Chapter Thirteen
Bacon sizzled on the small stovetop, and Jake had to fend off the incoming grease from hitting his shirt. “Now I know why your mom is always telling us to wear aprons.” He flipped the meat and turned the burner down as he focused on the eggs next.
“You really don’t have to do all the work. I can help, you know.” Summer sat at the small island stool, hands wrapped around her coffee cup. Jake loved the way her hair was pulled into a top bun, her face fresh and free of makeup. She looked more rested than she had in a while, and that might have something to do with the fact that they’d slept for ten straight hours. Jake didn’t know the last time he’d done that, and couldn’t believe the difference it made. His head felt clear; his heart, full.
“You did the work last night,” he said, giving her a sideways grin.
Summer stuck her tongue out at him, and he turned away to crack a couple of eggs. “Over easy fine with you?”
“Definitely,” she said.
Aspen was sitting a foot away from Jake, and he almost tripped on the bacon-obsessed dog. “Shoo, boy. Get out of here.” Jake wasn’t surprised in the least when the dog did no such thing.
“What’s on the agenda today?” Summer asked.
“I thought we’d go for a hike. There are some great trails around here, according to Andrea.” Jake waited for just the right moment and flipped the eggs, managing to not break either yolk.
“That sounds good to me. Come on now; let me help. I can make the toast.” Summer got up and wrapped her arms around Jake from behind, pulling him close. Her hands massaged his shoulders before breaking free to place two slices of bread into the dated toaster.
Jake loved the little cabin. It was old, but everything was well-maintained. He recognized a few things that he’d sold to Andrea through the years: updated cabinet hardware, the light fixture in the bathroom. It was odd to see things off his hardware store shelves inside a cabin like this.
“Summer?” he asked, getting her attention.
“Yeah?” She was buttering the toast, which had overcooked slightly. Small black crumbs fell to the plate with each stroke of the knife.
“Do you think I’ll own this hardware store my whole life?” he asked. It was something he really hadn’t given much thought to, somehow.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I never intended to run a store. I’m a plumber. I had dreams of getting into the commercial game, running crews building high-rises and sports arenas. Then Kyle died and left me the keys to Pines Hardware.” Jake served the food, and they sat at the island beside each other, angled inward so their knees touched.
Summer scrunched up her forehead. “That’s a good question. Do you like running the hardware store? I’ve always thought you did. You used to complain about doing the resort job after hours, making it sound like you wanted nothing more in the world than to spend your time only at the hardware store.”
“That’s just because I was working two jobs.” Jake felt like he was on the brink of an epiphany, or perhaps he’d already had it while the bacon was crackling. “Maybe there’s more out there for me.”
Summer gazed at him lovingly. Some partners would tell him he was being crazy. The hardware store was making money and giving them a solid future. Jake wasn’t sure what he was going to do in the future, but seeing the look of support Summer gave him at that moment let him breathe easily about it.
“I think there might be. Maybe it’s not even the plumbing vocation. Or maybe you keep the store but hire a manager to run it for you while you do something else. Maybe you expand, giving the surrounding communities well-needed small-footprint hardware stores.” Summer smiled before biting into a slice of crispy bacon.
Jake was enjoying the conversation. “Morretti Hardware. That has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“It really does. Who knows? Maybe there’ll be Peaceful Pines studios all over Vermont in a few years,” Summer whispered.
Jake set a hand on her knee. “Look at us. All grown up and thinking about the future. When did this happen?”
She shrugged. “It was bound to happen sometime. I’m just glad we’re on the same page” – she paused – “about everything. We’re lucky to share this.”
“Breakfast?” Jake joked.
“Life.” Summer finished her piece of bacon, and Jake nodded in agreement.
Aspen made a whimper, drooling over the bacon. Jake found his food dish and fed him, realizing he’d forgotten. “Ready for a hike?” he asked Summer as the dog noisily wolfed down his breakfast.
*
The sun was high and hot, but it cooled at least five degrees as they headed into the sanctuary of the forest canopy. Summer still had a thick layer of sunscreen on, knowing they’d be outside for most of the day.
“I don’t see any mosquitoes,” she noted. She tied a floral scarf around her forehead to keep stray hairs from sticking to her forehead.
“I think it’s because of the drought. We haven’t had any standing water around here in some time,” Jake said. He was wearing cargo shorts, dog treats in one pocket, trail mix in the other. He was ever the Boy Scout, making sure he was prepared for anything. If she looked closely, she was sure she’d find a knife in his shorts and who knows what else tucked away. She’d always thought of cargo shorts as the equivalent of a woman’s purse. There was always something strange in each pocket.
