Fool for Love (27 page)

Two hours later, the women had eaten and watched
Maddie open most of the presents. Thomas had fallen asleep in Linda's arms in
the rocking chair, and she'd refused to take him upstairs.

Janey was proud of her mother for
embracing the child and making him a part of their family. It hadn't been easy
for Linda to get past the rumors that had plagued Maddie for most of her life.
But once the letters from Evan and the others ran in the paper, Linda had to
admit she'd been wrong about the woman her son loved. She'd apologized to
Maddie and had made a real effort to get to know her and Thomas since then. In
the midst of the rift with her own mother, at least Maddie would be able to
lean on her new mother-in-law.

Janey's cell phone vibrated in her pocket.
When she checked the caller ID and saw Doc Potter's name, she took the call
because he never bothered her after hours unless there was an emergency at the
clinic. She immediately thought of Mrs. Roberts and Molly.

"Hey, Doc." She stepped onto the
back deck that overlooked the hotel, marina, and Salt Pond. The fog that had
been worse than usual this year hung over the edges of the pond.

"Janey! I'm so glad I caught you. You
won't believe it!"

"Believe what?"

"I just got off the phone with Dean
Richards at OSU."

Her heart slowed to a crawl, and she had
to remind herself to breathe. "What did he say?"

"They've had several students in this
year's incoming class who were unable to secure financing."

Janey gasped.

"When I mentioned you had financing already
arranged, he agreed to facilitate your application—
for this year
! This
year, Janey! Like a month from now!"

Her legs went weak beneath her, and she
dropped to a lounge chair.

"Still there?" Doc asked.

"Yes,
yes
. I'm just trying to
absorb it all."

"I don't think I've ever been more
excited about anything! I can tell you now that I always thought it was a
travesty how David got in the way of you going to vet school the first time
around. I didn't care for that one bit."

"You and everyone else."

"Well, we're righting a terrible
wrong, and we're doing it in one month!" His smile faded all of a sudden.

"What, Doc? What's wrong?"

"I just realized this means I'll be
losing you at the clinic."

Her eyes filled. He'd been such a constant
in her life, one of the most important people in her world. "Maybe you can
find a spot for me in the summers?"

"I suppose we can squeeze you in
until you're too important to come back."

Janey laughed. "I'll come back the
second I'm done, and then you can retire."

"You've got yourself a deal, my
friend."

"Thank you, Doc. For whatever favors
you called in or the donation you made or whatever you did, thank you."

"No thanks necessary. Just go out
there and make me proud."

"I will. I promise."

Janey ended the call and clutched the phone
to her chest as she looked out over the pond with unseeing eyes. She was going
to veterinary school. It was really and finally happening. She must've been out
there for a while because Maddie came to find her.

"I'm sorry," Janey said,
snapping out of the stupor. "I totally abandoned you."

"I was well cared for. What's wrong?
You're pale as a ghost."

"I got in," Janey whispered.

"To?"

"Vet school at Ohio State."

Maddie gasped. "Oh, that's fabulous!
Congratulations! For next year?"

"
This
year."

Maddie's eyes widened. "Oh, my God!
Janey!
Oh, my God!"

Before she knew what hit her, Maddie had
wrapped her up in a tight hug.

Janey was in tears by the time Maddie
released her.

"What's wrong?" Maddie asked,
alarmed. "I thought you'd be thrilled!"

"I am." Janey brushed at the
tears, annoyed by them. "It's just…"

"Joe," Maddie said, her mouth
set in a grim expression.

"I can't do another long-distance
relationship, Maddie. I just can't."

"I understand. Anyone would. Joe
will."

"What will he understand? He's in love
with me. We've spent almost every night together for two weeks. If I walk away
from him now, he'll be crushed."

Maddie rested her hands on Janey's
shoulders. "You have to go to Ohio, Janey. You have to."

"I know. But I need to break things
off with Joe now. Today. I can't let this go on when I'm leaving in a month.
He's tied to this island and his business. It's not fair to get any more
involved with him." She thought of the date they had planned for later,
and her heart ached. She'd gotten awfully used to seeing him every day, to
leaning on his quiet strength, to finding unimaginable pleasure in his arms.

"Surely there has to be some
way," Maddie said.

New tears spilled down Janey's cheeks.
"How? His business is his life, Maddie. He'd be lost without that, and
it's not like he can just walk away from it. And he would. He'd do that for me,
but I can't ask that of him. I just can't."

"You need to talk to him about this.
At least give him a chance to figure something out."

"There's nothing to figure out. He lives
here, and for the next four years, I'm going to live a thousand miles from
here. Look how it worked out when David was only in Boston. I can't go through
that again."

"Comparing him to David would be
very
unfair."

"Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Keep this quiet until I figure out
what to say to Joe?"

Maddie thought about that for a moment.
"I have to tell Mac. I won't keep it from him. I'd like to think I've
learned my lesson in that regard."

"You have to swear him to silence. I don't
want him to tell Joe until I decide how I'm going to handle it."

"He won't. I promise you that."
Maddie hugged her again. "It'll work out, Janey. Joe would wait forever
for you."

"I can't ask him to wait four
years."

"Maybe you won't have to."

Still holding the sleeping Thomas, Linda
came to the door. "Everything all right out here?"

"Yes," Janey said, forcing a
smile. "We're fine."

"Maddie, you have a late-arriving
guest."

Maddie glanced at Janey. "Who?"

