Hometown Love (2 page)

Six months later

Perspiration trickled down Jessie’s temple as she crossed Main Street. She heard the sound of children in the playground on the Town Common, but she didn’t pause to see if she knew anyone there. If she stopped, it was more than likely she’d see someone she knew and that would interrupt her morning run. Already the run was taking longer than usual thanks to the four weeks off she’d been forced to take after pulling her hamstring.

She turned onto Union Street as her thoughts went back to the day before. In the five years since she’d ended things with Jeremy Flynn, she hadn’t seen or heard from him despite the fact he lived just ten miles away in Danvers. That wonderful record, however, had come to a screeching halt yesterday—when she’d walked into the coffee shop next to her doctor’s office in Salem and saw him sitting with Sharon Pelletier. Jessie had stopped dead in her tracks. When their eyes met, he’d smiled, but she’d turned and walked out.

Ever since then, she’d struggled with the same question. Should she talk to Sharon? A few years younger than her, Sharon lived in North Salem, too. While they were not friends, they knew each other. Depending on how long Jeremy and Sharon had been together, Sharon might not have seen the real Jeremy yet. He hadn’t showed Jessie the real him for almost a year. Maybe she could save Sharon from all she’d experienced with Jeremy.

Side-stepping a puddle leftover from the previous night’s rain storm, Jessie continued down the sidewalk, passing the well-maintained homes lining the street, her options going back and forth in her mind until she noticed the rented moving truck parked at the old Kerry house. Built in 1796, it was one of the oldest homes in town and had been in the Kerry family for over one hundred years. Earlier that year, Lincoln Kerry had passed away and his son had come home just long enough to clean it out and put it up for sale. If Lincoln were alive, he’d be devastated, but perhaps he’d be glad to know a fellow North Salem resident had purchased it and not some stranger.

She’d known Matthew “Mack” Ellsbury and his younger sister, Erin, all her life. And while Erin and her parents, Rose and Matthew Ellsbury, remained in North Salem, Mack had moved not long after college to be closer to work.

A dull ache in her leg caused Jessie to slow down as she passed by Mrs. Mitchell’s house, and she waved at the widow working in her flowerbeds.

Trying not to think about the ache or what to do about Sharon, Jessie pushed on. Maybe she’d started running again too soon. Tomorrow, she’d head over to the gym for a swim before opening the store.

“Hey, Jessie,” a familiar voice called out as she approached the Kerry house. “How’s it going?”

Jessie stopped, grateful for the distraction as Sean O’Brien came down the front steps on his way back to the moving truck. “Hi, Sean. I was going to call you this afternoon. The bathroom vanity you ordered came in yesterday.”

Sean stopped in front of her. “Excellent. If we finish up here early enough, I’ll pick it up. Otherwise I’ll get it tomorrow.” Sean uncapped the water he’d grabbed on his way over and took a long swallow. “I want the downstairs bathroom finished before Mia comes back for Ma’s wedding.”

“She won’t make it back until then?” She’d become friends with Sean’s girlfriend that summer when Mia had stayed at The Victorian Rose. Earlier that month Mia had returned to California to finish the movie she was staring in.

Sean shook his head. “Doubt it, but I’m flying out to California next weekend.”

“Need a break already, O’Brien?” Mack emerged from the house, a backwards baseball cap covering his dark hair. “I guess that’s what happens when you get old.”

For a moment, Jessie spiraled back fourteen years and her tongue went from being a useful organ to a giant bowtie just like it had every time Mack had tutored her in geometry during study hall. A senior, and one of the most popular guys in school, Mack was the number one crush of most of the girls in her freshman class—including her. Not that he ever noticed any of them. Why would he when every cheerleader in North Salem and Danvers were constantly throwing themselves at him?

“Hi, Mack. Congratulations on the new house,” Jessie said once the knot in her tongue loosened.

Mack’s forehead creased and his eyes searched her face. “Jessie?”

