Home is Where the Heart is (12 page)

Once the attention turned away from Jordan, he relaxed a little and said thank you to the kind stranger.

“Oh, that’s okay. I know they can be a little intimidating to anybody new to the classroom sometimes. By the way, I’m Sierra.”

“Well, thank you, Sierra. I can see what you mean. I’m Jordan, but I suppose you already know that.”

She laughed, lightening the mood. “Yeah, Cassie and I are friends. She’s told me about you, and warned me this morning you would be the one dropping Jake off instead. I guess she figured you would need saving from the Mother’s Club. My son, Caleb, and Jake are best friends.” Sierra pointed toward a boy with sandy blonde hair and freckles on his face sitting next to his son, and then she leaned in toward Jordan, whispering, “Between you and me, Cassie and I are two of the only normal ones here. We don’t get into gossip.”

Jordan was relieved to know he had an ally at the school, one that didn’t judge him based on his past mistakes and actions.

“If you hold on a moment, we can walk out together. I’ve just got to throw my son’s lunch into his bag,” she told him before rushing into the classroom, making her way to where the kids kept their belongings.

While he waited, the same gossipy woman from before approached him one final time with a favor request.

“I’m head of the Parent Association for our children’s class, and I was hoping I could get your assistance in baking some cookies or cupcakes for the annual fundraiser the school holds with the high school. You’ve probably heard about it before...”

“Um, yeah, you mean the Yellow Valley Annual Gala,” Jordan answered.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, going into detail as if he didn’t know anything about it, despite living here most of his life. “The proceeds raised go toward the two schools’ improvements. This year, we’re aiming for a bigger auditorium to be built for all the schools in the district to share. We were hoping Cassie would be able to bake us something delicious as a sponsor in honor of this class. I’ve been meaning to catch up with her, but she’s always so busy.”

Jordan could see why Cassie always seemed so uninterested or too busy to chat to this woman, but nevertheless, he was polite toward her and smiled as genuinely as he could.

“I’m sure she would be happy to help out. I will let her know.”

The woman let out a dramatic sigh of relief, like she was completely counting on Cassie’s agreement to bake for them, and turned away from Jordan when she received the answer she was looking for. Could no one cook as well as Cassie?

“Did I hear you offer Cassie’s baking skills to Emma?” Sierra stood behind him.

Jordan turned back to her, startled by the astonishment in her voice. “I did. Why? Was it a wrong move?”

She shrugged her shoulders and didn’t say anything.

“I guess we’ll see soon if it was or not,” Jordan said cracking a smile, unsure now if Cassie was going to be upset with him.

Sierra chuckled and reached up to wrap an arm around his shoulders, offering friendly support as they made their way out of the school.

Jordan figured only time would tell, but what harm could it have been?

“Y
ou did
what
?” Cassie questioned after hearing about Jordan’s impulsive decision to sign her up to bake for the gala. They were now standing in the kitchen of Cassie’s single-story home, after she allowed him to retrieve Jake from school that afternoon.

He put Jake’s school bag down on the floor next to the island counter, then perched himself on the stool next to it.

He folded his arms in front of him and asked, “Was it a bad move? I was kind of put on the spot. Besides, I know how much you love cooking; I thought you might like to do it.”

“I love cooking, but not for a school with hundreds of children. Why do you think I have been avoiding Emma? She’s ruthless and brutal, and she knows how to get what she wants.”

“Sorry, Cassie, I thought I was doing the right thing. But you’re right—she is ruthless and brutal.”

Cassie waved him off. “It’s okay,” she said. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know how she is. Maybe I should have warned you what some of the mothers could be like. But it doesn’t change the situation…I still have to bake cookies.” Cassie frowned.

“I know I’m not as good a cook as you, but I can help. We would get them done quicker with two people anyway.”

For the first time in a very long while, Jordan saw Cassie smile, and her whole face was glowing. It was at this moment Jordan realized how beautiful his ex-girlfriend really was. She gave him butterflies still, and she didn’t even know it.

“Okay, you’re on. Call me crazy, and I will probably end up regretting you helping me, but I’m going to take you up on your offer. Obviously, we have to do it tonight so they’re ready for school tomorrow.”

Cassie went around to Jake’s bag and unloaded his lunch box. She never knew what she would find inside her son’s bag. There was always something she would find half-eaten, or a note from the teacher Jake forgot to tell her about.

Jordan flexed his hands together. “What’s on the agenda tonight?” he asked her out of curiosity.

She pulled her blonde locks into a high ponytail and responded, “I promised I would take Jake to the fair tonight. It’s always a lot of fun, and he loves it so much.”

“Yeah, I remember how fun it used to be when we’d go together,” Jordan said.

