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Jake headed back to the cabin, knowing that tomorrow he'd have to face Eva. Their shift would be murder, but he had to do it... unless he called one of the other guys and talked about a permanent switch.
God, he'd hate not being on shift with Eva. He'd grown so accustomed to her face, to the smell of her lotion, and the way she ate all the red loops out of her cereal first. But if he were truly putting her first, as he'd convinced himself he'd done, then he had to finish it. No sense in subjecting her to his presence.
I'm disappointed by you.
Yeah, a woman who said that would likely be glad not to share toothpaste and couch time with him at the station.
Jake pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Cooper Platt. The younger firefighter had asked about switching shifts with him before because he didn't like one of the guys on his shift. Ernie was a bit of a blowhard, but Jake could deal with the older know-it-all. Coop, Eva, and Dutch would do fine together on C shift.
And he could think seriously about another job… or getting out of Magnolia Bend. After the blowup with Clint and with Eva no doubt hating him, he finally had the catalyst to make a change. Well, a different change.
And it started with switching shifts. For Eva's sake.
EVA WALKEDINTO PattyAnn's bakery and spied Jenny in the corner. When Eva had finally got around to checking her messages after an unprecedented crying jag into her pillow that night, she discovered that Jenny had seen or heard something that Eva had to hear about. Jenny had begged to meet her for lunch, and with Charlie over at Abigail's helping Birdie make cookies for a bake sale, she had enough time to slip away.
Of course she looked like crap. After a much needed cry, the hope of sleep had fled from her like a toddler in a mall, hiding in the circular rack of Never Gonna Be the Same Again, an imaginary store full of tear-streaked tissues, white wine, and faded promises. But damn if her pink nails didn't look nice.
"Hey," she said, pulling out the old-fashioned wire chair that was shaped like a heart. Oh, the irony. "What are you eating?"
Jenny spooned another bite of custard into her mouth and moaned. "Egg custard. I swear this stuff has crack in it. I'm getting another one. You want?"
"Nah," Eva said. "Just grab me a coffee. Oh, and, hell, an oatmeal cookie. Here's some money."
“I got you,” Jenny said with a wave, striding to the counter. No one else was there. Sunday afternoon wasn't a jumping time for a bakery, but Patty Shoemaker opened it from one o'clock to four o'clock each Sunday for cookies and ice cream. She claimed her father used to take her for long drives each Sunday afternoon, finishing it off with an ice cream, so she wanted all kids to have the chance for that memory.
Today she'd have to settle for being the go-to spot for two single gals who needed sugar to deal with heartache.
"Patty says it's on the house for one of Magnolia Bend's bravest." Jenny set the plate in front of her. Eva waved a thank-you to the older woman and then bit into the homemade deliciousness. After pizza last night, waffles for breakfast, and now the cookie, surviving Jake would likely net her a few extra pounds.
"So what's up with you?" Eva asked her friend.
"Nothing much. Jamison French asked me out," Jenny said, dipping into the fresh custard. "I hesitated because I thought he was into you."
"We only went out a few times. He's a nice guy but he wasn't for me. I like them rough around the edges."
"I know," Jenny teased, with a quick lift of her lips. "So what should I know about Jamison?"
Eva hoped Jenny hadn't called to pick her brain about Jamison. She was so not in the mood. "He doesn't sweat, his breath smells like cinnamon, and he has a set of rules for dating. Didn't even try to kiss me on the first date."
"Reeeeally?" Jenny said with a devilish grin.
"You kissed him?" Eva laughed.
"Oh, I did more than kiss him, but that's a story for another day. A really kinky story. Those prim and proper guys always fool you." Jenny's eyes danced as she dove back into her custard. "But I didn't ask you here to talk about Jami and his really talented hands. I have a scoop on your Jakey."
"Scoop?" Eva's heart leaped at the thought of any gossip involving her... and Jake. No one should have known about them. They'd been surrounded by only birds, squirrels, and silent cypress trees.
"So I was at Ray-Ray's Thursday night and I overheard Jake and Clint getting into it."
"Like a fight?"
Jenny nodded. "Mmm-hmm, and it was over you."
"Me?"
"Clint was cold as ice. Just frosty. And Jake was himself, all smiles when he entered." Jenny jabbed a spoon at her. "I'm not a big gossiper but since this was about you, I felt I should retell it."
"Of course." Eva unconsciously leaned closer. "So..."
