A busy single-mom. A laid-back bachelor. One unforgettable night that changes their friendship—and their lives—forever . . .
Single-mom Rebecca Hayes has been so focused on raising her daughter and building her finance career, she’s not sure she even remembers how to date. The only man she’s been out with is Jackson, her very close—and very attractive—friend. But Becca isn’t getting her hopes up after they crossed the line one memorable night—she knows Jackson too well. So when she discovers she’s pregnant with his baby, Becca isn’t sure she can count on Jackson anymore . . .
Fatherhood isn’t something Jackson Lowe saw for himself. He figured he’d just keep working at his family's landscaping business, surfing and being a happily unattached bachelor. But in his heart, he longs to build a family with Rebecca—his secret crush and the real reason he never settled down. He’s got a lot of work to do before she’ll believe he’s all in. He’s been the man Becca wants. Now, Jackson has to prove he’s ready to be the man she needs.
Release date:
February 7, 2023
Publisher:
Grand Central Publishing
Print pages:
336
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Jackson Lowe fished his phone from the back pocket of his worn denim jeans and leaned against the company truck. The sea fog had burned off by midday, and the sun-warmed steel soothed the tight muscles in his lower back. After punching in his passcode, he flicked over to the surf app, groaning at the perfect afternoon forecast: light offshore winds and waves five to eight feet high. It seemed unlikely he would be able to fit in a sneaky surf session, but maybe one little ride out wouldn’t hurt.
He and the rest of his landscaping crew had busted tail on Mrs. Keller’s property for the past three hours. While the guys had pruned, he’d let her give him a private tour around her beloved rhododendrons, showing where a few were developing leaf spot. He’d removed and destroyed all the visibly affected leaves and promised to come back early next week to add extra mulch. She was happy, and now he was happy because he could sneak out for a quick surf session before picking up…
“Jack!” a baritone voice yelled.
Jackson startled, having been so engrossed on the app that he hadn’t heard his father’s approach. His dad’s elbow jutted out of the window of a white pickup identical to his own with the green company logo and LOWE’S LANDSCAPING: PROUDLY SERVING THE CENTRAL OREGON COAST emblazoned on the door.
“Hey, Dad.” Jackson shoved the phone back in his jeans, while grinding his molars back and forth.
“Working hard or hardly working there, son?”
Jackson tried to ignore the sinking feeling that he’d just been busted, as if he wasn’t a thirty-one-year-old crew leader who’d finished a job well done. His dad always had that effect on him, even now as he regarded him from below his Trail Blazers hat with those serious blue eyes that belied his half smile.
“Just finished up here. Do you need something?” Or are you checking up on me? Jackson left the last question unspoken, but it hung in the air between them. Why did he always feel like such a loser whenever his dad shot him one of those long, searching looks? It wasn’t like he was a major life screwup. He worked hard, stayed out of debt, didn’t smoke or have more than a few beers at the Last Chance Bar on a Saturday night. He didn’t sleep around or get in trouble with the law.
“Oh, well, I was in the area and remembered your truck was in the shop. Thought I’d give you a lift and catch up.”
“Cool.” Jackson chewed the inside of his cheek, a better option than retorting with a salty “Yeah, right.” Given that Mrs. Keller lived a few miles out of their quaint coastal town of Heart’s Hope Bay, at the end of a long private road that wound up into the coastal hills, the chances that his dad was coincidentally passing by was somewhere in the vicinity of no chance in hell.
The old man was up to something. Was he going to have to play twenty questions to figure out what?
“Yeah, I’m getting new tires put on. I’m going to be heading out of town for the weekend, so if you could give me a ride to pick it up, that would be great. I was going to catch a ride with the guys.”
“Sounds like a plan. You should know, Mrs. Keller called.” His dad turned the truck off. “And”—he held up a hand, bronzed from years of outdoor work—“before you get your boxers in a bunch, she had nothing but good things to say about you.”
“That’s good news, right?” Jackson glanced back at the big three-story gray-shingled house, but there was no sign of the owner, who was famously nitpicky and high maintenance.
“You’ve got a knack for customer service. The clients like how you interact, the way that you take your time and explain things. This isn’t the first time I’ve had someone sing your praises.”
“Okay, great, but…” Jackson hooked his hand around the back of his neck and kicked at a rock in the driveway. “I’ll cut to the chase. Do you have something you wanna say?”
