All A Heart Needs B&N (8 page)

"It looks to me like she left a lot of things behind. Oh, and Sally isn't the only one interested in my cleanup. I also met Brett Murphy. He lives across the street. He offered to help move boxes, and he told me not to trust Sally with any information I didn't want going around the neighborhood. What do you think about that?"

"You're certainly drawing a lot of interest," he said, not quite sure what to make of the overly friendly neighbors.

"I guess I should be happy everyone is being so nice. But for some reason, they both rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know why."

"You should trust your instincts." He stopping talking as a crowd of people came into the kitchen. Kyle and Brandon and some of the younger kids made a beeline for the kitchen counter where Ryan was setting up an enormous triple layer chocolate cake.

"I guess it's time for cake," Jessica murmured. "Chocolate is my favorite."

"Yeah? Vanilla is more my flavor?"

"That surprises me, because there is nothing vanilla about you," she said with a smile.

"Well, I do like a tart filling," he admitted.

More people entered the kitchen, and Sean and Jessica backed toward the wall to make room for everyone. As he inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume or maybe it was her shampoo, his heart began to race. She was too damn close to him. She smelled sexy and pretty, and he wanted to wrap himself up in that scent, wrap himself up in her. It would be so easy to put his arm around her, to pull her up against him, to bury his face in the curve of her neck.

He began to sweat. He couldn't remember when he'd felt so attracted to a woman. What the hell was wrong with him, and why did it have to be her? Why did Jessica have to be the one to get under his skin and into his head? She was all wrong in so many ways and yet very much right in others.

Jessica gave him a smile as more Callaways squeezed into the space and moved even closer to him. "We always seem to be in the middle of a crowd," she said.

He nodded, his jaw tightening, as he gazed down at her. The last time they'd been in the middle of a crowd she'd kissed him.

Her eyes darkened as she read his mind. "You don't have to worry. I can behave myself,"

"I wish I could say the same," he muttered. "I have to get out of here."

"Sean—"

"You don't want to stop me, Jess."

She stared back at him and then shifted so he could get past her. As he hit the hallway, he heard the group in the kitchen burst into an off-key but noisy rendition of
Happy Birthday.

* * *

After escaping the kitchen, Sean thought about leaving the party entirely, but apparently not everyone was in the kitchen. His father was standing by the front door talking to his Uncle Kevin, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with either of them. He slipped into the guest room looking for some quiet and found his older brother, Aiden, changing his baby daughter's diaper.

His tension evaporated as he watched Aiden wrestle with his squirming and very happy three-month-old daughter, Chloe. Chloe was taking great delight in kicking her father's hands away as he tried to wipe down her bottom.

"Well, isn't this a picture," Sean drawled. "How the mighty have fallen. From rebel smokejumper to poop scooper."

Aiden had his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, a towel over one shoulder and a bottle of baby powder in his hand. He shot Sean a dark look, but when he turned back to his daughter, he was nothing but sweet. Aiden fastened the diaper and pulled up his daughter's leggings. "There you go, princess, all done," he said to the baby, then swung her up into his arms. As he turned to Sean, he added, "Just for the record, dealing with this kid is far more difficult and also far more exciting than jumping into a raging forest fire."

"Really?" he asked doubtfully.

"Trust me, one day you'll know."

"Yeah, we'll see about that. So fatherhood is going well?"

"Better every day," Aiden said with a nod. "I'm finally feeling like I know what I'm doing, at least some of the time."

"Chloe is getting big," Sean said.

"And more fun. She smiles and laughs, and her eyes light up when she sees me."

"She's a good looking kid."

"All Sara," Aiden said, referring to his wife.

As Aiden cradled the baby in his arms, Sean was touched by the tender protectiveness he saw on his brother's face. "You really are different now, Aiden. You look happy, content, a family man. Quite a change from the guy who used to like to walk on the wild side."

Aiden tipped his head. "I had to grow up some time. I wasn't sure I'd be a good husband or father, but falling in love with Sara, and now this little girl, has changed all that. I'd kill for them. The love I feel is overwhelming. I never imagined that it could be like this. I was the guy who had to jump out of planes to get his heart pumping, who had to break rules in order to know he was pushing the limits. Now all it takes is for Chloe to smile at me, and I am over the moon."

