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  “I’ll come back Monday. I think they’d like to know how to finish the project.”

  “When do you have to return to Los Angeles for your next taping?” Jackie asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Grant said, lowering his head. “The execs were talking about not renewing the show.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” Jackie added. She looked down at the floor and moved some of the sawdust with her boot.

  “That’s the way it goes. Usually when one show gets cancelled, another pops up in its place.” Grant didn’t like the idea of losing his show, but he knew there would be plenty of work.

  “I sure hope you’re able to get another show. Your work is really nice. I think the homeowners are going to be very happy with the job you’ve done,” Jackie said, pointing to the TV unit. Grant had chosen hickory wood to match the cabinets in the kitchen.

  Grant’s phone dinged and buzzed in his pocket. “I bet that’s my mother. She’s got a crazy habit of texting me every ten minutes or tweeting my every move.” He slid his hands in his pocket and pulled his phone out and looked at it. “Yep, that’s her.”

  Several texts popped up on his phone, along with the loud accompanying dings. Both Jackie and Grant laughed at his mother’s incessant texting.

  He looked down at the phone, which read, Ask her out. Gary told me you were helping a pretty woman. Now’s your chance. Don’t miss out.

  Grant read the texts to himself and laughed. “As much as she drives me nuts, I’ve missed my mother.”

  “You’d better respond,” Jackie said, walking over to the counter to set down some of her tools.

  Grant texted her back and put the phone in his pocket. “Are you hungry? I’d love to take you out for a bite.”

  “I could eat,” Jackie said. “But I’d like to get a shower first. Can I meet you somewhere?”

  “Sure, how about some pizza?”

  “Sounds great. Why don’t we meet at Chad’s Pizzeria on Main Street in about an hour.”

  “You don’t need longer?” Grant’s eyebrows met in question.

  “No, why would I need longer?” Jackie put her hands on her hips.

  “I thought girls needed three hours to get ready to hit the town. Humph. That’s a new one on me.”

  “I don’t have a bucket of paint, or a ham sandwich to wash off this time, so one hour is good.”

  Grant smiled. He liked the idea that a woman didn’t need three hours to put on a ton of makeup. “Okay, see you then.” Grant walked outside to a light dusting of snow on the ground. It had snowed off and on throughout the day, but a little bit of it decided to stick to the ground after all. He looked down the mountain at Snowy Creek in the valley. The sun had set and all the lights were burning bright. He missed the view from the mountaintop. He missed a lot of things about Snowy Creek. Somehow he knew if he left again, he’d most likely miss Jackie.

  ***

  Grant sat down at one of the tables at Chad’s Pizzeria.

  “Well, Grant Williams. I haven’t seen you since high school. How ya been?” The waitress said. She had a smile pop across her face.

  “Hey Susan,” Grant stood up from his chair and gave her a hug. “How’ve ya been?”

  “How have you been? You’ve turned into quite the star around here. You put the town on the map. We even have a picture of you over the bar. You’re our local celebrity.” Susan pointed to a picture hanging on the wall.

  Grant turned in his chair to look at the picture. As soon as he turned, he spotted Jackie. Her hair was draped across her shoulders and shone in the lights. She didn’t need gallons of makeup or a fashionable dress. She looked amazing in jeans and a t-shirt. Amazing.

  Grant stood up as Jackie walked to the table.

  “Hey Jackie. Did you know our star is here in town?” Susan asked, still standing by the table.

  “I did know. He’s been helping the kids in the shop program since he’s been home.” Jackie walked to the other side of the table and sat down.

  “Can you two believe we were all in high school together, just a decade ago?” Susan shook her head. “I’ll be back in a minute to get your drink order. Just look over the menu and figure out what you’d like in the meantime.”

  Grant laughed out loud. “Oh, man, I am really feeling like a heel now. How could I not remember you? Jackie Baldwin.” He shook his head back-and-forth. A wave of heat traveled across his face. “I am so embarrassed that I didn’t put it together.”

