Page 19 of Waiting for Tuesday

I punched in my order for a cup of coffee and glanced over my shoulder. “Want anything?”

She only shook her head, not meeting my eyes as she continued to stare at the double doors.

We both startled some time later when Jake pushed the doors open. He walked toward us, his eyes dark and sunken, his clothes disheveled in a way that said he’d been wearing them all night.

“How is she?” I asked, even though the question made my stomach roll with fear.

Jake inhaled slowly then looked over his shoulder. “She’s resting.” He nodded, as though the action convinced himrestingwas all she needed. “The baby’s fine. The doctor said we’ll get to go home in a few hours.”

Em let out an audible sigh, and Jake turned around to face us again.

“What happened?” Em asked.

Jake raked his hands through his hair and shook his head. “Her placenta’s too low.” He sat down on a nearby seat and pushed his head back to the wall. “She’s on bedrest. She was working too hard… Dammit! I knew I should I have said something!” He hit the arms of his chair, causing the security guard to look over from his post in the corner.

Em and I glanced at each other before she sat down beside him. “Placenta previa?” she asked, taking Jake’s hand and squeezing it between her two.

He nodded but kept his head pushed back to the wall. “Yeah, I think so.”.

“She’ll be fine,” Em whispered. “Katie’s strong, your baby’s strong, and everything will be okay.”

Jake nodded, but remained quiet as we all sat there, truly breathing for the first time in hours, composing his nerves and working things out. He sat up a moment later and turned to look at me. His stance was determined, as though he’d finally decided something that has been eating at him for way too long.

He furrowed his brow and nodded his head. “I need your help.”

I braced my legs apart and shoved my hands in my pockets. “Anything.”

And I meant it.

Chapter EIGHT

Tuesday

* * *

Adrenalin pumpedthrough my veins as the sounds of construction filled my ears.I took a few cleansing breaths, twisted off the ignition, and inhaled the day I’d waited for three long years. Even from thirty feet away, I could see the transformation of the shop already taking place. Large trucks were already parked throughout the lot, men on lifts were tearing down sheets of warped, rotted siding, and my dreams were starting to take form. I closed my eyes, closed them super tight and focused on my vision. I could just make it out, the shop that reminded me of a little gingerbread house when I first saw it, a place that would be my home away from home, my future. I looped my arm through the wooden handle of my toolbox and grabbed my smoothie and box of donuts from the center console.

Work awaited me in the back room, and I was anxious to get started. I’d done my best at running my business out of boxes, but it was time to get caught up. I jogged across the lot, pushed through the plastic tarp that covered the front entrance, and somehow managed to set the donuts on a small table in the corner of the room without dropping anything. The men were already busy at work, but I called out to the only man who paid me any attention and lifted my chin. “For you.” I waved in the direction of the donuts. “Come eat while they're still warm.”

He smiled, and I knew what I offered was total bribery, but I was okay with that. My dream was finally coming true. If I had to tempt men with sweet pastries to make that dream come faster, I was going to do it.

I continued on to the back room, pushed my way through a plastic tarp that was the temporary divider, and stopped. I knew they’d be there, but for some reason, they looked more daunting this morning. Stacks and stacks of product boxes lined the floor like soldiers ready to attack me. My stomach twisted into uncomfortable knots.It didn’t seem like this much a few days ago.

Becky and I had moved everything earlier in the week. We’d planned to get organized, but it ended up being a bigger job than we’d both anticipated. The shop as a whole had turned into more than I anticipated, but I was in waist deep and didn’t have a paddle with me.

I looked around the room, overwhelmed by how much stuff there was to do. It seemed insignificant when spread out over a thousand places, but with it all condensedin one spot, I could finally see how much of a mess my life had become. My transient past finally contained in one place. Just looking at the haphazard room made me want to go to sleep. Forget about the whole thing and go back to my apartment. But I wasn’t a quitter—like hell, I would start now.

A tall box rested in the far corner of the room, and I knew that was where I needed to begin. I plopped my toolbox on the counter, took a long sip of smoothie, and pulled the instructions from the front envelope. But just as I started to read, voices down the hall pulled my attention.Jake.

I grabbed my smoothie, set the instructions on the top of the box, and rounded the corner.

Just as I’d anticipated, Jake and one of his crew were already engrossed in work. I rested a hip against the doorframe and watched them. They were both bent over, tool belts at their hips, andblueprints spread across the wide surface of my desk. It was like a scene from a romance movie. They were both tall, well built and strong..

I cleared my throat, needing to get their attention before my imagination did naughty things with them.

Both men turned in unison, Jake Johnson, his eyes bright blue but tired, andDonovan!

I held my breath.

---