Jessie Belle: The Women of Merryton - Book One (11 page)

Her
features softened as she stepped closer and lifted my chin with her hand.
“Jessica Isabelle Summers, there is nothing you can do that would make me not
love you. Now go find your husband and work this out.”

I
rolled my eyes. “Mom, Blake is working and we talked last night. We’re trying.”

“Do
or do not. There is no try.”

“Thanks,
Yoda.”

“Is
that quote really from
Star Wars
?” my mother asked.

“Yes,
Mom. And we are trying.”

“Your
husband loves you. Try harder.”

“Where’s
Dad?” I smiled. I needed some parental love.

“Your
dad and I are in agreement here.”

“Great.
If Blake and I do spilt up, I’ll send him to live with you since you apparently
love him more.”

“Don’t
joke about things like that.”

“I’m
not.”

She
actually shook her finger at me.

“Can
I get back to work now?”

She
dropped her hand. “I love you, Jessie Belle. I don’t want you to do anything
you’ll regret.”

“I
know. I’m doing the best I can right now.”

“Maybe
you should go and see Dr. Ames again. Or perhaps get some couples counseling.”

“Do
you see Blake going to counseling?”

My
mother smiled knowingly.

We
were talking about the man that super glued his skin together when what he
really needed was stitches. Something my father, the doctor, had never been
impressed with.

My
mom gave me a tight squeeze. “I love you, honey.”

“Uh,
huh.”

She
looked at me incredulously.

“I
love you, too.”

I
loved my mother, but she could drive me crazy sometimes. I think she thought
the whole world should be in love, and it was her job to make sure it came to
pass.

She
was not my last visitor of the day. Around noon I was out talking to Easton,
who had now been frequenting the café for lunch, too. I think he needed someone
to talk to and, for some reason, I was it.

“Kathryn
moved out over the weekend,” he started off.

“I’m
sorry?” I wasn’t sure if he was relieved or upset.

“It’s
a good thing.”

“How’s
Emmy taking it?”

“She’s
so quiet, but she’s always been that way.”

“So,
will she be staying with you?”

“Yes,”
he said firmly. “I wouldn’t let Kathryn have her even if she wanted to.”

That
didn’t sound right, but I wasn’t surprised. Kathryn never struck me as the
motherly type, unless you count those that eat their young when they’re born.
Easton had always seemed to be the caretaker.

“I’m
here if you need help with her.”

“Could
you watch her tonight during practice?”

“I
would love to. Bring her to the ballpark. I planned on being there tonight
already. I’ll see if Abby can bring her kids and we’ll play at the park.”

He
gave a small sort of grin. “Thanks, Jessie. That would be good for her. She’s
staying with Helen during the day now, and though she is sweet, I think Helen’s
idea of childcare involves a lot of television.”

Oh,
Helen. She was the sweetest little lady. She was our school librarian back in
the day, but she retired a few years ago. I never thought her job fit her. I
don’t know how many books she actually read, but ask her about any television
show or movie and she could give you a full review. She never married and lived
in this cute pink house near the town square. It fit her perfectly.

“I
asked Taylor if Ashley could come for the summer to watch her but, not
surprisingly, she shot down that idea.”

I
raised my eyebrows. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but that was kind of
gutsy and maybe a little stupid.”

“Yeah,
I know. I really screwed up. I know Taylor won’t believe this, but my biggest
regret is missing out on Ashley’s life. But I can’t blame her for feeling like
she has to protect her from me. I’ve been a terrible father to her. My
daughters don’t even know each other. How wrong is that?”

“It’s
not too late to make amends. From what Taylor says, Ashley’s a great kid and
she wants her dad in her life.”

He
looked up, his eyes hopeful. “Did she really say that?”

I
nodded and gave him a closed-lipped smile.

“Do
you think Taylor would give me the chance?”

“As
long as she feels like you are sincere and you’re not going to flit in and out
of Ashley’s life, then yes. But you know Taylor; it’s going to take some
convincing.”

He
smiled. “Well, at least I chose one good mother for my children.”

“She
is a good mom.” I always thought so when they lived here, and still did as I’d
watched Ashley grow up on social media. Every post on Taylor’s blog or on
Facebook had always been about Ashley. How Easton went from Taylor to Kathryn
I’ll never know. I think he was trying to figure that out, too. But I couldn’t
judge him. I had my own marital issues and you never knew what went on behind
closed doors.

