Ever After (42 page)

When Jamie didn't answer, Raine followed him into the kitchen. “I think I'm missing something. You've been so angry today that you've looked like a gargoyle, but now you're grinning. Why?”

“I thought Hallie was staying away from me because…” He took a breath, then looked at his cousin, who could see relief in his eyes. “Because she wanted to let me know that she didn't want a man as badly damaged as I am. That she didn't want to deal with a man who sometimes can't figure out where he is. But that's not the problem.”

“What is?” Raine asked.

“She's just mad at me. Old-fashioned girl anger. She heard my brother say some bad things about her and she's in a snit. Furious at me.” He shook his head in wonder. “This is
normal
. I can handle normal.”

“Yeah?” Raine asked. “And how do you plan to do that?”

“If you remember, I used to be a player. I'm going to show her how I feel about her.”

Raine picked up his sandwich and bit into it. “I sure hope that big ring she's wearing doesn't make more scars on you.”

Jamie took a drink of Coke from a can. “Good point. Maybe first I should clear up some things with Braden the Greedy. This morning Dad was so mad at the guy that if it hadn't been for Hallie, he would have tossed him off a pier.”

Jamie went to the door. “I feel the overwhelming need to eat some wedding cake. How about if we go back and tell Aunt Jilly how much we wish her all the happiness in the world?”

Raine stood up, sandwich in one hand, drink can in the other. “Only if you drive.”

“I can't do—” Jamie broke off. “Sure. Why not?”

Smiling, Raine followed his cousin out the door.

H
allie was standing near the doorway and watching the dancers. Braden was doing some old-fashioned disco moves with both Lainey and Paige and seemed to be in heaven. Every now and then he'd look around for Hallie and give her a thumbs-up.

She was glad he was having a good time. She'd talked on the phone to his mother twice since she'd been on Nantucket and knew that she was worried about her son.

“I'd like to do something horrible to
all
those girls!” his mother said. “How could they be so cruel to my son? Of course it doesn't help that he chooses such dreadful women. Oh, Hallie, why can't Braden see what's been right in front of him all these years?”

Hallie knew that meant
her
. Why didn't Braden have sense
enough to see that just across the road was a young woman who'd never give him any problems? If Hallie got married, she'd never be unfaithful. She'd have two or three children and be a devoted mother. When they were older she'd go back to her highly respectable job and…and, well, be perfect.

Perfectly boring, she thought as she waved to Braden. She'd never before seen him in low spirits. In high school he'd been the president of the senior class, and he'd been popular in law school too. No one who knew him was surprised that he was up for partnership in his prestigious law firm when he was so young.

As Braden said, only women gave him problems—and Hallie's stepsister seemed to have been the last straw. She had been the one who'd made Braden so desperate he decided to go with a sure thing—meaning the girl he'd known since she was born. Hallie couldn't help but feel responsible for this last blow to Braden. She was the one who got him involved with Shelly. Damn! But why couldn't Shelly have behaved for even one day?

When a familiar arm slid around the front of her shoulders, for a moment she forgot everything and leaned her head back against Jamie. He kissed the side of her neck.

In the next second, she jumped away and turned toward him, angry. “What do you think you're doing?”

“Saying hello,” he said with an innocent grin. “Did you get any cake?”

“No. Your relatives have kept me on my feet all day.” She was frowning.

“And those look like such comfortable shoes.”

She wanted to stay angry at him but couldn't. “Even my toenails ache.”

Jamie held up a set of car keys. “How about if I drive us home and I give you a foot massage?”

“Ecstasy,” she said. “Better than sex.”

“That's because you haven't been to bed with me yet.”

The look in his eyes took Hallie's breath away for a moment. “There's no ‘yet' and I can't leave with you. I'm here with Braden.”

Jamie glanced at the dance floor. “He doesn't look like he's suffering.” He caught Adam's arm as he walked by. “Keep the boyfriend busy, will you? I'm taking Hallie home. Give him lots of cousins and mention the word ‘heiress' often.”

“Will do,” Adam said, then bent and kissed Hallie's cheek. “See you tomorrow.”

Jamie stepped back to let Hallie go ahead of him.

Turning, she tried to get Braden's attention. She should tell him she was going to leave. No, she
should
stay there with him. Jamie telling Adam to say “heiress” was a low blow—but unfortunately true. Just minutes ago Braden had said the word in connection with Paige.

When Braden saw her, she made a motion toward the door and he blew her a kiss. He seemed to be okay with her leaving. She waved to Leland and he smiled back.

Jamie held the door to the big tent open for her. “Braden's not exactly worried about your running off with another man, is he?”

“I don't think he sees you as competition.”

“Then he's a fool,” Jamie said.

Outside, she followed him through the many parked cars to a big black Range Rover. He opened the door for her, then stood back. It was a very high step up to get into the vehicle, and Hallie's skirt was quite short and her heels very tall.

“I don't think I can do this,” she said. “Mind giving me a hand?”

“No,” Jamie said. “I just want to watch.”