  Jackie picked up the small container of honey sitting on the table and set it in front of Grant. “Does this bring back any memories?” She smiled a crooked, sweet smile.

  Grant continued to laugh. “Oh that’s right. I put honey in your hair, too. I felt so bad for doing that to you.” He leaned back in his chair and threw his hand up on his chest.

  “It was a long time ago,” Jackie said. “We were kids.”

  “How did you ever get your hair clean?” Grant sat up and moved the honey back over to the side of the table.

  “It wasn’t an easy task.” Jackie ran her fingers through her hair. “I did smell nice for a few days afterwards though.”

  “You look so different now. Something’s missing,” Grant said, staring at her.

  “For one thing, I don’t have those thick Coke-bottle glasses anymore. My mom wouldn’t let me have contacts in high school. Little did she know it would probably have cut down on half the comments people made.” Jackie pressed her lips together and nodded her head.

  “That’s it. You look completely different without those glasses. No wonder I couldn’t place you,” Grant said.

  “Ya’ll ready to order?” Susan walked back over and stood next to the table.

  “Want to just split a pizza?” Grant asked.

  “That sounds good. I’ll take the pepperoni and sausage on my side,” Jackie said, before she paused. “Oh, with some honey on top.” Jackie cracked a one-sided smile, cute enough to knock a guy’s socks off.

  Grant laughed. He liked that she was easy to talk to and apparently didn’t hold a grudge.

  ***

  Jackie slid her shoes off and walked across her living room. She sat down on the couch and leaned into the cushions. She didn’t realize she would enjoy her evening with Grant as much as she did. He was so easy to talk to and not a bit presuming, which she figured most TV personalities would be. He’d let the students take tons of pictures with him earlier in the day, and then showed several of the students each and every step of the woodworking process while building the TV unit, even though it took extra time.

  They stayed at Chad’s Pizzeria until the doors closed. They talked about high school, what they had been doing since high school, and about future plans.

  Jackie and Grant didn’t lack for conversation. They continued to talk long after Chad’s closed. If not for the accumulating snow, they’d probably still be standing outside enjoying each other’s company.

  Jackie could easily fall for Grant. But she didn’t want to, knowing he wouldn’t be in town more than a few weeks. She didn’t want to get her heart broken, since he would be going back to Los Angeles soon. She’d have to guard her heart. She couldn’t fall in love with a man who wasn’t going to stick around. Snowy Creek was home and she didn’t want to leave.

  Jackie’s phone buzzed and she wondered who would be texting her at such a late hour. She entered her code to unlock the phone and a picture of Grant and all the teenagers popped up on her screen, along with a text.

  Look Miss Baldwin! My Tweet went viral! It’s even on other websites! She recognized the phone number as belonging to Vanessa, one of the students in Colin’s shop class. She had been at Jackie’s client’s house helping on the projects earlier that day. Jackie assumed Vanessa must have tweeted a picture of Grant helping them.

  Jackie wasn’t too knowledgeable about Twitter, but she opened her laptop and Googled Grant’s name. Sure enough, the picture of Grant and the students came up on the screen. It had already received over two h
undred thousand hits.

  Jackie clicked on one of the links with the headline, ‘Grant Williams Helps Teens Learn Woodworking In 30-Minutes Or Less.’

  Jackie flopped against the cushions on her couch. She knew the students would be thrilled to be momentary super stars, but she sure hoped Grant wouldn’t be upset.

  Chapter 3

  Jackie pulled her truck around the back of Williams’ hardware store and put it into park. She stepped out and walked through the back door.

  “Hey Jackie, how’re you doin’ today?” Gary asked, sitting at his desk, most likely working on invoices.

  “I’m doing good this morning,” Jackie said. “I just wondered if you had a chance to get the things on my list together yet.”

  “Sure did. They’re over there in that box on the floor, by the door.” Jackie turned around to look for the box just in time to spot Grant coming in the door.