"I can see that. I kind of miss you as a troublemaker though. I liked it when you and Dad were fighting; it took the heat off of me." Second in the line-up of siblings, Aiden had been the first one to really test their father. He'd been a hell-raiser. And while he'd gone into firefighting, Aiden had left the city fire department to become a smokejumper, which hadn't pleased Jack. But Aiden hadn't let anyone stop him from doing what he wanted to do. In many ways, Aiden had been his role model. But his brother had definitely changed.

Aiden grinned. "Sorry, but I'm a responsible husband and father now. You're on your own. What's going on with you and Dad?"

"The usual."

"He's disappointed and you're pissed off," Aiden said with a knowing nod. "I remember those days well. You're never going to win, you know. Jack Callaway won't ever change."

"I'm not trying to win or expecting him to change. I just wish he'd leave me alone."

"Aren't you living in the garage apartment?" Aiden asked dryly.

"For three weeks. Trust me, I'm counting the days."

"Well, try not to let Dad get to you."

"That's not easy. He hates everything I do."

"I've been there," Aiden said. "But try to remember that just because Dad doesn't like your choices doesn't mean he hates you. He just worries and wants the best for you." Aiden patted his sleepy daughter's back. "Now that I'm a father myself, I'm starting to understand him better."

"Hello, what's going on in here?" Sara asked as she came into the room. Aiden's pretty dark-haired wife gave them a smile. "How are you Sean? I didn't see you come in."

"I'm good. And you?"

"I'm tired. Chloe doesn't let us get much sleep. I think my daughter is going to be a night owl like her father."

"Hey, if I could go to bed right now, I would," Aiden cut in.

She laughed. "And I'd be right there with you."

As Aiden and Sara exchanged a loving look, Sean found himself yearning for that same kind of shared connection. Unfortunately, that kind of connection came with a lot of strings, so he shoved that idea out of his head.

Sara turned back to him. "Jessica told me that she moved into the Emery house. I couldn't believe it. I know it's been a long time since the fire, but I always felt like that house was kind of spooky after that."

He wasn't surprised that Sara would have the same reaction he'd had. Sara had grown up next door to his parents' house, and she'd known the Emery family, too.

"I remember when Stacy died," Sara added. "Her mom came over to talk to my mom after the fire. She was crying so hard. She said it was all her fault that Stacy was dead. My mom tried to convince her it was just an accident, but she was hysterical. Two days later, she was gone. My mom tried to get in touch with her, but she never called back. I guess she couldn't bear to talk to anyone from the neighborhood."

"Why would Stacy's mom think she was to blame for the fire? She wasn't even home," Sean asked.

Sara shrugged. "Maybe Mrs. Emery felt guilty because she wasn't there. She probably thought she could have gotten Stacy out if she'd been at home. But I don't know why she'd think that, because her husband couldn't save Stacy. If Mrs. Emery and Blake had been there, they probably would have died, too."

And if he hadn't let Stacy run away from his house, she wouldn't have been there at all.

"Maybe it's good that Jessica and Kyle are living there now," Sara continued. "We'll all be able to look at that house in a different, happier way."

"Yeah, maybe," he said, not at all sure about that possibility.

"It's just a house, guys," Aiden said. "It was rebuilt after the fire, and Helen Emery has lived there for years without any problems. It's not like it's haunted or anything."

"How do you know? You haven't been in the house, have you?" Sara challenged her husband.

"No, I haven't. But I don't believe in ghosts, and I've seen plenty of structures come back to life after a fire."

"You're being logical," Sara said, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Aiden smiled. "Well, someone in this room has to be, don't you think?"

"I'm sticking with my opinion," Sara said. "Are you about ready to go, Aiden?"

"Any time."

"I'll say goodbye to Nicole and get my bag. Then we'll go. Nice to see you, Sean. Don't be a stranger. Come by and visit us sometime."

"I will," he promised.

