Ever After (37 page)

“I had no idea,” Jamie said.

He was leaning back against a cushion and he looked so very good. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him. The only light was from the open door into her bedroom, and it showed the curves of his muscles. How easy it would be to put her mug down and slide forward. She knew how his skin would feel under her hands.

But, no, the words that were in her head were stronger.

He ran his hand over his bare stomach. “You know, I think I've lost weight too.” When Hallie didn't remark on that, he said, “What about Ruby?”

Hallie gave a little laugh. “She was a character! She never cleaned anything, couldn't cook, didn't understand the concept of organization, but she was
fun
! If it snowed, she'd drag Shelly and me outside to build a snowman and we'd drape it with every piece of costume jewelry Ruby had. Our snow lady would have four-inch-long rhinestone earrings and a tiara.”

Jamie was looking at her in surprise. “I got the idea that things in your family were different. What about your stepsister?”

Hallie took a moment to answer. While she could sugarcoat Ruby and her father, she knew she wasn't creative enough to gloss over Shelly. “We learned to live together,” Hallie said. “But then I always had Braden and his mother nearby, and they made it bearable.”

“Braden seems to have been a big part of your life.”

Hallie saw the way Jamie's jaw muscles tightened at the mention of the name and she was glad of it. “Yes, he was. Whenever Shelly pulled one of her tricks on me, Braden was there to make me laugh. He'd tell me how smart I was and how people liked me so very much. He's a truly honorable, caring man.”

“I guess you'll be glad to see him when he gets here,” he said softly.

“I look forward to it very, very much.” When Hallie glanced at Jamie she saw what looked like pain in his eyes. If she hadn't heard what Todd said, she would have told him that even when she was an adult, Braden always treated her as a child.

But she didn't reassure Jamie. Instead, she waited in silence. If there was the possibility of anything permanent between them, wouldn't he
say
something? Even if it was just a hint?

But Jamie said nothing.

Hallie put her empty mug on the windowsill and got up. “I need to go back to bed. Thank you for the tea. It was very thoughtful of you.”

“You said you were homesick, but the people you love are…gone. So is it Braden who you're homesick for?”

“I guess so,” Hallie said, even though it was a lie. But letting him think that was better than Jamie believing what Todd had said—that she was desperate for his family. What a terrible word.
Desperate
.

She paused at her bedroom door. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Anything,” he said.

The look in his eyes made her want to go to him. It was a kind of emptiness that she'd seen flashes of, but it had never lasted long. Now it seemed to be there permanently. “Could you ask your family to stay away tomorrow?”

Jamie's eyes brightened. “You want us to stay here alone, just the two of us? I'd like that too. We could—”

“No, that isn't what I meant. All this”—she waved her hand to indicate the house—“has made me think about things. I'm a single, unattached female with good credentials. I can live anywhere in the U.S. No! In the world. So I'm going to try to get a really fabulous job in some place that's glorious. Do you think I could get your father to write me a recommendation?”

“Yes. Everyone in my family will write letters praising you. My uncles know people who can help you find a job—if that's what you want.” His voice had a tone of resignation to it, as though he knew he'd just lost something important.

“That's a very kind offer, but no thanks. I'd like to be hired on my own merits, not because I know the right people. I was thinking that in a week or so you'll have healed enough that you'll no longer need twenty-four-hour supervision. Once you leave, I'll be free to go and do anything. See the world.” She smiled at him as sweetly as she could manage. “I owe all of your family. You've made me see possibilities. Goodnight. See you tomorrow.”

He didn't say anything, just looked at her.

Hallie went into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. As she leaned back against it, she couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes. She'd wanted to know if there could be anything more than work between her and James Taggert, and now she knew. It looked like his little jealous fit about Braden had been just that. A male marking his territory.

It had been a spur-of-the-moment idea to apply for a job somewhere. What had she expected him to say? “No, don't leave. Stay here and let's get to know each other better?”

How ridiculous that was!

But as much as Todd's words had hurt—especially about her father—Hallie also remembered what he'd said about her work. Maybe she wasn't good enough to be part of his illustrious family, but she was good at her job. “Magic” and “brilliant” were the words Todd had used.

She got back into bed and turned out the light, but she didn't sleep. She waited until she heard Jamie go to his own bedroom. His walk was slower, as though his leg was hurting him. Only when she heard the clink of his crutches as he dropped them did she start to settle.

“Are you happy now?” she whispered into the dark, meaning her words for the ghosts in the house. “So much for matching people up.”

She felt like crying, but then she began to feel very calm. When she'd first heard that the Tea Ladies showed themselves only to people who'd not yet found their True Loves, she'd immediately thought that hers was Braden. All she had to do was make him see that she was all grown up and he'd realize how compatible they were. They'd had a lifetime of sharing laughter and good times. They knew each other, understood each other. So why not keep on with it?

“Is that it?” she whispered. “I was getting too close to Jamie? I was forgetting Braden? Are he and I True Loves?”

