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“It’s a lifetime of work,” Eric said. “Ina began her first garden with her mother when she was three. Every tree in the yard has some significance…milestones in her life—her christening, wedding, and the birth of her children. That huge maple on the far side of the house was planted after she lost her first tooth.”
Ina returned with a pitcher of iced tea and cookies that were sugar coated drops fluffy as cotton balls. Her expression was that of a besotted girl, and Jenna could tell how fond the old woman was of Eric. Then again, his appeal touched most females. She watched Ina rush away and disappear behind a tall box hedge.
How out of place the house looked, Jenna thought. It was like the wreckage of an old fighter plane lost on an unchartered island—rusted and ruined—a black stain on an otherwise perfect piece of paradise.
“It won’t be so bad when I finish fixing her up,” Eric said. He’d answered her thoughts like only he could, and her stomach did a little flip. Everything about him was still so painfully familiar—his half smile, his posture, the way he held the glass as he brought the iced tea to his lips. Even the small bead of sweat glistening between his collarbones and trickling into his overalls stabbed her heart with a memory. His stare stayed fixed on her face, his eyes capturing hers for too many breaths, too many heartbeats. She took a sip of her drink and looked away. “How did you end up here?”
“Just driving around. Ina rents rooms, and it’s a good place to lay low.”
“Does she know who you are?”
He slowly nodded. “I told her about us…I guess I needed someone to talk to, and I trust her. She’s like the grandma I never had.”
Shaking her head, Jenna pinched between her eyes as though a pain had cuffed her from ice cream brain-freeze. “Being here doesn’t make you as inconspicuous as you think. Ash knows you’re fixing the house.”
“Baldwin again huh?” Eric’s expression dimmed like clouds that disappoint the day. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I guess he’s not too happy I’m helping her.”
“But you aren’t. He said she can’t afford the taxes. So even if you fix her house, she’s going to lose the land anyway.”
Eric answered with a sound that was almost primal, a guttural hum. If he were an animal he’d be snarling. Jenna had witnessed an Eric who simmered with anger, his jaw clenched and fists rounded as he fought to restrain himself. She also knew there were times he’d lost the battle and fought. There had been a time in his life he’d needed to.
He cupped his iced tea, his fingers knotted around the glass. “Baldwin is lying. He had his boys in town hall take away her agricultural exemption and he made the bank manager turn down her loan.” Eric glared and Jenna felt suddenly included in his ire. “Is Baldwin the reason you came over here? Did he ask you to tell me to stop working on the place?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Good, because I’m not going to. He’s trying to steal the property and that’s the only reason she’s in danger of losing it.”
Jenna was silent, remembering the warm sincerity in Ash’s voice when he declared his concern for the old woman. “Are you sure?”
“Very. Baldwin isn’t a good guy. You might want to rethink your relationship with him.”
Jenna’s nervous hand wringing became a sudden and impatient finger tapping. “Relationship? With your track record? Bree Davis…Mark? Do you honestly think you’re qualified to talkrelationships?”
Gaging his expression Jenna knew she’d struck a nerve. Still, it was her own stomach that twisted as she imagined what characters filled his circle now. Was another version of Alan Stark a daily presence at Eric’s California mansion. Was there a roll call of Hollywood hangers-on coming and going—suits, actors, militant PR reps…the press lurking at the gates?My baby can’t be a part of that.
“Hire a contractor to finish up here. I need you to leave!”
Eric flinched as if her words were bits of debris blown by an unexpected gust of wind.
“What…is…wrong with you?”
“You…your life…my old one. It’s all too complicated. I haven’t told Janie anything about the past. She doesn’t know any of it.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing.”
He stood and walked around the small table to reach for her, but Jenna stood and took an immediate step back away from him.
“That’s all the more reason I should stay,” he said. “I was a part of everything that happened. I should be there to help you explain it all to her.”
“No, no. I can’t count on your help. Please just stay away.”
She hurried down the crumbling drive. “Thank Mrs. Cummings for the cookies.”
****
Eric rolled up the cord of his skill saw, set it aside for his next task, and swept a few errant nails into one of the pockets of his tool belt. Hours after Jenna scrambled out of the yard, he was still pounding away and going from project to project. Ina ambled over to where he was working and inspected the newly finished set of steps.
