The christmas catch, p.16
The Christmas Catch, page 16
“You mean when he’s on a boat?”
There was that tingle up her back again. Jack had opened up too. Talking so candidly back and forth had drawn her to him. And obviously the other way around, because they had been about to kiss, hadn’t they? She kept feeling his touch on her chin, the gentle hold on her waist. He had been right there in front of her and she had closed her eyes, too entranced to talk herself out of it. Until it didn’t happen.
Julie laughed. “You’re in Cape Sunset. The whole town knows you were out on the water with him last night.”
“What—?”
The shop door opened and in walked Jack. She was already embarrassed talking with Julie about last night and here was Jack, sporting that dilapidated Oregon Ducks hat and five o’clock shadow. Even more handsome than when he’d laughed at her jokes and leaned in close...
“Oh, hi.” He slid his hands in his pockets, raising his broad shoulders in a quick shrug.
“Hi.” Charlee tucked a ringlet of hair behind her ear, fighting the urge to straighten her clothes and check herself in a mirror. He looked like he had thrown old clothes on and walked over here. In other words, perfect.
“The jacket.” He pointed to the counter. “From last night. Makes sense you’re here.”
“Yeah,” she managed.
They looked at each other, frozen in their steps.
“Can I help you, Mr. Fortner?” Julie stood at the counter, tightening her smirk.
“Yes.” He stepped to the counter but faced Charlee. He rummaged through his pocket and handed Julie a wrinkled yellow paper stub. “Here.”
“Ah, we’ve been sitting on this a while,” Julie said.
“I know. Haven’t had a chance to pick it up until now.”
“No problem.” Julie disappeared to the back.
Charlee hadn’t moved an inch during the encounter. She tried to relax.
“And let me cover that jacket too,” he said when Julie returned.
“No.” Charlee stepped closer. “No, that’s okay. It’s no big deal.”
“No, really. It was my fault.”
“No it’s not. I was clumsy.”
“I brought the wine.”
Charlee considered it.
Her pause apparently gave Jack enough time to come up with another plan. “Okay, how about this? If you don’t let me cover the jacket, you let me take you out for coffee?”
“Now?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Charlee looked at Julie, as if the teenager who was too blind to see Michael’s affection could give her relationship advice. Julie’s eyes widened and she nodded.
Charlee replied before thinking it. “Okay.” This blurting without rationalizing thing was awkward. And exhilarating.
“Okay?” Jack straightened up. “Okay! All right. You got everything sorted here.”
“She’s good to go,” Julie said.
“Shall we?” Jack nodded to the door.
“Oh wait!” Julie ran through the swinging door, carrying a black dress on a hanger covered in thin plastic. “Here you go.”
Jack quickly snatched the dress out of her hands.
Charlee told her lips not to smile, but they were winning the battle. She couldn’t help it. “Ahh, that dress again. Hot date tonight?”
Jack closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, he stared right into Charlee’s. “It’s my mother’s.”
“Mm-hmm.” She gave a slow sarcastic nod. “Yep.”
He held the door for her in one hand, dress in the other. She stepped out on to the sidewalk and found herself, once again, alone with Jack.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Jack had barely slept. The evening had gone from anger at Chris and Pamela, to shock at finding himself on the boat with Charlee, to holding her and being close and sharing a gamut of emotions. He had nearly kissed her. Twice. Even though he wasn’t ready yet. It was a lot to process, and he had vowed to take the day to sort out what exactly he was going through. But then he’d seen her again. She had some hypnotizing effect on him. Whenever he saw her, he couldn’t not be near her.
Coffee was definitely called for from lack of sleep, but he had an idea. He turned right out of Hook & Line.
“Isn’t the coffee shop across the street?”
“Thought maybe we could take a walk first. Is that okay?”
“Sure. Anywhere in particular?”
“Just follow me. You trust me, don’t you?” he asked.
“Um, sure.”
“I trusted you with Able Annie.”
His hands guiding her hands as she’d steered the boat, her scent urging him to kiss her neck...
“True. Although technically it’s your brother’s boat, so he was the one holding the risk. Unknowingly.”
“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” He headed south on Ballard, one hand in his jeans pocket and the other holding the dress. If only Chris knew how the evening had gone, and that Jack was again spending time with Charlee. He wouldn’t believe it after the debacle at dinner. “I wanted to apologize again. For the jacket and the mess at dinner.”
“Water under the bridge,” Charlee said.
“I just wanted to be sure you knew that.”
Her smile eased his anxiety. “I know.”
“Good.” He stood taller. Change the subject. “Do you have to work today? I’m not sure how much you’ll get done on a Sunday in Cape Sunset.”
“Why is that?” Charlee opened her arms out to the empty street. “Why do I feel like I’m in a ghost town? Is it because of church?”
“In the summer Sundays are for sailing. And in the winter, on days like today, Sundays are for Portland.” He walked farther and they turned right, into a parking lot between Hook & Line and Riot Music.
“Really? I’m surprised people like to go to the busy city.”
