Authors: Jannette Spann
Hidden Hills (19 page)
The quick glance passing between Bruce and Becky was enough to confirm his suspicions. He nodded. “You two â come here.”
Bruce took a deep breath, reconciling himself to his fate as Jake knew he would, but Becky's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, and her bottom lip quivered. She sniffed.
“Well? I'm waiting.”
“Sor-ree.”
“Sorry's not good enough.”
Becky's face crumpled as big crocodile tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Stop crying and answer me!”
“That's enough, Jake!” Charlotte snapped, her protective arms encircling the girl's trembling shoulders. “It's just a bunch of bushes. The yard looks better without them.”
“Not just any bushes,” he fired back. “They were Betty's, and now they're gone.”
“It's not the end of the world.”
“You don't understand!”
Charlotte's eyes shot daggers as she gathered her chicks close like a mother hen. “Come on, girls, let's go inside. I can tell when we're not wanted.”
Jake glared at her disappearing backside, her parting shot ringing in his ears. The woman was clueless to how badly he wanted her. Following suit, he stormed inside, leaving his eight-year-old with a stunned expression. His boys had come together as a united front, but he knew they wouldn't follow him until he'd had time to cool off.
The jumbled thoughts ran wild as he paced the kitchen floor. He still loved Betty â always would â but she was gone. Accepting it had been hard, but it didn't mean he couldn't keep something she'd nourished with her own hands. Hadn't he done what everyone said, removing her personal things? He'd moved on, even to the point of dating a few times.
His gaze traveled the length of the kitchen to the adjoining den, where reality stabbed him in the heart. He'd been a widower for over three years, yet none of the furniture had been moved throughout the entire house, not even the baby bed, although Andy hadn't slept in it for well over a year. It was as if time had stopped on the day Betty died.
A sharp knock intruded his thoughts, and Charlotte barged in without warning, slamming her personal check on the table. “Just for the record, it was Becky â not Bruce, and I take full responsibility for the hedge! Hold this âtil Friday. It won't be the same, but I'll replace every last bush!”
Jake felt like unleavened bread. “It doesn't matter. They're gone.”
“What?” Her eyes flashed, and the stubborn set of her jaw meant she hadn't cooled a bit. “It sure mattered a few minutes ago when you scared Becky half to death!”
“Well, it doesn't matter now.”
“Why not?”
“It's hard to explain.” He wished he'd kept his mouth shut instead of making a fool of himself. “Let's just say my priorities got mixed up, okay? I'd rather just drop it.”
A moment passed with neither saying anything. He'd never been good with words, and at times like this it was worse.
Charlotte placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Jake, I know what it's like giving up things that tied you to her memory. It tore me apart leaving the home Mitch loved, but then I realized I've got our girls. They're a bigger part of him than anything material could ever be.”
He sat like a dummy, knowing she was right. The words he needed to say wouldn't come and the silence grew, creating a wall between them.
She walked to the door, placing her hand on the knob, a sadness he'd never heard before was in her voice. “I'm sorry we hurt you. From now on, we'll stay on our side of the line.”
“Charlotte.” Jake called her name, but she'd already gone. He'd been so worried about her needing time to put her memories to rest, he'd completely forgotten about his own. All this time, he'd been clinging to the past as if it were a lifeline keeping him afloat. Until today, he'd thought she needed him, but now he knew he needed her even more. In the short time he'd known her, she'd become more than just a friend. Having her next door had given him hope for the future. Now he'd be lucky if she ever spoke to him again.
****
Supper was quiet. The only one making an effort was Jake, and he finally gave up. His apology to Bruce fell on deaf ears, making it clear his boys were on Charlotte's side.
“I'll have to be gone Friday night.” Their sulky expressions became even more so. His absence was nothing new.
Jeremy pushed the lumpy potatoes around in his plate. “Are you working?”
“No, it's⦔
Bruce's head shot up. “You ain't going out with old dumb Loretta again â she's puke!”
The mention of the woman's name caused an unholy uproar with the other boys. Their feelings for the pretty brunette were plain. Jake raised his hand.