“What's gotten into you tonight?”

“Can't a man be a man?”

She didn't understand what he meant and turned back to
trying to figure out how to get into the big car without her skirt riding up to her waist.

Finally, Jamie took pity on her. He leaned his crutches against the car, put his hands on her waist, and lifted her up to the car seat. “Better?”

“Yes,” she said and turned around while he got in the driver's side. On the console was a white bakery box. “What's this?”

“Wedding cake. I thought we'd go home, open some champagne, and have some. Sound good?”

When she didn't answer, Jamie turned toward her. It was late afternoon and the sunlight through the trees was nice. As always on Nantucket, the weather was divine. He knew that the air hadn't been cleared between them. “Did you overhear my brother?” he asked, his light tone gone.

Hallie's first instinct was to say no. It wasn't polite to eavesdrop. But she didn't lie. “Yes.”

“And that's what you've been angry about?”

She gave a shrug.

Jamie reached over to take her hand. “First of all, my brother said all that, not me. Second, it's his job to never believe anyone, and third, he's very protective of me. He's worried that I'm going to die at any second. He'd like to lock me away from everyone just to keep me safe.”

“Everything he said is true,” Hallie said softly.

“About Raine?”

“No! I like him but not like that,” Hallie said, then realized Jamie was teasing her.

“I'm glad because Raine has been crying a lot.” Jamie started the car and began backing out.

“Has he? Did you let him cry on your shoulder?”

“Are you crazy? If he rolled on top of me, I'd be crushed. I'd be back in the hospital with my whole body in a cast.”

Hallie was trying not to laugh. “I guess I'll just have to let him cry on
me
.”

“So he'd crush
both
of us at once?” Jamie sounded confused.

Hallie's laugh came out. “Oh! I've missed you.” She stopped herself. “I mean—”

“It's okay,” he said. “I've missed you too. I think some of the happiest times of my life were when you and I were alone in our little house. That's the kind of thing soldiers fight for.”

Hallie looked out the window at the pretty buildings they were passing. Nantucket was so beautiful that it was like something created by heavenly creatures. Maybe it was the atmosphere, but she calmed down. “Braden says I've changed and I think I have.”

He was maneuvering the big vehicle down the narrow Kingsley Lane. “Changed how?”

She waited for him to park, then get out and come around to her side. Reaching up, he put his hands on her waist and lifted her down.

For a moment they looked at each other, faces close together, and it seemed natural that they kiss. Jamie bent his head toward hers, but Hallie turned away to get the box of cake out of the car.

He didn't seem to mind as he followed her to the front door.

“Locked,” Hallie said. “Just like last time.” She told him of when she'd come home from shopping and her keys were missing and the door was locked. “I think I was meant to go into the tea room. I think…” She looked at him. “I think they wanted me to hear what your brother said.”

“And that led to you having that ring on your finger? Are you still trying to get it off or are you going to leave it on there?”

When she looked at him, she saw the seriousness in his eyes. “Right now Braden needs to have some security in his life. He doesn't need to have his backup girl, the one who's always been there, tell him she doesn't want him either.”

For a moment she saw anger flash across Jamie's eyes, but it
was gone quickly. “That makes sense. Can I walk you down the aisle at your wedding?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “If you're trying to be funny, you're not succeeding.” Turning, she headed for the tea room doors.

“I never joke about the wedding of the woman I love.”

At his words, Hallie slowed her steps, but she didn't stop. Just as before, one of the double doors into the tea room was half open. On the coffee table was one of Edith's luscious teas. “Look,” she said to Jamie and opened the door all the way.

“I don't know about you,” he said, “but I'm starving. Raine cleaned out the fridge and the Montgomerys, picky eaters that they are, ate everything at the wedding.”

Hallie was glad he was back to joking and wasn't saying more about being “in love” with her. Right now that was more than she could handle.

The couch still had clothes piled on it. Jamie tossed a stack of sweaters onto a chair, sat down on the couch, and patted the seat beside him. “So what's your cousin like?”

Hallie gave a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to be serious and sat down beside him. This was like he had been, before everything became complicated with the arrival of relatives and a man who was kind of, maybe, her boyfriend. “Leland is great,” Hallie said. “We escaped everyone for nearly an hour and walked all around the property. He told me about his job and how he's sick of living in hotels. He wants to settle somewhere and—Oh! I forgot. He said he stopped by here and left his suitcase and a box full of info for me.” Hallie started into the house through the pantry, but she found the box on one of the shelves. She picked it up and carried it back to the tea room and put it on the floor by the coffee table.

“Try this,” Jamie said and held up a little sandwich for her to bite into. He ate the other half.

“That's delicious. What is it?”

“Some kind of sea creature. I'm better with beef. So what's in the box?”

As they ate, Hallie went through the contents. There were letters, an old scrapbook of newspaper articles about a man who was touted as one of the greatest actors of all time, and several theater tickets. In the bottom was a little bouquet of dried flowers wrapped in a silk handkerchief.