Hey Jude (Lennox Valley Chronicles #1)

I step out with my bag over one shoulder and my notebooks and papers in my arms. Without stopping to look around, I make a beeline for Steph.

“Steph! Great to see you’re feeling better.”

She turns and smiles. “Hey, yeah, thanks, much better now. What’s up?”

There must be a look of wild determination on my face because Steph looks hesitant. I relax my shoulders and plaster on a pleasant smile, trying to appear more casual. “I was wondering if you had time this morning to help me get that wisteria planted and attached to the arbor; we want to get the branches training along the frame as soon as possible.”

“Oh, sure, yeah, I can do that…” My overeager facial expression must betray me because she raises her eyebrows slightly, looking surprised. “Right now? Oh, okay, yes, right now works.”

“Great!” I sound overly enthusiastic. Rein in the unhinged vibes, Olena.

“Okay, let me grab my gloves.” Steph motions that she’ll be right back.

Bless you, Steph.

I need to keep my head down and focus on concrete tasks. And, while I’m tempted to look around to find out where Jude is, I’m determined to ignore him today.

Putting my stuff down on a nearby tarp, I tug on my gloves and walk over to the arbor. The wisteria tree sits in a large nursery pot on the ground beside it. I grab the roll of garden twine sitting nearby and look around for a pair of scissors. I notice Teddy and Dimitri leveling the last of the gravel path, finishing the job Jude and I abandoned Friday night. I frown to myself as I remember tracing his nose with mud.

“Olena.” Jude’s voice stirs up the pain of rejection all over again. Damn it.

“Hi,” I reply, turning but barely meeting his eyes, and return to my search for the scissors.

“Look, I wanted to—” he starts.

“Morning, Jude.” Steph rescues me, returning with her gloves with perfect timing.

“Hi, Steph,” Jude says politely. “Listen, Olena, I was hoping we could talk when you have a minute.”

“Um, I don’t, actually… have a minute. I mean, Steph and I were just going to get this wisteria planted.” I meet his eyes with carefully controlled calm.

Steph glances between us and gives me a questioning look. She appears slightly uncomfortable. I smile at her reassuringly.

“Olena,” she says carefully, “did you want to leave that with me, or—? Like, if you two need to talk…” Her eyes dart between us again.

“No, it’s fine,” I blurt out. “I want to get this done. Let’s do this.” I clap my hands together. I can feel my forced cheerfulness hitting all the wrong notes but I can’t stand the feeling of Jude’s eyes on me.

Steph raises her eyebrows but seems to accept she’s stuck with me in this awkward situation. She drags the pot over to where we can both lift the plant.

“Okay, uh, maybe later, then.” Jude sounds confused but I don’t look at him. In my peripheral vision, I see him turn, then pause. A pair of scissors lands beside my feet in the grass. He says nothing and walks off.

“Everything okay between you two?” Steph asks quietly when he’s out of earshot.

Having loosened the root ball and soil from the pot, we lift the wisteria up and place it on the ground near the arbor.

“Absolutely.” I smile. Absolutely fucking awful.

Steph glances over at Jude and turns back to me, giving me a skeptical look, but says nothing more.

* * *

I spend most of the day fixating on any task that means I don’t have to think about or be anywhere near Jude. The site is busy with deliveries and decisions for me to make, so staying occupied is not as hard as I’d expected. I quickly become an expert on monitoring his location out of the corner of my eye and make sure to walk in the other direction, finding any excuse to check on progress or inspect supplies. I even snap a few photos on my phone just to create the illusion I’m thoroughly engrossed in the project at all times.

Even by colleague standards, I know my behavior toward Jude is poor form, but I can’t seem to snap out of it. The pain weighing heavily in my chest won’t allow me to be the bigger person. Not yet. God, why do I have to be so overdramatic about this?

Walking over to the sunken garden, I take my time inspecting the benches and cushioned seating that were just delivered. Alone in this corner of the property, out of view of the others, I can drop the pretense of being cheerful and professional. Relieved to finally have a moment to myself, I stand at the edge that overlooks the cliff-side and try to take a deep breath. The air enters my body jaggedly, catching on every surface on its way into my lungs. I frown to myself and try again.

“There you are.” Jude sounds fed up.