That Perfect Place Page 12

  “You and Jake are really close, considering the difference in your ages. My older brothers never paid any attention to me when I was a kid.”

  “Well, raising Jake fell to me a lot. Ida doesn’t have a clue about handling little kids, and then there was the whole leaving Dad thing when Jake was eight. She went back to Sweden for six months before she sent for her son. He stayed for about a year but ran away so many times they finally let him come home. Grandma had some mobility issues, so between Granddad and me, we kept him out of harm’s way. He was a very hyper kid.”

  “Jakob? He’s so easygoing now.”

  “That is just a facade he has acquired over the years. Underneath he’s still pretty intense. Our dad made no secret that he didn’t want Jake, and Ma was so caught up in her own drama, she neglected him. He was ridiculously smart, and that made him resentful and restless. Granddad pushed him on the sports to deal with his excess energy.”

  “You two did a good job with him. He seems well adjusted now.”

  “Pretty much. There’s that whole ninja thing with the marines. We probably should never have let him do martial arts as a kid. I think it gave him an insane sense of power. And he does give in to Ida too often, still trying to win her approval, I guess.”

  “It’s hard to say no to Ida. It seems sort of like she just expects that you want to do things for her.”

  Jeanine nodded knowingly. “She was the pampered youngest in a wealthy family, but for all of that she is the only mother I remember.”

  The Fourth of July celebrations were Wednesday. Jim was spending his with his family and taking Tina; Jeanine and her troops were going to Indy as Sam was in the parade. One of his brothers had a tractor dealership, and he was going to drive one of their tractors. The girls would throw candy from the windows of the business pickup. SJ was grumpy because they said he had to be legal driving age to drive in the parade. He and Brad ending up sitting on the curb, eating candy and making snide remarks.

  Jeanine had invited Jill along, and they sat with her Van Slyke in-laws under a shade tree. Jake was going to stay at home as he had the emergency service for the day—that is, until Jeanine told him Jill was coming. He showed up just before the start of the parade, and magically, the only spot to set his chair was next to Jill. The parade was more than an hour long and entertaining. Afterward everyone headed to the park by the river. The Declaration of Independence was read and bands played and comedians performed until it was time for the fireworks. There were a bunch of food vendors and games set up for both kids and adults.

  Brad was quite attentive to Jill and bought her lunch with his farming money. She protested, but he insisted. She looked at Jake who shrugged. She relented, and Brad seemed very happy.

  After lunch, Jeanine recruited Jill to play softball. Jill liked sports and was glad to say yes.

  The first three-inning game they played was easy and fun. The men on her team were all good ball players, as were SJ—who caught—and Brad—who pitched the whole game quite well. Jeanine was no slouch, and Jill was well able to hold up her end, thanks to her glut of brothers.

  The second game was against a team that included Bob Mattson. Not wanting Brad to overstress his arm, Jake pitched this one. He was easy on most of the players, but when a real hitter came up to bat he’d pull out some of his good stuff. He struck out Bob Mattson every time at bat, and Jill could see it was irritating Bob. She had to wonder what had happened between the two in the past to make Bob so keen to best her boss.

  Jake was up to bat last and hit one out of the park. He had one of Jeanine’s nieces run the bases for him, and Bob tried to cry foul. The others laughed.

  “Give it up, Bob. The lieutenant gave us a fair beatdown.” Jill recognized the man who said this as one of the marines who had been at the Brandeises’ barbeque.

  They sat out the third game and played the winner of that contest for gift certificates from the pizza joint. Quite a few local high school boys were on that team and played their hearts out. They beat Jeanine’s team by two runs. Jill suspected Jake might have eased up a bit on his pitching. He promised to take everybody on his team out to the pizza buffet the following Friday, confirming her suspicions.

  Jill ran into the marine from Mattson’s team at the concession stand, and he greeted her warmly.

  “You’re Dr. Maitland from the lieutenant’s vet hospital, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, call me Jill. Tell me, why do you marines all call Dr. Gundersen lieutenant?”

