Rum and Raindrops: A Blueberry Springs Chick Lit Contemporary Romance (7 page)

“Yeah, maybe if I don’t burn the place down first.” Jen swung out the door and slammed into a solid form.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” said the deep voice.

Jen sucked in a breath. Oh, triple fudge brownies. “Rob,” she said in a shaky voice. “H-h-hi.”

“You big, horny pyromaniac!” Amber laughed. “Found someone hard already?” She came to the door and sized up Rob. “Hot stuff, you’d burn the place down all on your own. Come have a drink. Jen’s got time.”

Mandy made furious slicing motions with her arms, which Amber studiously ignored as she tried to pull Jen and Rob into the dimly lit bar. Jen backed away from Rob who was giving her a curious look.

“I’m actually on my way to an appointment,” Rob said politely, taking a step further down the sidewalk.

“This late at night?” Amber asked.

Rob shifted his leather folder to his other arm, shot the girls a smile, his gaze lingering slightly longer on Jen. Or had she just imagined that?

Why the hell did this man, of all the men traipsing through Blueberry Springs, have to be the one who turned her into a shaky mess? And why did Amber have to call her a pyromaniac within earshot? That girl was going to get her put behind bars.

“Oooh. He’s cute,” Amber cooed as she returned to the quiet bar without Rob. “Not as cute as my Russell, of course. Mmm, he’s one good man between the sheets. Glad I found him. But this guy?” She narrowed her eyes in a way that suggested she was undressing Rob in her memory. “Yes, he’s going to be good. Keep him in your sights.”

“He’s the fire inspector,” Jen said quietly.

Amber clapped her hands in glee. “Oh, my God. You
have
to do him now! It’s destiny!”

Jen rolled her eyes and returned to her still-warm stool. How long did she need to hide out before it would be safe to leave? Five minutes? An hour? A year?

Mandy, head buried in her phone, muttered, “Man, I just got Mother’s Day taken care of, Father’s Day sorted, a gift for Cynthia’s baby shower, and now I’ve got to get my dad something for his birthday. Does it ever end?”

The girls lined up at the bar, sipping their drinks.

“Thanks for signing him up for the Father’s Day hike, by the way,” Jen told Mandy, her drink at her lips. “Let’s hope there’ll still be a forest by then.”

The way her friends supported her outings was a strange feeling. One she hadn’t yet sorted out. It caught her off guard, especially when she was in the middle of failing, flailing and generally being completely doomed. She’d learned long ago that people who seemed interested in you always wanted something in the end. So what did they want?

“And he’s so damn hard to buy for. Any birthday gift ideas?” Mandy asked.

Amber shrugged, her shoulders hunched up by her ears. “Buying gifts is like trying to name a rabbit.”

“How is that the same?” Mandy asked.

“It isn’t.”

“Then why’d you say it?”

“Because I say stuff.”

Mandy rolled her eyes and smiled. She asked Jen, “What did you get your dad for his birthday?”

Jen shrugged.

“You’re as bad as I am.” Amber laughed. “I can’t remember. I gave my mom the same thing two years in a row for Christmas. She noticed.”

“I’m thinking I should give him a gift certificate to the hardware store,” Mandy said.

“Too impersonal,” Amber said, wrinkling her nose.

“But it’s useful and I don’t know what he needs.”

“Get him a tie.”

Mandy frowned.

“What do you think?” Amber asked, turning to Jen. “Gift card or tie?”

“I’m not choosing sides,” Jen muttered into her glass, wishing she could disappear.

“Why the glum look?” Amber asked. “Is your dad dead or something?” Amber paused, her voice low and worried. “I’ve never heard you mention him. He’s dead, isn’t he?”

“He’s not dead. I mean, I don’t think he is.”

“What do you mean,
you think
? When was the last time you talked to him?”

Jen paused as though she had to count it out. “About three years ago.”

“Three years!” Amber pushed herself back on her stool, her face blank with shock. “Three
years
? Is he in jail?”

Jen shrugged and grabbed a handful of nuts out of the bowl on the bar. “I don’t think so.”

“There it is again. ‘Think so.’ ”

“Did you have a falling out?” Mandy asked.

“You could say that.” Jen checked her watch. “I should go.”

Amber placed a hand on her arm. “Oh, no. You don’t drop a bomb like that and then take off.”

