The Crossing Trilogy

Chapter 10

The days passed and Sydney couldn"t have been happier. Her time was filled with shopping and online ordering to fill her new home. She hadn"t seen the man in the SUV since that night in front of the cabin. She decided to wait it out. He obviously lived in the town and she had nothing to give the cops on him. He"d never spoken to her or even approached her. What he was doing that night at the cabin, she had no idea, but she needed more for them to take her seriously. All she had now was a man who stared at her. Seeing him in front of her cabin was a little upsetting but she had no license number, name, or proof he was there because of her.

Sydney drove to the farmhouse to see how it things were going. She"d talked to Jax on the phone but hadn"t seen him since the night he brought her mother"s journals. She"d finished reading the first one. It was more or less the same entries throughout. What became clear to Sydney, was that her mother was independent, strong-willed and had very definitive ideas about her life for one so young. Her clashes with Sydney"s grandfather were more frequent. Chelsea had dated often but none of the boys met her standards. And that was because they were boys and she felt so much more mature. Sydney had laughed aloud. Most teenage girls feel that way about boys their age. They"re babies still.

Most teenage girls feel that way about boys their age. They"re babies still.She turned into the driveway and parked to the far side of the house to not block the front of the house. Workers were hauling tools and supplies in and out of the house. She waited on the porch for an opportunity to slip into the house without being in their way. Jax was in the living room with his back to her. Sydney looked past him. “Wow,” she said.

Jax spun around. “Hi.”

“The pellet stove insert"s in. It looks gorgeous.” She moved in for a closer look. Jax had stripped the inner guts of the fireplace and ran a pipe right up the inside of the chimney. The insert fit tight. It jutted out enough to expose the hopper for loading pellets and allow access to the covered operation controls. The front of the stove with a glass door sat on the hearth. The shorter sides angled back at a forty-five degree angle, fitting snug against the stone wall. The grouting between the stones had been cleaned and the whole wall looked new. The hearth in front of the wall had been replaced with a natural stone to match the stone wall. “I love it.”

Jax laughed. “I wish I had more clients like you. You gush about everything we do and love it all.”

Sydney beamed. “Well that"s because you get my vision and do such a great job providing it.”

“Thank you. Now come and see the kitchen and laundry room.”

She followed him into the kitchen. Her hands flew to her mouth but not before she let out a squeal. “Omigod…I love it” Jax was laughing again. “I"m sorry…I can"t help it. Look at this.” The cupboards and counters had been replaced and more cupboards added to a back wall that used to house a table and chairs. Jax had built a long Island with open shelves underneath. One side extended out with a set of four stools and a stainless steel bar underneath to put your feet on. The cabinets were all white with green floral handles. The counter tops were green granite. Jax bought the stainless steel appliances through his company wholesale account.

The walls were an olive green and the new flooring bore the look of restored wood. “The laminate is called "Blackened/Natural", Jax said.

“It has a weathered look to it. Nice. The kitchen really does show the effect of an old country kitchen combined with the new. Jax it"s beautiful. Wow…I don"t deserve this,” Sydney said with a sigh.

“What? Of course you do.”

“I mean this is a chef"s dream. I don"t even know how to cook.”

“I can teach you.”

She looked at Jax who had that cocky look she"d come to know. “You? You know how to cook?”

“You insult me.” Jax feigned a hurt look. “My dad taught me. He"s a great cook too.”

“Is there anything you aren"t good at?” Sydney asked.

“I"m sure if you got to know me better, you"d find something.” He winked at her and headed to the mud room.

“Again, you"ve given me what I want in this room. The storage shelves and cupboards on the outer wall are perfect.” She looked at a lower shelf by the back door and saw that he"d built a grated holder for wet boots and shoes. The inner wall housed a washer/dryer and table to fold laundry.

They wandered back into the living room. Jax picked up the conversation. "Tomorrow, we"ll finish the bathrooms. Then it"s just painting the rest of the walls, restoring the wood floors, and the finishing touches like moldings. How about seven days and you can move in?”

“Yay!” Sydney clapped her hands. “I can"t wait.”

“One more thing.” Jax grabbed her by hand and pulled her back into the dining room area towards the back wall. “See this blank wall?”

“Yup.”

“Remember it.” He led her through the kitchen into the mud room and out into the back yard. He placed both hands on her shoulders and spun her around to face the back of the house.