  “A sign of respect, ma’am. Big Jake was very good at what he did.”

  “Just what exactly did he do?”

  “His Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Fifteenth, was the first on the ground in Afghanistan. A squad of them had attacked a Taliban stronghold and got caught in a cross fire. The lieutenant’s squad dropped in from a helicopter and saved those guys. When his chopper was hit a few days later, his guys were on the tail of an important mullah. Got him too, before the bird went down. His guys held out for two hours in spite of their injuries. He upholds the best traditions of the corps.”

  “He never talks about it.”

  “He’s not a braggart. Do you see old Bob? He just never gives up trying to best the lieutenant.”

  “What’s up with that?”

  “They went to school together. Bob was always an also-ran at everything, especially in baseball and wrestling. Jake was a star, popular and very smart. He could bat one out of the park and was an all-state pitcher three years running and a state champion wrestler. Not to mention tops in his class. Bob didn’t think that was fair. His family being the richest in town, he thought he should be the big cheese.”

  “That’s not it at all,” broke in the marine’s girlfriend. “Caroline was Bob’s steady for years, and she broke it off abruptly to marry Jake. Then not two months after Bob’s divorce from Cynthia, Cynthia let it be known that Jakob Gundersen was welcome in her bed anytime. Bob is not a gracious loser.”

  On the way back to her group, Jill wondered if fate was trying to push her into something. At every turn she found out some new facet of Jake that built him up in her esteem. But I shouldn’t, should I? And what if I did have a relationship with him and it turned sour? Then I’d be a two-time loser who felt she needed to seduce her boss to succeed. She did not want to move again. Havecare was a wonderful place to work.

  The rest of the day was perfect. The weather was hot but pleasantly so, the food and music good, and the company amiable. Jim and Tina showed up about eight to make Jill’s day complete.

  Around eight thirty Jake hobbled back over, leaning on Sam. He had been playing horseshoes, and his leg had given out. Jill saw him plop down in a chair and close his eyes. He looked like he was hurting, so she went over to see if she could help.

  “I’ve been on it too long and ran too much today. I need to massage it.”

  “Let me see what I can do.”

  Jill pulled a chair over in front of him and put his leg in her lap. She could feel the calf muscles all locked up. She massaged it, working out the knots from the top down. There was extensive scarring from the knee down. No wonder he got leg cramps. She could feel the muscles relaxing.

  “Is that better?”

  “Much, thank you. I’ll just sit with my foot up for a while.” Her hands are magic. Just her touch is making me hot.

  “I could use a break too. Would you like a beer?”

  “Sure, that would be nice.” He pulled his wallet out. What would be really nice would be to take you in my arms and kiss you breathless. Jake watched her walk away with naked longing in his eyes. It was torture to be near her and not say anything, but he knew he mustn’t push.

  She had ignored the wallet in his hands and came back with two cold beers and Maggie and Steve.

  “Hey, we were hoping you’d be here.”

  They sat and talked until the fireworks started and everyone stood up. About halfway through Jill noticed Jake having problems again. She sidled over to him and put hi
s arm around her shoulder.

  “Take some weight off it,” she yelled between bursts. He nodded gratefully and hoped she didn’t notice what other part of him was showing his pleasure at having her near.

  Jill made her usual call to Trish on Thursday. Trish was always asking how it felt to be a free woman. It was beginning to annoy Jill just a bit.

  “Tom didn’t own me, and I do not like being alone when everyone else is paired off.”

  “Watch it, girlie. This is the dangerous phase when you feel sooo bereft. Just remember your next relationship will be a rebound just to prove you are still attractive to men. We all go through it. Just make sure you pick someone easy to walk away from.”

  “Trish, there are no definitive phases to this like there is with grieving.”

  “Sounds to me like you’re getting soft on someone. Please tell me you are not falling for that hunky stud you work with. That would be out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

  “I know you mean well, but I can figure this out for myself.”

