Chapter Seven
The door chimes rang, and Jake checked his watch. He couldn’t believe it was already two in the afternoon. The morning had flown by. He realized he hadn’t even had lunch yet.
“Afternoon, Clark,” Jake said affably.
Clark waved at him. “Hey, Jake. How’s it going?”
“Good. How was your English final?” Jake asked.
His young worker shrugged; his quiet mood seemed exceptionally sullen today. “It was okay.”
Something was wrong. Jake could tell. He didn’t want to pry into Clark’s life, though. He’d talk about it if he wanted to.
The door opened again, and Summer walked in. Jake’s day improved just by the sight of her. She was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with thin black stripes, and black capri tights, her hair up in a yoga-teaching bun. The whole ensemble had him going as soon as he saw it. Memories of the other night’s private yoga class still lingered in the forefront of his brain. That woman was so flexible.
“Jake? Why are you staring at me like that?” Summer asked.
He smiled, laughing at himself. He tried to cover his reaction but failed miserably. “Uhm… nothing. I was just…”
“Right.” She cut him a knowing grin and rested her hands on his chest. “Can we talk for a moment?”
Jake glanced at Clark, who’d thrown on a Pines Hardware smock and was behind the sales counter. He caught Clark checking Summer out, and the boy knew he’d been caught. He turned away, pretending to do something.
“Clark, do you mind changing the paper in the invoice printer? It’s almost empty,” he said, making up a task for the kid so he could have a moment.
Clark didn’t reply; he just headed through the staff door as fast as he was able. “What’s up?” Jake asked.
She looked up at him with big eyes. “It’s about this weekend. I’m sorry, but I have to bail.”
“Why? We haven’t seen them for so long, and they’re expecting us.” Jake braced himself for the explanation.
“I know, and I want to see them. But with Mountain Spin here now, I need to up my marketing game, and Trina’s coming to town to stay at the resort, and she asked me to join her. We’re going to infiltrate the studio and try the classes out, see what it’s all about.” Summer was speaking fast, and Jake could tell she was upset about it all.
“Does it have to be this weekend, though?” he asked. He set his hands on her waist as he looked down at her. She buried her head into his chest and pressed her body against him while sighing. She always knew his weaknesses.
“We can’t wait any longer. I need to have an action plan before the tourists are here in full force. I can’t sit back while Mountain Spin gets all the new business. We can’t afford it.” Her last few words hit him in the gut. She was right. They needed her studio to do well, especially now, with the house almost ready to move into.
He nodded and didn’t argue with her about it. “Lisa will be sad, but Aspen and I will still go, if that’s all right with you?”
“Tell her we’ll have them out as soon as the house is done. They can stay for as long as they like in the guest room.”
Jake loved her for that. “I’ll tell her that. I’m sorry you have to deal with this. I’m sure you and Trina will come up with a great plan.”
“So do I. Thanks for understanding,” she said before giving him a tender kiss.
“Keep that up, and I’ll be back for another lesson tonight,” he said with a growl in his voice.
She tapped his nose with her index finger. “I was thinking you might show me how to stock shelves here tonight. Maybe reprimand me for being late to work.”
He smiled, loving how she could give him bad news but still make him want to laugh at the same time. “Doors close at six. I’ll be waiting.”
“With nothing but a smock on, I hope.” Summer gave him another kiss, a longer, lingering one, before his door opened, and a customer walked in. “See you later, Mr. Morretti.”
*
Summer hadn’t been out to the house for a few weeks, and she felt a nervous energy heading there now. Jake sat in the passenger seat of her SUV; his window was down and his right arm rested on the door.
She felt terrible about bailing on their weekend to see Stewart and Lisa and baby Lucy. Jake had seemed upset at first, but he’d been so sweet all week that she assumed he’d forgiven her. Even though she was stressed about her wedding and her business, she knew he was dealing with a lot too.