He leaned forward over her shoulder and with his right hand pointed to the right. “You know that we decided to run a new deck from the bedrooms at this end of the house all the way across to the other end of the house?”

Jax" face was so close to hers that she could smell his aftershave and it left her a little giddy. “Uh-huh.”

He placed his hand back on her right shoulder and lifted his left one, pointing at the opposite end of the house, switching his face to the opposite Side of her head. “See that solid piece of wall?”

Sydney found it hard to concentrate. Being this close to Jax was doing things to her insides she was glad he couldn"t see. “I do,” she said, breathlessly.

“That is the dining room wall. What if we put a set of French doors right there that open onto the back deck.”

Sydney pushed away her personal thoughts. Focus. She liked his plan but money had been flying out the window and she wasn"t sure she could afford the additional expense. “The idea is a brilliant one, Jax. But I"m not sure I should spend the extra it would take. We haven"t done the residence yet and I need to be conscious of my costs in case anything unforeseen comes up.”

FocusJax spun her around, leaving his hands on her shoulders. “Listen up. This project is more than the usual renos we get to do. It"s a very lucrative one and when finished, it"ll be a showcase. We have another client who all ready paid for the French doors. After we installed them, his wife decided she wanted sliders. Rhyder Contracting would like to put them in for you as a thank you for your business, no charge. Call it my housewarming gift to you.”

Sydney was taken aback. It seemed a little extravagant. “That"s quite the housewarming gift.”

“All we ask is when we"re done and if you"re happy with our work, give us a written testimonial with photos for marketing purposes. And if you don"t mind, let us use your home once in a while as a show home for prospective customers looking for an older home upgrade.”

Sydney beamed. “In that case, yes. Let"s do it.”

The pair stared at each other, their smiles wide and their eyes locked. The world disappeared for Sydney. All she saw was his face. Jax leaned forward and brushed her mouth so lightly, so teasingly that she leaned in for more.

“Boss?”

The two jumped apart. Sydney turned and looked at the man briefly, lowering her eyes when she saw the smirk on his face.

“Yes?” Jax answered.

“Sorry to interrupt.” The man looked back and forth between them and his smirk widened.

“What is it, Brian?”

“We have some questions about the shower stall.”

She turned and walked a short distance towards the barn while the two men talked, stopping in her tracks. Her farming neighbour was standing in the open doorway of the barn with a pitch fork in his hand. His stare was so intense, it unnerved her. Did he see Jax and I kissing too? Sydney raised her hand and gave him a wave. The man nodded and disappeared into the barn with the same blank stare. Humph…not as friendly as the last time we met.

Did he see Jax and I kissing too?Humph…not as friendly as the last time we met.Sydney turned back to Jax. Brian started back to the house and Jax stared at the barn. “The old man wasn"t too friendly.”

“Perhaps he doesn"t approve of our kissing. Not that it"s any of his business He shouldn"t have been spying on us.”

Jax shrugged and grinned his crooked smile. “He"s a widower isn"t he? Maybe it was nostalgia. Remembering when he was young.”

Once again Sydney had mixed emotions concerning Jax. “I"d better let you get back to work. Thank you for the doors. Rhyder Contracting is an awesome company.” She saw Jax stiffen a little. He probably wanted to resume where they left off. Sydney side-stepped him and headed towards the front of the house. “I"ll be back in a few days. Bye.” She gave him a wave as she practically ran to her vehicle.

* * *

Settled in her bed that night, she closed her eyes and thought of the gentle kiss from Jax earlier in the day. She ran her fingers lightly over her lips and remembered the sensation she"d felt, the warmth of his body close to hers…and his smell. There was no doubt she was attracted to Jax. No sense denying it. But she didn"t want a relationship right now. Nor was she into casual flings either. And what about Jax? What was he looking for? He had a reputation around town as a lady"s man. Women loved him and they chased him. Jessie told her that he was always respectful to the women he dated. But apparently, he also made it clear he wasn"t looking to hook up with anyone. Well neither am I, but if he thinks I"m going to be another one night stand…forget it. Ain"t happening.

No sense denying it.And what about Jax? What was he looking for?Well neither am I, but if he thinks I"m going to be another one night stand…forget it. Ain"t happening.Sydney picked up the second journal from the bedside table determined to push Jax from her mind and lose herself to the entries.