Cassie was reminded of the good times they had once shared. It seemed Jordan was reminiscing quite a lot too, and Cassie wondered whether he was hoping to rekindle the spark between them. She knew she was opening her life up so Jordan could be a part of their son’s, but that was it. She just wasn’t sure she could open herself up for the possibility of a reunion with Jordan. She didn’t know if her heart could handle the idea of breaking all over again, or at the very least, a long distance relationship. She knew those never worked out well, judging by how it had turned out for both Cassie and Jordan the first time around.

Cassie was grateful she didn’t have to say anything back to Jordan when Jake came into the kitchen to join his parents.

“Can Daddy come with us tonight?” Jake asked out of the blue.

There was that word again. Daddy. Jake had actually called Jordan
Daddy
. It was becoming all too real for Jordan. The idea of being a father was sinking in because he didn’t have much of a choice than to realize he was suddenly a parent.

“Please, Daddy?” Jake held onto the side of the countertop while looking up at his father, searching for an answer with eyes identical to Jordan’s.

He looked at his son, and then over to Cassie, who couldn’t deny her son spending time with his father. She knew both Jake and Jordan yearned to make up for lost time together. She didn’t say a word, only nodded her head.

Jordan looked back to his son. “I think it sounds like a lot of fun.”

Jake jumped up and down excitedly, and when Jordan and Cassie were alone again, Jordan couldn’t help but ask if she were really okay with him joining them tonight. Cassie simply nodded her head again with a subtle
yes
.

They would just have to see how fun tonight was going to be.

Later that night, a little over an hour after they arrived at the fair family-style as many people would call it—and after Cassie had to hear Jake and Jordan talk about football the entire fifteen minutes it took to get there, which was beginning to become a repetitive subject for her—Cassie and Jordan caught up with Gabby and Nick. They had brought along Gabby’s parents, Mitch and Hazel, for a fun-filled night of fair rides, country music, dancing, and chit-chat, complete with bales of hay bordering the makeshift dance floor. Music by Lady Antebellum was blasting out of the speakers standing on either side of the dance floor.

With Jake now sound asleep in Hazel’s arms, Cassie was surprised when Jordan asked her to dance, and she surprised Jordan when she didn’t say no, figuring she may as well make the most of the fun she was having. She couldn’t spoil the evening by turning down a dance with her ex-boyfriend. After all, it was just one dance.

Jordan took Cassie’s hand in his, and she allowed him to lead her out to where everyone else was dancing. Soon after, Nick and Gabby joined them, and despite the obvious tension hanging between Nick and Gabby, Cassie noticed they had seemed to let it become a distant problem for the moment.

Cassie swayed her body to the beat of the music, almost losing herself in the feel-good song as she and the others sang the lyrics. She was instantly reminded of high school, and the all the times she, Jordan, Nick, and Gabby attended one of the many fairs and school dances together as they conversed together with plenty of laughter and good ole high-spirited fun. Despite the changes in each of their lives, it was like they were transported back to the old days, remembering all the fun times they shared together like they were the only ones on the dance floor.

Jordan’s touch on her skin sent vibrations up and down her body as he pulled her closer to him, and for a split second, when she gazed up at him, his striking brown eyes collided with her own like she was the only one important enough to let his gaze wander over tonight. And how could she not be? She looked unbelievably beautiful tonight, wearing a pink tank top, Daisy Duke shorts, and cowgirl boots.

Soon though, their moment ended when the upbeat song came to an end and a slow ballad started playing out of the speakers.

Damn! And just when she was beginning to feel in-the-zone.

Cassie suddenly scanned the area for an exit, but to no avail. What she
did
find were the eyes of the townspeople surrounding the dance floor focused on her and Jordan. Tomorrow, everyone would be talking about two of them. They would be questioning whether Yellow Valley’s most talked about former-couple was an actual couple again.

Cassie observed Nick dancing with a very pretty blonde while Gabby stalked to the side, obviously peeved Nick found someone else to dance with. Cassie wondered if she could be jealous; she definitely looked like she was, which was strange because Cassie had never known her best friend to be jealous of anybody. It wasn’t in Gabby’s nature.

Jordan held out his hand, asking for another dance with Cassie.

“Do you want to dance?” he asked her as she stared at it. They stood in the middle of a sea of couples entwined and obviously very much in love with each of their partners. She and Jordan could pretend all they wanted, but deep down, Cassie knew she would never be that way with him. She couldn’t dance so close to him when all she wanted to do was shake away the feelings she was starting to discover she still had for him.

She blinked twice, shaking her head. “No, thanks.” She looked past him over his shoulder to where Jake was with Gabby’s parents and noticed his sleeping form. She should really get him home to bed. It wasn’t a lie, but it definitely made the perfect excuse to get out of a dance with Jordan.

“I need to get Jake home to bed.”

Jordan nodded his head following her lead as she turned toward their son’s direction.

“Besides, if I remember from all those dances in high school, you’re really not that good of a dancer. My toes will be forever grateful if I don’t dance with you.”