They pulled off the road and into the gravel driveway leading up to the house. It was Thursday evening, and all of the trade trucks were gone from the house for the night. Summer teared up as she parked. She hadn’t seen it so completed. The stonework was almost done on this side of the house, the roof was done, the shingles were up, and there were gutters on the ground, ready to be installed.
“Jake, it’s so beautiful,” she said as she got out, shutting her SUV door softly.
Aspen trotted over to her, and then he made for the garage, where Jake said the crew ate and often fed the pup. He was going to love living here; the dog already had memories of the place, and that warmed Summer’s heavy heart even more.
“It’s built for a princess,” Jake said with no tone of mockery in his voice.
She followed him to the door, and he motioned for her to use her key. It would be the first of many times she would unlock her house, and she breathed in, absorbing the monumental moment. To some, it was a small thing, but to her, at that moment, it meant the world. There was nothing but her, Jake, and their new home.
The locked clicked open, and she entered. “Jake, the floor… it’s so amazing.”
A small section of the hardwood floor was visible. Other parts deeper in the house were covered by brown paper, so they wouldn’t get stained or scratched during construction.
“Welcome home, babe.” Jake put his arms around her from behind, and she scanned the area. The fireplace sat to the right as they stepped into the space. It too was half done, but she imagined all the wood stacked beside it, stockings hanging on the mantel, Aspen lying beside the roaring flames on a cold winter’s night.
The kitchen was still almost empty. The cabinets were partially made, sitting in the middle of the room like roaming icebergs.
“Jake, the fixtures look perfect,” she said, looking at the pendants hanging down over what would be the kitchen island.
He nodded, smiling the whole time. She saw more of the hardwood here, and noticed something was off about it. “Is that what we picked out?”
He shot her a guilty look, and she swallowed. “No.”
“What happened?” she asked.
Jake set a hand on his hip. “The manufacturer killed the SKU, and we had to find a replacement.”
Summer knelt, running a hand over the wide dark plank. “They’re fantastic. Were they more?”
He nodded. “I have to be honest with you, babe. There have been a few things going wrong with the house.”
“Like what?” she asked, nervously twirling a blonde lock with her finger.
“The floor. The utilities had to be moved after they poured concrete, so they needed to dig it up. The first breaker panel they put in wouldn’t handle the home automation wiring, and since the electricians don’t do that installation, they wouldn’t pay to make the changes…” Jake’s face was long, his eyes suddenly exhausted-looking.
Summer crossed the room and put a hand to his face. She lifted onto her toes and kissed his nose. “Jake, what does it all mean?”
“About another twenty…”
Summer cut him off. “Thousand?”
He nodded. “But I’m doing the finished plumbing installation to save us seven.” He took her hands and forced a smile. She knew the difference. “Everything will be fine. Another two months, and we’ll be living here, never having to worry about the build again. We’ll be married… happy.”
She couldn’t help but be swept along with his words. He was right. Sometimes it was hard when you wanted to live in the moment. If your current moment is difficult, you can be dragged down by it, when the future can bring you reprieve. She grabbed hold of the image of the two of them coming there after their wedding, her in Jake’s arms as he carried her over the threshold.
“You’re right, Jake. Is there anything we need to do?” she asked. She stood by the area where the sink would be installed, gazing out from the large window to the lakefront.
“For the house? No. We just need to stay the course and keep working hard. If we put the work in, good things will come.” She knew Jake loved that saying, and it was true. Summer just hoped her studio would begin to float again, instead of sinking.
As they toured their future home, she couldn’t help but feel uplifted. Everything was going to be fine. She was going to be more than fine. She was going to find a way to thrive in the Pines, and her yoga studio was a big part of that. She told herself that a business wasn’t everything, though. Love, family, friends; those were important too.
“Want to go outside?” he asked.
She agreed, and they walked out the patio doors, Jake helping her to the ground since the patio was still under construction. The sun was setting, casting its glow across the water, and she let a few tears trickle down her face, feeling something of a release by doing so.
Jake didn’t say anything; he just held her as they watched the view. The view of Maple Mountain and the lake, which they would have for the rest of their lives together. It was perfect.