Abby
and Cheyenne interrupted our conversation. I could tell they were bursting to
know what had happened the previous day. We left Easton to his lunch and headed
to my office. The last thing I needed was for us to be overheard.

“I
think for Easton Cole I would re-think my never settling with one man policy,”
Cheyenne said as we walked back.

I
smacked her arm. “Cheyenne, the man isn’t even divorced.” And as much as I
loved Cheyenne, she was the last thing Easton needed. Besides, I had a sneaking
suspicion he still had some buried feelings for Taylor.

“He
will be soon.”

Abby
and I both rolled our eyes. She was too much sometimes.

As
soon as we settled in my office, they commenced with the third degree.

“First
of all, don’t ever scare us like that again,” Cheyenne said with Abby nodding
her head. “Secondly, I never thought I would say this, but I think maybe I
could like Blake.”

“Really?”
I asked. Those two had never gotten along. They were the antithesis of each
other.

“He
was so worried about you,” Abby threw in.

“Yes,
but it was good to see him squirm after taking advantage of you all these
years.” Cheyenne couldn’t leave well enough alone.

“What
do you mean by that?” I asked.

“I’m
just saying I don’t think Blake has put a whole lot of effort into your
relationship. You’re alone a lot for being a married woman.”

Hmm.
I
wasn’t sure how to respond. My marriage is something that I had mostly kept
private, as I should have. “Blake and I have both contributed to our problems.”

“Maybe
so,” Abby said, “but I think Cheyenne’s right. He’s never seemed to want to be
a part of your life until recently.”

I
held back the tears. I was tired of crying. Blake had done nothing malicious. I
think he just didn’t understand how important some things were to me, and he
was busy building a business. “We’re both trying to make some changes.”

“Make
sure he’s worthy of you this time,” Cheyenne added in.

“Let’s
not talk about my marriage anymore,” I had already had enough from my mother
earlier. “Do you guys want to catch practice tonight?”

Cheyenne’s
eyes lit up. “Uh, yeah. Easton’s playing right?”

This
time Abby smacked her. “I thought you were dating Kent?”

“I
am.” She grinned wickedly.

“You
better keep dating him until the season’s over,” I admonished her. “We can’t
afford to have anyone quit the team.”

“I
can’t make any promises.”

We
all laughed.

It
felt good to laugh.

I
knew Blake would look good in baseball pants. I had forgotten how physically
attracted I was to him. He did a nice job of reminding me as I covertly watched
him from the park. Call me crazy, but there is something sexy about a man
swinging a bat with command and then connecting with the ball forcefully, sending
it sailing over the fence. Watch
Field of Dreams
or
The Natural
and
you’ll see what I’m talking about. I would have to thank my mom for showing me
those films when I was younger. I think she had a thing for both Robert Redford
and Kevin Costner. I think maybe I had a thing for my husband.
Somebody get
me something cold to drink.
It didn’t hurt that he looked my way, caught me
staring at him, and actually smiled.

The
team looked to be shaping up well. I had high hopes that we would finally beat
Riley Insurance and wipe the stupid smirk off of Landon’s face that I had to
put up with every time we ran into each other, which was too often in our small
town.

“What
are you grinning about?” Abby asked as we sat on the park bench watching her
girls and Emmy.

“Do
you see the way her husband looks in those baseball pants?” Cheyenne answered
for me.

I
turned to her and gave her a faux dirty look. “Are you checking out my
husband?”

“No,
but I will say I can see why you’ve stayed married to him.” She grinned evilly.

“Our
relationship goes beyond skin deep, thank you.”

“Oh,
really?” Cheyenne mocked.

“Yes,
of course,” I said, annoyed. I wasn’t shallow.

“Tell
us why you’ve stayed with him, then,” Abby asked. Cheyenne and I were both
stunned by her boldness.

I
sat back some and thought for a moment. My feelings for Blake had been very
unsettled recently. I looked over at my husband, who was now throwing a ball
from right field, and I tried to remember why I fell in love with him in the
first place and why I had stayed with him. The initial attraction was physical,
but I did admire his work ethic and though he was tough on his crew, he was
fair and never unkind. Once a guy on his crew got an emergency call that his
two-year-old fell and was being rushed to the hospital. The poor man was
understandably a wreck. It was like he couldn’t think. Blake immediately
stepped in and got him to think rationally and then drove him to the hospital.
I was told later by the wife that Blake had given them money to help cover the
emergency room visit. He did it quietly; he didn’t want thanks for it. That’s
the way he was. It was why I fell in love with him. If he saw a need he tried
to take care of it, but in his own way and without fanfare.