  “You are falling for him. Girl, I’m warning you, run for your life.”

  “I’m hanging up now, Trish. Good-bye.” She just sat and stared at nothing for a long while after signing off.

  he staff went to the local pizza place with their families the following Friday, minus Emma. Jim had been with them three months now, and a celebration was in order. Jake had invited Maggie and Steve as well.

  Steve noticed the new scar on Jake’s wrist and had to hear the story of the break-in. He told a few stories about Jake’s prowess in the marines and how his unit was proud to have him as their lieutenant after he won a few hand-to hand combat tournaments.

  “I was quicker on my feet back then.”

  “Hell, you had two feet back then. We all were in a lot better shape in those days.” Steve grew thoughtful and quiet for a few minutes.

  Maggie put her hand on his shoulder.

  Jeanine lightened up the atmosphere with a gag gift for each of the vets. She gave Jim a booklet on cursive writing because she couldn’t decipher his, she said. For Jill she got a mini putting green for her desk.

  Jake pulled out a bag from under his chair. “Maybe this will help,” he said, handing each of his employees an electronic tablet.

  “Hopefully these will speed up paperwork and help Jeanie out a bit.”

  “Wow, twenty-first century,” Jim commented. “I like it.”

  Jill thanked him quietly, and he wondered if something was wrong. She seemed so thoughtful and far away.

  Her phone rang, and he overheard her say, “Yes, Bob, we’re definitely on for Sunday. Tomorrow evening? Well, sure, what time?” She saw Jake’s look as she put her phone away. Stop liking me. Tom used to look at her that way until she had agreed to marry him after nine months in his clinic, always his clinic.

  Thoughts of starting off on her own somewhere resurfaced. She could never afford to build a place like Havecare though. Maybe if she just ignored it his feelings would go away. And mine, chimed a voice in the back of her head. God, why did he have to have such beautiful eyes? Her thoughts drifted to what it would feel like to have his strong, capable hands running over her body. Jesus, Jill, snap out of it. Maybe dating Bob would keep them from getting involved romantically. She really didn’t particularly like Bob. He was kind of a sleaze, but she knew her and Jake’s mutual crush could be a disaster. She forced herself back to the present.

  “And now for the business portion of the evening,” Jeanine said. “You kids can go get a bunch of dessert pizza while we talk.”

  “Bring me some, will you, Brad?” Jake said to his son.

  Sam got up. “I’ll see if I can scrounge a whole pie for us, Jake.”

  Jeanine smiled at her husband and addressed the group. “Jake and I would like to incorporate. It will limit everybody’s personal liability. We talked with Dave, and he has been offered a cushy inspector’s job that will open up in September, so he wants out. Seems he has taken a liking for this leisure thing. Steph, you will be lead tech since Emma wants to stay part time. A raise comes with that, of course. Jim and Jill, I’ll have all the papers on your desks Monday with the details, and take your time making a decision. There’s no rush.”

  “Questions?” Jake asked, looking at the stunned faces of his employees. “No? Good. Meeting adjourned. Dessert time.”

  Jill rode home with Stephanie and Troy since Jeanine and Jake were headed elsewhere. Steph was euphoric, but Jill didn’t say much; her mind was whirling. Professionally, the proposed incorporation was everything she wanted, but how long would her crush on Jake last and could she keep it to herself?

  Saturday, a pregnant cow fell down a hill and wound up with multiple fractures and was down on some rocks along a stream. Jim and Tina were off looking at flooring, so Jake took the call. He delivered the calf caesarean and euthanatized the mother. The farmer was elderly and arthritic, so he couldn’t even make it down the hill. It was quite a struggle for Jake to get back up the hill with the calf because of his artificial foot. It had just rained heavily, so the footing was muddy and slippery and he nearly fell twice. The farmer made some kind of comment about young people not being as fit as they should be, and Jake held his piece. He was afraid if he said anything it would come out extremely unprofessional.