“No,” he said, once they'd settled down. “It's a dinner to thank my employees for opening the new store on time.”
“Can we go?”
“It's just grown-ups. I hate to leave you guys again, but I promised.”
“Are you taking Charlotte?” Bruce said around his mouth full of peas. “She's the prettiest grown-up I know.”
Jeremy agreed. “She's off Friday night.”
Jake hated to disappoint them again, but her personal check lay torn in half on the counter â a reminder of the afternoon's disaster. “She's not talking to me anymore.”
Bruce groaned. “Aw shucks, Dad!”
“It's okay. She's not mad at any of you.”
The boy slumped in his chair. “You sure blew it this time!”
Jake didn't need reminding. He knew from their stares of total disgust, dire repercussions were in store if he didn't fix things. Their feelings for Charlotte and her girls couldn't be much clearer.
Charlotte stared out the window, her mind in turmoil. So far, the to-do list on the cabinet door remained stagnant. She washed her hands, drying them before adding Jake's hedge to the list and marking off the oil she'd put in her car. Life wasn't fair. The bushes would cost a lot more than a quart of oil.
“Remember, baby, it takes hard work to get ahead,” her dad had said, when she'd shared her dreams with him. He'd lived by the rule and been fairly successful, but she was bone weary from working two jobs and getting nowhere.
She'd stood in this exact spot at her kitchen window, watching the backhoe rip through the ground. Jake was right â she'd hated the hedge. It had been scraggy and overgrown, but it never crossed her mind he hadn't hired the men.
Tears stung her eyes when she tried to focus on the growing stack of unpaid bills on her table. Until a few minutes ago, she'd been wondering which to pay, but now, thanks to Becky's handiwork, they would all be late. She released her breath in a long, weary sigh and buried her face in her hands. First it was Maggie ruining his hair and now this. Could it get any worse?
“I'm sorry, Mama,” Becky said, in a subdued voice. “Don't cry. It'll be all right.”
Charlotte peeked through her fingers to see her girls in their pink nighties clutching String and Patch, the old bears she'd found in a thrift store. Maggie wiggled onto her lap while Becky leaned against the chair.
“Mr. Jake was mad, huh, Mama?”
She squeezed them close. “Yes, Becky. I'd say he probably rues the day we moved in.”
Maggie giggled. “Yeah, I'm glad we moved here, too.”
Even with all that had happened, Charlotte had to agree it was the best decision she'd made in a long time. Their smiling faces provided the proof she needed; the world was right once more.
“It's time you girls were in bed.”
After setting the timer on the coffeepot and rechecking the locks, Charlotte followed them upstairs. She was restless and tired â extremely tired â but something made her glance out the window at the house next door. It was dark except for the lamp above the computer where Jake sat staring at the screen.
She quickly shut off the lights so he wouldn't see her if he happened to look up. Spying on her neighbors had never been a hobby, but she couldn't seem to pull away. His wire-framed glasses made him seem more distinguished, until he rocked back in his chair, and the lamp reflected the redness of his scalp. A truckload of guilt washed over her.
Jake had gone out of his way to be a caring neighbor, something she hadn't had in a long time. So how was he repaid? Charlotte moaned when the word torture came to mind. Why in the world had she made a dramatic exit, claiming she would stay on her side of the drive? She stood in the darkness, lost and alone.
A tingling sensation in her lips revived memories of the passionate kisses they'd shared at Hidden Hills, then again in her own back yard. She'd even sensed something in his eyes as he crossed to her yard. But who was she kidding? Other than those few kisses, he'd treated her as he did everyone else.
Forcing herself from the window, she curled up on her empty bed and hugged her knees to her chest. When sleep finally came, it was images of Jake, not Mitch, filling her dreams.
****
Charlotte had no idea when Jake had become so important to her, but he was still on her mind Friday afternoon when she walked to meet the girls. She entered the schoolyard shortly after the last bell and waited at the curb. A sense of pride swelled in her heart when she saw Jeremy, followed by Bruce and her girls, coming down the sidewalk. The protective manner shown by the boys toward Becky and Maggie reminded her of just how lucky she was to have them next door.
