After a moment, Blake shook his head and followed his brother. It was going to be a long day, and yes, he’d be having a talk with Jewell about her place in his life, but right now he just didn’t have the time. She would definitely pay for her sins later, though.
Taking off his expensive suit jacket, he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt before thinking twice and yanking it off, leaving him bare-chested. He was not dressed for this type of work, and in fact rarely swung a hammer these days. He was far beyond that. He only did it when he needed to work out his aggressions.
He’d already fiddled around one of the worksites today in hopes of dealing with the frustration he’d been feeling, but this job would cause a hell of a lot more sweat than what he’d been doing when his foreman had called and told him that Bill had sent the workmen away. He should curse the old man, but he knew he wouldn’t.
The thought of getting revenge on Jewell kept him going as he climbed up onto Bill’s roof during the hottest part of the day and ripped off the ridge cap, then began tearing down the shingles. Yes, revenge and swift punishment would most certainly be sweet.
Chapter Nineteen
“What are you doing with a cad like Blake?”
Jewell stopped sipping her glass of sweet iced tea and laughed. “I don’t know, Bill, but I can tell you it’s worth it. Because if I weren’t with him, I never would have gotten to know you. For that matter, what are you doing with a cad like Blake?” Her grin made Bill laugh in turn.
“I’ve known Blake since the day he was born,” Bill said, and his smile began to disappear. “His father was a good man, but his mama beat the good right out of him — I mean Blake’s dad. It broke the heart of my best friend, Blake’s granddaddy. I was just glad he passed on before he saw the final chapter of their story play out.”
“What do you mean?” She knew she shouldn’t pry into Blake’s life, but it was like watching a movie, one that you just couldn’t turn off because you had to know how it ended.
“I don’t think I should talk about that dark time,” Bill said with a negative wave of his hand.
“Of course not. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.” But of course she did — she was dying to know everything. She hoped Bill didn’t tell Blake about this.
“Oh, you aren’t doing anything wrong, sweetie. It’s just a really sad story,” Bill said as he got up to refill their glasses. When he returned and handed her a cup of tea, he looked at her intently. “Do you care about Blake?”
Jewell was so shocked by the question, she didn’t know what to do. Since this man was obviously attached to Blake, she could hardly tell him that she was only there because she was being paid to be. But at the same time, she didn’t want to say a whole bunch of mushy stuff either. It would be a lie. Gosh, she felt trapped.
“You don’t have to say anything, darling,” Bill told her after the silence stretched on. “I can see that I put you up against a wall there.”
Still, she had to say something now. “I’m sorry, Bill. I just…it’s just… Well, we’ve only been together a few days and the situation is…well…it’s just complicated.”
Bill’s penetrating eyes bored into her, making her squirm in her seat.
“I understand, darling. When I was younger, people didn’t play all these games they play today. If a boy liked a girl, or a girl liked a boy, they told each other. If it looked like it was going good, there was no need to draw the whole dating process out. Heck, you can know on the first date if the girl looks like she’ll be the one. I married my Vivian three months after we met, because I knew there’d never be another girl for me.”
“What happened?”
“The good Lord took her four years ago. I still think of her every single day, and I can’t wait till I get to go and be with her again.”
“I’m sure she’s waiting for you right at the gates.”
“Not quite yet, darling. My Vivian was always too busy to wait around for anyone. But when it’s time, she’ll be there to meet me all right.”
“If I may ask, how did she die?”
“In her sleep, so there was no pain. I think it was just time for her to go home. I was real angry about it for a while, but I finally accepted that someone up there knows more than I do, and I realized that being angry all the time doesn’t do any good.”
“You are a wise man, Bill. I’m glad I’ve gotten to meet you.” Jewell reached out her hand and took his, smoothing his wrinkly skin with her small thumb.
“I am glad I’ve gotten to meet you too, darling. You remind me of my sweet Vivian. She was always so calm and just loved everyone, but if you fired her up, she would have no problem taking the hide right off you,” he said with a chuckle.
“I don’t normally lose my temper, but…” She didn’t know how to complete that sentence.
“Don’t give up on Blake. He’s been through some dark times in his life. His mama wasn’t fit to be a mother, and it was her fault that she and the boys’ daddy died. To top that off, the three boys watched it happen,” Bill said with a sigh.
“Wait! They watched their parents die? Was it a car wreck?”
“No. If only it were that easy. Blake may one day open up to you about it. If he does, then you take the time to listen. I just want you to know that he has to deal with the hard times he’s known however he has to deal with them. Sometimes his bark is pretty bad, but that boy has a heart of gold. He’s just managed to bury it really deep.”
“He’s lucky to have you in his life,” Jewell told him.
“Of course he is, little missy. I’m a great man.” Bill smiled at her and she knew that all talk of sadness was over.
After the two of them visited a while longer, Bill fell asleep in his recliner without giving Jewell any tasks to do. So she went outside and saw the three brothers on the roof. They were working quickly, and shingles came flying over the side of the house.
A huge dumpster sat in the driveway, one that hadn’t been there when Jewell had gone inside with Bill an hour earlier. She walked over to the work truck — Knight Construction was stenciled on the door — and, finding a pair of gloves in the back, put them on.
Over the next couple of hours, she picked up roofing from the ground and threw it into the dumpster. By the time the sun was getting low in the sky, she was completely exhausted, but the yard was mostly cleared of debris and she felt pretty dang good about herself.