“Really. Well, some people like to ski Mount Hood, which is quite a drive out and back, especially after several hours of skiing.”
“Not your thing I take it?”
“Not really. Well, not lately.”
Jenny’s laugh echoed in his head. Come on, get up, she’d said. She had struggled to pull him up after he fell off the ski lift at the top of the run. The next one’s coming!
The empty chair lift had whacked him in the head while he was already down, the skis and boots making his legs dead weight. He had squirmed to safety, out of the range of the chair lift, before he pulled her down in all her giggling. They had kissed, her lips warming his whole body while lying in the snow.
“I can’t say I’m any good at it,” Charlee said.
The memory vanished. “Right. Me neither. Jenny was the one who pushed it.”
“I see.”
It didn’t feel right to be here with Charlee yet linger on about Jenny. Everyone in town seemed to agree he needed to move on, but it wasn’t as simple as just spending time with someone else.
“That boat ride was nice yesterday.”
“Yeah,” he said. “It was.”
“I haven’t seen such a colorful sunset in, I don’t know, maybe ever.”
“I’m happy to take you out. On the boat,” he quickly clarified. Such deep discussions last night, yet he can’t make small talk without feeling foolish. “Any time you want to go on the water.”
“Thank you. I think I need to work on the sea legs.”
“Do you not go out on the water sometimes in Georgia? Or the beach?”
“Not a whole lot. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beach as most people do. But they get so crowded in the summer, and...”
“And what?”
She floundered, as if contemplating whether or not to continue. “It was my mom’s thing, the beach.”
“Is it painful to visit?” If it was anything like visiting the slopes for him, then yes.
“Hmm. I don’t know if painful is the word. See, we were celebrating my tenth birthday on a little island off Georgia. My dad had met us there for the weekend, saying he had to work late on Friday. In actuality he had been finalizing plans with the real love of his life, then came to drop the news on us.”
“That’s terrible,” Jack said. “Bad enough to leave you, but to do it on your birthday? At the beach?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t great.”
“He was a fool.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your dad. He was a fool for leaving you. I mean, it’s completely wrong what he did to your mother. But even giving him the benefit of the doubt...” The words weren’t coming out right.
“What are you saying?”
“Forgive me. I’m not the best with words. Let’s say maybe your mom wasn’t his soul mate and that he did find the right person for him. But you are his daughter. His own blood. No matter what choices he made about his love life, he was a fool for abandoning his daughter. Especially when she’s so bright, determined and strong. I mean, like you were as a girl. Not to say you aren’t now, because you are. As a woman.”
Stop talking.
Charlee gave him a weak smile.
They stood at the edge of the parking lot pavement and the sand. The northern curve of the cape, over by Tabby’s and the dock, was rocky shore with big boulders and nesting tidal pools protected from the spraying crash of waves. They stood at the southern end, a wide crescent of golden sand and calmer seas.
“I didn’t realize this was here,” she said. “I mean, I know you said the jetty protected the shore, but I had no idea you meant this. It’s gorgeous.”
“Cape Sunset may look simplistic,” he said. “But it has many facets.”
“I’m beginning to see that.”
“Me too.” Jack watched as she closed her eyes and took in a breath of salty air. The yellowed ivory shore shone bright behind her. It was nice to stand there in silence, comfortable enough with each other that it didn’t feel awkward. He wanted to connect with her. Remind her he was here with her, without having to make small talk. He reached out, the back of his hand brushing hers. She extended her fingers, weaving them in between his.
They stood facing the waves, holding hands. He didn’t dare look at her for fear either of them would let go.
“Can I ask you something?” she said.
“Sure.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“I’m not exactly sure.” He scanned the scenery around him—the water, the sand, the buildings—all familiar enough that he could paint the picture from memory. The truth was he had hoped walking would calm his nerves after having seen her at Hook & Line, before they sat down face-to-face over coffee.
But to bring her to this spot...
“This is where I proposed to Jenny.” He pressed Charlee’s hand tighter. “We came here often, and I guess my mind was on autopilot.”
“What was it like? The proposal.”
“Very boring, actually.”
“How romantic. Don’t oversell it now.”
“I mean it. We would come here all the time for picnics, or just to watch the sunset. On one of those times, I took out the ring and asked her to marry me.”
“But she didn’t mind it happened that way?”
“Believe me, I got heat for it. She reminded me how I didn’t know what a grand gesture was, and how women love a grand gesture, and how lucky I was to find a woman who was okay without it. She still said yes in spite of my cluelessness.”
“Well, that’s something.” Charlee’s face glowed in the sun, her ringlets dancing in the wind.
“You’re humoring me, aren’t you? You don’t—nobody really—wants to hear about someone who is long gone. And I keep talking about her. I’m sorry.” How was she even standing with him at this point? She deserved someone who could focus on her. Not that he was saying he was someone for her.