“Boss! Time to go. You need to get your truck, and it’s beer o’ clock!” Reggie, one of the newer members of the landscaping crew, barreled around the house, then abruptly pulled up short when he saw the company owner. “Oh, hey, Mr. Lowe…didn’t know you were here.” His nervous laugh hung in the air as the rest of the crew came to a halt behind him, all of them taking a sudden keen interest in the steel-toed tips of their work boots.
Jackson made it a point not to cringe, bow his head, or give any outward sign of embarrassment. He had nothing to apologize for. His crew busted their tails, and if they finished a bit early and got to get a head start on their weekend, who was it going to hurt?
Alan gave his employees a curt nod, and despite the sunshine, the air seemed to drop ten degrees. It’s not that his dad was a jerk, but he never was easygoing with the crews. Things like banter, fun, or letting folks duck out of work a few hours early—that was how Jackson rolled. Life was too short to take too seriously. Having fun made everything better, so why do otherwise? While he knew his dad didn’t love the idea of him letting the guys off early while keeping them on the clock, he didn’t ever mention it. Out of sight, out of mind.
Except for today.
“Um…hey…Boss?” Reggie stood by the truck, kicking dirt with the tip of his boot. “Are you catching a ride with us?”
“That’s okay. I’m going to take him back into town,” Alan called out evenly, answering for Jackson. “We have some things to discuss. Business things.”
“Of course, Mr. Lowe, no problem.” Reggie’s expression was unmistakable. Straight oh crap.
Jackson forced a small reassuring smile and ignored the knot in his stomach, the one that came from still getting treated like the kid who had camped out in the principal’s office during middle school and who had never once earned one of those stupid MY STUDENT IS ON THE HONOR ROLL AT HEART’S HOPE BAY HIGH bumper stickers like his other siblings.
“Have a good time!” Jackson threw up his hand in farewell as he rounded his dad’s cab to climb into the passenger side. “You guys worked hard this week and deserve it.”
The fact that the last part of the comment was meant more for his dad did not go unnoticed. It took until they had driven down the tree-lined driveway and turned onto the narrow country road, before Alan eventually spoke.
“Those boys look up to you. And when you let them cut out of work and stay on the clock while drinking beer—what kind of message does that send about personal responsibility? And not only that, but is partying it up over pitchers of beer the best way for them to spend their hard-earned money? From what I hear, Reggie’s been couch surfing for months all over town. Shouldn’t he be saving for a rental deposit instead of buying another round for his friends?”
“I hear you.” Jackson rolled down the window, letting the salt-infused air cool his heated cheeks. Dad might have a point, but he also had a knack of making things sound worse than they were. What his dad didn’t know was that Reggie had found out that his stepdad had been diagnosed with colon cancer this week and was stressed out. Having a chance to blow off some steam and forget about the real world for a bit couldn’t be all bad, right? But what was the point of trying to tell his father any of that?
Alan Lowe wasn’t a guy who liked to listen; he lectured.
Jackson nodded during pauses, but he’d tuned his father out, directing his gaze to the glimpses of sparkling ocean appearing between dips in the hills. What he wouldn’t have given to be out there right now. When catching a wave there is no past, no future, just the present.
“I want to see you step up and focus, get some goals and real direction. You’ll understand one day. When you’re a parent.”
Jackson turned and gave him a look. The idea of having a kid was as relatable as taking a vacation to Mars. Jackson appreciated how his younger sister, Savannah, worked magic with rug rats at the Sunshine Corner preschool, and hell, his closest female friend had a child. But the idea of losing sleep for what looked like forever? Not to mention being unable to go surfing on a whim? Having to make sure he was setting a responsible example? Vacuuming regularly? Making grocery lists?
No thanks.
Parenthood appeared to be a helluva noble job, and he respected it, but it just wasn’t his scene.
“Let’s be real, Dad.” Jackson smirked. “It’s probably best that I’m just the fun uncle, right?”
His father slammed the brakes so hard that Jackson lurched forward, the shoulder belt digging hard into his chest.
“Dude! What was that for?” He glanced over, incredulous.