After Sara left, Aiden gave him a speculative look. "Are you really bothered by Jessica moving into that house?"

"I'm bothered by a lot of things that have to do with Jessica," he admitted.

Aiden gave him a knowing look. "So it's like that. You have a thing for her."

"I'm trying not to."

"Probably a good idea. The family has pretty much adopted Jessica. If you mess around with Jessica and break her heart, there will be hell to pay."

"I know."

"But she is very attractive," Aiden said.

"Yeah," Sean said with a nod as he met his brother's gaze.

"Still, you're a musician. You can get any hot girl you want. Leave this one alone. Your life will be a lot easier."

"I completely agree," he said, but knowing it would be best to leave Jessica alone and doing it were not exactly the same thing.

"Can I have another piece of cake?" Kyle asked Jessica.

She shook her head. "You already had one big piece."

"But I'm still hungry," Kyle whined.

"You can have a snack when we go home. Go say goodbye to Brandon. It's time to leave."

"Can't I just stay here tonight?"

"No. We're going to stay in the new house tonight." She could see thunderclouds gathering in her sugared-up six-year-old, and quickly added, "Tell Brandon we'll pick him up for school tomorrow."

Kyle gave her a sulky look but did as he was told. As he left the room, she walked over to Nicole, who was cleaning up the kitchen. Most of the family had left, and the few remaining guests were chatting in the living room.

"Shouldn't someone else be doing that?" Jessica asked. "You're the birthday girl."

"Everyone has already done way too much. Are you leaving now?"

"Yes. I want to get Kyle to bed since it's a school night."

"Thanks for coming. I know it's been a busy weekend for you. By the way, Emma told me Sean got all worked up about the house. I guess I should have been more sensitive. I'm sorry about that. I hope the house is going to work out."

"I'm sure it will. I'll see you tomorrow."

After leaving the kitchen, she went down the hall and gave Aiden and Chloe a smile as they passed by. Then she went into the guest room to grab her purse. She ran straight into Sean. "Sorry, I didn't see you," she said, trying to ignore the sudden tingle of her nerves. "I thought you left a while ago."

"I was talking to Aiden. I'm on my way out now."

"Me, too. I'm just grabbing my bag." She walked past him to retrieve her purse from the desk. As she turned to leave, she found Sean blocking the doorway, an odd expression on his face. "What?"

He stared back at her for a long moment, some internal battle playing out in his eyes. Then he said, "Nothing, never mind. You can go."

"Thanks for the permission," she said dryly.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Do you even know what you mean?" she challenged. "You are the king of mixed signals, Sean. You like me one minute and hate me the next. You kiss me like there's no tomorrow, and then you can't bear to stand next to me in a crowded room. What is your problem?"

"You. You're my problem. And while everything else you said is true, I don't hate you. I wish I did."

She let out a breath. "It's fine, forget it. I'm just tired, and a little on edge, and I'm taking it out on you."

"You're nervous about going back to the house, aren't you?"

"Well, I shouldn't be, because it's stupid."

"I'm the one who spooked you. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"Is it?"

"Well, it will be."

"Why don't I follow you home? I can come inside, take a look around, and make sure everything is okay."

She stared at him in astonishment. Those were the last words she'd expected to hear come out of his mouth. "You want to go into Stacy's house after dark?"

He stiffened. "I'm trying to think of it as your house, Jess. And it's the least I can do for making you nervous. There's nothing wrong with that house, and I shouldn't be putting the monsters of my eight-year-old nightmares onto you. In fact, going there at night would probably be a good step towards vanquishing those monsters."

She wasn't so sure about that. But all she said was, "All right. I'm going to get Kyle. I'll meet you out front—unless you change your mind again."

"I'm not going to change my mind," he promised.

* * *

He really wanted to change his mind!

Sean pulled up in front of the Emery house as Jessica parked in the driveway. The house was completely dark and the nearby streetlight threw eerie shadows down the street. As a kid he'd been in the house dozens of times, often at night, and he'd never been scared. But he couldn't remember those times now. They were all behind a wall of flames and his last haunting images of Stacy.