Moonlight Cove (9 page)

Jess found herself taking extra care with her appearance on Sunday. She tried on half a dozen outfits before settling on a pair of linen slacks and a sleeveless linen blouse. Both were impossible to keep pressed, so she rarely wore them. When she actually took her makeup kit out of the back of a drawer, she frowned and put it right back.

“You’re being absurd,” she told her reflection in the mirror.

“Up here talking to yourself?” Abby inquired, walk
ing into her room without waiting for a response to her knock.

“Sadly, yes,” Jess admitted.

“You look lovely,” Abby said, surveying her. “That peach color in your blouse suits you. It brings out the color in your cheeks.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s the special occasion?”

“No occasion,” Jess said, flushing.

Abby regarded her with disbelief. “Then it doesn’t have anything to do with those sketches Dad’s been working on, the ones he was going to show you, me and Will today?”

“Why would I get dressed up to look at Dad’s sketches?” Jess asked, feigning innocence.

Naturally Abby saw right through the pretense. She hadn’t practically raised Jess without learning a thing or two about her younger sister’s moods.

“I was thinking it might have more to do with Will,” Abby said. “And I came over here to alert you that he’s not going to be at dinner. I didn’t want you to be disappointed and let Dad catch wind of your reaction when you found out.”

Jess couldn’t hide how deflated she felt by Abby’s announcement. “How do you know Will won’t be there?”

“When I arrived earlier, Dad was grumbling to Mom about it. He said something about Will having another date.”

Jess sat down hard on the edge of her bed. “I see,” she said softly.

“You okay?” Abby asked.

“Sure,” she lied. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Maybe because you’re finally figuring out that you ought to be giving Will a chance.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jess insisted. “Don’t make too big a deal out of it. I don’t intend to.”

“It’s probably just one of those computerized match-ups, anyway,” Abby consoled her.

“More than likely,” Jess agreed. “It’s just as well he won’t be there. All we do is argue lately, anyway.” She forced a smile. “We’d probably better head over to the house. Gram likes to get dinner on the table promptly at one on Sundays.”

Abby hesitated, a worried frown puckering her brow. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Absolutely.” She plastered a smile on her face, more to practice for the rest of the family than out of any belief that Abby would buy it. “I can’t wait to see Dad’s designs.”

“Me, too,” Abby admitted, following her down the stairs. “He swears to me his cost projections are very reasonable, at least for the attic renovation. Did you know he was designing a house, too? What’s that about?”

Jess nodded. “I mentioned something about maybe building one on the property if I ever have a family, and Dad ran with it. I told him it wasn’t anything I’d need in the immediate future, but you know Dad.”

“He’s put two and two together where you and Will are concerned and is ready to reserve the church,” Abby said, giving her a sympathetic look. “Of course, if you and Will stop playing games and get your signals straight—”

Jess’s scowl effectively silenced her sister, at least for the moment. Now all she had to do was suffer through
dinner and look over those sketches without letting on that she was bothered by Will’s absence. If she passed this test, maybe she ought to try out for Bree’s theater company.

Will’s date was rapidly turning into a disaster. He’d been so distracted that the woman, a lawyer from Annapolis who’d once worked with Connor in Baltimore, lost patience.

“Why did you ask me out?” Anna Lofton asked eventually.

Will forced himself to meet her gaze. She had dark brown eyes that seemed to see right through him. He imagined that worked well for her in a courtroom interrogation.

“It seemed as if we had several things in common,” he said.

“I thought the same thing,” she said, leaning forward. “But you haven’t really been here since we sat down. Are you already involved with someone else?”

“Absolutely not,” he said hurriedly, startled by her perceptiveness, but unwilling to acknowledge the accuracy of her assessment.

She laughed. “That answer came way too fast. Who is she? The girl who got away?”

Will sighed. “I never had her in the first place,” he admitted. “And I’m truly sorry about the way this date has gone. I never should have asked you out for today. It was a knee-jerk reaction.”

She studied him curiously. “To what?”

“Believe me, if I told you, it would only make me look like a worse jerk than you must think I am now.”

She actually laughed at that. “Now I’m seeing
that self-deprecating sense of humor I liked in your emails.”

Will grinned. “Should we try this again another day?” he asked. “It might go better.”

Anna shook her head. “Not until you get this other woman out of your system,” she said. “If that happens, call me. I like you, Will Lincoln, but I don’t want to waste my time. Thanks for lunch, though.” She looked around. “If nothing else, I should thank you for introducing me to Chesapeake Shores. I like this town. I have no idea why I’ve never been down here before. I’ll have to come for the weekend next time.”

“There’s a great inn,” Will said, then winced.