“I
never have to ask him to take out the trash or do the dishes, and he does his
own laundry,” I informed my friends. He’d done my laundry on occasion too, even
taking special care of my delicates and hand-washing them. And during and after
every miscarriage and illness, I’ve never had to lift a finger. Knowing the
house and meal preparation was taken care of was better than any bouquet of
flowers, although those wouldn’t have hurt any.

“That’s
impressive,” Abby said almost jealously.

“What?”
Cheyenne disagreed.

“What
I wouldn’t do for Shane to help out more around the house, and without being
asked. I mean really, can’t he see the dishes piling up in the sink or the
hamper overflowing? I would be happy if his clothes made it into the hamper,”
she lamented.

“There
is something to be said for a man that cleans up after himself,” I threw in.

“How
unromantic you two have become.”

“Nothing
is sexier than a man doing chores. Ask any wife,” Abby said.

I
nodded my head in agreement.

“This
is why I’m never getting married. It’s pathetic.”

Abby
and I both laughed at her. She threw up her hands like she was done with us.

We
probably did sound unromantic, but after thirteen years or so of marriage, your
perception of romance changes, or you just come to terms with the fact your
husband was not meant to be romantic. It was a crying shame we weren’t more
romantic. It’s not like we had kids to get in the way of that, at least not
yet. I had to remind myself we would soon have an almost-teen in the house.

I
was still trying to get used to the idea that Blake meant for her to stay in my
baby’s room. I had tried to go in there this morning before I left for work,
but I couldn’t. I wanted to take one more look before he dismantled it or did
whatever he was going to do with it.

“So,”
Abby said covertly, “when are you going to meet Madeline?”

I
sat up straighter and tucked my hair behind my ear. I guess the cat would be
out of the bag soon enough. I sighed loudly. “She’s coming to stay with us for
the summer.”

They
both looked at me with wide eyes and mouths wide open.

I
shrugged my shoulders. “Her mom is taking part in some experimental trial this
summer. I also have a feeling that Sabrina wants her to come here, just in
case.”

“Just
in case what?” Cheyenne asked.

“In
case this treatment doesn’t work.”

They
both gave me knowing looks.

“I’m
trying to prepare myself for the fact this could be a permanent situation.”

“Are
you okay with that?” Abby asked.

“Honestly,
I don’t know what I’m okay with anymore.”

Isabelle
came running into my arms before we could discuss anything else regarding my
step-parenthood.

“Jessie,
Jessie! I forgot to tell you.”

“What?”
I asked her eagerly as she sat on my lap.

She
squished my cheeks with her small soft hands. “Mama cat had her babies!”

“Oh,
my goodness. She did?”

“Yes,
and they’re so tiny.”

“How
many did she have?”

She
held up three little fingers.

“What
are you going to name them?”

“I
want to name them Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, but Connor and
Avery said those are stupid names.”

I
hugged her to me. “I think they’re cute.”

She
sat up and yelled to her sister Avery, “Aunt Jessie, thinks they’re good names!
I told you so!”

I
was the honorary aunt.

Avery
looked at her like she couldn’t care less about her opinion, and went back to
swinging away with Emmy.

“My
mommy won’t let me touch the kitties yet, but I really, really want to.” She
gave her mom such a look.

I
tried not to laugh. Or cry. Oh, how I wanted my own little girl to sit on my
lap and squeeze tight.

Before
she jumped down, I kissed her cheeks and off she ran to probably taunt her
sister some more.

“You
have your hands full with that one,” I commented.

“You’re
preaching to the choir, sister,” Abby replied.

“Avery
is just like you though, sweet and levelheaded. I’ve been watching her with
Emmy.”

“She’s
a good girl, but I think hormones may be kicking in.”

“Fun,”
Cheyenne said. “But soon Jessie can give you advice on how to raise a teen
girl.”

“Could
you keep your voice down? Do you know how ballistic this town is going to go
when that news comes out?”

“You
should start telling people now so when she gets here it won’t be such a shock
to everyone’s system,” Abby wisely counseled.

“That’s
a good idea. I’ll have to talk to Blake about it. How do you even go about
announcing that?”

“I
say you get some of those birth announcements, and maybe put it in the
Daily
Press
,” Cheyenne suggested with more sarcasm than was necessary.

