Starting Over in Maple Bay by Brittney Joy

 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 

 

 

 

Frankie poured the rest of the ginger ale into the pitcher and set the empty liter bottle onto Joyce’s packed kitchen island. Joyce, Anne, and one of Joyce’s sisters, Judy, zipped through the kitchen like bees around a hive. Frankie knew not to linger long. She dipped a wooden spoon in the pitcher and gave it a swirl, mixing up the ginger ale, Hawaiian punch, pineapple juice, and ice.

“Punch is done,” Frankie announced. She tossed the wooden spoon in the sink and the empty bottle in the recycling bin. Joyce whizzed by and gave her a squeeze on the shoulder.

“Perfect, sweetie.” Joyce stopped at the counter and tipped the lid off a big, oval crockpot. She stirred the steaming sloppy joe mix and gave an approving nod. Setting the lid back in place, Joyce wiped a hand across her pink floral apron which covered khaki shorts and an even brighter pink floral top. “Go outside. Enjoy.”

Joyce gave her a wink and Frankie smiled back. She headed out of the kitchen not because she wasn’t wanted or wouldn’t offer to help. Frankie just knew that everything was taken care of, and everyone had their job. Hers was to bring the punch.

For as long as Frankie could remember, Sunday afternoons were spent at the Weston household. She didn’t remember a time in her life when she didn’t know Joyce, Gene, or their kids. Rose and Joyce were thick as thieves. Had been since before Frankie was born. They grew even closer (if that was possible) when Frankie’s father abandoned his wife and daughter in order to chase his lofty movie-star dreams somewhere in Los Angeles. Regardless of her father’s choices, Frankie never felt like she missed out on a family. The Westons were Frankie’s family even though they weren’t related by blood, and she’d never appreciated them more than this year, after losing her mom. Outside of her husband, the Westons were what kept Frankie from fully falling apart. They’d been through a lot together.

Frankie stepped out the sliding glass door and onto the deck. Outside, the whole crew was spread out on the wide, grassy area between the house and the barn. They were setting up for a game of kickball. Tommy and Wyatt were discussing where to put third base. Evan prepared to roll a rubber ball to Noah so he could practice kicking. Garrett squatted next to Noah, giving him tips. Creed and Gene were in the outfield with Anne’s four teenagers, sipping pops and waiting for the game to commence.

Frankie reached down to open the cooler on the deck, wanting to grab a cold pop before joining the game. Before she reached into the ice, Jesse’s truck pulled up alongside the house and parked. He got out and opened the backdoor. Charlie and Grace spilled out of the backseat. Hazel appeared from the other side of the truck, holding a casserole pan covered in foil.

Frankie stood and waved, glad that Hazel and Grace were joining them. Frankie and Hazel had started to find a rhythm together this week between sharing a household, taking care of the kids, and working together. It would’ve felt strange if Hazel and Grace hadn’t joined them for Sunday dinner at the Weston’s.

The kids in the backyard yelled to Charlie and Grace, and the two girls ran off to join the kickball game. Hazel walked up the stairs and joined Frankie on the deck. She wore a cute sundress and sandals, and Frankie thought it’d be awfully hard to play kickball in that outfit. But that was okay. Frankie wouldn’t judge Hazel for her sense of fashion. Eventually, Hazel would give in to Wranglers and cowboy boots.

“Where should I put the Oreo cheesecake bars?” Hazel asked. Frankie was completely jerked out of her thoughts concerning kickball and clothes.

“Excuse me?” Frankie asked. “Did you say Oreo? And cheesecake? Like together?”

Hazel grinned, sheepishly. “Made it last night. After you went to bed.”

“You are a wizard.” Frankie opened the sliding door for Hazel. “You can add it to the smorgasbord on the island.”

Hazel stepped through the door and Joyce welcomed her from across the kitchen. Frankie had barely closed the door when Jesse handed her a Cherry Coke.

“Thanks,” Frankie said, cracking open the pop.

Jesse stood from his crouched position over the cooler and shook his wet arm off. She knew he’d searched the very bottom of the cooler to find her favorite.

“Two more of the horses went home today.” Frankie was referring to the horses they’d rescued last week. “The bay mare and the chestnut Thoroughbred.”

Jesse grabbed a pop for himself and shut the cooler. “The mare that colicked?”

“Yep.” Frankie took a swig of cold, cherry goodness and licked her lips. “I’m so glad she made it through that first night. I was worried about her.”

“Me too.”

“The horses belonged to a family from Winona. Two teenage girls. You should’ve seen the girls’ faces when they finally saw their horses.” Frankie was thankful she was able to help the girls get their horses back. Frankie still had the horse she grew up with—Ruby. Ruby was twenty-nine years old now and had seen Frankie through the roller coaster of life. She could only imagine what she would do if someone tried to steal her heart-horse. No, she didn’t have to imagine. She knew. She would’ve killed that someone. 

“How many are left?” Jesse asked.

“Two. Police are still trying to identify their owners.”