“Why do you look as if you regret telling me that?” she asked.

“The woman who owns it…” he began.

Anna’s eyes lit up as she caught on. “Ah, she’s the one. Now I really will have to come back. What’s the name of this inn?”

“The Inn at Eagle Point,” he said reluctantly. “You’ll love it there. It has terrific views of the water and a great chef.”

“Is this woman of yours the chef, too?”

“No, just the owner.”

Anna stood up. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around before too long,” she told him.

Will dropped cash on the table for the bill, then walked her to her car. “Again, I really am sorry about how this went. It’s certainly not a very good reflection on Lunch by the Bay’s matchmaking skills.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think the match was great. Unfortunately, you just happen to have unresolved feelings
for someone else. I’ll bet you didn’t tell the computer that.”

Will chuckled. “Hardly. I try not to tell anyone that. Unfortunately, in this town almost everyone already knows.”

“Sounds like the curse of small-town living,” Anna said. “Tell Connor hello for me if you run into him.”

“I will,” he promised. “Drive safely.”

He watched her put her sexy little sports car into gear and then drive off. Only when she was out of sight did he sigh. Under any other circumstances, maybe even on another day, Anna would have intrigued him.

Instead, he knew she’d just been a substitute for Jess, a way to prove to Jess and everyone else that she wouldn’t always have him tied into knots. Ironically, though, what this afternoon had proved was exactly the opposite.

J
ess tried to work up some enthusiasm for her father’s sketches on Sunday afternoon. Mick regarded her curiously when she merely nodded from time to time and occasionally muttered, “Nice.”

“Okay, that’s it,” he said finally, clearly losing patience. “I did these for you, Jess. Have you lost interest already?”

Jess bristled at the accusation, which sounded all too familiar. Her father had had a very hard time accepting her ADD. More than once in the early days before her diagnosis, he’d suggested she simply wasn’t applying herself in school. After four children who’d all been overachievers, Jess had been a frustration to him. It was that old annoyance that she heard in his voice now.

Before she could snap out a response, Abby stepped in to smooth things over, as always.

“Of course she hasn’t,” Abby said, rushing to her defense. “The designs are amazing, Dad. I’m sure Jess loves them.”

Jess forced herself to smile. “I do, Dad. And I really appreciate the time you spent doing them.”

“Then what’s the problem?” he demanded, clearly not pacified. He regarded her curiously. “Does your mood have something to do with Will not showing up today?”

“Leave Will out of it,” Jess commanded irritably. “The attic renovations have nothing to do with him. It’s my project.” She turned to Abby, determined to end any discussion of Will. “What do you think about the costs? Can we pull this off?”

Her sister didn’t hesitate. “If Dad does the majority of the work and he can stick to the budget he’s given us, I think we can.”

Jess finally mustered some genuine enthusiasm. Up until now—Will aside—she simply hadn’t wanted to get her hopes up. Abby had rightly kept a tight rein on the inn’s finances ever since she’d saved Jess from foreclosure. Though turning to her sister to bail her out had been humiliating, at least she had her inn today because of it. She’d vowed never to mess up financially again, even if she chafed at some of the restrictions. To have Abby loosen the purse strings for this was a huge vote of confidence.

“Seriously?” she asked her sister. “I can move forward?”

Abby nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “I think the expenses are totally justified. You’ve been in the black for a while now. I’ll talk to Trace’s dad at the bank about financing.”

“Let me go to Laila,” Jess pleaded. “I need to handle things like this on my own. I swear I won’t sign anything until you’ve looked it over.”

Abby’s faint hesitation grated, but eventually she
nodded. “That seems reasonable. If you need backup, just let me know.”

Mick stepped in. “Jess, let me finance this and leave the bank out of it,” he said. “The renovations aren’t that expensive. I don’t want you putting the inn at risk again.”

Jess shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, Dad, but this is my business.”

“Did I say it wasn’t?” he grumbled. “Why make a fuss over such a little thing?”

“Because I want everyone, especially Lawrence Riley at the bank, to acknowledge that I’ve turned the inn into a success. Me, Jess O’Brien. Not my sister. Not my dad. Mr. Riley was so darn sure I couldn’t do it. I want to rub it in his face that I have.”

Mick relented. “Now, that I can understand. Just don’t be too proud to ask for my backing if you need it. Understood?”

Jess threw her arms around her father. “Thanks, Dad.” She turned to her sister. “You, too, Abby. If you hadn’t had faith in me even after I screwed everything up a few years ago, the inn wouldn’t even exist, much less be profitable.”

“It was all your vision and your execution,” Abby reminded her. “I just got you back on track with the finances.”