"Why don't you go see?" Maybe
Francine had come through after all. Janey could only hope. She followed Maddie
inside where Francine waited, gripping a festively wrapped gift and looking
exquisitely uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Francine
said.

"That's all right." Maddie
reached around the box to hug her mother. "I'm so glad you came."

"Could I get you some coffee or
punch, Francine?" Linda asked. "A slice of cake?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Francine
said stiffly.

"May I?" Maddie asked, gesturing
to the package.

Francine handed it to her and followed
Maddie to the family room, where the other women had gone quiet.

"This is my mother, Francine."
Maddie introduced her coworkers from the hotel and then sat to open her
mother's gift. Maddie removed the paper and opened the box. "Oh. Oh,
Mom."

"I gave Tiffany my mother's china. I
thought you might like to have her silver."

"I'd very much love to have it,"
she said, hugging her mother. "It's so shiny and clean!"

"That's why I was late. It took
longer to clean it up than I'd expected."

Maddie clutched her mother's hand.
"I'm so glad you came."

"Well, your future sister-in-law over
there let me know I'd be welcome."

All eyes shifted to Janey, who flashed a
sheepish grin and shrugged.

Maddie mouthed the words
thank you
to Janey, who nodded in response.

After she helped to load Mac, Maddie, Thomas and the shower loot into the SUV,
Janey turned her attention to the last of the dishes all the while trying not
to think about the terrible task that lay ahead.

"Joe," she whispered. "God.
What've I done to both of us?"

The irony of the situation wasn't lost on
her. In the same instant she'd decided she had to give him up, she'd realized
she loved him.
Loved
him loved him. At some point during their exquisite
nights together, he had worked his way into her heart, and the idea of losing
him hurt more than anything ever had—even finding David in bed with another
woman.

Standing at the sink, Janey dropped her
head to her chest, absorbing the blow as all the images from their brief time together
flashed through her mind.

Linda came back into the room.
"Janey? Honey, what is it? What's wrong?"

Tears clogged her throat, threatening to
burst free at any moment. "I, um, I have something I need to do. Would you
mind finishing up these last few dishes?"

"Of course not. Go on ahead."

Janey kissed her cheek. "Thanks for
everything today. It was a lovely shower."

"Yes, it was, and you did a good
thing talking Francine into coming. I'm proud of you for doing that."

The dam broke, and tears flooded her eyes.

"Janey! My goodness! What's going
on?"

"It's nothing," she said, even
though her heart was breaking. "I just … I need to go."

Linda hugged her and wiped the tears from
Janey's cheeks. "Call me later?"

Janey nodded, grabbed her purse and headed
for the door. In the car, she rested her head on the steering wheel and tried
to imagine what Joe would say when she told him they were over. Her heart ached
at the thought of hurting him, but better now than in a month, when they'd be
even more involved.

"Oh, Joe," she whispered through
her tears. "I love you so much."
I hate that I have to do this to
him, but I can't turn my back on this opportunity again. Not even for Joe. And
I can't expect him to give up his whole life for me. He'd hate me for that
someday.

Blinded by tears, she knew she shouldn't
attempt to drive but didn't want to sit in front of her mother's house crying
her eyes out, either. She drove slowly on the way home, knowing that once she
got there, Riley and the others would provide the comfort she so desperately
needed.

At her house, she indulged in a snuggle
with her animals before she let the dogs out and reached for her cell phone.
She couldn't delay this any longer. Joe was due to pick her up in just over two
hours. As she ran a hand over the black silk dress she'd taken out earlier, she
wondered where he'd planned to take her. "What does it matter?" she
asked herself as she found his number in her phone.

"Hey, baby," he said when he
answered. The sound of his familiar voice sent love and regret surging through
her. "How was the shower?"

"Good. It was fine." She wanted
to tell him how Maddie's mother had come, how she had made that happen, but she
couldn't get the words past the huge lump in her throat.

"What's wrong, honey? You sound
funny."

"I don't feel so good." She
winced at the lie, knowing she was only postponing the inevitable. "It
came on in the middle of the shower, and now I'm miserable." That was
certainly the truth.

"Oh, bummer. I had a big night planned
for us, but we can do it another time. I'll come over and take care of
you."

"No."

He paused. "Why not?"

"I feel gross. I don't want you to
see me like this. I'd really rather be alone tonight."

"Is something else wrong,
Janey?"

It was all she could do not to break down
at the hurt she heard in his voice. "I just… I need to be alone. Is that
all right?"

"If that's all it is."

"I've got to go," she said.

"Janey—"

"Bye, Joe." She closed the phone
and stretched out on the sofa as hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She had no
doubt it was better this way. But if that was true, why did it hurt so much?

Joe stared at the fog outside the window of his South Harbor office. Something
was up. She wasn't sick. How he knew that he couldn't have said. He just knew.
"Oh, Janey," he said. "What're you doing?"

He glanced at the suit he'd brought from
home to wear on the date that wasn't going to happen now. The way he saw it, he
had two choices—sit here and do nothing, hoping she'd come around, or storm
over there and demand she tell him what was going on. Neither option was all
that appealing, but the idea of doing nothing was unacceptable.

Since it was foggy and chilly, he grabbed
a company pullover and headed out of the office. On the short walk to Janey's
house, he replayed their brief phone call and tried to figure out why he hadn't
believed her when she said she didn't feel good. He knew her. The closer he got
to her house, the more annoyed he became. If something was wrong, why couldn't
she just tell him the truth rather than giving him the brush-off? That's what
he intended to find out.