  He headed home around five thirty, sweaty and muddy. A Mercedes convertible came around the corner as he turned down Havecare Creek Road. He recognized Jill in the passenger side and Bob Mattson driving. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like Bob gave him the finger as he passed—odd, but unimportant. He took a shower and grabbed a beer, contemplating whether to heat up the hot tub or find something to eat when the phone rang. It was Cynthia.

  “I just heard my ex is taking your lady vet to some big shindig in Cedar Falls tonight, so I figured your bed will be unoccupied at the moment. If I bring dinner would you care to scratch an itch for me?”

  A bit annoyed by her assumption that Jill was sharing his bed, Jake answered, “I just got back from a tough farm call. I don’t know if I’m good company tonight.”

  “You have forty-five minutes to get in the mood. I’ll see you then.” She hung up.

  “Christ, what am I? A stud service?” He downed his beer quickly and grabbed another. By the time Cynthia arrived, he was a bit mellower.

  “I’m so glad you got your house back. Always going to my place was getting old. Where’s your boy, by the way?”

  “Camping with his grandparents.”

  “So we have all night.”

  “I’m on call.”

  “Why can’t one of the others take the calls?”

  “It’s my turn.”

  “Well, maybe no one will call.”

  She put dinner on the table. They ate pretty much in silence.

  Finally, Cynthia put down her fork and said, “You don’t want me here, do you? You want her.”

  “She’s doesn’t want me.”

  “But you want her and not me.”

  Suddenly, the cabin seemed more like a tunnel. The silence echoed in his ears. After an uncomfortable pause, he answered.

  “I’m probably a fool for falling for her, I know, but I can’t help it. You and I’ve had some great times together.”

  “But I’m not desired anymore.”

  “And I’m sorry for feeling this way. You’ve got a lot to offer someone, Cyn.”

  “I thought I gave you a lot but I see it’s not appreciated.” She threw her napkin down. “Well, I’ll leave you to clean up, shall I? Good-bye, Jakob,” she said, sliding her chair back.

  He knew she was really pissed. He had been a convenient burr in her ex’s side for a year now. He sat at the table for a long time after she left wondering what the consequences of this evening would be.

  Jill thought she was going to need to call for a ride. Bob had pushed himself on her all evening. He had gotten a bit tipsy, and his language had slipped from innuendo to vulgarity. When she had had enough she read him t
he riot act.

  “Bob, stop. Just stop. As a golf partner you’re great, and that’s all I want just now. I am not ready for more.”

  “But you’ll dance with that yokel you work for. Oh, I saw you two on the Fourth with his arm around you and you giving him a massage. What did you think, you could work both sides of the deal? You need to make a decision, him or me.”

  Jill was outraged. “God, you really are a jerk. Take me home or call me a cab, right now.” She headed for the door. To her relief Andy Willis came across the lobby and called out to her.

  “Jill, do you need some help?”

  “I need a ride home, Andy, but I don’t want to spoil your evening.”

  “I’m at a wedding actually. Here, take my keys and leave the car at the hospital. I’ll catch a ride with a friend and pick it up later.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “No problem. I’ve known Bob awhile. I know what he can be like.”

  “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  “You can give my dog a free rabies shot, OK?”

  Jill parked in front of the hospital and then realized her shoes were not the type she wanted for the half-mile hike up the dirt road to her cottage. She didn’t have her keys, so she went around the back and used the pass code for the overhead door. The border collies followed by Newton and Legs wagged up to her, and she stopped to greet them while fending them off her dress.

  “Kind of overdressed for large-animal work, aren’t you?”

  It was Jake. She silently cursed. He was the last person she wanted to talk to right now.

  “It’s a long story. I was just getting some roadworthy shoes.”

  “You and Bob doing some hiking?”

  “What I do with Bob is my business,” she said more sharply that she’d meant to.

  “Of course it is. Why don’t I just drop you at your house?”

  “Yes, that would be nice.”