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Could it be possible she’d find the spot she’d heard about so many times from Mimi? “My grandfather proposed to my grandmother at City Park. It’s one of the reasons I moved here.”
“Just one of the reasons, huh?” His blue eyes twinkled. “I wonder if you’ll tell me the others.”
She doubted she’d tell Bryan the other reasons she’d tucked in her heart.
A place where dreams come true. The store. Friends. Maybe a husband down the line. Babies. Definitely babies.
A thread of hope wrapped around her soul. Bryan watched a hawk flying above them. The sharp planes of his jaw displayed the determined lift of his chin.
Opening the store would be enough for now. Wanting too much too soon would be asking for trouble.
Jade waved in the direction of the parking lot. “What are we waiting for?”
* * *
Ten minutes later Bryan hopped out of his black truck, jogged to the passenger’s side and opened the door for Jade. A wide expanse of lawn dotted with picnic tables stretched before them. Branches of a weeping willow tree swept the ground, and in the distance, the lake appeared gray under the overcast sky. He hoped coming here would make her a little less tense.
He also hoped she hadn’t minded him prying earlier. Bryan usually accepted when people said they didn’t want to discuss something. After all, he didn’t volunteer to air his soiled past, but when Jade said she didn’t want to talk about whatever happened, curiosity started eating at him.
What had happened to the little seven-year-old green-eyed girl that still had the power to make her lips turn white and her lungs seize at the thought of entering the woods?
Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.
“Not the best day for the lake.” He helped her down, shutting the door behind her. “It’s usually turquoise with silver shining off it. It’s still something, though, don’t you think?”
“It’s beautiful. I haven’t had time to explore the town yet.” Her cheeks glowed as she pointed. “Oh, is that the gazebo?”
“Want to see it?”
“Yes! Is it new? Or has it been here long?”
“It’s been there ever since I can remember. Even made it through the tornado two years ago. Half the town was leveled, but not this park.”
“A tornado? How awful. Were you affected?”
“Oh, it affected me.” He strolled beside her. “Libby and Jake’s wedding was scheduled for the next day, but they had to postpone it. The tornado destroyed Uncle Joe’s Restaurant where their reception was being held. My sister Claire and Jake’s brother, Reed, were trapped inside. But it turned out okay. I now have two brothers-in-law, Jake and Reed.”
“You have a big family.”
“Tell me about it.” He loved his family, but sometimes he wondered if there had been a mistake on God’s part. They were all exuberant. Nothing like him.
“I’m an only child.” They reached the gazebo, but Jade didn’t go inside. She pointed to an old, stately beech tree. “I think that’s it!”
“What’s what?”
She ran to it, bending her neck back to view the dark gray trunk where spring leaves waved from branches. Her fingers trailed the bark as she circled it. “I’m looking for a carving.”
“You might be looking for a while.” Hundreds of carvings had survived the years. He’d never marked the tree—didn’t care for permanent displays for anyone to mock—but most of his friends had.
“It’s supposed to be a heart with F plus M inside.”
He searched for hearts. “What do the letters stand for?”
“Frank and Mimi.” Her bright face popped out from behind the trunk. “He proposed to her here.”
“Mimi was her real name? I thought it was her nickname, like Grandma or Nana.” No wonder Jade beamed, touching the tree. He wanted to find the carving for her.
“Yeah, I always called her Mimi. I’m not sure why.”
He searched the lower portion. Bryan craned his neck, hoping he’d missed something. “Are you sure this is the one?”
The sparkles in Jade’s eyes disappeared as she put her chin on her fist. “I don’t know. Mimi always said it was a tall tree close to the gazebo with the lake shimmering behind them.”
This one must be it, but he didn’t see the markings. “It would have been a long time ago.”
“Maybe we’re not looking high enough.” Jade peered up.
“That’s not how it works. Trees grow upward from the tips of the branches, and the trunks thicken as they age. The carving won’t be higher.”
“Oh.” Jade’s lower lip pushed out. “I guess this isn’t it.”
A thin layer of moss on the bark caught Bryan’s eye. He brushed it away with his hand. “Check this out.”
Jade flew to his side. “Oh!” She covered her mouth, and her shining eyes met his. Whoa. Her delight was doing something to his pulse. He backed up two steps.
“That’s it,” her voice cracked. “It’s really there. You found it. Thank you.”
His chest expanded. How did she do that? Make him feel eight feet tall over something so minor?
Jade traced the faded heart, the letters, and sighed. “Dreams do come true.”
A romantic. Bryan curled his fingertips inward until the skin pinched. What dream did Jade want to come true?
The store, of course.
Maybe more. Maybe she wanted a guy to carve their initials in a tree.
Too bad he wasn’t a make-it-permanent, let-the-whole-world-see kind of guy anymore.
“I’m glad you found it,” he said, not meeting her eyes.
So he was attracted to her. Big deal. He’d been attracted to several women since Abby left, but he’d reminded himself what was at stake. Technically, God forgave him for signing the divorce papers, but how could Bryan knowingly put himself in that situation again?
