A Winter Awakening (7 page)

"You seem to be making yourself comfortable here,” he mused. She noticed he was looking at a chocolate wrapper she had left on the counter in her haste last night.

"Oh, I, uh..." she stammered.

What is wrong with you, Ellie? You are a babbling idiot.  Surely, this man isn't THAT intimidating.
Instead of trying to continue to talk, she opted to eat instead. She grabbed a ripe, plump strawberry and bit into it. As she did, juice ran down her chin and dripped onto her bare cleavage.

Shit. Now I'm a babbling idiot slob.
His eyes lit up with amusement as they followed the trail of strawberry juice.

She tried to compose herself and move the focus away from the strawberry juice running down her chest.

"Who are you, again?" she asked, trying to be nonchalant.

"Nick Bennett. Your uncle's attorney and CEO of his holdings."

"Right. Nick. We spoke on the phone." She locked eyes with him, and to her surprise, felt a tingle at the base of her neck. "I have to say. This, all this,” she gestured to the penthouse around her, "is quite unnecessary. I'm happy with a Comfort Inn and a continental breakfast!"

Nick blinked at her, a confused expression on his face.  "Miss Sanderson, don't you know what your uncle was worth?"

"I have to confess, I didn't talk to Uncle Emery about money. He must be worth a little. I mean, I know he owns Willow's coffee chain." Ellie took another bite of strawberry, this time being sure to sink her teeth slowly enough into the berry so as not to send the juice flying. This seemed to take Nick off guard. He watched her intently as she enjoyed the berry.

He is amazing,
thought Ellie.
And, why is he looking at me like that?

Nick rose from the table and turned away from her. He walked over to the window, and said, "I brought the will with me; we can proceed when you are ready. Your uncle was a dear friend of mine."

"Oh, Mr. Bennett. I am sorry. I didn't realize. He was dear to me as well. He..." Ellie choked up and was unable to continue for a few moments. "He was like a father to me. Especially in these last few years." 

She walked over and joined Nick Bennett by the window. She silently enjoyed the view for a few moments. "I'm a little carried away with all this pampering. Between losing my uncle and a fight I had with my husband just before I left, I've... well, I've allowed all this pampering to carry me away and help me forget my problems." 

Ellie looked down at her nails, avoiding eye contact with Nick. She added under her breath, "I don't get this at home." 

Then, she blushed, and hastily added, "And now I'm babbling." 

Nick stood in silence, watching her. She remembered her time with her uncle. He was there for her when her mother died.  He was there when she graduated from High School. He had been so proud. 

But, more particularly, he was there when she announced that she wanted to marry Jacob. He defended her to her father when she announced that having a family - being a wife and mother - was more important to her than inheriting the family business.

Her father had been so furious that he actually disowned her. Ellie teared up at the memory. Uncle Emery did his best to repair the damage between her and her father. When that failed, he stepped into the role, acting as a father himself. He even walked her down the aisle at her wedding.

"I wish I had spent more time with him in recent years. He was a good man," Ellie whispered.

"Yes," agreed Mr. Bennett. "He was a good man. And, he was my mentor." Clearly feeling uncomfortable with this sentimental talk he added, "Shall we get started?"

"Yes. Of course. Let me clear the table." Ellie wiped the tears from her cheek, straightened her shoulders, then headed for the dining room.

She quickly gathered the breakfast dishes and placed them on the cart. She straightened herself and tried to wipe the strawberry juice from her chest. She was able to get most of it, but some had continued to drip and found its way deep down in her cleavage.  She wouldn't be able to get to it without exposing her full breasts to Mr. Bennett.

"Okay, Mr. Bennett. Let's begin." She sighed as she put the napkin down on the table. She would have to do this with sticky skin.

He took his seat across from Ellie, opened his briefcase, and brought out the stack of papers, bound by a thick blue cover. He glanced up to her before beginning to read.

What is it about him,
thought Ellie.
I seem to turn into a klutz in his presence. And, why can't I focus on anything? 

Just then, she realized that she was missing what he was reading. 

"I direct my executors to pay my enforceable..."

Oh geez,
she thought.
I wonder how long this will take.
She looked up to Mr. Bennett again.

Look at those eyes
.  She loved the way he looked when he was concentrating
.                                

"I give all tangible property, all real estate, and my ownership stock in Willow's Coffee Shops, FitLife Gyms, and Indulgent Holdings to my niece, Helena Willow Sanderson. If she does not survive me, I gi..."

Ellie stood and walked to the window. After a moment, she realized she could no longer hear Mr. Bennett's voice. She turned to see him looking at her expectantly.

"I, uhh. I don't understand. He owns FitLife Gyms? The national chain?"

