Let It Snow(9)

When he was in middle school and would come to collect the money for the paper, Adeline would always have cookies and milk waiting for him. Sometimes the two of them would sit out on her porch and Jake would tell her about school and sports. He’d even told her about his desire to live in the house next door to her someday.

He hadn’t seen her since he’d left for college the fall after senior year. In fact, the last conversation he’d had with her had not been a pleasant one. During his four years at UCLA, he hadn’t come back to Hope Falls. He’d worked the entire time he had been in school, first as a waiter, then as a bartender. So when other kids had had breaks and had gone home to see their families, Jake had picked up more shifts to make extra money.

When he’d moved back after college, his mom had told him that Adeline had recently moved. She’d had to go somewhere with a better climate for her asthma and arthritis. He’d always wanted to apologize for his behavior the last time he’d seen her on her porch. Now it was too late.

Jake shivered as he opened the sliding glass door and Lucky ran outside to do his business. Even after the door was shut, the chill continued as he moved across the kitchen, the Spanish tiles cold against his bare feet. He poured water into the coffee maker, threw in a filter and scoop of ground coffee beans, then pressed the ‘on’ button.

Jake had been trying to cut back on his coffee intake, but today he would mainline this stuff if he could. It was going to be a multiple-cup day for sure. As the familiar bubbling sounds of the coffee brewing began, Jake leaned against his granite countertop. Out the window, he watched as Lucky chased a squirrel up a pine tree and then ran around in a circle chasing his own tail.

Well at least one of them was happy.

Why had she come back? The question just kept rolling around in his brain like a pinball being knocked around. He was pretty certain he wasn’t going to get a moment’s rest until he knew the answer.

Of course the simplest solution would be to over to Sue Ann’s and see Tessa there. But Jake wasn’t sure if seeing her again was the best idea. Sure, they had a lot of unfinished business to deal with, but he seriously doubted that was why she was in town. If it was, she wouldn’t have looked like she’d seen a ghost when he’d turned around last night. No, Jake knew that he wasn’t the reason Tessa was back in Hope Falls. He also knew that there was no way she was here to stay. So the best thing Jake could possibly do was keep his distance.

Lucky whined and scratched at the glass door so Jake opened it. As Lucky ran across the kitchen, he left huge muddy paw prints in his wake.

“Lucky, did you get into the flower bed again?’” Jake said in his sternest tone.

Lucky spun around and sat, displaying his best “good boy” face. His tongue was hanging out of the side of his mouth and his tail was wagging wildly, thumping against the wooden leg of the kitchen table.

“Stay out of the flower bed,” Jake firmly instructed.

Lucky ‘woofed’ in what Jake could only assume was agreement. He then ran around the table several times, his nails clicking loudly on the tile, before heading to his bowl for breakfast.

Jake knew it was his fault that Lucky had not only been digging up the yard but also chewing up the furniture. He hadn’t been exercising him properly. When he did, Lucky never got into things he shouldn’t. Jake decided that, instead of getting upset, he would be a responsible dog owner and take Lucky on a nice long run.

Plus, maybe the physical exertion would do Jake some good as well. Clear his head. Get rid of some of the anxiousness he was feeling. Hey, maybe between that and the boring paperwork he had to do all day he would be so mentally and physically exhausted that he’d actually sleep tonight.

It was worth a shot.

*

Tessa made her way down the wooden staircase that led from the small apartment to the café below. The deliciously fragrant scent of freshly brewed coffee drifted through the air, and she let out an audible moan.

Yes, she was a caffeine addict. She could openly and freely admit that. Until she had a cup o’ coffee, she was useless. Her brain cells only started functioning after she drank that first cup of the day.

And to face today, she would need it. She was meeting Henry, her Grandma Adie’s lawyer, to go over Gran’s will. Tessa was not looking forward to it. In fact, she’d been putting it off for almost nine months now. It felt like after she did that last final thing her Gran would really be gone.

It might be delusional on her part, but the fact was that she just hadn’t been able to face it. Now she had no choice. Tessa knew that if she ever wanted to open her studio she had to do this. So here she was. In Hope Falls.