The House on Blackberry Hill: Jewell Cove #1 (Jewel Cove) (22 page)

They both stared at Abby, looking for the juicy details.

“He just kissed me, that’s all.”

The resulting whoops through the room made her grin crookedly. “Oh, shut up.”

“When? Where?”

“The night he drove me home from your candle-making class, and in the foyer,” she answered.

“And how was it?”

Sarah swatted Jess on the arm. “You don’t have to answer that, Abby.”

“Yes she does!” Jess put down her wine glass.

“It was … nice,” she answered weakly. “But you guys, it was just that one time and neither one of us is in a position to start anything. For one thing, I think I know better than to get hung up on a guy who is still in love with another woman.”

“A dead woman.”

“Jess!” Sarah swatted her again, her eyes wide.

“Well, she is,” Jess answered. “Maybe that’s crass but it’s true. And until someone comes along that pulls Tom into the land of the living…”

“What about Josh?”

“One stubborn man at a time, please.”

Abby snorted. “What about
you,
Jess?”

For the first time, the glib, fun-loving expression faded from Jess’s face.

“I said something wrong, didn’t I? God, what a buzz-kill I am.”

Jess looked up, her lips curving just a bit, though her eyes remained distant. “First of all, I can’t believe you said ‘buzz-kill.’ And as for me, well, I got burned too, that’s all. I try not to let it make me jaded. I’m just waiting for the right time and the right guy. Until then I get to be Fun Aunt Jess.”

“The right guy’s out there,” Sarah said warmly, squeezing Jess’s shoulder.

Abby felt tears spring into her eyes as the emotional moment drew out. Then she laughed and swiped her fingers under her lashes.

“Shit, I think we’re drunk, Jess.”

They started laughing, even Sarah.

“Please stay,” she said to the women. “I haven’t had this much fun in … never mind how long. Sarah, can’t you call Mark and tell him to get the kids off to school tomorrow?”

“He does owe me,” she replied. “Jess?”

“Is it really true that each room has a four-poster?”

“Most of them do.”

“Then why the hell not?”

They stayed up longer, nibbling on chips and sipping more wine as they chatted. When midnight drew close, Abby led them upstairs to the bedrooms and showed them where things were in the bathroom. She lent them T-shirts to wear as pajamas. When the lights were all out and she was under the covers she let out a contented sigh.

As her eyes drifted closed, she realized something really important.

The house felt happy tonight. The bedrooms deserved to be full and there should be laughter and maybe even tears. She understood now why Marian had chosen to open her home rather than live here alone.

How on earth was she going to bring it back to life?

Marry Tom and fill it with kids.

As if.

C
HAPTER
14

Abby woke when the sun was just beginning to filter through the curtains. She checked her watch—just after six.

Jess and Sarah would still be sleeping, but Abby knew that she was awake for good. Quietly she got up and slipped into shorts and a tank top. She wanted to run the mountain. She’d missed it during her weeks away.

The air was crystal clear as she shut the door behind her and let her muscles warm up as she walked to the end of Foster Lane. Once there she began to jog, drinking in the scent of grass and wildflowers and the unmistakable saltiness of the ocean. On one of her mornings, she’d discovered a path that looped around the summit, bypassing the barn and leading up to where the old Prescott house had been. All that was left now was the stone foundation. It made her a little sad, but it made her feel connected, too. Her family had lived here. She wished she’d had a chance to know them.

The path also afforded a wonderful view of the town below. The rainbow of buildings glowed in the early morning light and Abby could imagine the smell of fresh bread coming from the bakery, almost taste the signature chocolate croissants they made. Nothing went better with a hot latte from the coffee shop next door.

Down the street, Breezes Café would smell like coffee and bacon. Men in hats and sun-bleached T-shirts would be at the marina, preparing their boats and fishing rods for a day on the water. In a few hours the shops would open, the wood-and-screen doors letting in the fresh breeze, clacking against wooden door frames as tourists wandered in and out. The water truck would crawl down Main Street, a local teen working the wand to water the hanging baskets hung on lamp posts.