“Yet in spite of your cluelessness...” She smiled up at him and caressed his hand with soft fingers. “Ready for that coffee?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Charlee still couldn’t believe that somehow, within a matter of minutes on her Sunday morning, she was holding hands with Jack. And she didn’t want to stop holding his hand. He didn’t realize how heartbreaking his confessions about Jenny were, nor how much, on the contrary, he gave her hope—hope that a man could be so faithful and devoted, and so achingly in love with a woman. Standing on the beach next to him, she longed to be on the receiving end of such love. But did she want it to be from him?
Either way, she was opening up to him and sharing memories she hadn’t discussed with anyone else. He certainly had a different perspective on her past. What if Dad hadn’t been Mom’s soul mate? Did it have to go both ways? Because Jack was right about one thing: Dad was a fool.
Jack slung the dress over one shoulder and led the way.
If she didn’t break the silence, she’d go mad. “That looks like a pretty fancy dress for Shirley.”
“You met her, didn’t you?”
“I did, yeah. She and Chris submitted the video entry.”
“Ah, yes. Thanks for reminding me.” Was he upset? Maybe bringing up the submission was a bad idea, but his face softened again. Amazing how rough and tough he was outwardly, yet he could be as gentle as he was now, cradling her hand in his.
“I had a chance to meet her at the tackle shop. The day I had bumped into you actually.”
“I was a bit tongue-tied, admittedly.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was cute.”
“Cute. Really?”
“Anyway, Shirley has a big heart. She also seems fierce. I like that about her.”
“Okay, we’ll revisit ‘cute’ later.” He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. “She is tough. You should’ve seen her when my dad was in the hospital. Ordering the nurses around, making sure his IV was changed and the doctor arrived for her rounds, on the dot. I think everyone who walked by in the hall was scared she’d see them.”
“It’s easy to be that way when it’s a loved one.”
“I guess so,” he said. “But you’ve already met her, so you don’t have to be scared of her. It’s a little weird that worked in reverse.”
They waited until the road cleared and crossed the street, headed toward Cafe Cinnamon. Jack opened the door for her and she stepped in. The aroma was strong enough to wake her up and took her right back to Mom’s kitchen in Georgia. The only thing missing was their dog, Jeb, who’d lie down across her feet to keep them warm in the winter. And hot in the summer.
They waited behind one customer at the counter.
“What did you mean by that?” Charlee asked. “Worked in reverse?”
“What?” Jack stopped reading the daily menu above the counter. “I just meant that usually you meet the girl first, and later the parents.”
Charlee raised an eyebrow. “So... I’m the girl in this scenario?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“As in, you would’ve wanted me to meet your mom if I had met you first?” Making him uncomfortable—not painfully, but adorably—brought her joy.
“I mean, we’re getting coffee—”
“Are you?” A plump woman stood behind the counter, tapping her fingers on the glass pastry display case. It was the same woman from the other day—the first day of the Cheer Box.
Charlee furrowed her eyebrows, taken aback by the woman’s rudeness.
“Cool off, Maggie. She’s one of them fancy girls from out East. Probably wants a mocha choca laca thingy.”
Maggie burst into laughter. “I don’t believe she did the other day. Spent half the day obsessing over traffic.”
So Maggie had noticed. Didn’t matter. It was in the past, and that day had brought about at least one good comment in the Cheer Box.
Maggie handed him a full cup. She glanced at Charlee. “And for your guest?”
“Black coffee is fine.”
“Hold on.” She took the shaker of sugar and poured several teaspoons in Charlee’s coffee, then added a swig of cream. She handed Charlee the cup. She winked. “It’s my job to notice.”
Charlee sat down at a table with Jack. “Not even the barista at the fancy coffee shop by Cheery Charlee Productions knows I have a usual drink, let alone what I add in it. That’s Cape Sunset for you.”
“That’s Maggie for you.”
“I think it’s kinda nice. Thank you for the coffee, by the way. Is it always on the house for you?” Charlee cradled the cup, blowing over the piping hot surface.
“Mostly. If it’s Maggie. On other days it’s Tom or Joaquin. Or one of the local teenagers taking a stint at a job. Those days I have to pay.”
“Why is it free with Maggie? Only the women are smitten by your charm?” Did she just openly admit he had charm? Well, he did. His own version of charm. Even if it took a boat ride and confessing her innermost feelings to get it out of him. Then again, he had been pretty cute at Tabby’s with the peg leg and parrot jokes.
“Why are you so curious about my relationship with the cafe owner?”
She shrugged. “I went to school to be a reporter, you know. It’s in my nature to find out the scoop.”
“It’s coming together,” he said. “So you went to school for reporting but started a podcast. Why the change?”
“Such deep questions.” She smirked. “Remember I told you about making people feel positive about their lives? The news doesn’t exactly serve that purpose. If anything it makes people feel worse.”
“I can see that.”
“Podcasting started off small. Just me and my best friend, Vanessa. I focused on the positive and eventually grew a small but loyal fan base. Vanessa learned more about the editing and business side of things, and we improved the product. We decided to have a contest that first year, and we helped someone who had been through the foster care system find his biological mother. It wasn’t the best produced episode, or most professional, but I felt like I had made a difference in his life. So we kept at it and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Cape Sunset.”