  “Hey Grant,” Jackie said, still worried that he would be upset over the picture the students posted online.

  “Hi Jackie,” Grant said. “Do I look any different today?”

  She pressed her eyebrows together and wondered what he was talking about. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “I think I might have gotten more Twitter mentions this weekend than when I was dating Jennifer!” He laughed out loud. “Well, if you don’t count all my mom’s tweets.” He smiled and winked at Jackie.

  Relief washed over her. She was so grateful he wasn’t angry. “I’m glad you’re not upset. Vanessa texted me the other night at 2 a.m. about her picture going viral. I wasn’t sure what you’d think.”

  “I think it’s pretty endearing that the kids liked having the help on Friday. We’ll see if we can get even more hits online today when we finish the project.”

  Before Jackie could even smile, Grant lifted her box of supplies and took it outside to her truck and placed it in the bed.

  “Thanks,” Jackie said, following behind Grant. When he slid the box into the bed of the truck, she closed the bumper.

  “I’m heading up to finish the project. I’ll see you and the students up there,” Grant said. He nodded his head and walked back over to his car.

  ***

  Jackie stared at the completed TV unit. It was beautiful. The past week had been a wonderful one. Throughout the week, Grant continued to come back and help the students with projects around the house. He had the students help at every turn. They had learned every aspect of building the unit, including finishing off the project with a few coats of varnish. The unit looked professional and added so much beauty to the living room. She knew her clients would be happy about the finished project.

  During the week, Jackie tried hard to keep her feelings for Grant from growing stronger, but it was no use. Each night, the two finished the evening with dinner. For the first time, she could see herself with someone for the rest of her life. Grant showed concern and care for the students all week. Grant continued to show patience with the students as they slowly learned the woodworking trade. He also helped on other projects during the week. She knew it would be hard to see him go back to Los Angeles, and she feared her heart would be forever torn.

  Gary, at the hardware store, seemed more relaxed and organized since Grant had returned. She knew Gary would be fine once Grant returned back to Los Angeles, but wondered how much longer he could run the store as he aged.

  Jackie looked over at Grant, cleaning up after the youth had left for the evening. She grabbed the broom and walked over to where Grant was finishing up. “You don’t need to stay and clean up each night.”

  “I don’t mind. Those kids are ready to go to town and goof around. I remember those days well,” Grant said.

  “I remember how wild you were,” Jackie said. She smiled as she swept sawdust into a pile.

  Grant grabbed the dustpan and squatted down on the floor in front of Jackie. “We make a good team, don’t we?”

  “We do. I’ve appreciated every moment that you’ve spent with the students. They have learned so much this week from you.” Jackie swept the pile into the dustpan.

  Grant stood up and dumped the sawdust into a trashcan. “I think I have learned more from the kids than they learned from me. I actually enjoyed coming up here every day. Including being able to spend time with you.” He stared at Jackie for a moment and she could feel the warmth traveling up her face. Grant lifted the trashcan and walked outside to dump the remainder of the trash in the dumpster.

  Jackie followed him to the door to lock up. When Grant came back, he stopped for a moment. “Do you want to eat again? I’ve actually made a few decisions in the past couple of days and I wanted to share them with you.”

  “Sure, I’d love to eat with you,” Jackie said. She was curious what Grant had to share. She knew it was probably a long shot, but Jackie hoped Grant was going to choose to stay and run his father’s hardware store.

  “I’ll see you down there at Chad’s in about an hour,” Grant said, as he placed the trash can back inside the house.

  “I’m looking forward to hearing what you’ve got to tell,” Jackie said, as she closed the door behind them and locked the deadbolt.

  Jackie climbed into her truck and felt a wave of excitement course through her.

  ***

  Grant pulled into the driveway of his mother’s home and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. None of the lights were on in the house, so it couldn’t be his mother texting. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared at the screen.