He wouldn’t. He’d had his mistakes flaunted all around town when Abby’s ex arrived and made house calls to their apartment for a full week while Bryan went off to work in obliviousness.
Everyone in Lake Endwell knew she cheated on him.
Everyone knew she left Bryan for another man.
And the town busybodies talked about it for months.
Jade was taking pictures of the carvings with her phone.
She was all alone in town, afraid of the very things he considered amazing. This afternoon proved she couldn’t handle his class, but he couldn’t just leave her to wade through her problems alone.
An idea formed. One that made him queasy.
He wanted her to see Lake Endwell through his eyes.
Lord, don’t ask me to do that. It’s too big a risk.
“Bryan?” Jade asked, a gentle smile on her lips. “Thanks for taking me here.”
Uh-oh.
It might be okay. He was older, wiser, and hopefully, he’d be moving soon. He wouldn’t be around to see who snatched Jade up and carved her initials in this beech tree.
“Sure.” He rubbed the back of his neck, uncertain how to broach the subject. “Um, I don’t think you’re ready for my class.”
The light in her eyes snuffed out.
“But,” he continued, “I want to help. Why don’t we keep meeting on Sunday afternoons? We can work through the rest of those therapy steps.”
* * *
“What?” Jade scrunched her nose. Seagulls noisily landed a few yards away.
“Well, you’re new here, and I don’t want to worry about you passing out at a picnic.” His smile teased, but she couldn’t muster any enthusiasm. Why would he offer that? Either he felt sorry for her or it was his way of letting her know he was interested. She’d rather have him feel sorry for her. Less complicated that way.
“What would you get out of it?” she asked. “I’m not your responsibility.”
“I don’t need to get anything out of it.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I can work through those steps on my own. You’ve already done so much.”
His frown and the way he crossed his arms over his chest assured her she’d offended him, although she wasn’t sure how.
“I’ve barely done a thing.”
“Yes, you have. I’ve been in Evergreen Park twice in two days, which is twice more than I expected in such a short amount of time. And you found this.” She flourished her hand to the tree.
“Are you really going to work through the steps on your own?” He narrowed his eyes.
“I can’t ask you to give up all your free time.”
“A few hours a week?” He scoffed. “It wouldn’t be much. What’s the real issue?”
She couldn’t take him up on the offer, although it appealed to her. Her own personal outdoor expert—and a gorgeous one at that—patiently helping her get used to the woods? Who wouldn’t want it? But she’d owe him, and owing meant strings, strings she was unwilling to tie if it meant he’d cut them later.
“I don’t know. I have a lot on my plate with opening the store and everything.”
Bryan seemed to see right through her. “If I told you something, would you keep it confidential?”
She nodded, hoping it wasn’t going to make her life more difficult.
“I applied for a position in Ontario. It’s a corporate retreat, and I’d be one of their outdoor instructors. But to get an interview, I need to prove I’m experienced. The human resources director wants to see logs of my classes. Hours taught, number of students. That sort of thing.”
He was moving? Jade tried to pay attention as the information raced through her brain. She should be thrilled, but disappointment overrode her previous thoughts. His offer wasn’t out of pity or attraction. “So you basically need to write down our hours and what we do?”
“Yeah. Their hiring process starts in June. It would give us five to seven weeks. I think we could make a lot of headway in getting over your fear.”
All her reasons for declining fled. All but one. He might be moving, but the attraction she felt was very real. Could she keep it under control for a month or two?
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, wanting to say yes, knowing she should say no.
“It would help me out.”
That sealed it. In twenty-four hours, Bryan had done nothing but help her and make her feel at home. The least she could do was return the favor. “I’ll pay you.”
“You’re not paying me.”
“Why not?” She could justify the whole thing more if she paid him.
“That’s not why I asked, and frankly, I don’t need the money.”
Of course he didn’t. She wanted to think about it, to talk herself out of it, but she took a deep breath. Bryan could help her with her phobia. He had an uncanny knack for distracting her when she felt overwhelmed. She’d just have to protect her heart.
“I’ll find a way to pay you back.”
“If something comes up, you’ll be the first to know.”
Chapter Four (#ulink_277d6d3a-60cd-5cbe-8386-bc9f7df48125)
“Who was with you at the park today? Sally mentioned driving by and seeing you with a girl.”
Bryan stacked two empty pizza boxes on the kitchen counter and waved for Dad to join him in the living room. He hadn’t considered the rumor mill when he’d offered to help Jade. In small towns like this, gossip spread as quickly as dandelion seeds on a windy day.
“You? With a girl?” Sam snorted and tapped his fingertips together. “It’s about time.”
“How did you meet her?” Dad asked.
“Does Aunt Sally ever stay home?” Hoping they would drop the subject, Bryan sprawled out on the couch. The Detroit Tigers were playing tonight, and the lingering scent of Italian spices filled the air. “Shouldn’t she be watching one of those Real Housewives shows she complains about?”
“I thought she gave up on them.” Dad rocked back in the recliner, propping his feet up on the footrest. “Didn’t she switch to some show with a single guy?”
“The Bachelor?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, that’s the one.” Dad nodded. “Bryan, you going to tell us or not?”
