Second Chance Christmas: A January Cove Novella Page 2

  But she needed more students to make the studio a success. Classes were going to be starting soon, and the last thing she wanted was half empty classrooms.

  When Susan had told her she could get a table at the festival, she’d jumped at the chance. After all, what better place to market her business than a busy pier with tons of parents and children?

  She had a big bucket of candy, caramel apples and plenty of Twinkle Toes t-shirts for the kids who signed up for classes. She also had free passes to try a class, and she hoped to hand out dozens of them before the day was over.

  The weather was still in the high 70s, which was nice compared to what it was in New York City at this time of year. While she missed the crisp air and bustling city streets at times, she was starting to enjoy small town life and constant ocean breezes.

  As people started to mill into the area, her heart rate sped up a bit. She was counting on her new business to be successful, and today might be the turning point.

  “Can I have an apple?” a little girl asked as she ran up to her table. Claire smiled and nodded.

  “Of course! Do you like to dance?”

  The little girl, who was probably about six years old, twirled in a circle and giggled. “I love to dance!”

  Claire could see her mother standing a few feet away, chatting with another woman. “Here. Give your mommy this card. You can come dance with me one day. How does that sound?”

  The little girl smiled broadly. “Yay!” She ran off, clutching the card in one hand and the apple in the other. The mother looked over at Claire and waved.

  One down, one hundred to go, she thought.

  “Daddy, come on! I want to go see the dance lady!” she heard a little girl say loudly as she attempted to drag her father behind her. Claire did a double take. He looked so familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Maybe she’d seen him around town or at the market.

  “Hi there! What’s your name?” Claire asked as the little girl ran up to the table and took a piece of candy.

  “Cassie,” she said, unwrapping the sweet treat.

  “Hey, you didn’t ask if you could have that, Cass,” her father said, squeezing her shoulder.

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  “That’s quite alright. That’s what it’s there for,” Claire said. She couldn’t help but stare at the man, and not only because she recognized him from somewhere. Mainly it was because he was very good looking in a rugged sort of way. Tall, broad shouldered, thick hair, great jawline. All things that would make him a perfect romance novel cover model.

  “Claire Thomas,” she said, standing up and reaching out to shake his hand. It was warm and firm and strong.

  “Jake Evers,” he said, his face serious. He paused a moment, as if he was waiting for something, and then his face softened like he was relieved. His name sounded familiar, but she wasn’t sure so she didn’t mention or ask where they might have known each other from.

  “So, are you thinking of taking dance lessons?”

  “She’s already signed up with you, actually. My sister is Susan.”

  “Oh, that’s great!” She was a bit disappointed that she didn’t have a hot lead standing there, but a hot man was a great second choice.

  “She didn’t ask me, but Cass wants to be a ballerina, so I said okay.” This guy was a tough nut to crack. Very serious, didn’t smile. But his Southern drawl was making her tingly.

  “Well, we’re going to have tons of fun, Cassie. Would you like a shirt?”

  Cassie’s eyes lit up as a grin spread across her face. “Yes, please!”

  “Here you go. This one ought to fit you.”

  The little girl held up the pink shirt and showed her father.

  “Looks great, Cass,” he said with a smile. She trotted off to the next table to sample some pound cakes that were being sold.

  “She seems like a great kid,” Claire said.

  Jake turned back and smiled. “She is. So, you’re new to January Cove?”

  “Yes. I’ve lived up north all my life. Most recently, New York City.”

  “Wow, this place is a far cry from The Big Apple.”

  “What about you?”

  “Oh, I’m originally from January Cove.”

  “You’ve been here your whole life?”

  “Nah. I lived in Boston for fifteen years or so. Just moved back recently.”

  “So your daughter was born up North, huh?” she said with a laugh. “That must be quite upsetting for a Southern guy like yourself.”

  “Yeah, I try not to think about it,” he said, chuckling. He looked good when he laughed, she thought. “Well, I better get moving before Cassie leaves me behind. Nice to meet you.”

  “You too. See you when classes start next week?”

  “Maybe. Her aunt will probably bring her most of the time, but I’m sure I’ll pop in occasionally.”

  “Oh. Great. Well, see ya.”

  She watched him walk away, and for some reason she really wanted him to turn around and continue talking to her. But he disappeared into the crowd, and she was forced to go back to work.

  Jake stood at the counter at Jolt, the only local coffee shop in January Cove. He hadn’t been here before, even though he’d been back in town for weeks. But coffee was a must-have this morning. Cassie had woken up late, missed the bus and he’d been forced to drive her to school.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to drive her. The thing he didn’t want was to see people. He just wasn’t in the mood for socializing these days. People acted differently to him. They either praised him for being a hero, or they pitied him for what he’d been through. He disliked both approaches.

  “Can I help you?” a red haired woman asked from behind the counter. She had a big, bright smile, but a definite northern accent which seemed misplaced in the small Georgia town.

  “I’ll just have a plain black coffee, please,” he said, sliding a five dollar bill across the counter. She poured it into a to-go cup and handed it to him.