Jess thought of her promise to Ronnie. “Speaking of that, I need to talk to you about adding a small line item to the budget.” She hurriedly explained about Ronnie’s enthusiasm for cooking and Gail’s conviction that he had talent. To her surprise, it was her father who spoke up.

“I knew you’d do something to get that young man
on the right track,” he said. “Abby, surely there’s a way to help the boy out. That father of his is an idiot not to encourage him to do what he wants with his life. I’ve half a mind to tell him so myself.”

Jess chuckled. “Dad, I doubt that yelling at Ronnie’s father will accomplish much.” She gave Abby a pleading look. “Can we find a few hundred dollars a term to help with his tuition?”

“He’s agreed to stay on to work at the inn once he graduates?” Abby asked.

“Absolutely. I’m sure he’ll put that in writing if we want him to,” Jess assured her.

“Then I suppose it’s a solid enough investment in the inn’s future,” Abby said. “Let me play with the numbers and I’ll get back to you with an answer.”

Delighted for Ronnie and totally enthused about the renovation project now that it had a green light, Jess faced her father. “How soon can you get started?”

“How about next week?” he suggested.

Jess appreciated his willingness to plunge right in, but she shook her head. “I need to get the bank’s okay first.”

“Then as soon as that’s in place,” Mick said. “I need to remind you again that it will be slower going than usual because I have to keep overseeing the Habitat for Humanity work, but we’ll get this done, Jess. It’s going to be everything you want it to be.” He met her gaze. “You want to take a look at the house plans, as long as we’re here?”

She shook her head. In her mind, those plans were all tied up with Will, which was ridiculous, but there it was. “Save them for me, okay? One of these days I’ll need them.”

Mick nodded and, for once, didn’t press the point. “Whenever you’re ready to take a look, just say the word.”

“I think I’ll get back over to the inn and finish cleaning the rest of that junk out of the attic,” Jess said. Even such an odious task appealed more now that she knew it was going to lead to the renovations she’d been dreaming about since she’d opened the inn.

“How about some help?” Mick offered.

“That’s okay. I’ve got it.” She hugged him tightly. “Thanks again, Dad.”

“Anytime, baby girl. Anytime.”

Jess tried to sneak out of the house without bumping into anyone else in the family, but just outside, she ran into Gram who was walking back to her own cottage. Jess fell into step beside her.

“It was a great dinner, Gram. I know you made that potato soup. No one does it like you do, and it was perfect for a cool fall day.”

Gram gave her a penetrating look, her blue eyes sharp. “Then why didn’t you eat more than a mouthful?”

“I did,” Jess protested. “It was delicious.”

“You might be able to feed someone else that story, young lady, but I know better. I have eyes in my head, don’t I? Now tell me what had you looking so glum earlier.”

Jess had learned years ago when Gram had taken over the household after Megan had left that there was very little she could hide from her grandmother. At seven, when her mother had first gone, Gram had understood the depth of her sorrow. More important, she had been able to convince Jess that her childish belief that her mother’s going had somehow been her fault was
nonsense. Gram had made her accept that Megan hadn’t gone because Jess was too much trouble. During those awful first months without her mom, Abby had tried her best to step in and make things better, but it was Gram who’d offered the comfort and reassurance she’d really needed.

Moreover, Jess knew she could trust Gram not to spill her confidences to the rest of the family.

“I’ve been thinking lately that maybe I’ve made a mistake about Will,” Jess admitted.

“In what way?”

Jess gave her an amused look. “You know exactly what way. You’ve been among the many who’ve believed for a while now that there was something going on between us.”

“Doesn’t matter what I think,” Gram told her. “So, you’re saying that you’ve realized you might have feelings for him?”

Jess nodded. “But I think it’s too late.”

“Has he gone off and married someone else?” Gram asked dryly.

“Of course not.”

“Then it’s not too late. You just have to be willing to put your heart on the line, if you truly want to change things.”

“What if it doesn’t work out?” Jess asked. “I’ve lost so many people over the years. Mom went away. Dad was gone most of my childhood, or that’s how it felt. Abby, Bree, Kevin and Connor, they all left.”

“And they’re all back here now,” Gram reminded her. “You never lost them, sweetheart.”

“It felt as if I did,” Jess said, thinking of how often
she’d felt left behind. “If I take this chance with Will and it doesn’t work out…” Her voice trailed off.

Gram smiled. “What if it does work out exactly as you’re hoping?” she asked. “That’s what I think is far more likely.”

“You really think Will and I are right for each other?”

“If you’re looking for guarantees, dear heart, I can’t give them to you. Love comes with risks. So does life.” She squeezed Jess’s hand. “But if I were a betting woman—”

“Which we all know you are,” Jess teased. “Your bingo winnings are family legend.”