She couldn't remain awake. As she heard the swish of a silk skirt, sleep overcame her. She didn't awaken at two
A.M.
and if Jamie had a nightmare, she didn't hear it.

H
allie put the papers she'd printed out down on the desk and leaned back in the chair. Her shoulders were stiff from sitting in front of a computer for most of the day. When she woke up this morning she'd made a plan to be as cool as possible to Jamie. She'd be professional but nothing else. No joking, no teasing, just do her job as best she could.

Jamie had done what she asked and his family had stayed away, so all day it had been just the two of them.

In the early morning she'd worked on his knee. No full massage, but she'd manipulated his leg deeply. She could feel that a lot of the tension had come back into his body, but she didn't work on it.

Only once did he refer to her near silence.

She was directing him in some gentle leg lifts and she could
see by the sweat on his forehead that he was in pain. He didn't complain. What he said was “If you want to talk, I'm here.”

In answer, she gave him a cool look but no words.

Ever since they'd met, their attention had been on him—and rightfully so. His war injuries, the skiing accident, his fears, all took precedence.

But today had been about Hallie. Whatever his personal feelings about her applying for a job were, he'd put them aside and helped her. He called people and got information. His uncle Frank had had a few good suggestions.

“The trouble is that I have so little experience in physical therapy,” Hallie said as she looked at her updated résumé. “Massage, yes, and I worked part-time at the hospital with a great teacher, but…”

“You need to include what you did for your father,” Jamie said.

“How do I put that on my résumé? Do I tell that when I was fourteen the principal called me in to ask about the drugs they'd found in an illegal search of the kids' lockers? Kids were putting oxy in bottles labeled for allergy medicines.”

She looked at Jamie, her eyes wide.

“Think your principal would write a recommendation for you?”

“A glowing one.” She turned back to the computer. “Thanks,” she said.

All day Jamie stayed in the room and read one of his detective novels. It seemed natural to discuss with him whatever she was writing or finding on the Internet.

“What about San Francisco?” she asked. “I could apply there.”

“Beautiful city. Hard driving on the hills, but a nice place.”

“Portland sounds good. Or maybe I should go south. Maybe Arizona. Or California.”

“They'd all be lucky to have you,” he'd said and gone back to his book.

Only once did he again suggest Colorado. “My family would love it if you lived there.”

Every word Todd had said came to Hallie and her face showed it.

“Okay,” Jamie said, his hands up in surrender. “I get it. You've had enough of us.”

“Your family is lovely,” Hallie said, “but I want to make it on my own.” When Jamie just nodded, Hallie thought how astounding it was that you could spout a current cliché and be believed. Every TV show and movie had some smart-talking girl saying she wanted to make it on her own, so when she said the same thing, no one seemed to question it.

But Hallie didn't actually want to be on her own. She would love to have help and get a job someplace where she knew people. How could she do it all by herself? Get an apartment, furnish it, meet people, make a social life as well as a professional one? Or could she stay on Nantucket and try to meet people here?

But she didn't let Jamie see any of her doubts.

By evening she'd sent out over two dozen emails of inquiry. She'd asked people for letters of recommendation, asked institutions about possible jobs, and had even printed out a few pages of places to live in some glamorous cities. But the thought of leaving her house in Nantucket made a wave of sadness pass through her.

At dinner—prepared together—Jamie reminded her that Jilly's wedding was tomorrow. “You want to go with me?”

“I'm not sure I should go,” Hallie said.

“Mom sent over a dress for you to wear. She said it's really pretty.”

“I can't accept—”

“It's a loan,” Jamie said, sounding agitated. “Not a gift. It
belongs to one of the cousins and you can give it back to her after tomorrow.” He put his hand on hers. “Hallie, please tell me what I or my family have done to offend you.”

She pulled her hand away. “Nothing. All of you are perfect. You are beautiful to look at, interesting personalities. There's not a flaw in any of you.”

“Okay,” he said. “Just know that Aunt Jilly will be hurt if you're not there. What happened between you two the night she and Uncle Kit came over? She's called me twice asking about you.”

“Nothing happened.” She couldn't meet his eyes. Maybe the females in his family knew about the pregnancy, but few of the males did. And until Hallie knew for sure that Ken had been told, she wasn't saying a word.

“I see,” Jamie said and got up from the table.

“You don't want any dessert?”

“No, thanks,” he said. “Just leave all this and I'll clean it up later. I'm going to the gym for a while.”

Of course Hallie didn't leave the cleanup to him. After the kitchen was tidy, she thought about what to do. The big TV was still in the living room and she could watch it, or she could go into the tea room and read the research Cale had assembled.

But Hallie couldn't bear to go into that room. Jamie's clothes were still in there, piled on the sofa, and she didn't want to see them. The clothes she'd purchased for herself were still in bags in her bedroom.

As always, when Jamie wasn't around, the house seemed big and empty. Like my life, she thought, but then brushed the thought away.