  “Are you new in town?”

  Was she flirting with him? “Actually, no. I grew up here. Just came back after fifteen years away.”

  “Ah. I didn’t think I’d seen you before. Well, welcome home and welcome to Jolt!” She smiled again. Maybe she was flirting. It’d been awhile since he paid attention to those sorts of things. He was a little out of practice.

  “You’re not trying to steal my lady, are you?” a man said from behind him. Jake stilled for a moment, worried that when he turned around, he might get clocked right in the nose from some big, burly guy.

  Instead, he turned to see his old friend, Jackson Parker.

  “Dang man, it’s been a long time!” Jake said, truly happy to see Jackson. They hadn’t seen each other since he’d left town all those years ago. Jackson pulled him into an embrace and laughed.

  “You look old, dude!”

  “Yeah, back at ya,” Jake said with a grin. For a moment in time, he was back to their old high school days, throwing verbal jabs at each other during numerous games of volleyball on the beach.

  “I heard you were back. Glad to see you out and about. So, you met my beautiful Rebecca, huh?” he said, walking around the counter and putting his arm around her. He planted a kiss on her head as Rebecca looked up at him, a certain kind of adoration in her eyes.

  Jake wanted that. He wanted a wife, more kids, the whole picket fence lifestyle. He was a one woman kind of man, although many people had assumed he was a player over the years.

  He had dated a lot in Boston, but only because he couldn’t find “the one”. He was starting to wonder if she existed.

  “Not officially. Nice to meet you, Rebecca.”

  She smiled and reached out her hand to shake his. “Nice to meet you too. Actually, Jackson has told me some stories…”

  “Yeah, let’s not go there,” Jake said with a chuckle. “We were kind of wild back in those days.”

  “Hey, I wasn’t the one who rolled the tire down the hill and kn
ocked the siding off Mister Briggs’ house,” Jackson said, shaking his head.

  “No, but you did manage to set the woods on fire behind the hardware store.”

  “My Mom nearly killed me over that one!”

  “How is Adele?”

  “She’s great. Got married not long ago and is traveling the country with her new husband.”

  “Please tell her I said hello.”

  “She’ll be back for Christmas. I assume you’ll be here to tell her yourself?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know yet what my plans are.”

  Jackson’s face went serious. “I heard what happened, man. I’m sorry about what you went through.”

  Here it was. The pity conversation. Ugh.

  “Thanks. Listen, I have a few errands to run, so I better get going. Let’s catch up soon.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” Jackson said, shaking his hand from behind the counter.

  Claire was pretty proud of herself. Opening day was tomorrow, and she’d managed to decorate the studio, get her accounting program started and plan out the first week’s worth of classes all by herself. She had also hired a front desk assistant, someone who would check in students and process manual payments. She was only part time, but at least it was some help.

  A college kid looking for extra money, Sadie was a nice girl. And she was willing to accept the pretty low pay that Claire was offering.

  She finally felt like everything was falling into place, and maybe things would work out after all. But then she heard a noise. A loud one.

  As she ran around the place, frantically trying to figure out what it was, she saw water pouring out from under the bathroom cabinet.

  “Oh my gosh!” she yelled as she ran to the kitchenette and grabbed a roll of paper towels. “This can’t be happening.”

  As she crossed through the lobby again, she saw Cassie’s father standing in the window giving her a quizzical look. He pointed at the door, so she quickly opened it and sprinted back to the bathroom.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he followed her down the hallway.

  “No! Tomorrow is opening day, and I just heard a loud noise and now water is pouring out…”

  He followed her to the bathroom and crouched down. “Here, let me take a look.”

  She moved back as he opened the cabinet and looked inside. “You have a flashlight?”

  “Sure. On my keychain.” She ran back to the front and grabbed her keys from behind the counter.

  “This is all you have?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  Jake sighed and pointed the small stream of light under the counter. “Looks like you’ve got a busted pipe.”

  “Dang it. I’ll have to call my contractor and see when he can get out here…”

  “I can fix it.”

  “Are you a plumber?”

  He stood up. “No. But I’ve fixed a lot of plumbing in my life, and this should be an easy fix.”

  “No offense, but maybe a professional should handle this.”

  A smile spread across his lips. “And your contractor is a professional plumber too?”

  She paused. “Well, no.”

  “Sounds like he didn’t do a great job if you’re already having a leak, but hey, feel free to call a ‘professional’,” he said as he walked toward the front.

  “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I’m just a bit stressed,” she said, following after him. “You can fix it.”

  Jake turned around and laughed. “Oh, can I, please? Thanks, but no thanks.”

  “Why are you being such a jerk?”

  “Do you really think it’s wise to call the father of one of your students a jerk?”

  Claire ran her hands over her face and groaned. “Look, do you want to help me or not?”

  “Not.” With that, Jake walked out the door and down the sidewalk without looking back.

  “Jerk,” she said under her breath before dialing Robbie’s number.