On
that note, baseball practice was over. Easton, Shane, and even Blake came
walking our way. It wasn’t a bad sight. They made the forties look good—sweat,
dirt, and all.

Shane
lovingly kissed Abby on the cheek when he approached her. Easton called for Emmy,
and Blake stopped about five feet short of me and looked between Cheyenne and
me like he wasn’t sure what he should do.

Cheyenne
rolled her eyes. “You two need help,” she said before she walked off waving to
us all. I noticed she gave Easton his own goodbye and wink. Sometimes I
wondered how we ever became friends.

Easton
approached us with Emmy. “Thanks, Jessie.”

“Anytime.”
I smiled down at Emmy. “Tell your dad he needs to bring you by the café more
often. I have some cinnamon rolls with your name on them.”

She
smiled shyly and turned into her dad.

Easton
smiled at me. “We’ll come by Saturday.”

“See
you then.”

Easton
patted Blake’s shoulder, “See you later, man.”

Blake
nodded in acknowledgement.

I
was glad to know it wasn’t only me he was quiet for.

I
gave hugs and kisses to Isabelle and Avery and said my goodbyes to Abby and Shane.
Then I was left with only my husband.

“You
looked good out there,” I said almost coyly, which was ridiculous.

He
stepped closer, looking at me intently. “Thanks.”

“So,
are you ready to go home?”

“I
need to head back to the Newels’ place and finish up some things.”

“Oh.”
It was almost eight, but that was Blake. “I’ll see you later then.” I actually
felt disappointed. I turned and walked toward my car. I had almost made it when
I heard Blake call out behind me.

“Jessica!”

I
turned to see Blake making his way toward me in long strides. I waited for him
in front of my Tahoe.

This
time when he approached me, he came closer. So much so I could smell the
mixture of sweat and his cologne. It wasn’t bad.

He
took his hat off and ran his fingers through his sweat-drenched hair. “Do you
want to come out to the Newels’ place with me? I’d like to show you something.”

Was
he nervous? He was acting nervous. He kept running his fingers through that
dark hair of his and looking down at his shoes and then back up at me.

“Yes.”
I couldn’t believe he was asking me to come with him. We never mixed business
and personal. Heck, we never mixed personal with personal, as of late.

He
placed his ball cap back on his head and gave me a crooked little grin. “I’ll
follow you home and then we can drive out together.”

Together
,
I thought. “I’d like that.”

He
quickly turned and made his way to his truck across the parking lot. For a
moment I watched him go. I wondered what had gotten into him and what he wanted
to show me. The Newels owned a beautiful house on Merryton Lake, but they only
lived there in the summers. I didn’t know that they had contracted with Blake
to do some work for them. But then again, I didn’t know much about my husband’s
business other than what other people told me. We shared mutual customers and
many of them raved and raved about what good work my husband did. No one had to
tell me. He was a master craftsman.

We
only stopped at home long enough for me to park my Tahoe in the garage. Blake
waited for me in his truck. Again, I long ago gave up any hope of him opening a
car door for me. I think he did once on our wedding day as we left the
reception for the airport to fly to Mexico. Our time there was the most
glorious week ever. The beach looked good on Blake. Or should I say, Blake
looked good on the beach. I think it was the last time I really saw Blake
relax.
Maybe we should go to the beach.

At
first we said nothing, which was just sad. I guess if someone had to make the
first move, it could be me. “Thanks again for agreeing to play on the team. I’m
sorry it’s interfering with your work.”

“It’s
not interfering. I’m running behind today because I had to get Madeline into
summer school at the junior high.”

“How
did you swing that? And why are you putting her into summer school?”

“Let’s
just say her mother hasn’t been very diligent about her schooling and she’s
struggling to the point they want to hold her back a year.”

“I’m
sorry to hear that.”

Blake
was not a happy camper. His white knuckles gripped the steering wheel and there
was a tightness to his tone. He glanced my way briefly. “I’m the sorry one. I
know none of this is fair to you.”

“What
does fair mean?” I sadly smiled. “I don’t think any of this is fair to anyone.
You’ve missed out on her life and she’s missed out on having a father. Her
mother has a terrible disease. There’s plenty of unfairness to go around.”

“But
you deserve better than this.”

“You
know my dad said the same thing?” I teased. “You guys finally agree on
something.”

“No.
We’ve always agreed on that, but selfishly I still wanted you.”