Studfinder (Busy Bean #5) - L.B. Dunbar Page 0,89
seem set on a new path. For Jake, the plan is to hire him as a supervisor for Building Buddies. He wants to continue working as well, finding his own passion in constructing houses for those in need. He’ll also work on building up his industrial art following. The interior designer who works closest with Building Buddies has commissioned him for several more pieces on top of her first order, so Jake has plenty to get him started. He’ll take his time to revamp the old firehouse, he says. Maybe one day he’ll turn it into a bed and breakfast, but he’s in no rush to make a decision.
We had a long talk about Nolan, and I’ve had much to consider in order to come to terms with Jake’s decision. He hasn’t asked Nolan to turn himself in, and Nolan hasn’t offered. Jake doesn’t want to risk his brother going to jail. It’s still possible Nolan wouldn’t have. His current physical condition, topped with the time that’s lapsed from the crime, could have garnered him parole or probation. Still, it really wouldn’t have been different from what he was doing now—working in a restorative manner, seeking therapy, and taking steps to better himself. Topped by his physical condition, Jake believes his brother is suffering enough. I still think Nolan should come clean to free his brother’s name and maybe his own conscience, but Jake stands firm that it doesn’t matter. He’s already lost the time. He can’t get it back. We’ve decided to take to the grave what Nolan did. We are the only three people who know the truth and maybe his therapist.
Nolan continues to work for me, struggling some days in frustration while other days he’s a champ. I don’t know how the old Nolan was, but this new one seems to be digging into his assigned role, accepting his fate, and working on himself. Jake suspects his brother has a girlfriend or a woman annoying the crap out of him, but Jake hasn’t asked. Their relationship has lots of restructuring to be done before they are solid again. For now, they are each polite when they see one another and reflective when they are apart.
I lift my mug and take a sip. My gaze wanders upward to the chalkboard-black beams overhead, and I scan the various quotes and sayings. Slowly, I sit upright, staring over my head.
“What?” Jake asks, his voice concerned at my cautious movement. My eyes squint as I’ve misread the words. I read them again. Slowly, I stand on shaky legs, focusing on the recognizable scrawl.
“Rita, what is it?” Jake asks, his concerned tone turning to a knowing sound. I shift around the low table before us to read the words once more.
Suddenly, I snort, loud and obnoxious, before covering my mouth and closing my eyes. The words light up behind my lids, emblazoned for my mind. Is this happening?
Jake’s hands come to my shoulders, rubbing over them.
“Sweet,” he whispers behind me, and I vigorously shake my head. “No?” he questions. “You won’t do it.”
Jake spins me so I face him, and I lower my head, embarrassed to be teary-eyed in a public place. He bends his knees a bit and lowers his body, so I’m forced to meet his eyes.
“You won’t marry me?” The question in his voice is part teasing, part honest concern.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on one knee or something?”
He chuckles at my inappropriate response. “Well, I was, but you were taking too long to turn around, and now you’re saying no, so what does it matter. I was hoping you’d notice that beam while we were on the couch.”
“I was on the couch,” I remark, but now I’m standing, facing him in disbelief.
“Yes, but it’s been up there for weeks.”
“It has?” I turn my head, glancing over my shoulder at the words scribbled on the beam facing the couch.
Will you marry me, sweet?
“When did you put it there?” I ask, still not fully accepting what it asks and the importance of this moment, which I’m totally botching up by asking all these other questions.
“The day we gave the house to Jackie and Bob. I offered to buy you a coffee to celebrate.” He pauses, and I fill in the rest. We’d spent the rest of the day making up by having sex and talking and having more sex. Then I started knitting in bed, showing him how to weave the yarn, and he distracted me with more sex.
When I realize that this question has been laying out in the open for two weeks, and I’ve missed it every time we’ve entered the café, I want to kick myself.
“I’m not saying no,” I squeak, worried I’ve ruined this perfect moment.
“Is that a yes?” he teases.
“Can you repeat the question?” I smile.
“Of course,” he teases. First, he spins me around and points at the beam again. I laugh as he slips his hand into mine and tugs, so I twist to face him. Licking his lips, he reaches into his pocket. Then he lowers to one knee, and I hear gasps and the scratch of chair feet against wood around me. But all I focus on is Jake on one knee before me, holding up a beautiful diamond ring and looking at me with faith in his eyes.
“Rita Kaplan, you beautiful woman, will you marry me?”
Tears of overwhelming joy flow down my face, and I quickly swipe at them, finding my voice before I answer.
“Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
And with a plush peach couch and an entire coffee shop as witnesses, I accept Jake’s ring and agree to a future—a second chance—of love, hope, and faith in one another.
T H E
E N D
Thank you for reading Studfinder by L.B. Dunbar! Want another sip of Rita and Jake? Get your bonus epilogue here.
You can get all the links to all the Busy Bean books here. Or turn the page for more great recommendations for L. B. Dunbar and World of True North titles
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L. B. Dunbar’s Sexy Silver Fox Romances Include:
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Living at 40
After Care
A Love Note From the Author
When the opportunity to write in Sarina Bowen’s World of True North arose, I nearly fell off my comfy chair. It’s an opportunity I’d been wanting to exist – and then voila! It was here. As an avid reader, True North is one of my favorite series about family and friends, small towns and community, love, romance and sexy bits.
When I applied to write Rita Kaplan’s story, I had lots of thoughts. First, Rita is ‘my age,’ meaning older-ish, kind-of, sort-of, and as the stage was already set for her to retire one day from her law practice, a midlife re-evaluation seemed like the perfect moment to move Rita along. Forty isn’t old, but as I found with myself, forty and a half did bring about some re-assessment of my life. In Rita’s case, she had conquered her addiction and was devoted to service for others. Building Buddies was born, and a one-eighty from her previous career began.
Which leads to Jake . . . as a former middle school teacher, restorative justice is a huge form of redemption in school districts, and it got its start in the prison system. Much of what we learned about the process involved studies done in more extreme cases – criminal activity – and the result of those cases in helping re-establish good people who had made poor decisions. Restorative justice can include rebuilding a physical object to make amends for damage done to property. My love of television shows for extreme home makeovers and fixer-uppers added to my ideas for Jake’s parole. But there’s also an element of restoration to the individual in restorative justice, as in rebuilding the offender. In Jake’s case, it was difficult because he hadn’t actually committed a crime.
Like many of us in the middle of our lives, though, we’re a fixer-upper, in need of an extreme makeover, or maybe just a new couch to plant our backsides on and drink some coffee.
Wherever you’re at, I’m hoping there’s a stud in your life or at least a plush peach couch and a decent café to daydream in. May your forties (and beyond) be fabulous.