Close to His Heart Read online

Tess made a point of looking at her watch. “Wow, look at the time. I’ve got a bunch of people to talk to yet.” She lifted her gaze. “I’ll see you later, I guess.”

  “I don’t know how to get to Charlie’s place. Can I drive you?”

  Spending half an hour in the intimacy of a car? No way.

  “Why don’t you follow me?”

  Jace frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Then you can leave whenever you want. In case you get bored.”

  “I doubt I’ll get bored. Besides, I don’t know if I trust a car that might break down.”

  Tess thought how her car had sputtered on the way here. She had to bring it back to the mechanic again.

  “Okay, then,” she said, conceding defeat. “Meet me at my place at seven thirty, and we’ll take your fancy BMW.”

  Two women hurried past them, jostling Jace. His shoulder brushed hers, and it was as if a live spark jumped between them. Before he jerked away, however, Tess caught the woodsy scent of his aftershave and her stomach knotted up with memory.

  It was the same brand he always wore. When they dated, she had bought it for him because his former brand was unappealing. Wannabe rich-guy cologne, she’d called it. The same kind Chuck MacGregor used.

  She edged away. “I...I should get going. I should clean up and talk to some people here. About more donations.”

  Jace glanced at the clipboard in her hands. “Looks like you’ve been busy.”

  “I know how important this is to you.”

  “Hey, I wanted to talk to you about that. I came across kind of harsh.” He lowered his voice and touched her arm.

  Instinctively, she jerked her arm back as he was about to say more. His face grew hard and he took a step back. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  Tess’s neck grew warm. He seemed to think she was upset with him because he had crossed an invisible boundary. But, he didn’t need to know that her reaction was because of an unbidden emotion—attraction.

  She opted for an injured air, building on his response. “That’s okay. I have a wide personal space.”

  Jace’s light frown reminded her that this wasn’t always so. When they dated they’d held hands, walked with their arms linked, and sat in church with his arm over her shoulder and her hand cradled in his.

  Don’t go there. Don’t go there.

  “I’ll see you tonight.” She spun around and strode away as fast as she could, trying to outrun her memories and emotions.

  Chapter 4

  Jace raised his fist to knock on Tess’s apartment door, then hesitated.

  What was he doing? Did he have a masochistic streak? Why had he offered to drive?

  Sure, meeting Helen Lennox was an opportunity he didn’t want to turn down, but deep down his real reason was to spend more time with Tess. But, it was clear she wasn’t interested in him anymore, nor would she share what had happened all those years ago.

  He should go.

  Then what? Act as if everything between them was fine, over and done with, even though they had never even come close to discussing why she left?

  Before he could change his mind again, he knocked on the door and stood back, wishing he wasn’t so nervous. He had done nothing wrong. Lest he forget, he was the one who was left behind all those years ago.

  The deadbolt shifted, then another lock. Tess cracked the door and looked at him from behind a chain. A towel was wrapped around her head, and she wore yoga pants and a T-shirt. “Oh...you.” He wasn’t early.

  In another life, Tess would have been dressed, makeup on and hair immaculate and scolding him for being late. He was constantly reminding himself that the meticulous Tess he’d once dated was long gone.

  She closed the door to unlatch the chain, then opened it again. Tess stepped back from the door, toweling her hair. “I’ll be done in a minute.” Her voice held the faintest note of challenge, but Jace chose not to acknowledge it. He nodded as he stepped in and glanced around.

  A beanbag chair slouched in one corner, and a worn Victorian couch with scrolled woodwork sat beside it. Gauzy scarves covered the lamps, and, though it was early spring, Christmas lights sparkled along the ceiling.

  The thrift store decor was a far cry from her tidy dorm room. As was the homey scent of muffins hanging in the apartment. The old Tess never baked.

  She continued towel-drying her hair, angling her chin toward the living room. “Make yourself at home. There’s not much to read. Some magazines but I doubt they’d be your style.” She disappeared down the hallway.

