The Lake House Secret, A Romantic Suspense Novel (A Jenessa Jones Mystery) (2 page)

She loaded her trunk and back seat with all the belongings she could fit, carefully setting a framed picture of her mother on the front seat beside her purse. The manager could have her old sofa, dining set, and well-worn bed—Jenessa wasn’t coming back.

She filled the car’s tank with gas and made sure the radiator was topped up with water before she hit the road. Relieved that her car started when she turned the key, she looked over at the picture of her mother and brushed her fingers gently over it. Her mother was of Mexican descent, and the photo drew attention to her short dark hair and warm brown eyes.

Jenessa shot a glance to her own image in the rearview mirror and smiled—she loved that she had her mother’s espresso-colored hair. “I’m coming home, Momma.”

Chapter 2

Over the next couple of hours, as she drove on the busy highway, Jenessa thought about her father. As a child, she remembered thinking how tall and strong he looked. He was six three, slender build, with dark blond hair and pale green eyes. Aunt Renee had the same golden hair and green eyes, which had been passed down to Sara, as well.

Though Jenessa had inherited her mother’s beautiful dark hair, she had her father’s light eyes. When she was a little girl, her dad used to tell her they were the color of her August birthstone, the peridot.

Flying down the highway, Jenessa’s thoughts wrapped around memories of their family trips to fun places in San Francisco—the aquarium in Golden Gate Park, boating and fishing in the bay, and eating crab out of cups from the street vendors at Fisherman’s Wharf. David Jones had been a good father, and they were a happy family—at least back in those days.

“Oh, Dad,”
she sighed,
“why did we ever have to move to Hidden Valley?”

As she passed the second exit into Stockton, a chill rippled over her and she fought back the tears that were beginning to blur her vision. It was at this spot on the highway that her mother had died. The week after Christmas, her mom had come to Sacramento to visit her and to bring her Christmas gifts. Jenessa had gone to Hidden Valley for Thanksgiving that year, and it had not gone well with her father, so she’d refused to come down for Christmas.

After staying a couple of days with her daughter, Lydia Jones had headed back home. A thick fog had settled into the valley that afternoon and Jenessa’s mother ended up in the middle of a twenty-car pileup. The police report had said she’d died immediately upon impact, her small SUV crushed between two semi-trucks.

The news had devastated Jenessa. She
was
to blame. If she hadn’t been so stiff-necked, if she had given in to her mother’s request to spend Christmas in Hidden Valley, she would still be alive. If only she could turn the clock back and undo it. But if she could do that, she would turn the clock back more than twelve years and undo it all.

As soon as she’d received word of her mother’s death, Jenessa had left work and raced to Hidden Valley. She went to her parents’ house first, expecting to stay there, hoping to make amends with her father, but he didn’t want her there. He asked her to stay at Aunt Renee’s house, which she did. Tonight, though, she would stay at her family home, and he wouldn’t be there to turn her away.

Why did he have to shun her and treat her like the bad girl? Sara did things equally as bad—or worse—she just never got caught.

Her father’s disappointment built a wall between them, bricks laid in place with each harsh word, each disapproving glare. His behavior seemed warm and caring toward Sara, and he treated Ramey like she was part of the family, but not Jenessa, never her, not since she was seventeen.

For heaven’s sake, it was just one mistake—why couldn’t he have forgiven me?

No longer able to contain the tears, they stormed down her cheeks.

~*~

Jenessa breathed deeply and dried her tears, but her mind continued to race over the events of the past, including the few years she’d spent in Hidden Valley. As she passed the city-limits sign coming into town, a siren blared behind her. She glanced up into her rearview mirror and noticed a police car following her closely with its blue-and-red lights flashing.

She pulled her car over to the side of the road. Had she been so deep in thought that she hadn’t noticed the drop in speed limit or how fast she was going?

Pushing the button in the door, she rolled the two front windows down, feeling the summer heat pour in from outside. She turned the engine off and rummaged through the glove compartment for her insurance and registration, fished her license out of her wallet, and waited for the officer.

“License, registration, and insurance, ma’am,” a deep male voice said.

She handed them all over to him, too embarrassed to make eye contact.

“Your license says Jenessa Jones.”

“That’s right,” she replied, looking up at him, shading her eyes with her hand. The bright sun was just over his shoulder, making it hard to make out his face.

The tall officer crouched down beside the car so his head was at window level. “I used to know a Jenessa Jones in high school. Could that be you?”

Jenessa looked over at the man as he pulled his sunglasses off. He did look vaguely familiar, but she hadn’t been in high school for a long time, and teenagers have a tendency to change as they grow up. Surely she would have remembered someone as handsome as this guy if they had gone to school together.

“I’m sorry, it’s been a lot of years since I’ve seen anyone from high school. You do look familiar, though,” she said, more to be polite than anything else. “What’s your name?”

“Are you kidding? It’s me, Michael Baxter.”