Gram gave her a scolding look. “If I were a betting woman, I’d say the two of you have better odds than most.”

“Why?” Jess asked.

“Because I’ve seen the way that man looks at you. He’s been crazy for you since back in high school, maybe even earlier, and he’s never let you push him away for long. He just shores up his battered ego and keeps coming back.”

“Not this time,” Jess said. “It’s because of me that he stayed away from dinner today.”

“Then maybe you should apologize for whatever you did,” Gram said.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong,” Jess protested. “I just told him how I felt.”

“Did you consider his feelings with all that honesty?”

“No,” Jess admitted. “I was just trying to be clear. It was silly, really. We’d raided the fridge at the inn, then gone outside to have dinner and watch the sunset. We
hadn’t even taken our first sip of wine, and all I did was tell him that we weren’t on a date.”

“And he immediately saw the pattern that Susie and Mack have fallen into,” Gram guessed at once.

Jess regarded her with amazement. “How did you see that so clearly when it never even occurred to me, at least not as the words were coming out of my mouth?”

“Never mind me. Is that how Will saw it?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Then can you blame him for walking away?” Gram shook her head. “I swear I have no idea what goes on in your cousin Susie’s head or why Mack’s catered to her whims for all this time. But I can certainly see why another man would refuse to get caught up in the same situation, especially a man who’s been in the grandstands watching that foolish standoff play itself out. Sometimes I’d like to shake the two of them myself.”

Jess laughed, unable to deny what her grandmother was saying. “I think we all would.”

“Then, whatever you do, don’t follow their lead,” Gram said. “If you want Will, reach out to him. I think it’s time a move came from you. I’m pretty sure if you take a chance, you’ll find that Will’s open to it.” She held Jess’s gaze. “Remember this, life is short. I may be in my eighties and I may have lived a rich, full life, but there are no such things as guarantees that anyone will be as blessed as I have been. Don’t let love slip away from you just because you’re scared.”

They’d reached Gram’s cottage now, with its climbing roses on the picket fence and a birdbath sitting in the middle of a wildflower garden in the yard. The cozy little house was like something from a storybook. At least that’s how Jess had always thought of it. She’d
sometimes wondered how Gram had been able to bear walking away from it when she’d come to take care of them.

“Thanks, Gram,” she said, wrapping her grandmother in a hug and noticing how frail she was. There was such strength of purpose and character in Nell that it was sometimes easy to forget that she was no longer young. “I’ll think about what you said. You always make things so much clearer for me.”

“That’s because I’ve lived a long time. Even with my cataracts, there’s plenty that I still see clearly. Love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you,” Jess said, then watched her go inside before heading off to the inn to think about everything they’d discussed. Maybe Gram was right. Maybe all of her uncertainties and insecurities didn’t matter in the end. Maybe reaching out and losing would still be better than never having taken a chance on love at all.

Connie had been called over to the nursery on Sunday afternoon to help Jake load an order of plants for a job that had been postponed twice because of rain.

“I don’t see why you didn’t call one of the men in to help you,” she grumbled as she carried the plants from the greenhouse to the truck. The answer, of course, was that her brother knew he wouldn’t have to pay her, or at least the cynical side of her assumed that was the reason.

Jake gave her the kind of grin that had always won over any woman in the vicinity. It had certainly worked on Bree, but it had lost its power over Connie.

“Because I wanted to see for myself that you weren’t sitting at home moping because Jenny’s away at school,”
he said, surprising her. “I don’t know why you refused to come to the O’Briens for dinner today. It made me worry about you.”

“I just wanted a day to myself,” she claimed, unwilling to admit that she’d been half-afraid that Thomas would show up, and she’d be unable to hide her growing feelings for him.

“Thomas was asking about you,” Jake said casually.

Connie’s pulse skipped a beat. “Really? He was there?”

Jake paused in front of her and leveled a look straight into her eyes. “I got the feeling he was disappointed that you weren’t coming. What’s that about?”

“Don’t be silly,” she said, praying that the heat she felt wasn’t turning her cheeks a blinding shade of red. “We’ve just seen a lot of each other because of my volunteer work for the foundation. He probably had some questions for me or something.”

Jake looked doubtful, but he didn’t press her, thank heaven.

Just then, her cell phone rang. “I need to grab this,” she told her brother. “It could be Jenny.”

But it wasn’t.

“Connie, it’s Thomas.”

To her surprise, he sounded charmingly nervous. “Hi,” she said softly, then moved away for some privacy. “I heard you came to town for Sunday dinner with your family.”