"No Miss Sanderson. You do. You own the penthouse we are standing in. You own Silver Towers. You own the FitLife Gym Chain. You own the Resorts controlled under the Indulgent Holdings umbrella. You own all of the Willow's Coffee Shops. Of course, we will take immediate steps to sell all these assets on the open market. You will walk away with the proceeds..."

"I see." She turned back to the window. 

Mr. Bennett continued to talk, but Ellie couldn't hear what he was saying. 

What does this mean for me and Jacob? How will this change things? If it was money problems troubling Jacob, maybe this is the answer.
She tuned back into Mr. Bennett just in time to hear him say, "I'll be back at 2:00 to take you to the board meeting." 

Board Meeting? What board meeting?
wondered Miss Sensibility.
Ellie, you should have been listening!

Just as she was formulating her next question, Mr. Bennett gathered his briefcase and rushed out the door.

"What is happening at 2:00?" Ellie asked the empty room. 

Ellie had been gone for two days and Jacob still hadn't heard from her. He called her cell again and got her voice mail... again. 

With a sigh, he put the phone down and walked into the kitchen, wondering what she had left him for dinner tonight.

He opened the freezer and found the container marked, 'Wednesday.'

He popped the lid off and found ravioli. 

Nice,
he thought. 

With a pang of guilt, Jacob defrosted the dinner Ellie had prepared for him. 

I have been such a jerk to her,
he thought as he sat down for dinner.

The truth is Jacob had been starting to feel as if Ellie didn't need him anymore. He wasn't giving her the baby she wanted. He couldn't take away the pain she felt at the loss of her uncle. She even took this trip to Phoenix without him.  This was the first time she had traveled alone, and she didn't seem the least bit phased by the process.

The ravioli tasted wonderful to him, but it only served to remind him of how much he missed Ellie, how guilty he felt about his behavior toward her, and how much he wanted to make it up to her when she returned. 

Jacob opened a beer, something he only did when she was out for the evening. Her beverage of choice was red wine, and he drank what she drank, just to please her. Truth be told, he preferred beer, but it was a small sacrifice to make. Sharing a bottle of wine together was one more way that he could feel connected to her.

As he polished off the bottle and opened a second, Jacob let his thought drift toward children. His mother, Margaret, had mentioned something to him earlier that day in passing. She alluded to the fact that children can come to a family through many methods, not just the 'traditional' way.   Of course, Jacob knew this but today was the first time he had ever thought about adoption for his family. 

The idea made him sad. He yearned for his own flesh and blood to carry on the family name. He wanted to see the likeness of his father and grandfather in his own boys. He yearned to teach them how to move irrigation pipe or swing from the rope swing in his father's barn.  

For the first time since his marriage to Ellie, Jacob had to consider the idea that he may never have children of his own.  The heartbreak was almost too much to take.

Thankfully, the phone ringing interrupted his thoughts.  Jacob didn't like to dwell in self pity.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver, hoping to hear Ellie on the other end.

"Jacob? It is Sarina. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Jacob was surprised to hear her on the other end. She knew Ellie was out of town.

"No, not at all. But, I'm sorry Sarina. Ellie is still in Phoenix."

"Oh, yes, uh. I know. I was calling to speak to you, actually." Sarina stopped talking and seemed to be stifling a sob. "It's just that..." then she let her voice trail off.

"What is it, Sarina?" asked Jacob, worried now. 

"I just didn't know who else to call. I don't have many people here, you know," continued Sarina. 

"Is everything okay?" he asked again.

"It's the boys," she said. With this, Sarina began to openly cry, no longer able to speak coherently into the phone.  

"Are you at home?" asked Jacob.

"Yes," she was able to reply through whimpers.

"I will be there in a minute," said Jacob. He hung up the phone, grabbed his jacket and hat, and rushed to his truck.

The night air was crisp, and as Jacob rushed through the streets he couldn't keep his mind from straying to the worst possibilities. Were the boys hurt in some kind of accident?  Have they run away? Are the missing? Jacob arrived at Sarina's house and knocked lightly. He let himself in after hearing no reply. He cracked the door slightly and poked his head in, "Hello?"

There was still no reply, but he could hear whimpering coming from one of the back rooms. 

The house was tidy and clean. He could see no evidence of any sort of trouble. The kitchen was clean, the toys were put away. Jacob noted that there was no sign of them. He prayed they were simply tucked into bed, fast asleep. 

"Hello?" he asked again, as he entered the living room and continued to follow the sound of whimpering down the hall.

"In here." He heard Sarina's voice from the last room on the right. 

He continued down the hall, pausing at the half open door. 

"It’s Jacob. Are you okay?" he asked. 

"Please. Come in," came her voice through the door.