“Dude? Jackson Lowe.” His dad’s knuckles tightened on the driver’s wheel. “You’re not a kid, no matter how much you want to pretend otherwise. You have potential, and I’ve had my fill of watching you squander it. I’ve been thinking this over, and look, I can’t stay in as the boss forever. Your mom has been pestering me about retirement. She wants to get out and travel while we are still fit and healthy, and if anyone deserves to have the world laid at their feet, it’s her.”
“On that at least we agree.” Jackson’s irritation ebbed. Most people thought their own mom was the best, but he knew that he was lucky enough to have the greatest mother of all time. She was the only one in his family who seemed to love him for who he was, not despite it.
“But I’m not too keen on giving up a business that I’ve poured my whole life into, a business that provides a good income for a number of people. What do we have now? Three crews with five guys on each? Plus, Donna and Nancy in the office. You. Me. That’s nineteen people right there.”
Jackson nodded, brow furrowing. What the heck was going on? First, Dad showed up out of the blue, wagging his finger for letting the crew duck out early and enjoy an afternoon beer while being on the clock. Then he started talking about responsibility, and having a kid. Now he was saying he wants to retire.
What gives?
“I want you to step into my shoes and take over.”
“Me?” The realization hit him like a bucket of ice water just as his dad started driving again. “Take over the business?”
“Yes. You.”
“Wh-what if I don’t want to?” The words were out before he could swallow them back.
“You’d rather stay being the crew leader? You’d really want me to sell Lowe’s Landscaping? To someone who is not a Lowe?”
“It’s not that.” Jackson frowned. He didn’t exactly like that idea either, but this had never been his dream job.
“Come on, Jack. You had to expect this was going to happen sooner rather than later.”
“Honestly, I haven’t given it any thought. I’m happy. You seemed happy. It’s all good.”
“All good. It’s all good.” His dad sighed. “Those are your three favorite words, huh? Look, I promised to fly your mother over to Paris for our fortieth wedding anniversary. And then I want to surprise her with a Mediterranean cruise after. It’s something she’ll never expect. But that means my clock is ticking. I’m going to have to make a move. So I need you to think seriously about your future…probably for the first time ever.”
Jackson nodded slowly, his dad’s words floating through his mind, but not really sinking in.
“I mean it—seriously think about it. Don’t say yes to make me happy. It’s more that…I want this for you. I want to give you the opportunity to step up and be the man that I think you can be, not the oversized kid you seem intent on pretending that you are.”
“Jeez, Dad.” Jackson mimed a wounded chest, even though the words hit him like a gut punch. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“The truth hurts, son. Grow up and get used to it. I love my kids too much to see any of you being anything other than your best selves.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll think about the offer. I will. I promise.” His phone buzzed with a text. He pulled it out and saw it was a message from Becca—a meme of an older woman saying “It’s been 84 years.”
Where are you? Don’t be late!
He snorted, a kaleidoscope of butterflies stirring in his body’s core, sending a wave of internal flutters through his limbs. This always happened whenever Becca popped up, whether it was on text, or over the phone, or at his front door. He had no idea where this particular picture was from, but the message was clear. His friend was getting impatient.
Key word: friend.
Those butterflies could go back into hibernation. He wasn’t going to let them take flight, ever.
Three dots lit up. She was typing again.
I know you won’t get the reference. It’s from Titanic. You know, the greatest movie of all time? The one you’ve always refused to watch with me? Anyway…you better not be surfing. We need to hit the road soon.
Need to pick up my truck and shower. Give me an hour he typed back before glancing at his dad with a one-shouldered shrug, as he deleted any lingering impulse to catch a wave or two. “Sorry, it’s Becca. I’m supposed to drive her and Sofia to her cousin’s wedding. Carter and Abby were going to take them, but Abby had some sort of a blood pressure scare with the pregnancy and her doctor recommended that she stick close to home and rest. Of course, Carter won’t leave her side. So, I offered to go so Becca didn’t have to be alone.”
His dad’s craggy face was inscrutable. “I knew it was Becca before you told me. Wanna guess how?”
“Because I don’t have many friends.” Jackson winked cheekily. The exact opposite was true. He knew everyone in this town, from the high schoolers who ran the old-timey ice cream shop to the senior book club that gathered at the library on Tuesdays, the newcomers who moved in from Portland for a sea change to the long-timers whose great-great-grandparents had migrated here from Europe. He couldn’t walk a block in Heart’s Hope without having someone engage him in chitchat or honking as they passed by.
