Page 34 of Cognac & Cornflowers

Jacob looked at the little Ford Focus – Fred. “You don’t think there’s any way to fix it?”

“Like I said. The engine’s blown. It could maybe be rebuilt. Or it could be replaced. But either option would cost more than it’s worth. I know you had a coffee date planned this morning, but you might be better taking her car shopping.”

“Yeah.”

Slade laughed. “You have to see this, too.” He opened the door and gestured for Jacob to look inside.

He shook his head when he saw a little plastic vase attached to the dashboard with two plastic flowers sitting inside it.

Slade grinned at him. “As soon as I saw those, I knew that she really is as sweet as she seems.”

Jacob nodded. Something about those silly plastic flowers touched his heart. He met Slade’s gaze. “Is shetoosweet for me, do you think? Should I just leave her alone?”

Slade looked shocked. “Hell no! That’s not what I meant. I have high hopes for you and her. She’s awesome. And I think she’s just the kind of sweet that you need.” His smile faded. “I hate to say it, but when was the last time that you and I hung out and talked like this?”

He was right. Jacob knew that over the last few years, more like over the last nine years – since his parents died – he’d grown distant from, well, everyone if he was honest. It struck him that yesterday when Slade had said that they’d been friends since they were kids, he’d been telling the truth. They had. It was just that Jacob hadn’t had the time for friends or for any genuine connection with anyone in years.

Slade gave him a wry smile. “I think Becca might bring out the best in you.”

He had to smile back at him. “I think you might be right.”

~ ~ ~

Becca ended the call and set her phone down on the counter. Crap, crap, crap! She’d called the property management company to find out how much it would cost her to break the lease. It wasn’t good news. The girl on the phone had told her that she would have to pay two months’ rent to get out of it. Even if they used the deposit as one of the months, she’d still have to find another month’s rent before she was free. And even then, she’d need to have enough for another security deposit and the first month’s rent on a new place. Even if she could find somewhere small and cheap, it’d be a stretch. And with who knew what it was going to cost to either fix Fred or find another vehicle, there was no way she could do it.

She rested her elbows on the counter and pressed her fists into her forehead. She was screwed. Well and truly screwed.

She eyed her phone when it rang. That was probably Jacob. He’d said he’d come over and let her know what the deal was with Fred. She was grateful to him. But she didn’t want him to know just what kind of mess she was in. How could someone like him understand?

She decided to just let it ring. She could call him back in a few minutes when she’d pulled herself together. She didn’t want to be a downer.

Still, she pulled the phone toward her again. Even seeing his name on the display usually put a smile on her face.

Except it wasn’t his name. She frowned when she saw that it was Aiden. What did he want? They hadn’t spoken for a couple of months. He’d called her a few times after he left – still trying to persuade her that she could go to Vegas with him. He wasn’t a bad guy. It was just like her dad had said – he never thought about anyone except himself. She got that the job in Vegas had been a good move for him, but it had been the end for them. He’d blamed her that she wouldn’t just give up her life to follow him. But she’d done that once. That was why she was here in Napa. And she did care about other people. She cared that if she’d left just a few weeks into the year, she’d have left the school in a tough spot. And besides, she’d made a commitment to the kids in her class.

She blew out a sigh as she waited for the phone to stop ringing. He’d either leave her a message to say what he wanted, or he wouldn’t. She was kind of hoping that he wouldn’t.

She waited when it stopped, but instead of beeping with an incoming message, it started ringing again. She made a face and swiped to answer.

“Hello?”

“Becs! How you doing, baby?”

She frowned. Even when they’d been together, he only called her baby when he wanted something – or he was drunk. “I’m okay, thanks. How are you?”

“Yeah. I’m good. Things are going great. The company’s on the rise. We’re going places, Becca.”

“Good. I’m happy for you.” She waited, doubting that he’d called her to tell her that.

“Are you still in the townhouse?”

She frowned. “Yes. Why?”

“I’m putting money into the company. It’ll pay off big time in the long run. I want to put in as much as I can. So, I’m going to need my half of the deposit back.”

Becca closed her eyes.

“You still there?”

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