Jennifer's Garden (26 page)

Around five a.m., Jennifer finally gave up on sleep.  Consumed with the plight of Patty and Blake, she needed to do something.  They were hanging on the edge of prognosis, his condition liable to go either way.  Even if he came through with honors and ribbons, it still meant a mountain of therapy.  In the beginning, he’d probably struggle with minimal function, dealing Patty the added responsibility of child-like demands from her husband.

It would be a difficult road for Patty.  Thankfully she had Sam by her side, but her sister could only stay on for so long.  Eventually, Sam would have to return to her legal practice, leaving Patty to her own device.

Upon arrival at the hospital, she spoke with her colleagues regarding Blake’s condition, but much to her dismay, she had given Sam the best advice she could have; it’s a wait and see proposition.  The first few days were crucial.  The patient’s inert body was solely responsible for driving the recovery.

Which didn’t help Sam.  She had called three times throughout the day and Jennifer wasn’t sure if it was truly on Blake’s behalf, or a compelling need to feel useful.  Doing nothing was not on her agenda.  Yet unable to give her more, Jennifer merely listened as the heartache spilled forth.  Not much, but it was the best she could do.

Arriving home that evening, Jennifer was heartened to see Jax’s truck by the garage.  It would be a nice escape to talk about something other than Blake.  But in a rush of realization, Jennifer knew she would have to tell him about Sam.  Granted, they weren’t close friends, but he was certainly familiar with her.  It would be awkward to purposefully withhold the news as opposed to the more natural sharing of the day’s events, as had become their habit.

At once, she opened her door and made her way for him.  Standing beneath the arbor, he weaved vines through the arches elevated above.  A distant rumble vibrated through the air as a cloud swept into the sun’s path.  It was a welcome rush of cool, the heat merciless during this late hour in the day, though Jax seemed oblivious.

Marveling at the difference a walkway between patio and pool made, she was beginning to be able to form a picture in her mind.  She could easily envision her wedding here, chairs lining the lawn, filled with family and friends.  A smile eased onto her lips.  Jax was right.  It would make an enchanting setting for bride and groom. 
Or had Aurelio said that
?

At once perturbed by her muddle of memory, Jennifer batted the minor detail away.  It didn’t matter who said what, this will indeed be a wonderful backdrop for a garden wedding, period.  Did it matter who received credit?

Jax moved around the wooden pillar, continually twisting the flowery climber, but waved when he saw her.  She waved back, waiting for him to stop what he was doing and give her the routine progress report.  Or something like that...

It was but a whisper from her heart, and one she refused to acknowledge.  Making haste across the expanse of ragged lawn, she ignored the slight sink of her soft leather heels as she trekked over the dirt.  It was more important to see how Jax was faring.  She wanted to hear what he was planning, hear what he had done.  She wanted to
talk
, something her subconscious wouldn’t label so simply.

“Hello, Dr. Hamilton,” he said, using her more formal address.

“Hello, Jax,” she replied with a smile, refusing to do the same, though she wondered if her full suit was to blame.  The cropped khaki blazer was one of her more casual ones.  She didn’t think it made her seem austere.

Did he
?

“What do you think?” he asked, hands moving to his hips, an eye to his handiwork.

Absently brushing a loose strand of hair behind an ear, she smoothed down the back of her jacket.  “That it looks fabulous.  As does everything you do.”

“Can I get that in writing?”  Relaxed, easy, he chuckled.

A clear sign he felt comfortable with her.  Jennifer knew the last thing he needed was a referral from her, but played along, “Not before my lawyer gets a gander.”

“I know your lawyer.”  He grinned.  “She’s a shark.  I’d be wise to sharpen my skills of survival before I face
her
on a dark beach.”

“Jax.”  Her shift in tone was unmistakable.  “Sam’s in Ohio.”

Question stopped his jovial brown gaze cold.

“Her brother-in-law had a stroke.”

She felt the empathy immediately as his eyes filled with concern.  “Oh no...  How bad?”

 “It’s pretty serious.  How bad...”  She held out open palms.  “We don’t know yet.  It’s too soon to tell, but the good news is he’s hanging in there.”

“Thank God,” Jax said, genuinely relieved.

Compassion, she mused. 
Every day, with everyone
.

Pulling a glove from one hand, he wiped the sheen of sweat from his brow.  Above them, the sky grew a shade darker, the air a degree cooler.

“At this point, Sam may be struggling the most,” she went on.  “She’s taking charge of four children under the age of nine; a trice more difficult for her than criminal defense.”

It seemed Jax glimpsed the irony in that, too, but his brown eyes buoyed.  “She’s a spitfire.  If anyone can handle the challenge, she can.”

Jennifer nodded and found it odd.  He didn’t know Sam that well, yet to talk about her with him felt like they were discussing a mutual friend, the trials and trauma for which both could appreciate on Sam’s behalf.  She sighed.  “I hope so.  Stroke recovery can be a long haul.  Her sister’s going to need all the help she can get.”

“She’s lucky to have Sam.”

Her sentiments, exactly.

The wind picked up, blowing hair across her face which she brushed instantly aside, her gaze fixed on his in this moment of alliance.

“People need all the support they can get when pushed up against a wall.  Family illness shoves hard.”

“Yes,” Jennifer nodded again, thinking of her mother.  Indeed it did.  With sudden realization, she thought of
his
mother.  Jax was no stranger to family illness.

“My sister was the Rock of Gibraltar when my mom died.  If it hadn’t been for her dragging me back to my right mind, I might have sunk into a nasty depression.”

Jennifer feared the very same for herself when her mother passed.  It was as if he sensed it.

