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“But a sequel is always possible.” Grandpa raised his eyebrows at her.
“No sequels, Grandpa.” She moved the water bowl she’d brought into the living room earlier a little closer to Blaze’s bed so the dog could reach it without having to get up. “He insinuated I wasn’t taking proper care of Blaze.” Who did Jackson think he was anyway? Judging her after they hadn’t spoken in years? He didn’t know her.
There had been a time when he’d known her. Known every detail. Known her better than any other person did. In a way no one else would ever know her. But he’d chosen to fast-track his education instead of being with her. She’d never felt so empty as when she’d walked away from him that day at the library after he’d told her he was leaving.
Isabel had considered contacting him. About apologizing and saying they could try the long-distance thing, but Charlene had come over and had called her a badass for not taking any of Jackson’s shit.
“You deserve better than some geek who’d rather study than get with all this gorgeousness right here.” Charlie had waved a hand to indicate Isabel. “I like Jackson, but he’s made a stupid mistake and now he has to live with it.”
At the time, Charlie’s Girl Power Speech had been what Isabel had wanted to hear so she’d let Jackson slip away to college. How he’d managed to pack her heart and take it with him, however, was still a mystery.
“He was probably surprised to see you,” Grandpa said, pulling Isabel back to the living room. “I’ll bet you were a little off your game after running into him too.”
“Not so much that I insulted him.”
“Oh.” Grandpa grinned. “So you had the presence of mind to thank him profusely for coming to Blaze’s rescue?”
Isabel glared at her grandfather, making him chuckle.
“Don’t get mad at me, Belly. Just consider all the angles before you judge Jackson.”
“I already judged him. Years ago.” And that judgment stood firm. It didn’t matter that the man had spent a portion of his evening getting soaked and muddy as he rescued her dog.
“But you can’t expect that judgment to apply to today. He’s different. You’re different.” Grandpa motioned to Blaze snoring on his bed. “He saved your trusty sidekick. That should at least earn him a thank you, shouldn’t it?”
No part of Isabel wanted to acknowledge the truth of her grandfather’s words. If she did, that would mean seeking out Jackson and having an actual conversation with the man. That didn’t sound like something she wanted to do. He’d probably only end up insulting her again. Being a big shot archaeologist had obviously inflated his ego. The rest of the human population was apparently beneath him and incapable of properly caring for a canine.
“We’ll see.” She didn’t want to argue with Grandpa because that wouldn’t do him any good. Besides, she was tired from traveling today, weary from worrying about Blaze, and jumbled from seeing Jackson. “If you don’t need anything, I’m heading to bed.”
“A good idea.” Grandpa grabbed the TV remote, wiggling deeper into the couch cushions. “You’ve got a busy day tomorrow as I pass on all my cottage rental business knowledge to you.”
Isabel stopped by the couch and bent to press a kiss to her grandfather’s cheek. “I’ll be ready with notebook and pen, O Wise Elder.”
“Watch it, Belly.” Grandpa wagged a finger at her. “I’m not ancient yet.”
And hopefully he had many more years before his body decided he was ancient. The heart attack reminded Isabel that Grandpa Eugene wouldn’t be around forever. Neither would Blaze, as tonight’s antics had illustrated. Then she really would be all alone in this world.
Shaking off those dark thoughts, she stopped in the bathroom then hit her bedroom. Turning in a circle, she took in the small space. Her house in Pennsylvania hadn’t been huge, but it had been her own private place with a nice view of the surrounding city. Now her existence had shrunk to the size of this one puny bedroom in the middle of the woods.
Why did she feel as if she were taking steps backward instead of forward?
No. This was temporary. A little detour on the journey. A time to clearly outline her next steps and pick up more tips and techniques that would bring her the success she desired and deserved. She’d make efficient use of this time in Maplehaven and maybe she could apply what she’d learned as a hotel manager to make Pine River Cottages more profitable for Grandpa.
Isabel pulled back the blankets on the queen-sized bed and climbed in. She read for a few minutes, but her eyes were gritty, making the words blur. Flicking off the bedside lamp, she slid her book onto the bedside table and settled her head on the pillow.
The moment she closed her eyes, however, a bright light shined right on her face and she turned her head more to see out the open window across the room. The breeze outside kept a tree branch moving enough to activate the floodlight on the cottage next door.
Jackson’s cottage.
Isabel stared up at the ceiling, imagining Jackson in his bed a mere several yards away and did her best to ignore the heat that vision spread throughout her body. She hadn’t wanted to see Jackson tonight—or any night for that matter—but she had. Seen him. He was every bit as attractive as he’d been as a teenager.
No. That wasn’t true.
He was more attractive. His body had filled out to match his height. She’d noticed how easy it had been for him to stand there, holding Blaze as if the dog didn’t weigh sixty pounds. Even in the dim lighting, her eyes had registered the well-defined biceps below his T-shirt sleeves. His long legs, covered in wet denim, had appeared sturdy. Apparently archeology wasn’t all books and sitting still. Jackson’s muscles were clear evidence of that.
And why was she thinking about Jackson’s muscles. Ugh.
Isabel clamped her eyes shut, but that floodlight burned right through her eyelids. Huffing, she yanked off the blankets and stomped to the window. She closed it and lowered the blinds, twisting the thin pole to close the slats. It would probably get stuffy and warm in the room, but that was better than that light shining on her face.
