Chapter 3

 Jen awoke Friday morning and looked at her clock; 7:34. Aunt Gabby must have chosen to sleep in today otherwise they would already be out working in the garden. Jen made her way downstairs, planning on making some yummy coffee and sitting on the back-porch swing with Aunt Gabby. It was interesting to her how easily she had become comfortable with this place. How it really felt like home.

She turned the corner towards the kitchen and her stomach dropped as she saw the outline of a man standing by the sink! She let out a shriek and he whirled around, dropping his mug of coffee. Hot liquid splashed across the kitchen floor and the cup broke into pieces. Jen ran to a drawer and pulled out a large knife, pointing it at the stranger as he reached for a towel to wipe up the coffee.

"Who are you?" Jen demanded.

"Whoa, lady calm down!" the stranger said; his hands up like she was holding a gun. "I'm just a friend with no particular desire to be stabbed by a crazy woman."

Jen stared as he slowly bent down and began sopping up coffee. "What do you want?" She was poised, ready to strike.

"Two things," the man said without looking up at her. "First, I want you to put down the knife. Seriously, you could hurt somebody. And second," he stood and moved to the garbage can to drop in the soaked paper towel, "I want another cup of coffee." He glanced toward the ground where mug pieces and small puddles of brown liquid still spotted the floor.

"Do you make a habit of walking into people's houses and drinking their coffee like you own the place?" Jen tried to sound threatening; she still hadn't put the knife down.

"Not usually, but I didn't know Aunt Gabby had company. I apologize for scaring you." He finished wiping the floor and carried the last pieces of broken mug to the trash. "I really liked that mug," he mumbled to himself and then looked up at her. "Will you please put the knife down?"

Jen looked him up and down before slowly lowering the knife. "You know Aunt Gabby?" she asked hesitantly.

The man smiled and Jen noticed a dimple in one cheek. It was barely visible through his dark facial hair. He didn't have a beard, but he clearly hadn't shaved in a few days.

"I do know Aunt Gabby; I help her out when she needs it," he said. She met his gaze to see if he was being honest; his brown eyes and dark hair combined with a handsome, tan face made Jen forget her question altogether.

Just then the back door opened and Aunt Gabby appeared. "Zackery!" she exclaimed adoringly as he rounded the counter to give her a hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you're back!"

"It's good to be back," he said, smiling as he pulled back. "And I see you've acquired a house guest since I've been gone. I'd be careful with this one Aunt G," he whispered loud enough for Jen to hear, "she seems a little jumpy." He smiled at Jen jokingly, but she didn't think it was funny.

"Zack, this is my niece, Jennifer Berkley, from New York," Aunt Gabby introduced her. "Jen, this is Zack LaFaye, he has helped me out a lot around here over the years."

Zack shrugged his shoulders. "I do what I can." His modesty gave him away. It was clear to Jen that he was a big reason this place looked the way it did. Judging from his physique, he was a hard and strong worker. She tried not to look at his tan muscles as they peeked out from under his white t-shirt.

Jen suddenly remembered something. "Wait, LaFaye? Are you related to Annie?" She silently and against her will hoped he wasn't her husband.

Zack nodded. "She's my little sister. You've met her?"

"She picked me up from the airport."

"Ahh, I see," he said suppressing a smile that made his dimple more prominent. "What do you think of her?"

"She is very friendly," Jen said, smiling.

"That's a good way to describe her. Talkative, is another term I use quite often." He looked at her from the corner of his eye to see if she caught the humor in his tone.

"Talkative is a very good term," Jen laughed. "But she's adorable and has been very kind. I appreciated having someone that wasn't afraid of the big bad New Yorker."

Zack chuckled. "Oh, Annie isn't afraid of many people. Her fears tend toward hungry kittens and puppies that don't get the love they deserve."

Jen giggled at that; Annie did seem the humanitarian type.

Aunt Gabby patted Zack playfully on the back. "Would you like some breakfast honey?"

Zack put his hand on his heart. "Oh, Aunt G," he said dramatically, "I would love some if your kind hands are willing to feed me."

She chuckled and began pulling out the ingredients for a pancake and egg breakfast. Zack again turned to Jen.

"So, Jen, how long have you been in town?"

"A couple weeks," she replied.

"How do you like it so far?" he inquired, taking a sip of his newly poured cup of coffee.