Jacob pushed open the door and took a step in. He looked around and blushed a bit realizing he had just stepped into Sarina's bedroom. Her bed was against the opposite wall, the headboard was framed by windows. There, in the center of the bed, sat Sarina, curled up on top of her bedspread, holding a handkerchief in one hand. Her white nightgown was a contrast to the lavender bedspread. 

Jacob was moved by seeing her in this state. What could have happened that would have reduced her to these tears? She had appeared so strong and capable in every encounter he had with her up to this point. 

There was something about seeing a woman in need. Jacob had always had a reaction to this. He remembers feeling protective of his little sister when she turned one and was just learning to walk. Though he was only six, he had a hard time playing when she was waddling around the living room. He chose to follow her around instead, prepared to protect her head if she fell too closely to a sharp corner. 

Then of course, there was Ellie. His impulse to protect her was so strong when her father turned against her. Never before, nor since then, had he felt that strong protective desire. 

But standing here, watching Sarina cry silently on her bed, brought about a similar feeling. It wasn't as strong as the protective desire he had for Ellie, but something stirred in him as he watched her. 

He could almost hear his mother's voice in his head,
This isn't Ellie. Just because you feel like you can't protect her right now, doesn't mean you need to protect someone else.

Jacob pushed that voice to the back of his head. How could he turn away from a woman in need? There is nothing wrong with helping someone out. In fact, isn't that the Christian thing to do?

Jacob removed his Stetson and walked quietly over to Sarina. 

"What is it?" he asked, sitting down on a corner of the bed, fidgeting with the brim of his hat.

Sarina looked up at Jacob, "Oh, I didn't mean for you to go out of your way for me. I just didn't know who else to call." 

"It is no trouble. What can I do?" he asked.

"It is the boys..."

"What about the boys? Where are they?" Jacob interrupted.  He bolted up, as if to go look for them. 

"They are okay. I mean, they’re safe. Don’t worry, Jacob, it’s nothing like that," she replied.

At this, Jacob released the tension he had been holding in his shoulders and sat back down on the bed, waiting for her to continue.

"They keep asking for their father, and I just don't know what to tell them. It breaks my heart that they have to grow up without him." Sarina collapsed into her chest, shoulders heaving with her sobs. "May I ask what happened?  I mean, where is he?"  Jacob paused, but pressed on. He wanted to know what kind of man would leave his wife and children. 

Sarina looked up at him once again, "He left. I guess the strain of fatherhood was too much. I came home from work one day to find him gone. He didn't leave a note, any clothing, or even a dime. He didn't leave a goddamn thing."

Jacob could hear the bitterness in her voice. 

She continued, "I waited for him for a few months, but it was obvious he wasn't coming back. The creditors started calling me. He had quit paying his bills. His boss said he didn't leave notice, or a forwarding address. The boys asked where he went, of course.

"At first I lied, saying he went somewhere on business, but after a while that lie wasn't going to fly. Then I just started saying he had to go away. That only worked for a while. Now they want to know why he doesn't love them anymore.

"What should a mom say to something like that?" Sarina leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. 

Jacob reached up and did his best to comfort her by rubbing her back as she cried into his shoulder. 

He bristled with anger. What kind of man walks out on his boys? Certainly he doesn't deserve them. But, what will come of them? Certainly, Sarina is capable of caring for them, but they need a fatherly figure in their life too. 

"They went to bed in tears," added Sarina.

"So, they are here?" asked Jacob.

"Yes. In bed," replied Sarina.

Jacob relaxed at this news. At least he knew they were safe. 

"Sarina, you can't lie to the boys. Tell them you love them," Jacob paused after this, thinking about what else to say.  He continued to rub her back and shoulders as she silently cried. 

"I just feel so badly for them," she said. "They need a father."

Jacob had to agree. Boys do need a father. 

"Maybe, someday," he said, "your life will move on. You will find love again. How long has it been since the d...  since he left?" Jacob couldn't bring himself to say divorce. It was such an ugly word. It was such an ugly thing to see happen to a family.

"Six months," replied Sarina. She sat up and looked into his eyes. "I moved to Logan as soon as I realized he wasn't coming back."

Jacob suddenly became aware that her skin looked as soft as silk in the soft lighting of her bedroom. Her crisis seemed to be passing, and now here he was sitting on her bed. Her eyes looked so sweet and vulnerable as she looked up at him.  

Since marrying Ellie, Jacob had never looked at another woman. He had never felt the need, or the desire. His love for Ellie was all consuming and all satisfying. But sitting here, looking at Sarina, he felt something stir inside him. She needed him. She made him feel like a man. She made him feel strong and capable. Then, his thoughts turned to Ellie. What would she think if she saw him sitting here in this woman's room? 

With a wave of guilt, he told Sarina he would call her tomorrow to check on her. Then, he left her house quickly.

I will call Ellie again when I get home,
he thought.