Hey Jude (Lennox Valley Chronicles #1)

I grab my bag from the car and circle around to where he’s standing. “Hey,” I say.

“I was hoping you’d show up today.” He smiles. “I wanted to ask you about your plans for the space.”

“Yeah, I actually brought the initial design sketches with me to show the Faulkners.” I glance at the big house. “And you, obviously,” I quickly add. I catch myself playing with the ends of my hair and quickly stuff my hand in my pocket, not wanting to look as nervous as I feel under Jude’s gaze.

“Oh, yeah? Let’s have a look.” He raises his eyebrows expectantly.

Opening my bag and pulling out my folder of sketches, I glance around the work site. “Have you got a smaller crew today?” I ask, tilting my chin at the two workers I can see.

Steph is demolishing the rotten wood frames of old raised vegetable beds, a sledgehammer leaning up against the bed beside her as she pries the wood apart with a crowbar. Dimitri is using an edging tool, creating clean-cut lines along the sides of the cobblestone walkway. No sign of Teddy or Mitch.

Following my gaze, Jude nods. “Mitch booked a few days off months ago, and Teddy is at a dentist appointment. He’ll be here later.”

Pulling the sketches out of the folder, I hold them in front of me. Jude walks over to stand at my side, peering at them over my shoulder. He’s so close; the heat of his body radiates toward me and I can smell his incredible, earthy scent. My heart starts beating faster and my hands feel unsteady. I adjust my grip on the papers to stop them from shaking.

I try to play it cool. “So, uh, this is the one for the front face of the house. The garden beds there…” I say, showing him the first drawing. “And this”—I pull out the second one—“is for the… what did you call it? The too far gone area?” I risk looking up at him with a grin.

Mistake. His green eyes lock on mine and my smile falters, my mouth opening slightly as my gaze drops to his lips. I quickly tear my eyes away, forcing my attention back to the sketches.

He must have seen that, I think to myself, shame rising up. My cheeks feel flushed. When I shuffle the papers to show him the third sketch, I swear I hear him take a long, slow breath.

His voice rumbles low beside me. “Is that a fire pit at the center of a… sunken garden?” He points to the drawing, his arm brushing against mine slightly and making my eyes flutter shut. Even this accidental touch is electric and I am quickly losing my battle to stay in professional mode.

“Uh, yeah, and these—” I start to say.

“Olena! Jude!” Charles’ voice snaps me back to reality and we both whirl around to greet him. I’m both grateful for the interruption and genuinely happy to see him again.

“Hi, Charles, good morning.” I force myself to break the spell cast by Jude being so close to me. “I was just showing Jude the initial sketches.” I don’t dare look at him directly, but I can see in my peripheral vision that he’s put some distance between us since Charles arrived.

“Oh, excellent, I can’t wait to take a look, myself.” Charles beams. “Would you two like to come inside for a cup of coffee? We can look them over together at the dining room table. And I can introduce you to Carol.”

* * *

Carol, I learn, is a hugger. In the vaulted foyer of the old house, she comes at me with wide open arms, a broad grin splitting her round face. A hug feels like a bit much for our first meeting, but she has such a loving, motherly smile that there’s no denying her. Reminded of how my mom is with Nat and Wyatt—she’s practically adopted them into the family—I let Carol scoop me into a tight embrace. The scent of roses envelops me.

“It’s so great to finally meet you!” She pulls back, holding my shoulders to study my face. “Goodness, my dear, aren’t you just lovely. Look at you!” She beams, looking me up and down.

“Thank you, Mrs. Faulkner,” I say sheepishly, surprised by her sudden familiarity. She’s Wyatt’s aunt so I guess it’s not that weird. Or is it weird? I’m overthinking again.

“Ah ah ah, none of this Mrs. Faulkner business,” she says, smoothing down her short gray hair and looking at me over her glasses. She shakes her head, then points a finger at me and Jude. “Carol. Just Carol.”

We nod dutifully.

“And you must be Jude.”

He extends a hand for Carol to shake and gets yanked forcefully into an equally tight embrace, looking both alarmed and amused.

I smirk at him, suppressing a chuckle.

“Oh, and this one’s built like a mountain!” she exclaims jovially, still hugging him.

Jude awkwardly pats her on the back, his eyes wide. “Nice to meet you, Carol,” he says, smiling at me over her shoulder.

She releases him and steps back, clapping her hands together decisively. “Come on, you two. Let’s get the coffee going.” She practically trots along the hallway ahead of us, motioning for us to follow.

Charles, who hasn’t said much other than the most basic of introductions, smiles knowingly and trails us down the hall.

Carol’s enthusiasm is contagious and I find myself pulled into her cheerful and slightly sassy orbit as we take our seats at the dining room table. The view overlooking Black Bear River is beautiful from here, framed by the large picture window. Carol sits beside me. Jude and Charles take the seats across from us while I lay the sketches out in the center of the table.