Love's Sweet Discovery (4 page)

Chapter 11

“Get the fuck off my mother!” Tom stormed into the room, reaching for Jacob.

Jacob stood up and blocked Tom from coming farther into the room. Claire scrambled to reach for the blankets to wrap around herself. “Tom!”

Tom was wrestling with Jacob, but they were evenly matched and split apart. Jacob was still naked and reached for the pants that Claire handed him. 

“I want to know what’s going on here,” Tom demanded.

“Outside.” Jacob pointed toward the door. Tom stormed out.

Jacob went to follow, but Claire caught his arm, stopping him. “Don’t do this. You two have been best friends for years. I don’t want you to fight because of me.”

“We’ll only fight if we can’t avoid it,” Jacob said, but Tom was not so reassuring as he yelled from the other room.

“Oh, there’s going to be some fighting involved for damn sure!”

Claire looked for her robe and quickly pulled it on and tied the sash. Then she ran down the hall. The guys must have gone outside on the beach.
Please, God, don’t let them fight.

She felt horrible for causing problems between them. They were friends and business partners. She had never seen her son so upset before. She came to a halt, watching in horror as Jacob ducked a punch that Thomas had thrown then threw his own, hitting Thomas in the jaw.

“No! Please stop fighting!”

Thomas touched his cut lip and bruised jaw. “Mom, go back to the house.”

“No, not until you promise me you’ll stop fighting.”

Both men kept their eyes on one another, but they agreed. Jacob looked at her reassuringly. “No more fighting, but there are some things Tom and I need to discuss.”

She didn’t want to leave them alone, but it was clear that they weren’t going to work things out with her there. “Okay, I’ll be at the house.” She turned and left them, praying they didn’t kill each other.

*****

Once Claire was out of sight, Jacob turned his attention to his best friend. “I can explain.”

Tom spat out some blood. “Good, because what I saw was my best friend fucking my mom. So yeah, I would love you to explain that away.”

“I’m in love with her.”

Tom looked at him like he had grown a second head. “What?”

Jacob ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t plan on it, it just happened. We spent some time together and enjoyed each other’s company. We have chemistry.”

“No, no, no. I don’t want to hear about your damn chemistry. Weren’t you the one who told me not to start any relationships right before we have to leave for Japan? We’re going to be gone almost a year getting the business going. This could only have been a fling and I’m not cool with that.”

Jacob sighed. “I know I said that, but I didn’t plan to find someone as amazing as Claire. She is special and I couldn’t help falling in love with her.”

Tom crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you going to Japan or not?”

This was an impossible situation. He had planned for years to start this company with Tom. He couldn’t ask Claire to wait on him for a year while he went to another country. That wasn’t fair to her.

Tom nodded at him. “That’s what I thought. End this now.”

“I’ll talk to her about it. I need to run some excess energy off. Go on up and put some ice on that bruise and cut. I got you pretty bad.”

Tom didn’t say anything but headed back toward the beach house. Jacob glanced at its glowing lights. The woman he had fallen in love with in such a short time was in there and he had to find a way to say goodbye to her. “Fuck!”

*****

Claire was relieved when Thomas walked back inside, but he came alone. “Where’s Jacob?”

“He’s taking a run to burn off some steam.”

She watched him wince as he moved his jaw. “Oh, honey, come to the kitchen and let me put some ice on that.” She rushed to the freezer and pulled out a tray of ice cubes. She wet a rag with cold water and placed the ice cubes in the rag, then turned to find Thomas sitting on a bar stool, staring at her.

She walked around the bar and over to him, holding the rag up against his bruised jaw. He took it from her and she took a step back. This was probably the most awkward moment of her life.

“Why Jacob? Out of all the men on the planet, why would you have sex with my best friend and business partner? He’s almost my age,” Thomas asked.

“You don’t always pick who you fall in love with.”

Thomas blinked at her. “You’re in love with Jacob? It’s only been a few days.”

She shrugged and walked over to the sliding doors, searching for him out on the beach. “He’s an amazing man.”

“Yeah, well, he’s leaving for Japan.”