  While he heard the whirring of a blow-dryer in the background, Jace ambled into the tiny living room.

  A few celebrity magazines lay scattered on the coffee table. He picked one up, drawn by the hint of scandal promised by the headlines. The rest of the magazines slithered aside, and he glimpsed the title of a large hardback book. Psychology in Modern Times.

  Curious, he picked it up and leafed through it. Notes in Tess’s peculiar handwriting dotted the margins. Passages were highlighted in pink, yellow, and blue. As he turned the next page, a piece of paper, also covered with Tess’s scribbles, fell out.

  He put the paper back, closed the book, and covered it again with the magazines.

  Was Tess going back to school? And where? There was no college within one hundred miles of Sweet Creek.

  Or could she be taking a correspondence course?

  He wished he felt confident enough to ask her what she was taking. At the same time, a tiny glimmer of hope appeared. Maybe the honor student, recipient of numerous scholarships, hadn’t been subsumed by the new Tess.

  In the far corner of the living room sat a rickety desk, holding a laptop decorated with colorful decals. The desk overflowed with papers, magazines, and more textbooks. Above the laptop, close to the phone, hung a large wall calendar. The days were scribbled with dozens of notes in different colored pens, showing her work schedule and a variety of other reminders about groceries and appointments. He knew he should walk away but couldn’t contain his curiosity. He looked closer and saw a recurring note: “drive Kim to work.” Who was Kim? In spite of his curiosity, he pulled his attention away from the calendar, feeling as if he was intruding on a personal part of her life.

  The sun was setting and the town lights were flickering on as he glanced out the large window of her living room. He knew, once they were out of town, he would see the stars.

  A memory tugged at his consciousness. He and Tess lying on the still-warm hood of her car, tracing out constellations in the sky. Tess had tried to educate him about Cassiopeia, the Big and Little Dippers, tried to get him to find the stars Deneb and Vega. But he was far more interested in trying to steal a kiss.

  Jace spun away from the window. He wished he could forget her as easily as Tess seemed to have forgotten him. The last time he was in Sweet Creek, he hardly saw her. He had thought he was over her. But when he returned to the city, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

  “Okay. We can go.” Tess came around the corner, and he felt an unwelcome jolt of pleasure. Instead of the mix-and-unmatch clothes he’d seen her in the last couple of times, she had opted for a simple off-white shirt, a brown corduroy blazer, and blue jeans. A gauzy orange scarf added a splash of color.

  She looked like the Tess he knew. The Tess he had once cared so deeply for.

  “Oh wait. I forgot.” She ducked into the miniscule kitchen off the living room and returned with a rectangular plastic container. “I promised Charlie muffins and I better deliver.”

  “I still can’t picture you baking,” he said.

  “I’ve picked up some good habits,” Tess said. “Shall we go?”

  They walked in silence to the car. As Jace held the BMW door open for Tess, she smiled wryly. “Still a gentleman,” she said.

  “My parents taught me well,” he answered, as she slipped in gracefully. He gently closed the door behind her, afraid to disturb the tentative nature of the moment.

  Jace had downloade
d some songs from Helen Lennox, and as they drove out of town and into the darkness of the country, her deep, soulful voice streamed and filled the silence.

  He leaned forward to look up at the sky. Stars winked back at him, and he released his breath with a sigh.

  “I missed this,” he murmured, taking another quick glance upward. “You can’t see stars in the city.”

  Tess leaned forward herself. “We should be able to see Deneb by now. Orion is gone for the summer.”

  “I couldn’t find it the first time you tried to point it out—I doubt I could find it now.”

  She gave him a curious glance. The glow of the dashboard lent an eerie quality to her features. But, the way her hair hung loose around her face made the intervening years slip away. Once again, they were two country kids, taking a break from the city and their endless studies to look at the stars; taking a moment to appreciate God’s creation and marvel at the depth and breadth of it. They had some of their best talks lying on a blanket—side by side and hands intertwined—in some farmer’s field, looking at a sky sprinkled with diamonds.