Jeremy smiled, his blue eyes shining at the sight of her. At least the boys still liked her. “Where's your car?”
“At home,” she replied. “The weather's perfect for a walk.”
“Jeremy's got a girlfriend!” Becky teased, well out of his reach. “He likes Brandy Harris.”
“As if he's got a chance with a cheerleader,” Bruce chimed in, dodging a shoulder punch from his older brother.
Maggie frowned at Jeremy. “She better not have red hair.”
He rumpled her flyaway curls into an even bigger mess. “Don't worry, motor-mouth. You're still my little Red.”
Jeremy fell into step beside Charlotte when the others ran ahead, chasing golden leaves swirling around in the strong gusty wind. Their laughter floated through the neighborhood, causing the Borden sisters to wave as they passed.
“The storm's building.” She pointed to the west where dark clouds were beginning to cover the horizon. The heat of the sun and hot winds would add fierceness to the storms. “I had the television on. We'll be under a tornado watch for most of the night.”
Jeremy pointed at the sky where lightning flashed in the distance. “I have to get Andy from daycare.”
“Doesn't your dad pick him up?”
“Not since they opened the new store. Besides, Dad's going out tonight.”
The guilt Charlotte had been harboring for destroying the man's precious hedges fell away. In its place came a burning anger for dumping so much responsibility on the boy.
As for his dating, it was none of her business. He wasn't attracted to her, or he would have found time to ask her out, and he hadn't. She'd been foolish to hope they might someday have a future together.
****
Jake tried to call off the dinner because of the weather, but Sara claimed it was too late to cancel the reservations. One thing for sure, he couldn't leave his boys alone on a night with such threatening weather moving in. It was only a quarter âtil six, but the storm clouds blocked all traces of the sun.
Seeing Charlotte's car in the drive should have given him the option of leaving the kids with her rather than taking them to his parents, but not after their fight. She had every right to be mad.
He changed into khakis and a lightweight pullover. “Get ready, guys.”
“Why?”
“You're going to Grandma's.”
“Do we have to?”
“You'd rather stay home by yourselves in a storm?” he asked, well aware of their fears.
“No, butâ”
“Those are your choices. Pick one.”
Jeremy shivered when lightning lit the room. “We can stay with Charlotte. Like you said, she's mad at you â not us.”
Liking the third option better than the ones he'd offered, the younger boys bolted for the back door. “You're awesome, thanks, Dad!”
Jake shook his head. “Hold it. I'm not asking her.”
Their disappointment tore at his conscience, and he knew he'd lost the battle when their sad eyes locked on him. They deserved better. Moments later, he was knocking on Charlotte's door, a feeling of impending doom making his hands sweat. He wasn't sure if it was habit or good manners, but she allowed him in.
Her arms crossed defensively, and he could tell she wasn't ready to forgive or forget. “What do you want?”
Since property lines work in both directions, it was the welcome he'd expected. “I've come to apologize for being a first class jerk.”
“Go to your room, girls,” Charlotte said, her voice stern.
“Aw, Mama.”
“Now!”
Jake searched for words while her gaze raked him from head to toe without missing a thing. “Nice outfit.”
He'd forgotten what he had on. The navy sweater was a bit dressier than what he usually wore, but it surprised him when she noticed. “I'm going out.”
She motioned toward the door. “So go.”
Her terse reply was a slap in the face. She had every right to be mad, and he knew it. Regardless of what his boys wanted, there was no way he could ask her to watch them until they'd ironed out their differences.
He took a nervous step forward. “Charlotte, we need to settle this now.”
“You're late.” She walked passed him to rest her hand on the open door, a clear indication he wasn't welcome.
“Not until⦔
“Since the weather's bad, tell the boys to call if they need me. I'll be here.”
Her offer surprised him, but it reaffirmed what he already knew â she was mad at him, not his boys. She'd assumed he was leaving the boys alone on a stormy night, and she was right â sort of. It spoke volumes of what she thought of him. He had fences to mend, but she'd made it plain it wasn't going to be anytime soon.