“I know.” She couldn’t help it—a stray tear traveled down her cheek. She turned to look at her son. “I’m not going to hold him back. He’s worked too hard for this; both of you have.”

“You can let him go that easily?”

Another tear came down. “There’s nothing easy about saying goodbye to the man you love. This is something I have to do because it’s what is right for him.”

“I don’t want you to be hurt.”

She snorted. “You can’t protect me from that, honey, just like I can’t keep you from getting your heart broken. There are some things worth the heartache. I wouldn’t trade one moment with Jacob. He’s made me come alive again. I’ve even started painting.”

Thomas looked at her in shock. Then he took her in from head to toe. “You look different, younger.”

“I feel different. There is so much inside of me and Jacob helped me to bring that out.”

“I’m going to go to a hotel for tonight then come back in the morning.” Thomas stood up and came toward her.

“What? No, you just got here.”

“I’ll be back in the morning. You two have some things to work out.” He kissed her cheek and left the beach house.

Thomas was right, she and Jacob had been living in a bubble these last few days. She needed to address some things and point him back in the direction that he needed to go.
God, this was going to be hard.

Chapter 12

Jacob walked up on the deck to find Claire sitting in a chair alone. “Is Tom inside?”

Claire shook her head. “No, he’s staying at a hotel tonight, but he’ll be back in the morning. Where did you go?”

“I ran a mile down the beach then walked back. I didn’t mean to hurt Tom. It was just a reflex. Is he okay?”

“Yes. He’ll have a bruise for a few days, though.” She paused as he stared at her. “We need to talk.”

“I know.”

She motioned for him to sit down next to her. When he did, she took his hand in hers. “You’re leaving for Japan and I’m glad for you. You’ve worked hard for this and I want it for you.” 

“I don’t want to leave you. I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“I love you, too, Jacob, but I can’t go with you. I have a life here that I have to live.”

“I know.” Jacob looked away.

Claire knew neither one wanted to end their relationship.

“I’ll leave for Japan in the morning.” Jacob told her.

“What? No, you don’t have to leave so soon.”

“I do. I need to make the break, as hard as that is going to be. You and Tom need to spend the rest of the time before he leaves together without me here.”

“What do we do?” She fought to keep from breaking out in tears.

“We have tonight. Let’s spend it together.” He stood and reached a hand down to her.

She took it and followed him into the house. This might be the last time they saw one another, and she wanted to make the night a memorable one for both of them.

They made love and held each other afterward. They agreed to talk and Skype, but would not hold each other to keeping a long-distance relationship going. The next morning, Jacob packed his bags. They said a teary goodbye and then he left for the airport. Claire watched him drive away and felt a piece of her heart was going with him.

Chapter 13

Nine Months Later

Claire stood in the art gallery, feeling nervous. She had been to hundreds of these new gallery exhibitions, but this was the first time that her own work was on display. What if no one liked her paintings?

She looked around at the beach themes in her work. There was a lot of Jacob in these paintings. He was her muse, after all. The last Skype call she had with him was about four months ago, when she felt the distance between them was getting too much. She told him they needed to take a break from one another and she encouraged him to embrace the Japanese culture, date other women his age, and do things he had always wanted to do.

He didn’t take it well and was angry that she would want him to see other people. Then he questioned if she was planning to do the same. It was the first argument they had ever had. She hated that things had ended like that. She wanted more than anything to call him and apologize for the fight, but not for the things she said. He needed to live his life.

She did send him an email letting him know about her art exhibition, but he hadn’t responded. Her heart had broken all over again. Was he so busy with his new life that he couldn’t respond to a simple email?

Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her skirt pocket. It was Thomas. She smiled as she answered. “Hi there, honey.”

“Hi, Mom. Congrats on your big day.”

“Thank you, sweetie.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it there for it. I have a big account that needs my attention.”

“Oh, sure, I understand completely. I’ll see you soon enough when I come to visit in a few weeks.”

“I’m looking forward to showing you around. Since I couldn’t come, I sent something for you.”

“You didn’t have to do that, sweetie. What is it?”

“You’ll know when you see it. I’ve got to go, Mom. Love you.”