  His director, Tad, had sent a message. Hey Grant. We need you here tomorrow. Can you come home to tape a special?

  I’ll get the first flight out in the morning, Grant texted back. He looked through his phone for Jackie’s number and dialed it.

  “Hi Grant,” Jackie said, answering the phone. “Are you already at the restaurant?”

  “No, I going to have to cancel tonight. The studio just sent me a message. They want me there by tomorrow to tape a special. Can I get a raincheck on dinner?”

  “Of course. Have a safe trip home. The kids will miss seeing you.”

  “I’ll talk to you soon,” Grant said, hanging up the phone. He was hoping Jackie would be the one that would miss him.

  ***

  Jackie grabbed a cart at the grocery store and pushed it down on of the aisles. As she neared the milk aisle, she spotted Susan. “Hi Susan, how are you doing?”

  “Hey Jackie,” Susan said. “Did you see Grant is back together with that star, Jennifer Tilman?” She lifted the tabloid out of her cart and showed it to Jackie.

  The headlines were in bold, ‘Tilman and Williams Back Together.’

  Jackie felt as though she’d been deflated. Two weeks had passed since Grant had left, but she held on to the idea that he’d be back. At least for a short time. But it was apparent that would never happen. She should have known better.

  “She is beautiful, don’t ya think?” Susan asked, still holding up the tabloid.

  “She is. I’m sure they will be happy together,” Jackie added. “I’ll see you soon. I’ve got some shopping to do.”

  “Come in and get some pizza. I got used to the two of you coming in and getting something to eat every night,” Susan said. “Believe it or not, I thought the two of you would end up together. I really thought you were good together. And the way that he looked at you, I really thought he loved you. He had me fooled.”

  “I’m sure that’s just for show. He’s been in Hollywood all this time, after all. What does he want with some girl from Snowy Creek anyway?” Jackie laughed, but inside her heart ached. She had apparently been fooled as well.

  Jackie pushed her cart toward the back of the store. She couldn’t regret falling in love with Grant. It was her fault for believing they could ever be together. He belonged in Hollywood and she belonged in Snowy Creek. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. She lifted her sleeve and wiped the tears. She refused to allow them to come and she pushed them back. She had to forget about h
im. She had no choice.

  ***

  Grant glanced down at his phone.

  You need to call your me, a text popped up on his phone from his mother. You haven’t had a chance to fill me in on Jennifer yet.

  The past two weeks had been a whirlwind of chaos. He hadn’t even had a chance to call his mother with his work schedule. The studio decided, before cancelling the show, to tape several more episodes to finish off the season. Grant barely had time to sleep let alone call his mother. He knew she and Gary would be happy when he told them that he would be back to run the hardware store. Grant was ready to be home… for good.

  Grant had spent the past two weeks trying to field questions from the press about Jennifer Tilman and whether or not they had gotten back together. So far he’d avoided a lot of calls. He couldn’t stand being hounded. When Jennifer called and didn’t have a date for a premier, he figured he would just go out for the night. He had no idea the press would have a field day and print that the two of them were back together. Grant worried that Jackie might have seen the tabloids and believed it. He’d tried to call her several times, but she didn’t answer.

  Maybe Jackie wasn’t interested in him anyway. She was a tough one to read. He’d enjoyed every single minute he spent with her in Snowy Creek. He hated that he had to cancel their dinner plans before he was called out unexpectedly. Grant wanted to tell her how he felt. Tell her he was falling in love with her.

  Still waiting… His mother texted again. Grant had forgotten about her text.

  I’ll call you tonight. Grant responded. He figured he’d surprise her tonight when he showed up at the house. She wouldn’t be expecting him and his mother always loved surprises.

  “Sir, you’re going to have to shut off your phone,” the flight attendant said. “Sorry, but it’s regulation.”

  “Of course,” Grant pressed down on the top button of his phone and waited for it to power down. He leaned his head against the headrest. He couldn’t wait to see Jackie.