He nodded, and Frankie looked Jesse up and down. He was disconnected from their conversation, which was weird. If Frankie had been talking about the weather, she would’ve expected half his attention. But they were talking about horses. They always talked about horses. It was their favorite subject. She squinted at him, about to call him out when laughter bubbled out from the kitchen. Frankie peered through the glass door. Joyce was near the sink, waving a ladle through the air like she was telling a story. Anne and Judy were giggling. Hazel was laughing. Full-on laughing. Her head tipped back, a hand to her chest.

“Must’ve been a good story.” Frankie turned back to Jesse to find him engrossed in whatever was going on in the kitchen. “Jesse? Are you really hungry or something?”

He was fully focused on the kitchen. He hadn’t even opened his pop yet.

Jesse’s gaze returned to Frankie. “What?”

She squinted at him again, and it suddenly dawned on her what he was looking at.

“Holy cow,” Frankie uttered. “You like Hazel.”

“What? No.” Jesse looked down at the can in his hand and popped the tab. He took a long drink, and Frankie knew he was avoiding her comment. 

It had been years since Frankie had seen that look on Jesse’s face—the one where his heart melted out through his eyes. She hadn’t seen him look at a woman like that since before he adopted Charlie—back when he was engaged to Emily. Had Frankie been so wrapped up in work, the horses, and the kids that she hadn’t noticed something growing between Jesse and Hazel?

“You totally like her.” Now that Frankie thought about it, she had noticed a difference in Jesse in the past week. It wasn’t strange that he arrived today with Hazel and Grace. He was a gentleman and had offered them a ride. Besides, his driveway literally passed the carriage house, where Hazel had been all morning, working on projects. In the past week, Jesse had been showing up at Frankie’s barn in the mornings, to work with Indy. During the week, he usually showed up in the evenings, after all his regular clients were taken care of. But Hazel wasn’t in the barn in the evenings. Now that she was working for Frankie, Hazel was in the barn during the day. Mostly in the office. “I thought it was weird that you kept going into the office to fill up your thermos. I’ve never seen you drink so much coffee. I thought I was going to have to take out a loan just to keep coffee grounds stocked.”

Jesse chuckled, uncomfortably. “I drank a whole pot on Friday. By myself. And I was only at your place for an hour. Had the shakes by noon.”

Frankie laughed, knowing she’d hit the nail on the head. Jesse had been making excuses to spend time in the office, to talk with Hazel. “So, you do like her, then?” Frankie posed her statement with less snark this time, trying to get Jesse to confess.

Jesse shrugged. “Not sure liking her is a good idea.”

Frankie hooked a thumb in her belt loop. “Why? Because she’s going to leave?” It was the exact thing Frankie was worried of. Now that she was getting to know Hazel, Frankie knew she wanted her sister to stay in Maple Bay, to stay a part of her life. 

Jesse raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the railing. “I’m not in a place in my life anymore where I can just date or have a fling. If I’m going to get involved with a woman, I need to know there’s a good chance she’ll stay in my life for . . .”

Jesse trailed off, not finishing his sentence.

“Forever.” Frankie abruptly finished his sentence. She knew what Jesse wanted. He was ready for a family and wouldn’t let anyone into his heart that wasn’t also ready for that commitment. He’d changed after Sarah’s death, and Frankie knew it had to do with many things—guilt, responsibility, need.

Frankie had changed as well. She didn’t take her family or friends for granted anymore, not for one second. She knew everything could change in an instant.

The door slid open and Hazel joined them on the deck, a big smile on her face.

“I love that you guys get together every Sunday. What a beautiful tradition.” Hazel raised her shoulders like she was overflowing with happiness. When neither Jesse nor Frankie responded right away, Hazel’s face fell. “Did I interrupt something?”

Jesse stood from the railing. “No, we were just talking about—” He looked like a deer in headlights.

Frankie jumped in. “Corn.”

Hazel squinted an eye. “Corn?”

“Yeah, it’s going to be a real good year for corn. See how tall it is already?” Frankie pointed to the neighbor’s corn field. “Another month and it’ll be taller than Jesse.”

“And that’s good when it’s really tall?” Hazel asked.

“Yep, real good.” Frankie looked back at Jesse. His eyes were pleading at her to close her mouth. She didn’t. Instead, she jumped to a new topic. One that could be good for both her and Jesse. “Hazel, have you ever thought about cooking for a living?”

“Me? Like in a restaurant?” Hazel asked.

“You’re an amazing cook, and it seems like you really enjoy it. You could work in a restaurant, start a bakery, or—” Frankie paused to drive home her point. “You could officially turn the carriage house into a bed-and-breakfast. Maple Bay doesn’t have an inn, and the carriage house is in a great location, right next to the lake. It’s the perfect getaway spot. And I honestly think people would come from all across the state just to get your cooking.”

Frankie couldn’t tell if Hazel was taken aback by her suggestion or considering it, but a shrill ring distracted them both. Pulling a cell phone from a pocket hidden in her sundress, Hazel looked down at the screen. She frowned.

“I have to take this,” Hazel said. “Excuse me.”

She gave a polite smile and answered the call as she walked off the deck and past Jesse’s truck, obviously wanting space for a private conversation. As she did, Frankie’s head churned with ways in which she could convince Hazel to stay beyond the summer. And how she could get Jesse and Hazel to spend more time together.