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CHAPTER 2
Jack
“Hey, Mom, I’m here!” Jack Turner announced as he lumbered through the front door of his childhood home.
“In here, honey,” his mom called from the kitchen. Of course, that’s where she’d be.
He strode through the house, and smiled as he greeted his mom, who was hurrying around and getting dinner ready. She turned, and a frown showed on her lips.
“That’s what you’re wearing?”
Jack looked down at himself. Jeans, T-shirt, shoes. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Serenity will be here. You could have at least worn a polo or something. Not a grunge-metal band T-shirt.”
Jack refrained from rolling his eyes. Dressing up had never been his thing, and his brother’s fiancée was cool about the way he dressed. He actually really liked his brother’s fiancée, Serenity.
A year ago, Ethan literally ran into her at the park. At the time, there’d been a movie being filmed in town, and she’d lied about who she was—Rinny Harp, a set coordinator on the movie. Eventually, she’d confessed to Ethan who she was, and ultimately, they’d understood. She was famous and accustomed to people wanting the actress and not the girl who wanted to be loved.
It’d taken Ethan a second to cool off and look at things from her perspective, and once he did, they’d made up and been nearly inseparable since. Jack was happy for his younger brother, but man, it took work to keep envy from rearing its ugly head.
He wanted love. He wanted commitment. He wanted that same excitement of finding the one and settling down too, but the prospects in Wishing Well were…okay, but none of the women he’d dated held any sort of spark. Zip. Zilch. Zero.
“What can I do to help?” Maybe that’d distract his mom enough she’d forget about his shirt.
“Uh,” she said and looked around. “Set the table for me? Ethan and Serenity should be here any minute.”
“Sure.” He shuffled over to the cabinet where the plates were stored, and took out the needed number, and walked to the adjoining dining room.
“So, how’s the Stewart house looking?”
At the mention of the Stewart house, his mind made a beeline to gorgeous Jo Stewart. How had he not remembered her, a grade below or not. Dark blonde wavy hair, light brown eyes, and the cutest nose he’d ever seen on a woman. Add the smattering of freckles strewn across her cheeks and forehead, and she was Jack’s idea of the perfect woman. Well, as far as looks went.
He’d shaken her hand and felt an earthquake run through his body. That tiny, innocent touch had thrown his nerves into chaos. Had he known it would, he’d have stuffed his hands in his pockets. He’d quickly attributed the reaction to his pitiful dating life. The one that didn’t exist.
The only disappointing thing was how quiet she’d been during lunch. When Charlie had insisted on him joining them, he’d hoped it would lead to gleaning more information about Jo. Well, he had learned one thing. She’d blush at the drop of a hat, and she seemed a little nervous, which Jack didn’t understand.
It wasn’t like he was a catch. His football career had gone out the window when his leg was injured during one of his practices the summer before he was supposed to start his pro career. All his dreams…poof, gone. He’d returned home as the self-proclaimed loser.
Instead of retiring from football like he’d planned all his life, he’d finished rehab and found work with a local contractor. Once he had some experience, he’d struck out on his own. The work didn’t make him rich, but it paid the bills unlike his foray into wood carving. That’d just depressed him when his pieces didn’t sell. He still worked on things here and there, but only when he had time.
Shrugging, Jack replied, “Okay, I guess. Still a ton to do. It really needs a complete makeover, but Charlie can’t afford it.”
Charlie had given him a tour of the place when he first started working for her. She’d told him about the history of the house, having been in her family for generations. It’d started life half the size it was currently, and sometime in the early 1900s, it’d been added onto. In the 80s, her family had shut it down to the public, and it’d been a simple residence since then. He hadn’t said anything at the time, but he could picture the house returning to its original glory, a stunning bed and breakfast now that a high-profile wedding was bringing attention to the town.
“Oh, that’s too bad,” his mom replied.
“What’s too bad?” Jack’s dad asked as he strolled in through the mudroom attached to the garage.
“Charlie Stewart can’t afford a total house remodel, so I’m doing a few things here and there for her.”
His dad was quiet for a moment. The realtor side of the man was about to appear. “That’s a great piece of property. Thirty acres. The acreage could bring a huge sum, and Charlie could find a great little house in town that she could manage on her own. I’ve had calls from several development companies inquiring about it. Now that Serenity has shown a light on our little town, we’ll need accommodations for tourists.”
Jack didn’t want to laugh, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Yeah, I can tell you right now, Charlie has no intention of selling, ever.”
“Yeah, I know.” His dad set his briefcase against the wall and joined Jack in the dining room. “I’ve asked Charlie multiple times if she’d consider selling. I mean, I felt like I was obligated to tell her how valuable the property was and that there was interest just in case she ever changed her mind.”
Setting the last plate in place, Jack returned to the kitchen. “How did she respond?” He was pretty sure he could picture the woman running after his dad with a rolling pin like something out of a cartoon.
