To Begin Anew (Blue Jay Romance) (3 page)

While she thought over her actions, she absently bit into it. What was wrong with her? She didn’t normally act that way, not even with people she knew. Of course, maybe it stemmed from the fact that she’d known city people, known that they thought everything belonged to them, that they were entitled to their share of the world. It would fit that
Dr. Handsome
, that
Dr. Television
, would think everything was his too.

Well it wasn’t! To prove her point, Debra bit into the apple with zesty relish. It had browned on the bike ride over, but she didn’t care. She’d only gotten the one - not nearly enough for her - and she was by golly going to enjoy it!

After the apple was just a tooth-worn core in her hand, Debra got up from her position on the old floor and set to work making the little home presentable to folks that might wander in. The road into Blue Jay ran off a highway and even though they rarely got anyone to come stay for keeps, the Bed and Breakfast got it’s share of customers who were either too weary to continue on their way or stopping in town intentionally for curiosity.

The house only had five bedrooms, all of which were furnished with the necessary comforts including full-sized beds, remodeled closets and small tables for coffee in the morning. The main living room was now a common area and she’d purchased a nice sofa set and television that any person from town or the city would feel comfortable sitting down in and in front of.

Debra was pleased that, along with all the creature comforts she had at the ready, she also had a well-stocked kitchen and that she could offer a complete menu as well as take requests. All of the food items were titled ‘home-cooking’ which ran the gamut from meatloaf and mashed potatoes to roast, ham and everything in between. She’d gotten compliments on her cooking skills, on the very ‘authentic’ taste. She always scoffed at that one - of course it was authentic. Her mother had been her teacher. At least, her mother was the one who’d taught her to love the kitchen.

~*~*~

Living in a small town did indeed have its perks, as Eric was now beginning to learn. No one had questioned him when he was late that morning and it had been a somewhat slow day, so he met with no opposition when he wanted to leave a little earlier than usual. Of course, when he’d mentioned that he wanted to speak with Debra Brown about caring for his boys after school …. well, they practically tossed him out the door, wishing him well as they pushed against his back.

With all the praise this woman was getting from everyone he talked to, he almost expected her to be some sort of angel, complete with a soft glow emanating from her and wings as white as snow. Oh yes, let’s not forget the long, flowing wavy hair that reached the bottom of her shoulder blades. And the long, flowing white gown that fell in deep pleats and pooled at her feet. She probably floated a foot above the ground as well.

Chuckling and shaking his head at the vision he’d created in his mind, he drove towards the Blue Jay Bed and Breakfast Inn. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he also knew there was no way she could look anything like the image that insisted on searing itself into his brain.

Another perk of living here, Eric mused, was that there were only two redlights along the entire main road. It was obvious to him they’d been strategically placed to keep traffic as slow as possible near the elementary and middle schools. He smiled at the thoughtfulness of the town government for that little bit of wisdom. Oh yes, there was another light near Our Lady of Peace Hospital, but it wasn’t on the main drag. This one helped ease the congestion from the hospital and the nearby high school. Another evident piece of mayoral wisdom.

By now, David and Danny would be at Julia’s house, but Eric passed by the street he should have turned onto if he were going to pick them up. She was good with the boys, but she was also too forward about her intentions with him and he’d tried to let her down gently. It became apparent to him that she either ignored what he said or just didn’t catch on to subtleties. He’d have to be more direct, but also wanted to have someone else lined up to care for the boys when he told her he wasn’t interested.

During a particularly quiet time at work he’d checked the phone book and found the address for the Bed and Breakfast. When he called and spoke with Debra to ask where she was located, he learned the place was on the opposite side of town from the hospital. This was perfect because, according to what she’d told him, the Inn was only a few blocks past the street on which he lived. In fact, it was close to being the last place at the edge of town before Main Street emptied onto the state highway leading to the interstate three or four miles from the Blue Jay town limits.

~*~*~

One of the best things about her family home, and the main reason she’d kept the place and turned it into a bed and breakfast, was the beautiful, large lake at the farthest edge of the back yard. It was the same lake where Debra’s parents had drowned fifteen years ago, but she tried not to dwell on that. Too many bad memories there.

All the same, she enjoyed looking out the window of her small living room and watching the ripples dance on the surface of Bluebird Lake. Of course, it wasn’t just
her
lake because there were other houses bordering it here and there, but sometimes she felt like it belonged to her alone.

Sighing as the old memories tried to surface and she forced them back into the closet she’d built in her mind for them, Debra turned from the window and headed back into the kitchen for another cup of coffee. It would have to be her last one of the day or she wouldn’t be able to sleep well that night.

As she stepped to the counter and was about to reach for the pot of steaming brew, she heard the front door open. Being Thursday, it wasn’t unusual for the first guest of the weekend to pop in, but at the same time, it wasn’t normal for anyone to come in before supper time.

“I’ll be right with you,” she called out. “Have a seat in the living room, if you like.” There was the unmistakable sound of someone moving toward the suggested area.

She poured her final cup of warm, delicious nectar when she realized there was still enough for another mug. “Would you like a cup of coffee?” She tried to sound inviting and was pleased that it came out that way.

