Chapter 483) No Roses

 “Falling for him would be like cliff diving.
It would be either the most exhilarating thing that ever happened to me or the stupidest mistake I’d ever make.”

—Colleen Houck

Del Sol Valley
Villa ViVa

Standing by the mailbox, flipping through the mail, tons of birthday cards for my impending 30th birthday – SHUDDER – , an engagement announcement from Cousin Nolan and Alessa, a save the date announcement from Cousin Connor and Keira.

I sighed.

They were just starting out their happiness together. Gawd, I remembered the feelings of fresh love, the excitement of an engagement, my wedding day. I was jealous, I admit it. I was only a few years older than them but felt like I had my entire life behind me already, at least the good parts.

Engaged 3 times, 2 of those the engagements had been broken. Married straight out of college, now almost divorced, had two kids long before I was ready for them and now no clue whatsoever.

Living with mommy and daddy and no real career to speak of. Yikes.

I had turned to walk inside when I heard a truck drive up the street behind me. Thinking it was the gardener I didn’t pay it any mind, until honking made me turn around again.

“You gotta be shittin’ me!” I exclaimed as I recognized the driver.

Jack!

Here?
WTH?!

He parked, got out, looking around, whistling thought his teeth.

“Wow. Dunno what I was expectin’, but nothing nowhere near this here. Dayum! My entire house fits on y’all’s front lawn!”

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“Well, I could be all mysterious about it or lie, but that is kinda your thing, so I’ll just tell ya that I am from a small town, a tightknit community and I know people who know people who well … know people.” smirking, he winked at me.

“So, you know someone who works at the hotel, and they gave you the address I had my bags shipped to. Got it.”

“Smart girl.” he grinned.

“You only answered half the question. What are you doing here?”

“Picking up my jacket. And bringing your clothes back. Here.”

He opened the door to his truck again, reached in, then held up a bag while slamming the door shut.

“Oh. Right. Sure. Wait here.”

“Of course. Wouldn’t want to defile your beautiful mansion with my humble self.”

“There is nothing humble about you! Fine, come inside then. But wipe your boots, please.”

Jack did, then followed me inside, handing the bag to me which I dropped onto the credenza near the door. Luckily, mom and dad were gone until late afternoon the next day. I tossed the mail on the counter, remembered my upbringing and offered Jack refreshments, then ran upstairs to get his coat.

When I got back downstairs, I saw Jack peek at the mail.

“That’s rude!” I exclaimed, slamming the bag with his jacket into his midsection, making him huff, before he chuckled, setting the bag down on the floor.

“So, it’s your birthday?” he asked, pointing at the very obvious birthday cards.

“The day after Valentine’s Day.” I told him and a sharp pang jolts my heart, as I remember a birthday before the long downslope of my life started. Rohan had sent me flowers for Valentine’s Day which had meant the world to me. Something he had done ever since I was officially a teen, just the meaning changed over time. Sadly, he stopped that tradition when I got engaged to Max. I still missed it. 2 dozen red roses every year from a man completely unattainable to me, whom I would probably love till the day I die. Sadly, I knew Rohan loved me too, just not the way I wanted him to.

“Hello?” Jack snapped his fingers in front of my eyes.

I looked at him, still confused to have been pulled from the past so abruptly, that I didn’t even notice the tears running down my cheek.

Surprisingly did Jack not poke fun at me, instead he pulled me into his arms, pressing me tightly against himself, cooing.

“Heyyy, heyyyyy, shhhhh. Whatever it is, it is not worth the tears.”

I pressed my face into his shoulder and just sobbed so hard, I couldn’t recall the last time I cried so hard. That, and Jack’s embrace and cooing worked.

When I pulled away from him, wiping my eyes, I felt better. Better than I had in a long while, actually.

Still blinking away stray moisture I smiled up at him.

“Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize. Whoever caused that should be ashamed.”

“Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?”

“I am always nice to people who are nice to me, unless they lie to me. That’s the one big rule with me, no lies.”

