Page 9 of Poppy Kisses (Return to Coal Haven #3)

Chapter Four

Jensen

Mom sat at my kitchen table, worry lining the corners of her eyes. I’d asked her to come because I had to talk to her and Auggie together. Mom was worried, but I couldn’t deny the lightness inside of me. I had a chance to improve my business, and I got to hang out with Poppy more.

I gave Auggie a ham sandwich and set the plate with the other two between me and Mom.

When she’d first been adjusting to the life of a single working mom, we’d had a lot of sandwiches.

I’d never touch bologna again, but I still liked ham on toasted sourdough.

It’d been her Friday night meal. A little reward, with chips, after getting through a week of work, school, and practices.

“I know I’ve said it’s not good to lie, Auggie, but I’m going to have to ask you to do a little bit of it.”

Auggie nodded and picked up his sandwich. His eyes were glassy. I’d kept the light off over the table. I had opened the blinds as wide as possible instead. Poppy’s words ran through my head. He must’ve had a hard brain day at school.

Mom didn’t touch the food. The bag of nacho Doritos was open next to her elbow. She only ate them with us, but she hadn’t touched those either.

She tucked a strand of graying blonde hair behind her ear. “What’s going on?”

“You remember Poppy?” I asked.

Confusion formed a line between her brows. “Poppy Duke? Yes, of course.”

“My tutor?” Auggie asked.

“Yep. Remember I said we’re old friends? Well, we both need a little help with something, and in order for me to help her, I need to, uh, marry her.”

Mom’s jaw fell open.

“You’re marrying the tutor?” Auggie asked and took a bite of his sandwich.

Auggie was chill, but I’d have to ease Mom’s shock. “In order for her to inherit the Perez house, yes.”

Incredulity filled Mom’s expression. “The Perez house? Marriage?” She slumped in her chair. “I didn’t realize you and Poppy kept in touch.”

“We didn’t. We haven’t. She subbed for Auggie’s normal tutor, and afterward, we got to talking.

” I didn’t tell Mom I tracked her down because my business was suffering over my typos and the way I talked.

She’d feel responsible because some asshole told her she wasn’t reading to me enough.

“I could do some work in the house and use it in my promo materials and on my website. Even new people moving to town admire that house.”

“She needs to be married?” Mom gave her head a shake.

“A stipulation of the trust her grandma left behind. So we marry for a year, she’ll live here, but as a guest, and when her parents and her aunt Linda are around, we’ll pretend to be a happily married couple until they sign off on us.”

Mom folded her arms. “I always liked Weston and Magnolia. Linda too. I don’t like lying to them.”

“I know.” There was no way around that part. I liked Poppy, but neither of us wanted a relationship. So there was no chance of this being real. I had to build a stable future for me and my son, just like Poppy had to do the same for her.

Auggie grabbed a handful of chips and crunched through them. “Okay. Does she get the room upstairs?”

There were two open rooms. The smaller of them was across from Auggie’s room upstairs. The bigger one was across from mine. “I think she’d like the bigger one. Upstairs can be her working office until I’m done with her place.”

“I can’t…” Mom snapped her mouth shut. “A marriage of convenience?”

“That’s all it’ll be.” It’d have to be. I wasn’t putting myself out there again. “But we’d have to pretend it’s for real to everyone outside our circle.”

Mom’s gaze darted to Auggie. How could I expect a ten-year-old to play along with something so important?

It was worth the gamble.

My phone vibrated. I glanced at it and did a double take. Poppy’s name was on the screen. “Excuse me.”

I ducked into the laundry room that was also the entry from the garage, a mudroom, coat closet, and catchall for Auggie’s sports equipment.

“Hey,” I answered, hating the way I anticipated her voice on the other end. I wasn’t going to be that guy again.

“They’re coming to Coal Haven.” Her panicked reply carried over the phone. “They’re coming to meet you.”

“Who? Your parents?”

“Yes,” she hissed. “They said Aunt Linda could meet us and talk logistics.”

I recall liking Magnolia and Weston Duke. A small tendril of anxiety wound through me. Like Mom, I didn’t want to lie to them either. “Okay. When?”

“I don’t know! This weekend. Tomorrow.”

“Poppy, are you losing your shit?” She’d been detached at times when I’d talked to her before.

There was a moment of silence. “Yes.”

“Why? You knew this would happen.”

“I didn’t know it’d be this soon.”

That didn’t change much. “I can grill. We can do sandwiches. Wraps. Whatever.”

A squeak came over the line. “You don’t care?”