“No one else makes you smile that way.” His dad’s huffed laughter was amused. “Rebecca Hayes, the one who got away, hey?”
Jackson jerked his head. Oh God, there he went again.
“Dad, look. For the hundred thousandth time. Me and Becca. We are friends. Just friends. Capital F friends. Always have been. Always will be.” If he said it enough, to his family, to his friends, to himself, eventually it might be true.
A flash of her wide grinning mouth appeared in his mind, those full lips darkened by the red lipstick she wore on occasion. A mouth he thought about sometimes when he shouldn’t.
A mouth that he wasn’t going to think about at all right now. Especially with his dad a foot away.
“But if I’m late to get her she’s going to kick my ass, so let’s try to at least drive the speed limit so I can get home to shower.”
“That Rebecca Hayes,” his dad repeated as he pulled up in front of the auto shop, clearly intent on ignoring Jackson’s plea and maybe even enjoying watching him squirm a little. “She’s got spunk. And made her own way, just like her brother.”
Jackson bit the inside of his cheek. Spunk wasn’t the half of it. Becca was an incredible woman: funny, smart, and about as good of a person as they come. She’d overcome so much, including a deadbeat dad, to carve out success for herself and her daughter. She deserved nothing but the best.
Which you’re certainly not, the unhelpful little voice in his head reminded him in no uncertain terms.
“I respect someone who calls their own shots and makes their own way.” His dad had a far-off look. “I like her a lot.”
“Yeah. I like her too. Emphasis on like. As in she’s an old buddy.” He jumped out of the truck before his dad could embarrass him further.
“Hey.”
He glanced back, ears burning. If Dad said another word about him and Becca then—
“That was a serious offer I made you before. I need you to think about if you are ready for the next step.”
“I said I will.” Jackson’s smile faded. The idea of taking over Lowe’s Landscaping felt like a rock in his gut, a burden he didn’t want to carry. But his old man was making an offer in good faith, and the least he could do was consider it. “I’ll think hard on it. And when I say I’m gonna do something, I do it, don’t I?”
His dad’s cryptic shrug could mean a dozen things, but Jackson didn’t have time to analyze the inner workings of Alan Lowe’s brain. He had to get his truck, get showered, and get his ass over to Becca’s, or he’d be out of the frying pan and straight into his type-A best friend’s fire.
* * *
Jackson wasn’t late. Yet.
Becca rechecked the oven clock. He still had two minutes to make it by four.
“When are we going, Mama?” Her four-year-old daughter, Sofia, glanced up from the iPad Becca was letting her watch as she tidied up the house.
Becca resisted the term clean freak. Because there was nothing freakish about enjoying everything being put in the right spot, and if she’d used this year’s tax return to treat herself to a Dyson, well…at twenty-eight she might as well admit that she’d rather vacuum the house than get pedicures or go to yoga classes. She’d swear on a stack of Bibles that her Dyson was better than meditation.
“Not yet, honey. Soon. We’re just waiting for Jackson.” Becca gave the counter a vigorous swipe, sending a few scattered sourdough crumbs from Sofia’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich onto the floor. She bit back a muttered curse. Why was she so on edge? It was silly to be stressed about a weekend away—especially when it was for a destination wedding, of all things. The next few days were going to be about fun, family, friends, and delicious food.
But travel made her anxious. Home was her nest. She’d rather cook, or bake, or watch Netflix than go out. Here, she had Sofia on a strict bedtime schedule that guaranteed her a few hours of precious me time after dark, plus she had a well-stocked medicine cabinet and snack cupboard prepared to handle everything from a fever to a sudden fit of hangry. There were drawers of clean underwear. Her bed with six fantastic pillows.
Home, she could control. Home, she was always in charge. Home, well, it was a known entity.
God, she sounded so…boring. She grabbed the vacuum and sucked up the crumbs.
Ugh. Had she always been this boring?
The answer was no. She used to put herself out there. Go on dates. Get kissed. Get more than kissed.
Now it was just her and cobwebs, both in her house and in other unmentionable places.
But soon all that was going to change. Last night, after a second glass of wine, she’d gone and made an online dating profile. But since she’d activated it, she’d been too scared to go back on to look. What if no one had swiped on her? That would be such an ego blow. But what if someone had? That could be worse. Heart. . .
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