When had she become so invested in the day-to-day goings-on in this town? She paused at the summit and caught her breath. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She was supposed to remain unemotional, unattached. But there was something about Jewell Cove that spoke to her. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Didn’t want to. But as she inhaled deeply and started running again, she realized that she was going to miss this place when she left.

She arrived back at the house just after seven, opening the door as quietly as she could so as not to disturb her guests. She needn’t have bothered. Sarah and Jess were already up and, from the sounds of it, in her kitchen. She shut the front door and made her way down the hall, following the sound of voices and general shuffling and clanging.

There was a frying pan on the stove and Sarah had a spatula in her hand while Jess was scooping frozen orange juice concentrate from a can straight into glasses.

“Good morning.”

Sarah beamed. “Good morning.” She looked at Abby and grinned. “Up early, I see.”

“I went for a run. I might be a little sweaty.”

Jess muttered something unintelligible, but it might have sounded a little like “people being a mite too cheerful this early in the morning.”

“Little hair of the dog, sis?” Sarah waved the wine bottle.

“Don’t gloat,” Jess grumbled. “You know I’m generally a one-glass-only person. I don’t know what came over me.”

“I’m entitled to gloat. After six weeks of morning sickness and feeling hungover every day, it’s a relief to wake up hungry and not nauseous.”

Sarah took the spatula and flipped a perfectly round pancake.

“That smells really good,” Abby said.

“You had a bag of mix in your pantry box.”

“And I couldn’t find a pitcher to mix it in, but I did find a can of this in your freezer.” Jess brandished the juice concentrate.

“I’m a terrible host. I should have been here to cook you breakfast, not the other way around.”

Sarah laughed. “We’re friends now. Friends just make themselves at home.”

“Maybe,” Abby said, digging around in the dish box for three more plates. “But since you brought pizza last night…”

Sarah paused on her way to the fridge. “No one is keeping score, you know.”

Abby didn’t think she’d ever met anyone more generous than the Collins sisters. She’d already forgiven them for the barbecue incident. Yes, they’d made a mistake by not letting her in on the plan, but their intentions had been good.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you that night,” Abby said quietly, knowing they knew exactly which night she was referring to.

“You were entitled.” Jess ran water into the glasses and started stirring. “No need to apologize. Are you still mad at Tom?”

She shrugged. “A bit. I mean, we went there together. If anyone should have explained, it should have been him.”

“Especially after…” Sarah let the words hang meaningfully.

Lord, she’d told them about the kiss last night, hadn’t she? Her face burned as she handed plates around and went in search of forks. “Yes, especially after the whole kiss thing,” she answered, her head stuck in cardboard as she dug at the bottom of a different box.

“What whole kiss thing?”

She froze, her fingers on the coveted utensil tray and her butt sticking straight up in the air as his voice came across the kitchen and everything else went silent.

“You’re just in time for pancakes,” Sarah announced, covering the quiet.

Abby dug herself out of the box and came up with a smile, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face. “Good morning.”

He stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips. He looked good, better than she remembered. Today he wore a dark gray T-shirt with the usual jeans. He was all lean hips and broad shoulders.

“Good morning. To you too, cousins. Surprised to see you here.” He addressed them all, but his gaze was glued to Abby, and a little crooked smile on his lips told her he was happy to see her.

“Slumber party,” Abby announced cheerfully. “I got back last night.”

He looked in the sink and saw the empty wine bottles. “Indeed. No one fit to drive, I assume?”

“Oh, Sarah wasn’t drinking. She—”

The startled look on Sarah’s face stopped her. “She was, uh, drinking club soda. She planned on driving, but I convinced them to stay. We were having too much fun.”

Sarah hadn’t told everyone yet. And since she’d put off making the announcement, Abby knew it was Sarah’s news to tell, not hers.

Sarah had recovered and shook her head at Abby. “It’s okay,” she said. “I might as well start telling people anyway now that the cat’s out of the bag.” She looked up at Tom. “I’m pregnant.”

Abby’s heart melted even further as a soft smile spread across Tom’s face. He hugged Sarah, lifting her off her feet. “Congratulations. Now you be careful, you hear? It took you long enough to get this way. Don’t want to shake anything loose.”