Jessie let Mack’s surprise go over her head. After all, he hadn’t seen her in a while.

Sure, he visited his family frequently with his daughter, but he didn’t make a habit of stopping in at the hardware store. In fact, before today, the last time they’d seen each other had been six months ago when he’d come in for the security videos. Back then, she’d still had long hair and glasses. Not to mention, she’d been wearing her favorite oversized cranberry sweater and a long skirt, a fact she shouldn’t remember but did because, well, this was Mack so he wouldn’t have noticed the weight she lost.

“It’s nice to see you. Your parents must be happy you’re moving back.”

“Yeah. Grace, too. She already has plans to spend every weekend at my parents’ house. They haven’t agreed yet, but she’s well on her way to convincing them.”

“She does adore your mom,” Jessica answered, thinking of all the times she’d seen Mrs. Ellsbury with her granddaughter.

“You’ve met Grace?” Mack asked with surprise.

“This is North Salem remember? Your mom brings Grace to my grandmother’s every Sunday for quilting club if she has her. And your dad comes in the store with her.”

Another look of surprise passed over Mack’s features. “I didn’t know that, but it makes sense.”

“She even started her own quilt. Your niece did, too. Your mom brings her over on Sundays sometimes, too.”

Jessie waved at another of Mack’s friends as he came down the front steps. “Hi, Tony.”

“Hey, Jessie.” Tony Bates smiled as he walked toward them. “Unless you ladies want to finish alone, get your asses in gear. I’ve got things to do this afternoon.”

“I gotta go anyway.” Jessica took a step backward. “Will I see any of you at the block party tonight?” Once a month, starting in late spring, their community threw a block party on the Town Common, shutting the whole area down to traffic.

“Not me. Too much work at the house, but have fun,” Sean answered. “I’ll see you later.” With that, he went back to the moving truck.

“I might pop in. If I do, I expect you to save me a dance,” Tony said.

Jessie rolled her eyes. She never took anything Tony said seriously, especially not lately. Ever since she’d lost the weight and ditched the glasses, he’d been saying things like that, but she knew better than to get into any kind of relationship with Tony. While he was a good guy, he didn’t understand the concept of monogamy. He went from one woman to the next much like the way people changed their underwear.

“Bates, get your ass over here and help me with this,” Sean called from the truck.

Unable to contain her smile, Jessie glanced at the ground. Whenever Tony flirted with her, Sean went into his protective guardian role. Thanks to her close relationship with his sister, Charlie, Sean treated her a like a baby sister.

“I might take Grace if she’s not too tired. I think she’d like it.” Mack waved at a car that passed by the house.

“She loves it,” Jessie answered, looking back up.

“My parents?”

“And your sister.”

“I should’ve known.” Mack readjusted his baseball cap, a habit he’d had for as long as she could remember. And she could probably remember every time he’d done it. Yeah, she’d had a big-time unrequited crush. Apparently, that hadn’t faded too much because he was still the hottest guy she’d ever seen.

After saying goodbye, Jessie continued down Union much slower than she had been when she’d started her run. Yup, a run tomorrow was out of the question.

As she passed the senior center, she waved at the group doing Tai Chi, one of the many programs the center offered. She spotted Mack’s grandparents and a few of her former elementary school teachers there. She’d tried to convince her own grandmother several times to try some of the programs, but Gran insisted that eighty-three wasn’t old enough for the senior center.

By the time Jessie turned onto Pleasant Street, she’d stopped running and limped the final distance to her apartment.

“Morning, Jessie,” Morgan Lee said, coming out the door before Jessie could open it.

“Are you going to work?” Although she’d known Morgan for several years and considered her a good friend, Morgan had only recently moved into town.

“Someone called in sick. I doubt I’ll make it tonight, sorry.”

As a newcomer to North Salem, Morgan had never been to a block party, and Jessie had invited her to join her and her friends tonight. She figured helping Morgan settle into town was the least she could do because if it hadn’t been for Morgan, Jessie would never have found the strength to leave Jeremy.

