Chapter 16

After saying goodnight to Colten, Landon came outside to meet me on the patio. I was curled up on a lounger with a mug of green tea, a blanket tucked around my legs as I stared out at the lake glittering in the moonlight.

I heard the soft padding of his footsteps as he approached and I glanced at him, watching as he lowered himself into the chair beside mine. He had turned out so differently from how I’d summed him up after our first meeting.

Right then, his features were relaxed, his feet bare, and his long fingers wrapped around a cup of coffee. There was no trace of that scowl I’d thought was a permanent feature on his face. His teeth weren’t grinding or tense and I no longer thought he had a carrot up his butt.

Knowing that he was preoccupied with sitting down and getting comfortable, I let myself really look at him for just a moment, admiring the strong line of his jaw, the way his eyes managed to sparkle in the evening light even though the sun had long since gone down, and the rise of his chest as he stretched out and inhaled deeply.

He turned to face me, catching me staring, and smiled instead of calling me out on it. His lips curved slowly upward as he held my gaze. He opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted, needing to change the subject before he asked why I’d been looking at him like that.

“You have a good kid,” I said softly. “He and I spent some time together today. We even played some chess when I took my lunch break. He’s an amazing player.”

“That he is,” Landon agreed, taking in a deep breath. He released it slowly before the corners of his lips pinched. “He can be a handful, though. The preteen is strong in that one.”

“Really?” I chuckled as I tried to imagine it. “He’s still more kid than preteen though, right? When does he officially become a preteen?”

“I’m not sure when it’s supposed to happen, but with him, it started last year.” A thoughtful gleam entered his eyes before he blinked it away. “He’s developing that teenager’s attitude fast and it’s really giving me a run for my money as a father, but I’m proud of him every day.”

“Teenager’s attitude,” I repeated slowly, trying to remember what Scott and I had been like back then. So much had changed for us since, with our parents’ passing and starting to work and all that, but I had so many memories of us digging in our heels when we were told to do things. “You mean the stubbornness?”

“Yep.” He raked the fingers of his free hand through his hair as he shook his head and chuckled. “The stubbornness, the impulsivity, the emotional outbursts.”

“Ooooh, I remember all that,” I said with a soft giggle. “My mom always used to tell me that it was like our brains were on fire with emotion at that age. Technically, I think it’s the hormones, but I suppose that’s what causes the emotion.”

“Absolutely, but he’s not even a teenager yet. I thought I had more time before it all kicked in, you know?”

“I think that’s one of the cornerstones of the human condition,” I mused. “We always think we have more time.”

He glanced at me. “That’s very true. I’m just not sure I’m ready for it. Don’t get me wrong. I love that kid more than life itself and I really am proud of him, but I’m worried about him too. And there’s enough going on that it would be nice not to worry about everything that’s going to come when he does become a teenager on top of everything else.”

I cocked my head at him. “How so? He doesn’t look like a kid you need to be worried about.”

Landon shrugged, glancing back out at the lake before he finally seemed to decide to share with me. “It’s, uh, it’s nothing huge, I guess. I don’t even really know if it’s anything at all, but it seems like he’s not having the best time at school. He doesn’t ‘fit in.’ Whatever that means.”

“What makes you think that?” I asked. “Did something happen?”

“Well, his teacher spoke to me on the last day of school. Apparently, he’s more interested in chess than going out during their lunch break. He doesn’t want to play football at all. All the friends he used to have seem to have outgrown him, if that makes sense.”

“It does.” I sensed the genuine hurt in Landon’s voice and I saw that he wanted better for his son. It endeared him to me even more and I smiled softly. “Kids can be mean. Thoughtlessly so sometimes. But at the same time, not all friendships were built to last. Maybe it’s better that he’s not trying to fit in with kids whose interests aren’t aligned to his own anymore.”

He paused for a moment as he thought it over, then nodded his agreement. “I hadn’t looked at it like that, but I guess you’re right.”

“To me, it was all about finding my own rhythm and where I fit in. Maybe he just hasn’t found his place yet, you know? It’s a tough lesson to learn at such a young age, realizing that people you thought you’d go the distance with just aren’t like you anymore, but I think the sooner you can make peace with something like that, the happier you’ll be later on.”

Gaze lingering on mine for a moment, he suddenly chuckled and dragged both palms over his cheeks. “Go figure you’d also be some kind of kid guru. I honestly hadn’t even thought about it as part of the process of growing up, and I definitely didn’t see that silver lining, but I think you’re right. Better to realize you don’t fit in with the kids you used to like than to spend years trying, only to realize later that it’s okay to have your own interests and not to share it with them.”