“I love you, too, Thomas.” She ended the call and tucked her phone back in her pocket.

Claire glanced up when her friend Lydia walked up to her. “Who is that hottie that just walked in?”

“Who?” She looked in the direction Lydia pointed and felt her heartbeat speed up. “Jacob.” She didn’t even notice when Lydia excused herself and left to go talk to a client.

Jacob was there and he was looking at one of her paintings. It was of him holding his surfboard and staring at the sunset. With him distracted, she had the opportunity to check him out. He looked so different. His hair was a little longer and he was sporting a short beard. He was wearing a black suit, and looked a little older and more distinguished. When he turned around, their eyes locked. She couldn’t breathe for a moment.

She stood perfectly still, watching as he approached her slowly. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until he stopped about two feet from her and spoke.

“Hi, Claire.”

She released the air she was holding. She wanted to throw her arms around him so badly, but she held back, unsure if he had come alone. “Hi.”

“Your paintings are amazing,” Jacob told her, looking around.

“It’s all thanks to you. You are the muse who got my artistic side working again.”

He frowned at her and took a step closer. “Was that all I was to you, inspiration for your painting?”

What was he talking about? “Of course not, Jacob. I—” She couldn’t say more because one of the guests came up to ask her a question about one of her paintings. When she looked up, Jacob was watching her. She needed to talk to him. “Hold on one second. I’ll be right back.”

She walked across the gallery to where she had last seen Lydia talking to a client. She was still there, thank God. “Lydia, I need to use your office for a moment.”

Lydia looked at her in surprise then glanced over to where Jacob was still standing. “I want details later. What do you want me to tell everyone if they ask for you?”

“Just tell them I have a visitor from overseas who just arrived that I needed to speak with.”

Claire rushed back to where Jacob was still waiting. She took his hand and felt that familiar spark ignite at their touch.

She led him to the back of the gallery and down the end of a hallway to Lydia’s office. She entered and closed the door behind Jacob.

“I thought it would be easier to talk here, quieter and less crowded.” She felt nervous again.

“Was it? Was I just inspiration to you?” Jacob demanded.

“No, I fell in love with you, Jacob.”

“Fell, past tense. Do you not feel that way anymore?”

His tone sounded so cold. Maybe Jacob had moved on like she had encouraged him to do and he was coming here to get closure. She wasn’t going to cry, she wasn’t.

“I fell in love, have been, and still love you.” If nothing else, she was determined to give him complete honesty. She watched as he took in a deep breath then released it, physically relaxing.

“I fell in love with you, Claire, from the moment I caught sight of you on the deck. You have been in my thoughts every waking moment and haunted my dreams.”

She felt like her heart was leaping from her body with joy. She moved to step closer to him, but he held up his hand, halting her. Her joy started to sink again.

“When things ended four months ago, I was angry at you, but then I realized that you were right. I hadn’t embraced my life in Japan because I was holding on to you and the time we shared at the beach. So I did what you told me to. I even went out with other women my age. I learned something in that time. Do you want to know what it is that I learned?”

She nodded. If she spoke, she would not be able to hold back her sobs. Pictures of him with other, younger women filled her head. She hadn’t dated anyone at all. The thought of him with anyone else sickened her.

“I learned that I am even more in love with you than ever and that I don’t want to live a life here or anywhere else if you aren’t going to be a part of it. I came here today to let you know that I want you back permanently if you’ll have me.”

She did sob then. Uncontrollable tears fell as she nodded and leaped into his arms. “I have been miserable without you. I can live and breathe and do my work, even better than ever before, but it doesn’t feel joyful to me because you’re not here to share it with me.”

She lifted her face toward him and he wiped her tears, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Claire wanted more. She reached up and pulled him to her. Claire kissed Jacob expressing everything that she was feeling.

“I want to be with you wherever you are.” Claire told him.

“What about you life here?”

“I resigned from managing the art gallery so that I could paint full time. The great thing about that is, I can paint from anywhere.”

She didn’t know what the future held for them. Nothing was guaranteed, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was living their lives to the fullest and sharing it with the ones they loved.