Done (Harmony Haven #1)

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

JESSE

Spineless?

Easton’s last word to me had run through my mind the whole weekend. It had taken everything I had to not call him and ask what he meant. The last thing I ever thought I’d be accused of was making someone spineless .

But the fact that I did, and he was done, was probably the reason I hadn’t heard from him since he walked away from me in that parking lot. Not that I should have cared, but I did.

After I dropped Max off at school Monday, I drove past the station and saw his truck parked off to the side of the open bays. If my calculations were correct, he had to work on Sunday and was still there that morning, doing whatever he did.

As I sat at the stop light, I saw Rory standing on the edge of the bay. She was dressed in sweats that hung low on her hip and her top was cropped, showing off her exceptional figure. It inadvertently made me rub the scar across my stomach from where I delivered Max via cesarean.

Not that I’d trade it for anything. That scar had given me the best thing in my life. But I was only human, and it was hard not to compare myself, and my flaws, to someone that clearly didn’t like me.

Just as she slid her sunglasses over her eyes, she turned abruptly and spoke to someone inside the dark area of the bays. She laughed, making her look even more put together and happy. I bet every man in Harmony Haven would kill to be with her. Other than the fact she was a bitch, she seemed like she had it all.

A honk knocked me out of my gawking, and I looked ahead, realizing the light had turned green while I stuck my nose where it didn’t belong. With the noise, Rory looked toward the cars as well and I had no doubt she caught me looking. My stomach dropped with embarrassment and I drove off quickly, hoping I never had to see her again.

“Jesse!” Ms. Ellison whistled when I pulled into my driveway. She was coming down her steps, waving a box over her head, making me walk toward her to meet her half way.

“Morning,” I smiled. “Coming for coffee?”

“I wish I could,” she sighed, pushing the box into my hands. “I just needed to make sure you got this before I left for a doctor visit.”

“Everything okay?”

“Lord yes, healthy as a horse. But you know us old folks. We have to check in twice a year and let the docs know we’re alive.”

“Well I don’t think that's a terrible idea,” I laughed.

“Oh, they just want my money,” she grumbled. “That box was sent to me Saturday with strict instructions to get it to you Monday morning. I’ve been staring at it all weekend.”

It looked just like the box Easton had sent to me before with the same ribbon made into a bow.

“Don’t you kids send text messages or emails anymore?”

“Not Easton,” I shook my head with a small smile. “He seems to prefer making you his personal Pony Express.”

“Well I don’t mind,” she sighed. “But I got worried I’d mess it up this time. The last thing I want to do is be responsible for you two not working out.”

“Us two–? We aren’t–”

“You mean to tell me he goes through all this trouble for shits and giggles?” Her huff of disbelief was enough to make me laugh again. She knew all about the questions and the binder, she knew he had shown up at the store to spend time with me, and she knew he had gotten under my skin.

“I don’t know what this is,” I said honestly. “But I think it’s foolish to assume it’s anything more than the town’s most eligible bachelor finding the new girl to be somewhat of a novelty.”

“Oh please,” Ms. Ellison waved me off. “I don’t disagree that Easton may be the most eligible bachelor in town, but it also means he doesn’t have to try so hard to get the attention of a woman.”

Before I could refute, she waved again and walked toward her car, assuring me we’d chat later. “And put that box back on my porch! This pigeon has more messages to deliver!”

Ms. Ellison’s words sunk in as I got inside and laid the box on the table. She was right about Easton not having to try very hard to get a woman’s attention. Rory had said as much when I met her, and even if I didn’t like the way she spoke to me, I didn’t think she was wrong about Easton.

“Maybe I’m a challenge,” I grumbled to myself. But I didn’t really believe he’d go as far as he had if that was all it was.

Carefully, I started pulling the ribbon from the box. It felt important to save the bow, even though it was getting flimsier and flimsier as we passed it back and forth.

Inside was the same binder he had sent me before, with the same handwritten marker across the front. He had tabbed a page and I opened it to see what he had added.

Question 6: Can I take you on a real date this weekend?

Question 7: Please?

Damn him. He was going to make it impossible to say no. Except, I had to say no, because he forgot about one major thing—Max.

A date would involve leaving my son, and there was no one I wanted to leave him with. Ms. Ellison had offered a few times, and I trusted her, but I wasn’t ready.

As I began to write my answer, I realized he had typed up something else, asking me to turn the page before responding. There was another question type at the top of the page. 12-point, Times New Roman.

Question 8: Can I take you and Max on a date? (My man looks like a dancer.)

Max had never danced a day in his life, nor did I think he would, but Easton officially had my attention and I wondered what in the world a date would look like that included a three year old.

“Damn you,” I laughed as I wrote my answer in the spot under question eight. Then I closed the binder and boxed it back up, making the dilapidated ribbon look as good as I could before walking it over to Ms. Ellison’s porch.

The rest of the day, I tried working, and I got a little bit done, but not as much as I had hoped. Instead, I spent half the day thinking about the sexy firefighter that had somehow made me quickly forget about how much I didn’t need him distracting me. And about how much I didn’t seem to care anymore.