  Claire stood in the hardware store, staring at the wall of plumbing parts and felt like crying. After calling Robbie and finding out he was unexpectedly out of town on a family emergency, she’d been forced to go to the hardware store to try to figure it out herself.

  “Can I help you?” the teenage boy asked. He was wearing a red apron, and she felt like she’d been transported back in time to the 50’s even though she hadn’t been alive then.

  “Well, I have a busted pipe under the bathroom sink at my dance studio.”

  “Okay, what size do you need?”

  “Um…”

  “PVC pipe or copper?”

  “I don’t actually remember…”

  “Is it a busted pipe or just a crack? Or maybe the joints aren’t sealed properly?”

  She literally felt like she might have a nervous breakdown. “Hey, Rusty. I’ve got this.”

  Claire turned around to see Jake standing there, a knowing smile on his face. “I thought you were calling your contractor?”

  “Don’t look so smug. I did call him.”

  Jake looked around and then back at her. “Is he an invisible contractor?”

  “He’s out of town.”

  “Ah, I see.”

  “I don’t need your help.”

  “See, it kind of sounds like you do.”

  “Did you follow me here or something?”

  He held up a random bag of screws. “Actually, no. I’m doing some work at my sister’s house. Ran out of screws.”

  “Oh. Well, I need to get back to looking at this… stuff.” She turned and stared at the wall again.

  “Claire, do you have any idea what you’re looking for?”

  She hung her head and sighed. “No.”

  Jake laughed. “Just let me help you, okay?”

  She looked up at him. “I thought you didn’t want to help me?”

  “Well, my daughter starts lessons there tomorrow. And I really don’t want her to drown in your bathroom.”

  Claire smiled. “Thank you. I really do appreciate it.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t fixed anything.”

  “Can you hand me that wrench again?” he asked, his head resting inside the cabinet. She passed him the wrench, and he continued his work. It wasn’t a hard fix, but he was making it look more difficult just for kicks.

  In reality, he was almost enjoying her company. Claire was a nice woman, but she was also pretty fun to look at. With a true dancer’s body and gorgeous dark hair swept up into a messy bun, he had a hard time not staring at her.

  “How’s it going down there,” she asked, poking her head into the cabinet slightly.

  “It’d be better if you weren’t blocking my light,” he said, pointing at the little hanging work light he’d bought at the hardware store.

  “Oh, sorry.” She stood back up, but he could still see her standing there, hands on hips.

  “You know, you’re a bit of a task master.”

  Claire laughed. “Occupational hazard.”

  Jake slid out from under the cabinet and sat on the floor looking up at her. “Oh yeah? What was your occupation?”

  “I was a professional ballerina.”

  “Well, that explains it,” he said, thinking about how perfect her legs looked in the tight, spandex pants she was wearing.

  “Explains what?”

  Jake froze for a moment. “Why you’re so disciplined.”

  “Oh. Yes, probably.” Thankful he’d pulled himself out of that potentially embarrassing situation, he stood up.

  “Let’s give it a whirl,” he said, turning on the water. They both stood there waiting before he leaned over to check the pipe. She leaned over at the same time, causing them to knock foreheads.

  “Ouch,” she said, rubbing her forehead.

  He rubbed his as well. “Yeah, thanks for the head injury.”

  “Sorry. I’m a bit of a type A personality, I guess.”

  “Ya think?”

  They turned off the water and walked into the lob
by. “I really do want to thank you for fixing the pipe.”

  “No problem. I want this place to be a success because my daughter needs this.”

  “You’re a great dad.”

  His heart swelled a bit when she said that. But she didn’t know him, really. She didn’t know how hard the last few months had been on him and Cassie. How he had a hard time getting out of bed in the mornings. How he’d sometimes yell at his daughter for the dumbest things. How he felt like a big failure as a parent because he just couldn’t get his emotions together.

  “Thanks. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

  As Jake walked toward the door, he felt pulled to her for some reason. Like he wanted to stay. Fix more things. Have more conversations.

  “Hey, Claire?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you hungry?”

  3

  Was this a date? It felt like a date. But was it?

  She’d asked herself these questions a dozen times since they’d arrived at the small bistro by the water.

  “This place is great. I came here when I first got back to town and had the best fried shrimp,” Jake said as he looked down at the menu.

  “I’ll have to try that,” she said, holding her menu but looking at him. He was so handsome. But there was something about him. Something sad or mad or both. Something hidden. She couldn’t figure it out.

  “Can I take your order?” the young server asked.

  “Yes, I’ll have the fried shrimp basket and an iced tea,” Claire said, handing her the menu.

  “Same here. Except I’ll have sweet tea,” Jake said, shooting a crooked smile at her. He had dimples. Oh dear God. Dimples.

  “Sweet tea, huh?”

  “Is there any other kind?”

  “I suppose not if you’re a Southerner,” she said with a laugh.

  “You should try it some time.”

  “I did. It made my lips pucker and gave me a head rush.”

  Jake chuckled. “And the problem is?”

  “So, tell me, what did you do up in Boston?”

  His face changed. The smile disappeared and he looked out at the ocean. “I worked as a firefighter.”