Page 19 of A Bright Winter Season

“Hey.” Alexis returned to the booth, biting her lip. She sat down across from Hazel and looked at her sister sympathetically. “I’m sorry about this. Mom hired him because she didn’t have anyone else who could do the job.”

Hazel shook her head, smiling. “It’s totally fine, Alexis. Jacob and I have always been friends, and we still are. I’m not upset to see him.”

“Good for you.” Alexis reached across the table and squeezed Hazel’s hand, even though it was covered in sloppy joe sauce. They both laughed as Alexis wiped her hand with a clean napkin. “You’re being so chill about this whole thing.”

Hazel laughed. “There’s no reason for me not to be. Yes, Jacob has a girlfriend and I’d wanted to ask him out, but it’s not as though I need him in my life. And I’m happy for him. He seems really happy, and I want that for him.”

Alexis gave her a proud smile. “Way to go, Hazel.”

The sisters finished up their tasks—Alexis finished counting her money and Hazel finished her meal—and then Hazel stood up to go.

“See you soon,” she said, bending down to give Alexis a hug. “Good luck with everything. Call me if you need to talk.”

“I will. Thank you.” Alexis looked a little nervous still, but there was a sparkle of excitement in her eyes now.

Hazel dropped off her dirty dishes in the kitchen, saying goodnight to the dishwasher. As she was making her way to the front door, she passed Jacob as he was inspecting one of the vents.

“Have a good night, Jacob!” she called. “Good to see you.”

“You too!” He looked up with a grin. “Have a good night, Hazel.”

Hazel pushed open the front doors of The Lighthouse Grill and stepped out into the cold night. She tucked her hands into the warm, fleece-lined pockets of her coat and smiled. She was proud of herself for being able to call a casual goodbye to Jacob like that. She made her way to her car, glancing up at the glittering stars as she went, and feeling more content than ever.

CHAPTER NINE

Jacob stepped inside the lobby of Main Street Auto, Rosewood Beach’s only auto repair shop. It was run by Dean Owens, and Jacob always liked going there, even though it meant that there was something wrong with his car that needed fixing. Even though cars weren’t his specialty, as a man who repaired things for a living, he knew how much knowledge and skill went into maintaining machines. He had a great deal of respect for Dean and the other men who worked at the auto repair shop, and he felt grateful that he could trust the people who were working on his car. He’d dropped his car off the day before and he was there to pick it up, having gotten a phone call from one of the mechanics earlier.

He could see Dean in the garage through an indoor window in the lobby. Dean was clearly still working on his car, but Jacob didn’t mind, since he’d showed up a little early. He glanced at his watch, and decided to go say hello to his friend and ask him how long it would be before his car was finished.

He went through the door that led into the garage, smiling a little as he inhaled the strong scents of oil and grease. He associated the smells with the satisfaction of getting things done, and he liked them.

“Hey, Dean!”

Dean looked up with a grin. “Hey, Jacob! I’m just finishing your car up now. I’ve just got to replace this valve cover and then she’ll be all set.”

“Sounds great, thank you.”

“Of course. Sorry it wasn’t ready to go when you got here.”

Jacob shook his head. “You’re all good. I was a little early. No rush—I can go wait in the lobby while you finish it up?”

Dean glanced at his watch. “I’m due for a break, actually. I’ll ask Keith to finish it up and I’ll go chat with you while we wait.” Dean wiped his hands on a blue paper towel and started to walk toward the door that led to his office. “I have a lot more energy than I used to, but my osteoarthritis starts to act up if I don’t take regular breaks. Thanks to physical therapy, I can take fewer breaks and shorter ones, but I still need to take them if I want to not be totally worn out by the end of the day.”

“Makes sense.” Jacob offered Dean a sympathetic smile. He was impressed by the other man’s determination in the face of his troublesome diagnosis. It was clear that Dean was putting in the work in order to combat his condition, and Jacob was glad that his effort was producing success. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, that’s great news.”

“Thanks. I’m glad too. Welcome to my office, take a seat,” Dean said as they stepped into his plain but comfortably furnished office. There were a couple of chairs set against the wall near the desk, and Jacob sat down in one of them.

Dean flopped down into the swivel chair behind his desk with a sigh. “Oh, sometimes I don’t realize how tired I am until I sit down.” He chuckled. “It feels nice to take a minute.”

“I hope you didn’t push yourself too hard over my car. I could have waited longer.”

Dean waved his hand through the air, dismissing Jacob’s concern. “No, not at all. I always work at the same pace—nottoo fast, not too slow. I think it’s usually like that with things we enjoy doing.”

Jacob nodded. “I can second that. I always enjoy my work, even when I’m getting a little run down.”

“I think about that sometimes.” Dean shook his head. “About how busy you must be. You’re the only official handyman in town. We’ve got some folks who can fix certain things here and there, but they don’t do it for work. Not that we wouldn’t have hired you anyway, but Mom said that you were the only person in town who could replace the air vents at the pub.”

Jacob nodded, chuckling. “Sometimes it ends up being a lot, but it’s usually decently staggered. Sometimes if I get really lucky, I get a couple of days off in a row.” He grinned.

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