Page 44 of Evergreen Desires
His nonchalant comment grated on me. He had been hurt because of me in the car crash, and he had been hurt again in the greenhouse fire, all because of me. Yet, he talked like he’d just bumped his head on a kitchen cabinet. “Thank you,” I managed to say through gritted teeth.
“You're moving much better than I was when I was just released from the hospital.”
“We heal quickly,” I retorted, my tone harsher than I intended, causing Jake's eyebrows to rise slightly as he looked at me.
“Well, I know you heal quickly, and for that, I'm downright thankful.” Jake moved to the other side of the bed and lay down next to me. “I was scared that I was going to lose you. You've said that accidents andreallyold age are the only real causes of... death for Sasquatches.” The last word caught in his throat as he stared at me.
Panic surged through me. I shot out of bed, drawing a surprised gasp from Jake. “Jake, it's too dangerous for you to be with me. I get that you're saying you're going into this with your eyes wide open, but it’s still true.” I struggled to keep my voice steady, but it unintentionally rose in volume. “While I've always wanted your burdens on me, I don't want any of THIS on you.” I noticed my arms waving around madly. “Thank you for all you've done, but you can't be with me. I clearly can’t protect you. You got hurt again because of me. I know this hurts you, and for that, I am sorry... truly sorry.” I choked on the last part of that.
Jake just stared at me. When had he developed that stoic face?
“I don’t accept that,” he finally said.
“What? What do you mean you don’t accept that?”
“Just like I said. Every relationship I've ever had, men have used me. They never wanted my ‘burdens,’ as you called them. Thank you for rescuing me on more than one occasion. But you do NOT need to protect me. We will protect each other. So, NO, I don’t accept it.”
“It takes two for a relationship. So, you don't really have a choice now, do you? If I’m calling it quits?”
“You were in this relationship before I was,” Jake explained. “You made sure to tell me your intentions. You made sure to stay close. You didn't give up when I wasn't ready. You made sure to have everything I needed. You made sure to give me the room I needed. You did all of that… and I plan to do the same. I’ll wait as long as I need. Until YOU come to your senses.”
He was so calm as he spoke, laying out clear logic, even using my own actions against me. My head hurt too much to argue further. Pulling on my jeans, I left the room. “I need to go see what needs to happen in the greenhouse,” I called over my shoulder, wincing as my voice came out rougher than intended, especially given Jake's calmness.
CHAPTER 37
JAKE
“Where do you need me?" I asked Will as I joined a small group of people gathered in the greenhouse.
"Hey, give me a minute. There's something you and I must do. Let me finish giving some directions," he replied with a smile, turning his attention back to the group he was talking to.
Will was organizing a few teams of workers. Some were cleaning debris and hauling it to the dumpster on the far side of the greenhouse. Another group was busy repainting the office building exterior that had char marks from the fire. More were inside, doing cleaning and smoke remediation. It was organized chaos. The scary part was, Will seemed right at home and in control of the chaos.
He came over to me as I was watching some workers picking up the metal pieces from the spot where Beau was injured. "Hey, glad to see you today. I can use the help. Beau is talking with the insurance adjustor and the county fire investigator. They gave us the go-ahead to start clearing; the fire investigators took their photos and samples yesterday."
"You got this all organized that quickly?" I was genuinely impressed.
"Yeah, I've always been known as the guy who can make things happen. Small town, you know. Besides, they were happy to have work here in their backyard, even if it's a small job."
"Okay, put me to work. What do you need me for?"
"Two things, really. One, given the people here in the growing area around the plants, we’re required to monitor under the law. So, think of yourself as the security guard. The second thing is we need to check the plants. The cleanup team will pull out the pots and burnt plants from the far rows. You and I need to work down the next few rows to make sure they're good. There are likely some that need pruning from the heat, and others might be damaged from the melting greenhouse panels."
"That doesn't sound too bad. We can handle it."
"Agreed. I know most of these people, so I'm not too worried about the security side, but we still need to follow the rules. Let's not give Rich anything to hang his hat on if he calls the state board again. As for the plants, they might need a little love, both from us and from Beau."
My face involuntarily fell.Beauandlovein the same sentence felt like a punch in the gut after our fight yesterday.
"Hey, stop that,” Will, ever observant, said. “I know what's going on. Beau came in yesterday, all pissy, and I got it out of him. He was taken aback by the strength you're showing. Good for you! But, the truth is, he's scared. He lost his mother, and he's determined not to let anything happen to you. Like I said, you just need hang in there. He loves you; he can't deny that."
"He said that?" I asked, speechless.
"You know Beau. He was in here looking at the damage, watching the fire techs collect evidence. But he was brooding, so I dragged it out of him. Hang in there. You continue to show your strength, and feel free to vent to me. At least until he comes to his senses again." Will pulled me into a side hug, his arm around my shoulder, guiding me toward the far rows of the greenhouse to start our work.
We started at the far end of the row at the back of the greenhouse to avoid getting in the way of the workers clearing debris. We would just toss the plant and pot on the ground if it was not salvageable for the workers to come clear. As we moved towards the corner of the greenhouse, more and more of the plants were trashed.
Will tossed what seemed like the hundredth plant to the floor. “At least the fire only caught in the first few rows in this corner. Something like this could have taken out the whole greenhouse.”