“I’m from a small town, remember? Everything is amplified here. There’s no space to get away from whatever issues you’re facing, which makes them more intense while you’re facing them but it also forces you to actually face them. That kind of makes things simpler.”

“Maybe we should move here,” he joked. “It sure seems like you guys have got life figured out. I mean, where else do you go to work and then go tubing or sunbathing right next to the road?”

I groaned. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Nope, but not in a bad way. It was just my first taste of what your lives here are like, and I guess I didn’t handle it very well because I didn’t understand it at all.”

“How about this?” I suggested. “I know some local kids I can connect Colten with. Like everywhere, there is a mean kid or two in June Lake, but for the most part, everyone here is well rounded and they’re just eager to enjoy the summer. Maybe that would help Colten, if he’s around kids who are growing up with taking a dip in the lake after work and whose parents don’t really care where they park while they’re doing it cause there’s just not much traffic?”

“That would be good for him, I think.” He stared deep into my eyes for a beat before he smiled. “Thanks, Jewel. Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all. Scott has an ex with a son who’s about Colt’s age. I’ll call her and set it up. He’s a good kid too, so maybe they’ll hit it off?”

“I would appreciate that greatly,” he said. “I know it’s probably silly to be so focused on him making friends just for the summer, but it just feels like it would help if he knew there are kids out there who are more like him. I feel like it might encourage him to connect with other kids even after we get home.”

“If nothing else, at least it will help him not to be lonely while you’re here. Kids always want friends around, right? Even if they don’t have any, they’d still like to have them.”

“That’s what I think too, but I’m not him. I don’t think it could hurt, though. To try, I mean.” He leaned back on his chair and turned toward the lake, kicking his legs up on the lounger and glancing at me. “For now though, I’d like to know more about you. Why a cleaning service? Is that your passion? Are you one of those clean freaks who gets off on a job well done?”

I laughed. “Not really. I do enjoy the instant-gratification aspect of it, but I just saw a need in our town and we filled it.”

“Are you really the only cleaning service around?”

I nodded. “Most of our clients are elderly and they need some help keeping up with their houses. That’s all. Before we started TidyTouch, there used to be a group of people from the church who helped out when they could, but it just wasn’t enough. Brit and I joined them a few times, saw that they needed more, and decided to provide the service.”

“What’s your real dream then?” he asked. “No offense, but everyone who’s simply filling a need has something that they’d rather do. What’s your something?”

“It’s silly,” I admitted after hesitating for a beat. “There’s a reason I never have and never will pursue it full time.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s silly,” he said. “Lay it on me. What is it you’d like to do that would make you happier than the instant gratification you get from your current job?”

I groaned, covering my face with my hands and peeking out at him from between my fingers. “It really is silly.”

“Not if it’s your dream.”

I sighed, closing my eyes as I pulled my hands back to my sides. “I make suncatchers. They’re these odd, quirky little things that I used to try to sell at the Friday night market, but no one really wanted them, so I stopped bothering. It’s more like a fun hobby now.”

He blinked a few times. “Would you make one for Colten? I think it would be a nice memento for him to bring home after our summer here and I don’t think that’s silly at all. I used to love suncatchers. Especially after my mom died. I don’t really know why, but I always thought the rainbows in my room when the crystals caught sunlight was her way of smiling at me from above.”

Surprised by the depth of his admission, I couldn’t deny that it made me feel all warm and tingly inside. “That’s funny. That’s what my mom used to say too. Of course, I’ll make him one. I’d love to.”

Landon grinned before he turned to the lake once more. “I might need one myself to remember this place by. When we first got here, I won’t lie. There were moments when I asked myself what the hell I was thinking, bringing us to a town so small for a whole summer, but I’m glad we came.”

“So am I,” I said softly, not really knowing why it was so easy for us to be so honest with one another. Generally, I was a very honest, open person, but with him, I felt safe being that. Safe enough that the vulnerability that came with a personality like mine didn’t feel like a risk at all, which was odd, considering all that conflict between us when we’d first met. “In fact, I’ve already told Colten that I think you guys should come back here in the winter.”

Landon chuckled, his gaze remaining on the water as he nodded. “That might not be the worst idea I’ve ever heard, Jewel, but maybe we should just try to get through the summer first.”