  “Tess.” He spoke her name softly as he took a breath and a chance. “Do you remember when—”

  “You have to really look out for Charlie’s driveway,” Tess interrupted, turning away from him. “If you don’t know where it is, it will sneak up on you. The first time I drove up here, I got so lost. I backtracked a bunch of times, but eventually I found it. Charlie never let me forget it. I’m sure he’ll tease me again. He likes to do that. Throw the past in my face.” When Tess stopped her chatter the only sound in the car were the soft strains of music drifting out of the radio. Tess looked straight ahead and clasped her hands on her lap.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. Why had she been going on about directions and Charlie?

  “I’m fine. Just want to make sure you don’t get lost.”

  Charlie’s place was a good fifteen minutes away. As Jace caught another glimpse of her tightly pressed lips and rigid jaw, he guessed something else was going on.

  Frustration grabbed him with a tight fist. Every overture he made toward her, she sidestepped. She seemed eager to remind him at every turn that the past was behind them.

  He shouldn’t have asked to come along on this drive. If he were honest, seeing Helen was simply an excuse to spend time with Tess in a casual situation. He was obviously wasting his time.

  “Turn up ahead,” Tess said, pointing.

  Jace peered into the area lit up by his headlights, but all he could see was tall grass.

  “Slow down. You’ll see it.”

  Jace did as he was told and saw a dirt trail leading off the road.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I told you it was hard to find, and I also told you it was rustic.”

  Jace turned onto the trail, and soon they were swallowed by the trees looming above them. The lights of his vehicle wavered as he bounced over the dirt track. He wasn’t sure where he was going and he sure hoped Tess did. He also hoped his car would survive the trip.

  A few minutes later, the trees fell away. In the small clearing ahead he saw rectangles of golden light shimmering from a log building. A pair of dogs bounded down the driveway, darting in and out of the lights of his vehicle.

  “Don’t worry about the dogs,” Tess said as Jace hit the brakes. “They’re pretty vehicle-savvy.”

  Jace pulled up beside a newish pickup truck and cut the engine. “I’m guessing this is the right place.”

  “Of course,” Tess said, slipping her purse over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”

  He let the comment slide as he followed her up the walk. A light flicked on outside, and the large wooden door of the log house opened. Charlie stood in the doorway, the light inside the house casting him in silhouette. The dogs jumped around him but stayed away from Tess and Jace.

  “Come in, come in.” Charlie beckoned. “Just ignore the dogs. They’ll settle down once they realize you’re not feeding them.” He gave them a huge smile and took Jace’s jacket as they stepped inside. “Welcome to my home.”

  Jace’s first impression was of light and warmth as he followed Tess and Charlie down the narrow hall into the house. The scent of cinnamon vied with the smell of wood burning in the squat, black stove ahead. To the right were wooden kitchen cabinets and a large oak table with chairs pushed around it.

  Ahead and to the left lay the large living room. A leather couch and love seat faced each other. From an overstuffed recliner, a tall, lithe woman stood and glided to Charlie. Despite the plaid, oversize shirt, fitted blue jeans, and bare feet, she exuded grace and dignity. Her blond hair, now tinged with gray, was loosely tied back from a face devoid of makeup. A simple pair of earrings glinted from her earlobes.

  Diamonds, Jace guessed.

  “Honey, this is Tess, the girl I was telling you all about,” Charlie said, putting his hand on Tess’s shoulder. “And this is Jace.”

  “Welcome, both of you. Good to have you here.”

  Jace tried not to appear starstruck. The face smiling at him was one he’d seen only on album covers and the television screen when she deigned to do the occasional special. The voice was one he’d listened to many times. To imagine that he’d ever meet her, out here in Sweet Creek, seemed surreal.

  “Tess, I know you drink hot chocolate,” Charlie said, as he took the container of muffins Tess had brought along. “Jace, what will you have? Coffee? Tea?”

  “Coffee sounds great. Black, please.”