“We’re pretending for a good reason, and we’re both too old for your dad to be all ‘you gonna treat my girl right?’” As a dad, I would understand any protectiveness, and I’d treat Poppy right.

Hassie might’ve smashed my pride, but deep down, I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong except expect her to grow feelings where none could take root.

She let out a long exhale. “It’s happening.”

“I’m telling Mom and Auggie now.”

“How’s it going?” She was back to the professional tutor I’d talked to before.

“I’m in the entry talking to you.”

She chuckled. “Touché.”

I grinned, not minding at all that I was squirreled away with her on the phone. “I think Mom’s reeling, but I told her most of the deal.”

“Most?”

“I didn’t want her to feel bad about, you know, the typos.”

“Ah. She always had such a soft heart.”

“Soft but strong,” I agreed.

“I’m nervous, Jensen.” Vulnerability filled her voice, and I wanted to soothe it all away.

“It’ll be fine. It’s just another game. We play until the whistle blows.”

“I can still kick farther than you.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t, four-ten. I haven’t played kickball in twenty-five years.” I thought for a moment. She was nervous about the meet and greet. How could I ease that for her? “Wanna invite your siblings?”

“Which ones?”

“All of them.”

“All? Jensen, it’s tomorrow.”

“You saw my impressive juice bar.”

Her light laugh went right into my ear and curled around my heart. As a kid, I had liked a fired-up Poppy. Hearing her laugh? A new goal formed in my head. Make Poppy laugh more. And see her boot a ball across the yard again.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I’m still in. I won’t be the first to cave.”

“Oh, I’m not giving up.”

“Good to hear. Tomorrow. Tell me the time, and I’ll get the food ready. Auggie will love it if any other kids show up. Oh, and, four-ten, bring your ball.”

“I have a whole bag of them in Alder’s garage. Thanks, Jensen.”

“Anytime.” I meant it. Poppy had always given as much as she took.

Another thought occurred to me, one that shadowed my growing excitement for tomorrow.

“I’m not, uh, going to talk to Hassie until she calls next.

” Which could be tomorrow or next year. “We need to deal with people who are actually here.”

“Sure. No problem. I’ll take your lead with that. Oh, and tell your mom hi. She should come tomorrow, too, if it’s not too awkward for her.”

She was thinking about Mom? Appreciation warmed me from the inside out. “I’ll let her know.

“Hey,” I rushed out before she disconnected. “I’ll grab some rings.”

“Oh.” Seconds of silence ticked by. Did that thought sit heavy with her too? We needed a symbol, but the rings wouldn’t mean a thing. Did she like diamonds? “O-okay. I’ll get yours.”

“Don’t worry about it. I did some work for a jeweler, and he can set me up. Just let me know your size.”

“Yeah. Sure. Don’t spend too much—but don’t get one that turns my hand green.”

“Deal.”

We disconnected. I was grinning at the sheer absurdness of buying wedding rings again.

Then I caught myself staring at my phone.

I stuffed it into my back pocket. Not once had my ex given my mom that much consideration.

But then Poppy had always been different from Hassie.

A fact I hadn’t appreciated so much until now.

* * *

Poppy

I knocked on the front door. Jensen’s house looked the same as I remembered—a two-story, white farmhouse with green shutters. Pounding resounded from the other side of the door and it whipped open.

A 3D Auggie grinned at me. “Hi!”

“Hi, Auggie. Nice to officially meet you.” I held out a hand.

He stared at it for a moment before putting his small fingers in mine and giving me a sturdy shake before letting go.

Now, I could see both of his parents in him, but he definitely reminded me of the boy I used to race on the playground.

He was probably as fast as his dad had been. “We got you a ring!”

“Sorry.” Jensen appeared behind him, crossing the living room, and nerves exploded through my belly. This whole day had me twisted inside out. “Auggie beat me to the greeting.”

“Can I give her the ring, Dad?” Auggie jumped up and down.

The air thickened between me and Jensen, but Auggie’s energy defused some of it.

Jensen dug in his pocket. I had offered to buy them, but he said he’d done some cabinetry work at a small clothing store in Crocus Valley that had a jewelry counter.

The place was close enough to Coal Haven that if someone saw him, the rumor mill would work in our favor.

He held his hand out to Auggie. A simple diamond ring was nestled in his palm. I’d told Jensen just to go with simple. People could have their opinions, but there was no need to waste money on something that would be worn for only a year.

“That’s not real, is it?” I sounded as alarmed as I felt. It was gorgeous. Just my style. A legit diamond was just too much.

“The lab-grown ones are reasonable,” Jensen said, and it matched the band I could get for myself. “I couldn’t let your parents think that I skimped on your ring.”