“I will, promise. Let me down.”

Tom was looking at his cousin with such affection that Abby had to look away for a moment. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, hearing the whole story last night about Erin changed things. She got out a fourth plate and fork and handed it to him. “Have a pancake.”

Sarah plopped one on his plate and smiled, but Tom held Abby’s gaze. “What whole kiss thing?”

Of course he wouldn’t let that go. “Oh,” she covered, hoping she sounded convincing. “Just a movie we watched last night, that’s all.”

The gleam in his eyes made her think he wasn’t convinced, but she turned away and grabbed her own breakfast. If he didn’t believe her, he’d have to prove she was wrong. And blood ties or not, she got the feeling that Sarah and Jess would back her up.

But Tom let the subject go and the four of them took the simple meal out to the sun porch on the back of the house. Abby couldn’t help but stare at Tom’s arms as he wrestled with the tight windows, easing them up and letting in the early summer air. The chatter was deliberately light and Abby praised the work he’d done in her absence. “I like the mirror. It should stay,” she said, sliding a sideways look at him as he cut his pancake with the side of his fork.

“And you don’t mind about the chandelier?”

“No, I’m glad you found someone. Does this mean we can start on painting the upstairs now?”

“Yes. We don’t have anything else until the cupboards and countertops come in. The painting crew is coming later this morning.”

“We should get going so you can get to work,” Sarah said, picking up plates.

Breakfast had definitely filled a hole, but Abby knew she’d kill for a cup of coffee and she was out of both grounds and milk. “I’ll get that, Sarah.” She turned to Tom. “Is there anything you need in town? I know I can’t use the kitchen much, but I’d like to get a few things to tide me over. Like coffee.”

“I wouldn’t say no to coffee,” he replied. “I didn’t bother with it this morning.”

In no time flat the girls had the kitchen tidied and Tom was already covering the furniture in the spare bedroom with sheets and taping off the trim. Abby left at the same time as Jess and Sarah, and when she came back, two more trucks were in the yard. She was a little relieved. After all she’d learned about Tom, she wasn’t sure she was ready for one-on-one time. She was still letting all of the information settle so she could make sense of it.

She’d misjudged Tom. He’d done the noble thing and stepped aside when all was said and done. If he’d loved Erin—and he must have—it couldn’t have been an easy thing to do.

Abby put on a pot of coffee and gathered up some gardening materials she’d found in the garage. She poured a cup for herself in an insulated mug and then called into the hall, “Hey, Tom, coffee’s on. Help yourself.”

She stepped outside into the moist summer air that smelled of grass and leaves and rosebuds.

Marian had tended this garden with love and care. Now it was time for Abby to do the same.

*   *   *

The whole damn day had been torture.

He’d come earlier than the guys today, hoping to catch a few moments alone with Abby. He owed her an apology, after all. And not the half-assed one he’d given her the night of the barbecue. It had been especially clear when she was gone and he was working in her house alone.

He’d missed her.

But instead of a warm and sleepy Abby, he’d found his meddling cousins invading Abby’s kitchen like a couple of teenagers. Hell, they’d even had a slumber party. And then his crew had shown up and they’d started painting. He had fans going now, trying to minimize the fumes. George and the boys had already left in their trucks, so the only chance Tom had had all day to speak privately to her was now, when he was finished for the day.

She was still out in the garden.

He stepped outside, wandering around to the side of the house where the pathways meandered, all leading to the lattice arch and the profusion of rosebushes that surrounded it. She’d been busy. The bushes were neatly trimmed back, the deadwood pulled out, and she’d built a brush pile down over the side hill, away from the other trees. She’d pulled so many weeds from the flower beds that her wheelbarrow was rounded with them. Now that the garden was cleaned out, Tom could see the perennials that had withstood the test of time. Too choked to grow properly, the green stalks of lilies, irises, and phlox became clear. A lilac bloomed in one corner of the garden, and along one side she’d pulled away tall grass to let the rhododendrons have their space, their brilliant pink and purple flowers announcing the arrival of early summer.