“What’s done is done.” Jen dusted her hands and gave a brisk nod. There was no point in talking about something that would sound juvenile to others. Even if the pain was just as great as it had been all those years ago.

“What does your mom think about all of this? Are they separated?” Amber frowned. “I can’t believe I don’t know anything about your family.” She shot Mandy another look as if to ask how Blueberry Springs could possibly not know everything from Jen’s past.

Jen laughed. Sometimes Blueberry Springs got fooled into thinking they knew someone. It was so easy. Smile, nod, and let them draw their own conclusions. They were going to anyway, so you might as well let them create their own adventure.

“When was the last time you talked to your mom?” Amber asked, leaning close, peering at Jen.

“It’s been awhile.” She gritted her jaw and smoothed a hand over her ponytail. This whole conversation was getting ridiculous. “Look, can we talk about something else?”

“You should talk to them,” Mandy said. “Life’s short. I know it’s not my business, but this is obviously something that time isn’t taking care of for you.”

Jen let out a long, slow breath. These girls wouldn’t understand. Sure, Mandy’s parents had been through a divorce, too, but Mandy had obviously done fine and moved on. They hadn’t used her as a weapon against each other, ripping her to shreds, then discarding her when she refused to play along. And Amber, hell, her mom and dad…well, they’d never even been together, but the man was still in Amber’s life. There was more than enough love to go around that girl several times over.

No, Jen was on her own and always would be. She pushed away from the bar and stood.

“So?” Mandy asked, grabbing Jen by the arm. “The canoe trip? Are you going to tell him he can’t come?”

“Not in your mouth,” Amber said quickly. She tipped her head back in contemplation. “Not the first time. Too intimate. Although pretty good for blackmail.”

“Why’d we even invite you?” Mandy asked, giving her a playful shove. “You’re disgusting.”

“I can’t afford to give him back his deposit,” Jen said. “I used it on advertising, which was obviously a big waste since I’ve apparently burned down the area instead.” Jen looked over at a table where some Blueberry Springs residents were enjoying a drink, relaxed, not appearing to be one bit worried that if the wind turned this place would be burned to a crisp within days. She quickly turned away and dropped her head in her hands. Why had she decided not to run, again? And now she couldn’t. She’d been officially asked by both Rob, the Scott, to not leave town. “When are they going to put out that damn fire, anyway?”

“It takes awhile,” Mandy said.

“Assuming I’m not in jail, and the forest hasn’t been completely destroyed I’m going to have to take him on the trip. There’s no choice.”

The door to Brew Babies opened, bringing with it faded daylight and the scent of burning forest.

“It’s out!” Mary Alice yelled breathlessly, her eyes shining bright. “Jen’s fire is out!”

“What?” Jen popped off her stool and stared at Mary Alice. “It’s what?” She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She was stuck, waiting for Mary Alice to move. Say something. Anything. Repeat what she thought she’d heard.

Oh, please.

“It’s out!” Mary Alice gripped Jen in a bear hug, heaving her up from her spot on the floor. Something in Mary Alice’s jingling bra poked Jen in the chest as she bounced her up and down.

Jen pushed herself away, gripping Mary Alice’s arm, watching for signs of a bad joke. “Are you for real?”

“As real as the lack of hair on my husband’s head.”

Jen turned to her friends and pulled them into a massive hug as she danced around in a circle, tears streaming down her face. It was out. Blueberry Springs was saved.

“This round is on me!” Jen yelled.

The group let out a whoop and Jen blinked. Shit. She shouldn’t have done that. She was going to need that money for the cost of firefighting if she didn’t find that old truck and the person who had been driving it out at Raspberry Creek Park. And right now, that felt darn near impossible.

CHAPTER 3

Jen glanced over her shoulder and out her open office door, spotting Wally.

“Need me up front?” she asked, turning to face him fully. She paused, half spun around. Rob. Rob standing behind Wally.

Crap on a stick. This couldn’t be good.

She’d enjoyed the past two and a half days of there not being a fire. Of dreaming of a future where she wasn’t clad in orange, hoping someone would bake a file into a cake. Of breathing lighter as the smoke slowly lifted from the town. Of seeing residents return, happy and relieved. Of being able to help people unload their vehicles, reversing the bad memories of loading her own car to escape Ken and the hurt and pain he’d caused. Of welcoming people back. Of relief. Of not having an elephant’s weight of guilt smashing down on her whenever she saw another loaded car leave town. Of not having eighty million ‘what if’s circling through her head. Of actually believing she hadn’t started that fire.

