Chapter Two
The Following Day
Crystal Rock, Wisconsin
Jeff reached for one of the apples sitting in a bowl on the kitchen island, biting into it hard as he talked with his mom, who was insisting on making him lunch when he’d stopped by the family home for an unexpected visit.
“I thought you were going to start teaching your classes next week?” Mom asked, frowning at him disapprovingly.
“Not until September, Mom. Eve needs some help at the recording studio, so I’m going to be working there during the summer.” Jeff had always had an ear for music, so he loved doing the mixing, creating something unique for artists who sometimes, unfortunately, sounded rather ordinary. It came with the territory, Grammy winning vocalist Eve Loughlin had decided when she opened up the studio to any artist who could afford the recording costs.
Mom huffed out a breath as she studied him from head to toe. Jeff could tell how she hated his new look with his longish hair and scruffy beard. But while he’d had leave, he’d decided to just let loose before he’d begin teaching classes for the wounded warriors vocational training program this upcoming fall.
“You look like a beach bum,” she muttered. “When are you going to shave and get a haircut?”
When Jeff started laughing, it only made his mother more irritable. She was giving him the evil eye when she scooped a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches onto a plate for him.
“At least you’re not being sent back overseas,” Mom growled, pouring each of them coffee before joining him on a stool at the island. “First you lose a leg, and then you go back, this time to Iraq, to get shot at. You’re lucky that one of those bullets didn’t hit your heart.”
“I know, Mom,” he said gently, taking a break from eating. “But I’m good at it. And truthfully, it makes me feel good to be able to do something rewarding with my life. One of my biggest fears was that I’d be done with my career when I lost my leg.”
“And now you wouldn’t even know it was missing,” Mom said approvingly. “I can’t believe how quickly you were back on your feet, so to speak.”
“That’s why I accepted this teaching position. I’m not as agile as I was before I got shot. But I’ll warn you – if I do get called back, I’m going to go.”
Mom huffed out a breath, but Jeff could see the fear in her eyes.
“Maybe you’d at least consider giving up the motorcycle?” she snorted. “Who’d have thought that someone without a leg would still be allowed to drive one.”
They’d had this argument a million times before. He had a feeling that Dad probably agreed with Mom but would never say so. When Mom had tried to urge Dad to voice an opinion, Dad had simply shrugged.
“Don’t start that again,” Jeff answered, smiling widely. “My bike makes it easy to get around.” One of the first things he’d done while training on his prosthetic had been to look into adaptive equipment for both his bike and his truck. “Losing a leg doesn’t make me an invalid, Mom. You know, you still kind of treat me like one.”
Mom looked horrified. “Do I? I’m so sorry, Jeff. I don’t really think of it that way, but I guess since you and Kelly were my babies, it’s hard to see you hurting.”
He could have tried to pretend he didn’t understand, but she was right. There was still a part of him that was lacking. He hadn’t been with a woman since breaking up with Aimee, and he supposed part of that had to do with the missing leg. The other part of it was because he pretty much knew every woman here in town and had even tried dating a few of them.
But no woman so far had been worth the risk. At thirty, he was at the age where he didn’t want to get involved with anyone who was only in it temporarily. As stupid as it was, he was kind of sensitive about his looks.
“Don’t worry. I’ll come to you when I’m ready for a haircut,” he said, effectively dismissing her outburst about his bike. Mom owned the local beauty salon which had some pretty exclusive clientele. “Although I’m not sure that you should be the one cutting my hair.”
She suddenly grinned. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I know I am,” he answered dryly.
They laughed.
* * *
He might just as well get a few things done at home, Jeff decided since he didn’t have to go into the studio until this evening. Maybe if he finished the specs for the three-season room along with the deck he was planning on constructing soon, he might be able to get a start on it next week.
