he settled for just hoping that she didn’t catch any of the women in town giving him the stink-eye.
When they reached the parking lot, the Ferris wheel wasn’t ready for riders yet, so they continued around back to check out the other activities.
“Wow,” Mari murmured.
Tripp turned to see what she was looking at and saw a bunch of younger kids using spray bottles of colored water to decorate the snowmen the bigger kids had made.
“Do you want to do that?” he asked her.
She nodded her head, and they both looked to Jillian.
“That’s a great idea,” she said. “Posey do you want to do it too?”
“Yes, and there are other kids over there,” Posey pointed out. “Little kids.”
“There sure are,” Jillian said. “That looks like a fun way to meet some new friends. Will you keep an eye on your sister, Mari? I’ll be right here if you need me.”
Mari perked up at the idea of watching over her sister, and Tripp realized how cleverly Jillian had handled the situation.
The girls took off, and Jillian turned to Tripp.
“What’s on your mind?” she asked.
“I just… you’re like a magician,” he said, shaking his head.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked him.
“Posey was excited to see the other kids,” he said. “But Mari was shy. So you gave her a mission.”
Jillian’s expression shifted slightly and he almost got the sense that she was impressed he’d picked up on that little detail.