Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
JACK
I’d worn my favorite suit. It was gray silk, and the inside of the jacket was lined with red. My palms sweat as I clutched the yellow roses in them. I’d agonized for ten minutes over what color to get Hannah. Obviously, red was out—that meant love. But I thought maybe pink would work. Then I called Chloe, and she said pink would mean I wanted a relationship with her. That freaked me out, so I went with white, but then I got off the phone and asked myself if I did want a relationship with Hannah Phillips.
She was gorgeous, sweet as sugar, and funny as hell. And the way she took care of her mom made me think that one day she might take care of me like that. Those thoughts scared me, and the white flowers suddenly felt like funeral flowers, so I grabbed the yellow roses and left the store as fast as I could.
Friends. We were friends. That’s all I could offer her, right?
But when I parked my rental car and looked at the front of the church, just in time to see Hannah walk across the pavement in the most beautiful red dress I’d ever seen, my heart seized in my chest. Suddenly, I was staring at the traitorous yellow flowers and wondering if I should have gotten red. I at least should have gotten pink.
Was she even interested in me in that way? I’d bought her a restaurant, so of course she was nice to me. But no, there was something between us, a spark. That spark I felt quite sure would turn into a forest fire if I just gave it a little fuel. Something had started between us in India, and I wanted to see where it went.
I contemplated turning back to get pink flowers when Chloe called.
“What color did you go with?” she asked. She was as invested in this as I was.
“Yellow, but now I’m second-guessing that. I should have gone with the pink. Should I go back to the store? I might be late, though.” I fumbled over my words, something I never did.
Hannah jumbled my thoughts. I cared about this girl. More than I had cared about a woman in a long time. There was an innocence to her I wanted to protect, and she made me want to be a better man.
“You like her.” I could hear the smile in Chloe’s voice. Chloe was like the sister I never had, and she’d been asking me to get a girlfriend since I got out of prison.
I just hadn’t felt ready. Having a relationship meant I’d have to open up to someone about that night. It meant I’d have to tell Hannah that I was a monster. Then I’d have to see the look on her face when she pitied me—or worse, was scared of me.
“I do,” I admitted.
“Yes!” Chloe screamed into the phone. “Forget the color of the flowers, Jack. Go in there and tell her you like her.”
“She lives in Willow Harbor. I live in Seattle.” I was trying to reason out how this could work.
“I’ve thought about this. If we have business in Willow Harbor, then you have reason to go there every weekend or however often you want. Cedric will approve it.”
I raised an eyebrow, even though she couldn’t see it. “Are you suggesting I buy a business here in Willow Harbor just to get permission from Cedric to travel here more often? All for a girl I like?”
“Yes. Isn’t it romantic?” She sighed wistfully, and I laughed.
It was a good idea. Maybe I could build a custom home on the lake, like the one my mom and I had rented every Christmas when I was little.
“Okay, put a pin in that idea, Chloe. I’m going to be late, and I don’t even know if she likes me back.”
“Jack, I’d be willing to bet Roberto’s family sauce recipe that she likes you back.”
I heard Roberto protest in the background and grinned.
“Bye!” I said.
“’Kay, don’t chicken out. I’m looking at commercial properties in Willow Harbor. Bye!” Chloe hung up before I could say anything more, and I grinned.
Maybe this could work. Maybe I could try the relationship thing. For Hannah, I would do anything.
The parking lot was packed, and people were making their way inside already. I needed to get in there. As I jogged across the parking lot of the small white church, I peered around at the thick trees surrounding us. Willow Harbor was a special place. My mom and I had stumbled onto it when I was twelve and I’d been back every year since.
There was someone at the door with a name tag that read Dennis , and he greeted me.
“Hi. Do you know where I would find Hannah Phillips before she goes on stage?” I held up the flowers.
The older man grinned and nodded. Then he led me down a hallway and pointed to an open door. “She’ll be in there warming up,” he said and then went back to the main lobby to greet others.
Being in a church felt weird. I was surprised God didn’t burn me up where I stood, but I pushed the guilty thoughts down and beelined it for that door.
When I got there, I heard a man’s voice say Hannah’s name, so I slowed.
“Hannah, I…” the man said. “I want to be frank with you about something so that neither of us are guessing at anything.”
My heart stopped beating at that moment.
“Okay?” Hannah’s voice was small and timid. I knew I should leave, shouldn’t eavesdrop. I…
“I’m moving back to town. I’m opening a vet clinic, and I intend to win you back,” the guy declared, and a crushing weight fell on my heart, shattering it into a hundred pieces.
“Seventeen-year-old Luke Halston was an idiot. I wanted a five-year plan, and what I didn’t realize was you should have been that plan. You’re the girl that got away, and if you let me back into your heart, I’ll never take your love for granted again.”
He’d loved her before? Jealously spiked through me so fast and hot it took my breath. But I should have known; of course other guys would be after Hannah. She was a catch.
“Hannah, I’ve grown up. I’ve matured and dated a few other women. None of them hold a candle to you. To us. I want you back, and I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your heart again,” he said, and I fisted the flowers in my grip so tightly the stems crushed in half.
I should have left. This was private and disrespectful to Hannah. But I couldn’t because of the next thing he said.
“Have coffee with me?” the guy begged her. “That’s all I’m asking.”
Okay, this was it. This moment right here would tell me if Hannah liked me back or not. If she said yes to coffee, then it was probably for the best. Especially if they had history. I didn’t deserve a girl like her anyway, but I had hope. So I held my breath, waiting for her response.
“I’d like that.” Her voice held a happiness that made my heart go dead again.
I nodded to myself, accepting my fate. If this Luke Halston guy made her happy, then that was enough for me. Even at the expense of my own heart break. I turned away from the door and walked back out to the entryway.
As much as I wanted to hear her singing voice, I couldn’t stand to be here one second longer. After walking back outside, I ran across the parking lot and practically dove into my truck rental.
Chloe had already texted me three commercial properties I could purchase to start an Idaho branch of Jason’s and my company. I turned my phone off and laid the crushed yellow flowers on the seat.
Peering up at the darkening sky, I stared at the cross that stood atop the building.
“You probably did that to protect her from me, huh?” I asked God. I hadn’t talked to God since the accident. Not in any nice way. I’d cursed at Him a few times right after—not that I was proud of it. I wasn’t even sure I believed in a higher power anymore. But if there was a God, He would certainly look out for a sweetheart like Hannah.
I nodded up at the cross. “That’s okay, God. You protect her from me if that’s Your plan.”
I wouldn’t be good for Hannah; she deserved better.
Who was I kidding? Hannah wouldn’t even go for me anyway. She wasn’t the type of girl to be okay with the fact that I was a convicted felon. I’d been a fool to even entertain this, and now I just wanted to go back home, throw myself into work, and forget this ever happened.