It had been easy to pretend her life was normal and back on track and that everything would be fine without Rob around. But now here he was and all her worries had come along with him. She was up on charges. She was going to spend every penny she had and ever would have between now and retirement paying for an accident.

Wally paused to size up Rob. “Rob needs to see you. Feel free to use my office if you need it.” He gave Rob a sidelong look similar to a father checking out a new suitor visiting his daughter. He sucked on his lower lip, tipping his head back for a full assessment. Rob gave him a quick, uncertain glance.

Jen moved between them, leaving her tiny office, and Wally eased off to tidy up a rack of windbreakers.

“What can I do for you?” Jen asked, noticing charcoal stains on the cuffs of Rob’s jeans, the darkness covering his boots.

She met his smoky eyes and her stomach tightened. What had he found? Was he here to arrest her? Clear her name? Take her up on her offer to go on a hike?

“I need you to take me to the clearing,” he asked at last.

“I don’t think it would be a particularly nice place to camp at the moment,” she said with a chuckle. The laugh faded immediately. Oh. Right. “Um, Saturday?”

So many people had cancelled out of her Saturday hike and picnic to the local waterfall that she’d had to combine it with the upcoming Father’s Day hike, which she would hold the day before Father’s Day. Apparently, people had a thing against hiking close to a forest fire. Which was completely understandable. But even with the fire out, the people she’d called had been hesitant even to reschedule. Maybe it was because of her. Despite her lovely reviews and references from past hikers posted on her website, at the moment she wasn’t exactly anyone’s first pick when it came to choosing a nature guide.

“I’d prefer to go sooner if that’s possible.” He lifted his ball cap and ran a hand through his hair.

“My first day off is Saturday.” If things were as bad as the rumors, she couldn’t afford to take a day off. But personally, she also couldn’t afford to spend a whole day alone with Rob. She’d say stupid things. And do stupid things. Like pet him when she thought he wasn’t looking. If he was going to save her, it might be best that she didn’t try to help.

“The sooner the better. Scott tried to take me there and it…didn’t work out.”

“He got lost, didn’t he?”

Rob gave her a flicker of a smile, his expression still serious. “I’d like to get up there while the evidence is still fresh.”

The smile slid off Jen’s face. “There is no evidence.” She crossed her arms. “Not the kind you’re looking for.”

He quirked his head. “What kind might that be?” He leaned closer, a woodsy scent following him.

“Evidence that I started the fire. Because I didn’t.” She turned in Wally’s direction and hollered, “Wally? Can I get tomorrow off? I’ve got to prove to Mr. Raine that I didn’t start that goddamn fire. He seems to believe I’m the kind of gal who would burn down the homes of innocent little rabbits and squirrels for shits and giggles.”

* * *

Jen shook the tension out of her hands and began sanding the canoe she was repairing with Wally in the back room of the store.

He’d been strangely quiet since Rob left, and she could feel his need to say something building like a storm within the room. She kept her head down, afraid of what she’d see in his eyes if she looked up.

Wally had always understood her. He’d been there when she’d crashed into Blueberry Springs, lost, heartbroken, and scared. Despite saying he didn’t need help in the store, he’d hired her. She hated to think where she’d have ended up if it hadn’t been for Wally. She also hated the idea of putting him in a position where he had to choose between her or the town. The town that had to be feeling a bit peeved at her if everyone truly believed she’d started the fire. What if they felt Wally was harboring an enemy? What if they boycotted his store?

“Okay, that’s enough sanding, I think,” Wally said.

Jen glanced at the canoe. She had gotten slightly carried away roughing up the surface around the canoe’s hole so they could apply a patch. She blew away the dust and Wally worked carefully and quietly, applying layers over the hole.

She couldn’t leave Wally to choose between her and the town. Tomorrow she would go to the clearing with Rob and prove without a doubt that she had not started the fire. Then everything would be solved and Wally wouldn’t have to choose.

Because choosing sucked. Just like thinking your home was safe when it wasn’t. She’d naively thought she was safe and loved as a teen until the day her parents sat her down and told her they were getting a divorce. They hadn’t been ‘together’ in more than two years despite sharing a roof, and they had both been seeing other people. What she thought was her family and her life had been a façade. And so when she turned sixteen, they’d decided Jen was old enough to deal with them splitting up. The big question was: who did she want to live with?