His gaze intensified and his voice softened.  “My mom was the light of my life, Jennifer.  But she always told me, life was about
living
, and nothing would disappoint her more than if I tossed mine into the gutter when she died.”

“You two were close...”

“Like H-two and oh.  The basis of life.  There didn’t live a woman more dear to my heart, another human being who loved me more.  Mother and child...  It’s a bond that can’t be duplicated.”

“It must have been hard on you...” she murmured, feeling at a loss to express her feelings more fully.  But fighting the fear of losing the very same bond in her own life, she felt inadequate.

“She was the ground I walked on.  The air I breathed.  The day she died was the toughest in my life.”

A tear slipped free from the corner of her eye, but Jax pretended not to see it.  The air took on a cool mist, his expression turned warm and firm.  “My mom was an incredible woman.  She made me who I am today and I won’t disappoint her by being anything less than the best I can be.”

Jennifer nodded, a streak of pride bolting through her.  How proud his mother would be if she could hear him now.

“Sam will be all right.”

The depths in his eyes, the soft quality to his voice...  His smile reached out to her, soothing as a caress on her cheek.  So real, she could almost feel his hand on her face, his fingers trailing along her skin.  The sensation stirred a need deep inside her.

“Sam has you, Jennifer, and you’ll see her through.”

She wanted to share his certainty, to feel it was true.  “I haven’t been of much help, really...” she protested feebly, rubbing her arms against the sudden chill.

“Just knowing you’re here is enough.”  Brown eyes turned silken.  “Trust me.  When you’re in the middle of a crisis, having someone by your side means everything.”

Overhead, a black cloud cracked open, followed by a flash of light.  Jennifer’s head shot up.  Her arms flung open.  Rain fell in heavy sheets.  Jax seemed just as surprised but was quicker to respond, making a mad dash for the house, gesturing for her to follow.  Pelted by rain, the two ran up the steps and careened into a halt on the back porch.

“Whoa!” he shouted above the thunderous rain.  “Where did that come from?”

“I have no idea!” she said, embarrassed by her sopping-wet appearance, amazed neither had seen it coming.  She watched as he shook droplets of rain from his hair, then run a hand through it, rubbing out the remainder.

She missed it, because she had been so caught up in their conversation, drawn in by his words...

Words of empathy, one friend to another, that’s what they were.  “I didn’t realize it was forecast to storm,” she mumbled, tripping over the last thought.

That’s what they were
.

Words of empathy?  Or were they friends...?

Puzzled by her own assessment, she stared at him.  The battering overhead increased its intensity, but she heard none of it, her mind ensnared by the question.

“The weatherman probably didn’t either.  I think they usually guess,” he added with a grin.

That grin
.  That irrepressible sign of self-possession of his was fully intact.  Jennifer brushed hands over either side of her wet head.  She smoothed her hair into place, squeezed the excess water from her ponytail.  Empathy, self-possession, contentment...

They were qualities in a man that held strong appeal, she could not deny.  Beneath this man’s rough exterior lay a heart of gold.  “Would you like to come in?”

“Sure,” he replied.

She meant until the rain stopped, but her words held invitation—like a first date.  A sudden swarm of nerves rose in her belly.  With a sideways glance to the yard, the rain, the pounding storm, she opened the door.

Unable to retract the invitation, and not sure she wanted to, she gestured for him to follow.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Can I get you something to drink?”

Jax wiped the mud from his boots on the mat and entered. “Water would be great.”

“Have a seat.”  Jennifer indicated the breakfast table, and quickly slipped out of her blazer.  Her white button-down dry, she felt a tad more normal. 
A relief
.

Hanging her jacket over the back of a chair, she retrieved two bottles of water from the refrigerator.

Jax was still standing when she returned.  “I’m a bit wet,” he said with a sheepish smile.  “I don’t want to ruin your chairs.”

A fidgety tickle brushed beneath her ribs.  “Don’t be silly, Jax.  A little water never hurt anything.”

“I’m covered in more than a little water,” he said, amusement dancing in his eyes.

She caught the implication.  Dirt, grime.  Somehow, she minded none of it.  “They’re made of wood.  From the outside.  I hear it’s pretty durable stuff.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m good.”

Jennifer handed him the bottle, then fussed with the half-dry, half-wet tangles of her hair, patting them down for a more groomed appearance.  The attempt was weak, but the effort made her feel better.

“Nice drawing.”  He indicated the sketch pad laying open on the counter.  “You do it?”

A flush of self-consciousness swept through her.  “Yes.  I was, uh, playing around with some pencils the other day and—“

“You’re good.”

The flat statement of fact chopped off her attempt to downplay the drawing.  She grazed the floor with her gaze before returning to him.  “Thank you.”

“You have quite a talent.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she said, pride bursting in her chest.  “It’s just something I enjoy...”

A sudden boom of thunder engulfed the house, pulling her gaze outdoors.  “It’s really coming down, isn’t it?”

She sways and rocks, giving herself to the passionate throes, then explodes, high above the landscape in a spectacular light show, releasing herself in a thunderous downpour, bathing the earth with her riches
.

An involuntary smile crossed her lips.

“Something funny?”

“No,” she said with a quick and determined grin.  “No, there is
not
.”  Closing her fist around her water bottle, she tamped down the jumpy nerves in her chest.

Mildly confused, Jax took a swallow of water.

As she watched him, her mind considered the situation.  On the one hand, she was grateful the storm had saved them from the slide in conversation.  On the other, she enjoyed getting to know him.  Especially the relationship with his mother.  It was uncommon for mother and son to be so close.  Again, the thought banged around inside her head.  Why not married, with children?  Wouldn’t the two go hand in hand?  “You said your sister helped you through your mom’s death,” Jennifer began, willing his openness to continue.  “Are you still close with her?”