As he approached the updated four-story home that overlooked Stone Lake on his bike, he took a moment to appreciate the work that he’d finished so far. It was a unique combination of the old and new, with the original stone facade and new lap siding that matched what had once been there. He’d hopefully be working on the landscaping in the fall after building a new porch that would surround the entire house and include a sunroom along with a screened in porch on the lakefront.
The place was way too big for him, and when his dad had offered him the chance to purchase the home as a project for the two of them, Jeff had jumped on it, not immediately realizing that he was not only going to fall in love with the place, but the location as well. It was a double lot, so he had plenty of privacy, which was something he’d always valued having been born into a large family with four other siblings.
Maybe it was stupid of him to hang onto the place and not move into somewhere more practical, but he’d been pouring his heart and soul into the restorations, and he couldn’t imagine selling it like Dad had originally intended. It was an everyday thing for Dad, since he owned one of the most successful construction businesses in Northwest Wisconsin. Dad had created a division exclusively for flipping homes. It had all begun years ago, when Jake Loughlin, then the new owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, had hired him to restore and remodel the Inn, which had been in an excessive state of disrepair since the early nineteen seventies.
After watching the sunset descend, its sparkling crystals spitting like sparks of fire across the lake, he felt content when he fell asleep at night and at peace when he woke in the morning. When Dad had driven him here for the first time, Jeff had been captivated by the awe-inspiring view of the lake. The home was elevated high enough to not only see most of Stone Lake, but also beyond the bridge to Crystal Rock Lake as well.
Jeff grinned when he walked inside. As much as he loved the work he was doing with the restoration, he wasn’t making much progress on the decorating end of things. Somehow, he’d managed to accumulate a collection of carefully chosen antiques. Along with rugs and various other tables and accessories, he’d run across a beautiful mahogany dining room table, chairs and buffet that were all sitting unused in his dining room. Now, if only he could find the massive four poster bed for the master that he’d been searching for.
What he needed to decide on first was a color scheme, he thought, taking a seat at the kitchen island with some bottled water. Glancing around, he shook his head. He really wanted to do something about the white walls and bare floors, which were beautiful since they were newly refinished. He also had a room filled with stuff he liked from auctions and thrift stores, but the only problem was he didn’t know what to do with any of it.
He really wasn’t anxious to hire a designer, although he could certainly afford to do it. It just wouldn’t feel personal enough to him though, he realized. Jeff wanted too much to be involved in the work itself.
But what the hell was he waiting for, he wondered? Even the kitchen seemed stark, as beautiful as the flooring, tile backdrops and countertops were. He hadn’t had trouble choosing lighting or fixtures either, so what was it about the decorating itself that made him hesitate? It’s not like he couldn’t repaint or move items around the house if he was dissatisfied. The place was huge. The items he had in storage probably wouldn’t fill more than three rooms anyway. He’d even built a small sound studio downstairs in the walk-out basement where he created music. Despite the studio only taking up a third of the space, there was only a sectional and big screen TV occupying the rest.
Although he had a beautiful antique bar in the garage that he’d planned on setting up down there, he just couldn’t make up his mind where to put it. That would be permanent though because he planned to install a sink behind the bar, and add a few appliances, like a wine cooler and refrigerator.
Maybe he just wanted to get it right the first time and couldn’t stand the idea of wasting time on redoes if he wasn’t happy.
He heaved a sigh, muttering, “Or maybe in some stupid part of my mind I’m hoping that I’m not going to be living here alone for the rest of my life.”
When he and Aimee had broken it off, it hadn’t hit him as hard as it had later when he’d been severely injured again after getting shot. It wasn’t that he felt lonely as much as he felt alone .
It was depressing to think that he might actually be waiting for someone special to miraculously walk into his life. Wouldn’t his mom get a kick out of that?
Jeff pursed his lips, suddenly grinning. Although it had happened with General John Ashton, who was currently serving as a mentor while doing his rehab at the wounded warrior home. He’d met Jeff’s former nurse, Grace Johnston, and it had apparently been love at first sight.