“Next time.”

Morgan nodded and started toward the parking lot behind the building. “Have fun tonight.”

Upstairs in her apartment, Jessie kicked off her sneakers and tossed them in the bedroom closet next to the boxes she still hadn’t unpacked. She’d moved into the apartment the winter before but somehow still hadn’t finished unpacking. By now, she wasn’t even sure what was in some of the remaining boxes. One of these days she’d get around to them. Or not. At the beginning of the summer, she’d made a To Do list, which included emptying those boxes. So far, she’d only crossed off half the things on that list.

It wasn’t as if the boxes were going anywhere. She went into the bathroom, dismissing the boxes from her mind as she again wondered whether or not she should speak with Sharon.

Forty-five minutes later, dressed in a denim skirt and Quinn’s t-shirt, Jessie walked into the hardware store, her home away from home.

***

“Thanks for the help today,” Mack said to Sean, Tony, and Striker over the pizzas and beer he’d bought for them when they finished emptying the truck.

“Still surprised you moved back,” Striker said as he reached for another extra large slice of meatball pizza.

Part of Mack was surprised, too. Growing up, he’d had a love/hate relationship with North Salem. While he loved the people, it wasn’t always easy growing up in a place where everyone knew everyone’s business. Thanks to the fabulous grapevine in town, it was highly likely that if he got into trouble at school, his parents would know about it before he even handed them the note from his teacher. If he made out with a girl in the park by the river, the girl’s parents would most likely know before he brought her home.

Yeah, as a teenager, he’d looked forward to getting out of North Salem. Watertown had been a perfect spot for him. It was close enough to his family, but far enough away that the entire town didn’t know his business. Or at least it had been a perfect place before Grace.

The older his daughter became, the more he recognized the benefits of a small town. Here, she was closer to her grandparents, and she’d grow up in a place where people cared about each other. For all their quirks, residents in North Salem took care of their own.

“Changed my mind about the town.”

“Change seems to be a theme around here these days,” Striker said beside him.

From all he’d heard and seen, he couldn’t argue. “How’s the Victorian Rose doing without your mom and you in charge?” The bed and breakfast Sean and his mom ran for years had become part of Sherbrooke Enterprises a month ago.

“Seems to be doing well. The place is always booked solid. Ma couldn’t stay away, though. She pops in one day a week and helps in the kitchen.”

“Talking about change, what do you think about Jessie?” Tony asked, his beer halfway to his mouth.

“Almost didn’t recognize her,” Mack admitted. She didn’t look at all like the woman he remembered from his last visit to the hardware store, and she 
definitely
didn’t look anything like the skinny girl who’d played soccer with his sister and attended her slumber parties. “She looks good.”

“Good? She’s hot. Don’t know how it happened. Thinking about asking her to the baseball game in Boston next weekend.”

Mack laughed. To hear anyone refer to Jessica Quinn as 
hot
struck him as crazy, but Tony was right. She had changed. He hadn’t missed her cute ass or toned legs when she’d jogged away. In fact, he’d stared at her until Striker called him over to the truck.

“Find someone else, Tony.” Sean reached for his beer.

“Evidently, O’Brien’s the only one allowed to have fun.” Any humor in Tony’s voice was overshadowed by his sarcasm. “You know he’s dating Mia Troy, right? The movie star.”

“Christ, Tony you know that Jessie’s not your type. All you’re looking to do is score. If you’d stop and think with your brain and not your dick, you’d realize she’s the kind you bring home to meet your mother. She’d be better off going out with Mack or Striker,” Sean said, sarcastically.

Tony chugged the rest of his beer. “Have you met Striker’s last two girlfriends?”

Sean shrugged. “Okay, she’d be better off with Mack, then.”

“There wasn’t anything wrong with Charlene.” Striker finished his pizza.