“Not THAT again. Look Jack, I am sorry. I mean it. I apologize for the lies and omissions. Joke about all this, about my family and my almost-ex-husband all you want, but everything comes at a price, even wealth, fame and whatever else you think all this is. One of the many downsides is that I can’t just trust new people I meet. I tried and it almost always backfired badly. I didn’t go to Chestnut Ridge to pick up a cowboy as some boy toy or whatever you are thinking, I had a lot of things going on, they were crushing my mind, I had to get away, so I got in my car and drove and drove and ended up where you found me. I never lied to you for the heck of it. Just because I didn’t know you well enough to be honest yet.”

He looked at me, sternly, then nodded.

“All right, that makes sense. Apology accepted. Clean slate then.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. I am a simple man. Back home we don’t have time for drama, nor do I find it very interesting. Got better things to do with my time.”

“You? Simple? Try delusional. No offense, but you are everything but simple.”

“You’re wrong, I am simple. You just overthink what you think I am. No smoke and mirrors, what you see is what you get. I am not much, but I am easy as Sunday morn. What you told me ’bout yourself is like most horses when you first start training them. They don’t know if they can trust you, so they don’t, until you prove you’re worth it. Makes perfect sense. So, your birthday is on the 15th then, huh?”

“Yeah. A landmark one. The big 3-0. After Sunday I will officially be old. Practically dead. Sure feels like it already. Ugh.”

“Oh, sweet, innocence of youth. I vaguely remember being thirty.”

“How old ARE you?”

“A lot older than you, darlin’. Guess that makes me a fossil, by your standards.” he smiled and winked at me.

For some reason that made me smile too.

“Has Sorrel had her baby yet?”

“No Ma’am. Shouldn’t be much longer though. Maybe weekend after next.”

I nodded, chewing on my lower lip, before I felt courageous enough to ask.

“Jack, would you come to my birthday party? I know it’s last minute and a bit strange, but I’d like it if you could come.”

“Flattered, but I can’t. Not only would I stick out like a sore thumb and be mighty hard to explain to your family, I have nobody to look after the horses for that long. That’s a three-hour drive one way, plus at least couple hours for the party … that’s all the daylight gone right there.”

“Oh. Right. Of course.” somehow, I could barely stifle my disappointment.

“Hey, what’s your favorite flower?” Jack asked.

“Red roses!” I blurted out, surprised by his randomness.

“Nah. Try again.”

“What? I don’t know. It’s always been red roses.”

“Every girl loves red roses. Cliche, predictable. Tell ya what, you think about that there, and when ya got a real answer for me, ya lemme know. I gotta get going. Thanks for not throwing out my jacket, it’s my favorite and I need it.”

I was almost speechless, all I could get out was

“Yeah, thanks for … ahem … coming here and saving me from having to drive out there and risk another swan dive into your pond. And thanks for my clothes. I’ll walk you out.”

Quietly, I walked him to his truck, watched him toss the bag with the jacket onto the passenger seat with a rugged elegance, before turning back to smile at me and tipping his hat.

“Well, have a good rest of the day then, Mrs. Cromwell.”

“Correctly, it would be Countess Cromwell, but I hate that anyway and that title will go away with the ball and chain. Don’t get used to Cromwell either, it’s almost Cameron again. Once Max runs out of things to stall the divorce with.”

“Can’t let ya go, huh?”

“It would appear so.”

Jack nodded, looking down as if waiting to say something.

He didn’t. Instead he hopped into the driver seat and slammed the door shut.

“Can’t say I blame the man.” he said as he started the truck and before I knew it, I was waving him goodbye as he backed out, before even realizing he had actually paid me a much-needed compliment.

So, if I hadn’t been cursed with a major crush on yet another unattainable man before, I was now. I went up to my room, dropped down on the bed, staring at the ceiling trying to remember the exact color of Jack’s eyes, while pondering how confusing having him around would be, with a brother named Nick and a cousin named Jake. Nick, Jake, Jack.
Then again, he clearly didn’t want to be around me much. Although, why would he have come all the way out here? Just for a jacket someone would expose themselves to such a long drive through nothing but desert, which eventually became brutal 8 lane traffic which was clogged around the clock?