"It is much..." she paused, looking for the right words, "slower pace, than New York."

Zack smiled, "Boy, that's the truth! More quiet and peaceful as well."

Jen looked at him in surprise. "Have you been to New York?"

"I have," he said mysteriously. Then he winked at her.

Oh my, Jen thought. He is good! Oozing charm from every pore! She had dealt with his kind before – arrogant, cocky; completely aware of their good looks and how to use them. No doubt he had a girlfriend in every city he had ever been in. Well, she wasn't going to fall for that small town, farm boy crap. She was here to spend time with her dying aunt. She hoped he understood that was her intention. She would hate to have to tell him to back off and give them some space. She didn't want to be that person, but she would if she had to.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Zack's question brought Jen out of her thoughts.

"My plans extend through the summer. I'll have to get back to New York before September; set up my new office."

"Are you getting a new job?" Zack asked.

Jen froze, she had slipped. She couldn't tell Aunt Gabby that she was going to become partner at the end of the summer. She would definitely wonder why she was getting promoted after being gone for three months. Her mind whirled and she had a hard time finding words. She scolded herself inwardly. You're a lawyer, think! She remembered reading somewhere that the brain can process thousands of thoughts per minute. So, come up with something! While it seemed to her that she stalled for an unnatural amount of time, she was able to pull it together before either of her companions noticed her mistake.

"We are in the process of moving some of the offices around. The firm is growing and it's time to do some rearranging." She smiled and nodded, trying to look confident in her lie.

"I'm glad things are going so well for you and Roger," Aunt Gabby offered.

"Thank you, we've worked hard to make it so."

Zack said nothing but seemed to be listening intently. When Jen looked at him, he simply smiled and went back to the pancakes Aunt Gabby had placed before him. Crises averted. But she was feeling strangely guilty, though she couldn't understand why. Why should she feel guilty about telling Aunt Gabby about her father's plans to promote her to partner? Realistically, it was going to happen. So, why had she lied? As a lawyer you have to be willing to turn the truth; not lie necessarily, but "twist" what happened so the jury can see things your way. That's all she had done. They didn't need to know the truth, so she didn't tell them the truth. That's all... that was all.

That night Jen had a hard time sleeping. She realized she didn't want Aunt Gabby to feel hurt about the reason she was there. She didn't want her to know that her dad had to bribe her with a fancy new office, major pay raise and a new title as partner to get her to come here. You're going soft Jen, she said to herself. One month ago, you couldn't care less what anyone thought or felt. She rolled onto her side and slipped one hand under her pillow. She tucked her legs in and curled up tight, pulling the blanket to her chin. And then she realized... she had gone soft. In less than a month she had learned to love her little old aunt. She felt a pain in her chest as she thought of her father's words that day at the hotel, "She is unwell... cancer for some time... wants to see us before she goes." Jen had never met a spryer, upbeat woman. Aunt Gabby was more fit than some women half her age. She didn't act like she was sick. Jen hadn't seen any pills or medical things around the house. Aunt Gabby did go to bed fairly early every night, but older people did that. There was really nothing to indicate that she was close to death. Strange. Very strange.

As she started to drift into sleep, the events of the last couple weeks played in her head. Pie, gardens, airplane, Annie; she smiled to herself, remembering Zack's description of his sister. The thoughts continued... Aunt Gabby, cancer, the firm, partner, coffee; another smile escaped her lips as she remembered Zack mopping up spilled coffee as she threatened to stab him with a kitchen knife – poor man. He had to understand, she was a New Yorker after all. It's weird to wake up with a strange person in your house. But this wasn't her house. In a way, she supposed it was as strange for Zack to see her there as it was the other way around. Jen's mind started to slow, and sleep began to creep in, The last thing she remembered was Zack's smile and the dimple in his cheek.

-- Would you like to download a FREE digital copy of this story to your Kindle or mobile device? Go here now! http://amzn.to/1q9cqnX

Book 2 in the Helena's Grove Series is now available here: http://amzn.to/1zJ0EDZ

Book 3 in the Helena's Grove Series is now available here: http://amzn.to/1oyUpPv

Book 4 in the Helena's Grove Series is now available here: http://amzn.to/1uZBw7W

Book 5 in the Helena's Grove Series is now available here: https://amzn.to/3LOh8W7