“No, thank you,” came the reply. A man’s voice, mellow and slightly rumbling. A light wanted to come on in her brain. Had she heard this voice before? It wasn’t very likely. More likely was that this was someone in town to visit relatives and he just happened to sound a little bit like them. Made total sense.

“If I have another cup now, I won’t sleep tonight,” came the explanation from the living room, though it wasn’t really needed. Now that voice was niggling at her mind. She
had
heard it, but where? Nothing was meshing right now, but something told her she would make the connection soon.

Debra doctored her coffee to her liking, took a moment for herself as she sipped and enjoyed it, then turned toward the door to the living room, the cup still in her hand. Curiosity as to who her first border of the weekend would be was what drove her forward. Surely she would recognize this guy as soon as she saw him. He had to be related to someone here in town. Why else would his voice sound so familiar to her.

She came to an abrupt halt and remained standing in the doorway. Staring at the man’s profile, it was no small wonder why she recognized the voice. Here he was sitting in her house. Unbelievable!

Debra, literally for a moment, was incapable of movement. Her brain, while it tried to understand what was happening, had to take a minute to adjust to the magnitude of surrealism. Was she hallucinating? Could she have possibly had too much coffee?

Quickly, Debra tried to force a smile on her face, tried to pretend that this man, this very irritating man, was just another customer. Another fish on the line - work was work and all that. She walked the short span from the doorway to the living room and, for the first time, her eyes met his.

Eric felt his mouth go dry and his mind go blank. He wondered briefly if he was on one of those television shows where at any moment someone was going to hop out from around a corner and tell him that this was all a joke. The vision of the woman he was expecting to meet and the woman who was here eyeballing him as if he’d sprouted antenna… well, they weren’t the same. He was fully prepared to leave, to cough into his hand and graciously excuse himself.

“I must have the wrong…”

Debra shook her head. “I think you’re right where you’re supposed to be.” She folded her arms to her chest. “The question is, what brought you here?”

Eric blinked. The woman was unbelievable. But then again, if what the people around town were saying about her was true, then she’d have to be some kind of stubborn to handle children the way she did. He smiled to himself, remembering his wife and the hard mothering core she’d had at her center. Children could sense fear, she’d said.

Eric ran a hand through his hair. “I was told you were the person to go to if I needed someone to watch my children. Frankly, the woman I have employed now isn’t working out, and I’m concerned that my boys aren’t getting the attention they need.”

Debra eyed the doctor. “You believe everything you hear?” she said. Her voice, she knew, sounded sarcastic, but she couldn’t help it. What was that saying about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire? Did she have ‘babysitter’ tattooed on her forehead?

With everyone in town telling him the same thing, how could he not believe what he’d heard. When you hear something from so many people with little to no difference… well, you tend to think you’re hearing the truth. Not sure how else to respond, he simply sat there and nodded.

Debra sighed. “I happen to be in the off season right now, so I’ve got some time on my hands.” She eyed Eric with a stern look. “I’m not saying yes.”

Eric fought a smile as he rose from the sofa. She wasn’t going to say yes to him, but she wasn’t flatly telling him no. He said, “Would you like to meet them? That might help you make a decision.”

He pulled up the image he’d formed of her, the one where she was an angel wearing a flowing gown of pleated gossamer. Debra definitely wasn’t that kind of angel, but then maybe she didn’t have to be.

“What do you keep staring at? Even a man like yourself has to know it’s rude to stare.”

Eric blinked again, wondering if blinking when Debra spoke to him was the start of a new trend. He mentally shook his head. Had he been staring?

Because she mentioned it, he looked her over and, for the first time since the shock of her identity had hit him, he realized that she was incredibly attractive. Probably not in the traditional sense, but she had that kind of girl-next-door look that was comforting and exotic at the same time. The way her hair tousled about her shoulders, the way her eyes drew his notice, the way all her curves seemed to round out in all the right places - he stopped his train of thought. It was probably not the best idea to let his thoughts mature in the direction they were headed, especially since he hoped this woman would care for his children when he wasn’t able to.

Eric directed his eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry.”

“Is it because I have two different colored eyes? It can’t be that strange.”

Did she really have no idea how incredibly beautiful she was? Eric shook his head. “No, I think your eyes are lovely. Heterochromia is striking and very rare. I would think it’s an asset.”

Eric watched as Debra rolled her eyes. He found the gesture to be cute. He smiled and looked at his watch. “I should be picking up my boys soon.” He almost started to turn and leave when a thought came to mind. “Would you like to join us for dinner?”

Debra’s first instinct was to decline, but when her brain tossed it around in her skull for a few seconds, she couldn’t come up with a valid excuse as to why she couldn’t. After all, it was a small town, and it wasn’t like there were a whole lot of entertaining things to occupy a person’s time. Going out to dinner, maybe some local farmer’s barn dance, or drowning one’s sorrows at the one of the many watering holes were pretty much the only choices.

“Only if you’re paying.”

Eric lifted his eyebrows, but chuckled. He had a feeling that Debra was one of those women who kept a man on his toes. He realized that he was beginning to like her and wondered if it was a bad thing. After all, shouldn’t he like the woman who was going to spend time with his children?

Eric replied, “Naturally, it was my idea. I don’t see it as an inconvenience. Just think of it as a job interview with all expenses paid.” He mused for a second, tapping a finger to his chin. “Where would the best restaurant in town be located?”