Flipping Hearts

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Jack's POV

I was waiting on the step with a thermos of coffee as promised. I left no time for her to go in to say hello to her family, since I hopped in the truck before she was able to make a complete stop. I might have felt bad about that, but spending the morning watching the triplets tear around the house, hearing Danny's booming voice yelling at them to be quiet and Lila's overwhelmed face as the boys fought over a Buzz Lightyear cup, inspired me to frantically fill the thermos to beat it out the door as fast as I could.

"I have coffee," I said slamming the passenger door shut. I did not want to give her a reason to head into to the house and stall my escape.

"You look a little frazzled. Life with triplets a tad bit overwhelming?" There was no mistaking the amusement in her voice.

"A little? I felt bad running out on Lila this morning, but I don't think I'm cut out for the noise of three boys. Or Danny's mood in the morning."

She threw her head back and laughed. I found it warmed my belly whenever I made one of the Shumaker women laugh and Peyton had a great, hearty laugh. I was never fond of my ex-wife's girlie giggle. "I wouldn't wish those triplet boys or a pre-coffee Danny on my worst enemies. "

I glanced over her while she composed herself. I was definitely going to enjoy seeing her every day. Her loose, unbuttoned flannel shirt covered what looked like a tight tank top, her glossy coffee brown hair was twisted into a no nonsense braid and paint splattered jeans all said she was ready for work. I chuckled to myself. She pulls off the whole carpenter look really well.

I looked down at myself remembering a time when my jeans had fit more snug. I used to enjoy the lusty looks from women when I was dressed like the Marlboro man. I'd become so thin and haggard, I doubted a single woman ever noticed I was in the room with her.

"So what will I be doing today?" I asked trying hard to remember that I had a job to do, that didn't include staring at my new boss and wishing I hadn't descended into loserville. I laughed at myself. The first stirrings of interest I had for any woman in ages and it had to be her. You never learn, do you?

"I think I'll have you mix grout and be my gofer. Sound good?"

"I'll do anything so I don't have to go back to that chaos too soon." I looked straight at her and decided I liked the smooth, fresh scrubbed creaminess of her skin. No smoothing layer of foundation to make her skin look flawless, it just was. It had been a long time since I'd seen a woman's face so free of makeup, I guess I forgot that simple beauty was a look I always found more attractive.

"You'll get used to it."

"I doubt it."

I looked out the window watching my old home town unfold before my eyes. We passed the old Miller Farm at the edge of town and I couldn't stop a grin from spreading across my mouth at the memories. Every Halloween the local war vets would put on a haunted hayride through Old Man Miller's corn field. The old men dressed as monsters and jumped from the rows of brittle corn stalks, hoping to scare the shit out of us teenagers. More than once I was caught in the back of the hay wagon with my hands up my date's shirt. The old coots razzed me, proud their red blooded football hero was getting lucky. I never once stopped to think about how the girls I was with felt about being caught like that. My cheeks burned, chagrined by my teenage callousness.

Peyton stopped the truck in front of a fifties style rambler. The cedar shake siding had been freshly painted a steely blue, white shutters with heart cutouts framed the windows, and soft pink peony bushes greeted passersby with fragrant color from the walkway to the house. It was like time stopped around the tiny house and it was still nineteen fifty-five. I was quite curious about what I would find inside.