  “You all go settle in the living room, and I’ll be right back. Helen, you want anything?”

  “I’ll have the same as Tess,” she said, then turned and led the way to the living room.

  “Charlie tells me you’re collecting for the fundraiser,” Helen said as she slid into a large, overstuffed recliner.

  Tess nodded, looking as starstruck as Jace felt. A crack in her flippant facade. “We both are,” she said, sitting at one end of the leather couch. Jace chose the opposite end and tried to relax.

  “Tell me about this fundraiser,” Helen said. With her hands casually perched on the armrests, she looked like some regal monarch visiting her subjects. “What’s the cause?”

  Jace glanced at Tess, then realized she was expecting him to speak.

  “Sweet Creek hopes to establish a building dedicated to crisis counseling,” he said, struggling to act normal. “Currently the town’s crisis counseling service shares office space, which isn’t conducive to the privacy of their clients. Plus, they would like to expand and hire a few more counselors.”

  “That sounds like they would need ongoing funding rather than a one-shot fundraiser,” Helen mused.

  “The center has funding in place from the government in partnership with the town for the ongoing operations,” Jace said, warming to the subject. Carson had prepared him well, had stressed the importance of him being involved in this project.

  Grease the wheels, he had told Jace. Get involved. Show you care.

  “They don’t have the proper facility. Depending on how well the fundraiser does, we would also hope to set up a foundation for donations that would help maintain the day-to-day running of the center. And we’d like to hold the fundraiser annually to supplement any funding the foundation would get from the government and private donations.”

  Helen nodded and granted Jace a warm smile. “Sounds like you’re well informed.” She turned to Tess. “And what’s your role in this venture?”

  “I’m collecting donations for the auction.” She shot Jace a teasing look. “Jace and I are having a little contest to see who gets the most.”

  “Who’s winning?” Helen asked, with a touch of humor.

  Tess shrugged and looked away. “We won’t know until it’s over.”

  “Here’s our refreshments,” Charlie announced, entering the room bearing a tray. He passed the drinks around and then sat down in his rocker. “What did I miss?”

  “Jace was telling me about the f
undraiser,” Helen said, taking a delicate sip of her hot chocolate.

  “What did you need to talk to me about, Jace?” Charlie asked. His chair creaked as he rocked back and forth.

  Jace said, “We wanted to see if you would sing at the fundraiser.”

  “Why are you asking me?” Charlie asked, still rocking.

  Jace glanced at Tess, wondering if she would participate, but she was blowing into her hot chocolate, her eyes lowered.

  “You’re known in the community, enjoyed and appreciated,” Jace said, repeating what he’d been told. He cradled the ceramic coffee cup in his hands. “The organizers thought it would be a unique touch if you walked around and serenaded the people attending—like what you do at the farmer’s market.”

  Charlie nodded. “Do you have other entertainment?”

  “We’ve got a speaker booked as well as the auction, and then there’s you.”

  “Sounds thin.”

  Jace shrugged. He had thought so, too, but the organizers were concerned the evening would go too long if they added anything else. “That’s where you come in.”

  “What you should do is get Helen here to sing.”

  Jace hardly dared let his eyes meet Helen’s, for fear she might think this was his intention all along. The thought excited him but he had to play it cool. “Well...she’s retired...and we don’t want to intrude...it was never our idea...” He scrambled to find a polite way to acknowledge the request, yet let Helen know they didn’t want to take advantage of her. He blamed his lapse for words on still trying to absorb the fact that he was sitting close to Helen Lennox herself. He pulled himself together and tried again. “My purpose this evening is to speak with you.”

  Charlie frowned. “Helen hasn’t retired. She’s taking a break. And she’s a great singer. She’s released dozens of albums.”

  Helen leaned over and rested one slender hand on Charlie’s arm, interrupting his defense of her. “I think what Mr. Scholte is trying to say is he doesn’t want to impose on his relationship with you.” She turned back to Jace. “This crisis center. What kind of counseling do they do?”