The path cut through the trees, which looked to be a mixture of hardwoods: maple, beech, and birch. They stood strong and tall, and Summer couldn’t help but feel they were a representation of her and Jake’s relationship at that moment. She sped up to catch Jake and slid her hand into his as they walked. “This is amazing.”
Jake took a deep breath. “The Pines has some great forest around it, but this” – he took another inhale – “is something special. It’s… I don’t know… inspiring out here.”
She understood exactly what he meant. She looked up, seeing the high sun peeking through the overlapping leaves above. She heard a babbling brook to their left and the rustling of foliage as the wind gently made its presence known. She stopped, closing her eyes, and soaked it all in.
Her life had become a hectic seven-days-a-week rush since she’d been back to the Pines, and moments like this were too rare to go unnoticed. Jake didn’t say anything, and she thought he might have closed his eyes too.
Summer felt Aspen’s wet nose touch her hand, and she laughed, the girlish laugh of a child, someone not inundated with the heaviness of adulthood. She felt freedom out here, in this moment, and was suddenly overwhelmed with joy.
Out here in the quiet forest, her body shed its frustration and fears, leaving her stronger, more capable of dealing with anything. She felt the change as sure as if a switch was flipped internally. She let out a big scream of frustration to flush out her remaining tension. Jake joined her with a loud growl. Aspen took the opportunity to join them and let out a howl of his own, mixed with a yip or two.
They turned to one another and looked into each other’s eyes. He kissed her nose, and she laughed again. “I guess I really did need this,” she said.
“I think so,” was all he replied.
“I feel amazing.” She really did. “Let’s keep going. Now that I’ve left that behind me, I can look forward to the next moment.”
Aspen ran ahead, scouting the area, making sure there were no squirrels in their way, and they reached the water cutting through the forest bed. A sturdy wooden bridge crossed it, and they stood in the middle of it, leaning on the railing, watching the water roll by.
Jake grabbed two sticks; one had a leaf stuck to it. “I have a game. You get leafy, and I get the bare branch. We drop them at the same time here.” He pointed to the water below the bridge. “We run to the other side, and whoever’s stick passes by first wins.”
Summer loved to see him like this. “Deal. But you know there’s no way leafy can lose this. She basically has a built-in sail.”
Leafy did indeed win, and they kept going, entering the thicker forest, which led to a small mountainside. It was more a hill, but it had a name proclaiming it a mountain, and who was Summer to argue with geologists? By the time they reached the end of the path, Summer was getting hungry, and they decided to head back.
“Still up for a canoe ride?” Jake asked.
*
The day literally had been flawless. Jake tried to remember a better one, and the only time that came close was when they’d spent a summer day together outside last year on the Fourth of July. Only that day had ended with Summer running away after Jessie showed up at the party.
Nothing was going to ruin today. Jake paddled the canoe back to the dock, and was surprised by how low the sun was getting in the west. “I have no idea what time it is. When’s the last time you could have declared that?”
“I’m not sure.” Summer laughed. “Never?”
Aspen was in the canoe between them, having the time of his life. Only once had he tried to jump out, after seeing a content duck swimming by them. Jake had caught him in time, and Aspen seemed to have learned his lesson.
The lake was small, but serene, and devoid of power boats and Jet Skis. The only people out on it were small families in canoes or fishing buddies hugging the coast, trying to get bites.
Jake brought them in close to the dock, and Summer grabbed hold of the post and rope. When they were secure, Jake called Aspen, and he happily ran out onto the wooden dock, then down to the grass, where he sniffed around.
Summer and Jake stayed at the end of the dock, hugging one another close. “Jake, I don’t want this day to end.”
“Neither do I.”
They headed inside, and Summer suggested they shower to wash off the day of sunscreen and sweat. The bathroom had an old clawfoot tub with a shower attached, and a curtain that went the full three-sixty around the basin.
“I don’t think we can both fit,” Jake said, but Summer seemed to disagree.
She shed her clothing in seconds, Jake seeing the slight outlines of a sun tan on her shoulders and on her chest. Without a word, she stepped into the steaming water; the mirror was already beginning to fog. Jake didn’t hesitate. His shorts fell, and he peeled his t-shirt off before getting in behind her.
Her hair was sudsy, peppermint shampoo exuding its scent over the room now. He felt her hands on his chest as she pressed closer. Water splashed around the small tub as her lips found his, and Jake now knew for sure that he’d found the day he’d never forget.