“Michael?” She hoped her surprise didn’t show. He didn’t look like this in high school. They had been friends, both of them working on the school newspaper, but back then he was gangly and awkward with braces and pimples all over his face. He wasn’t as tall or as well built as he was now, that’s for sure, not to mention the clear skin and straight teeth. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you, you’ve changed so much.”

“Well, you haven’t. Pretty as ever.”

“Not fair, you got to look at my driver’s license.”

“Fair enough, but I think I still would have recognized you. Those green eyes are hard to forget.”

Was he flirting with her?

“What’s it been? Ten or twelve years?” he asked.

“Twelve.”

“What are you doing back in town?”

“My dad just died.” The words caught in her throat.

“Oh, man, I’m sorry to hear that. He seemed like a nice guy. Attorney in town, right?”

“Yes, he was. Thanks for saying that, but I really need to get going. Are you going to give me a ticket?”

“Since it’s you, Jen, and you seem to have a pretty good reason for not watching your speedometer, I’ll let you off with a warning.” His gaze met hers and lingered for a moment. “I’d love to catch up while you’re in town. Maybe I’ll see you around.” He handed back her license and other items.

She accepted them and nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”

He put a hand on the door, pulled himself up and walked back to his car. She watched him in her side mirror. That was really her old high school friend Michael Baxter? She rolled her windows up and turned on the air conditioner full blast, wondering what he’d been doing with himself for all these years. College no doubt, and obviously he became a policeman at some point.

The heaviness of regret settled on her, thinking about how she’d lost contact with all of her friends from high school, all except Ramey. Since she couldn’t change what had happened and had no reason to return to Sacramento now, it was best not to replay the past over and over in her mind. Her future, whatever it would be, lay in the town straight ahead of her. Hidden Valley would be home for now, and the thought that she might run into Michael again sometime spread a hopeful smile across her face.

As promised, Jenessa phoned Aunt Renee to let her know she was almost there. But before heading to her aunt’s house she decided to stop by The Sweet Spot, a popular bakery and café, to see if Ramey and Sara might still be there.

Ramey and Jenessa’s mother had opened The Sweet Spot six years ago. Her mother had gone to culinary school while her dad had begun his law practice in San Francisco, before they started having babies. Her mother loved to bake and became an expert pastry chef. She never worked for anyone else, but she would whip up the most delicious treats for her husband’s clients, filling gift baskets with delectable goodies or making a fabulous cake for a partner’s birthday. Often people from the firm would ask her to make something spectacular for one of their client parties, which she loved doing.

As Ramey spent more and more time at the Jones’s house, Jenessa’s mother began teaching her about pastries, cakes, breads, and cookies. Jenessa and Sara never seemed that interested in baking, so her mother was thrilled to share her passion with Ramey.

After Ramey graduated from high school, and her alcoholic mother ran off with her latest boyfriend, she and Jenessa’s mother spent more and more time in the kitchen. Eventually, they came up with the idea of opening a bakery together.

Her dad had tried his best to discourage them. He wasn’t pleased that his wife wanted to work, afraid the community would get the idea he wasn’t able to support his family—at least that’s what her mother had told her. Eventually, he gave in to their pleadings and The Sweet Spot Bakery and Café was born.

As Jenessa drove into town, she eyed the quaint stores and shops that lined Main Street. Sure, there was a Costco and a Wal-Mart out by the freeway, not far from the university, but downtown Hidden Valley was as pristine and charming as she remembered it. The Sweet Spot sat on a corner with small tables and chairs arranged outside under the pink-and-white striped awning with the name printed in black script across it.

Jenessa pulled into a diagonal parking spot in front of the shop and went inside.

“Oh, my gosh, Jenessa!” Ramey exclaimed with a broad smile, her blue eyes wide and her red curls bouncing around her neck. She came around from behind the counter and threw her arms around her friend. “I’m so glad to see you.”

Ramey stood a couple of inches taller than Jenessa’s slender five-foot-five-inch frame and had a good twenty pounds on her.

Jenessa returned the hug. She had been so lonesome in the big city, trying to make it on her own, that she almost didn’t want to let go.

“Isn’t it the worst thing in the world? Your dad passing away?” Ramey gushed, her voice cracking with sadness. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Thank you, Ramey.” Jenessa patted her friend’s back. He had been like a father to Ramey, as well. “I know he thought of you as part of our family.”

“Aww.” Ramey released Jenessa and wiped a few tears from under her eyes, then took a deep breath. “Well, we were just about to close for the day. Sara has already gone over to Aunt Renee’s. They’re expecting you.”

Sara had been doing the books for her mom and Ramey part-time after they opened the business, but since her mother’s passing, she had left her full-time job to take a more active role in running the place.

“I was headed there next,” Jenessa replied.

Like Jenessa, Sara had gone to college after high school, but she was considerably more interested in boys and partying than she was in getting an education. So, she’d decided after two years she’d had enough. She got her Associates Degree in Business and called it good. She had worked as a bank teller and then became the bookkeeper for a general contractor in the area. But since her mother’s death, The Sweet Spot had become her main focus.

“Why don’t you start on over and I’ll meet you all as soon as I’m done here.” Ramey lowered her voice. “I guess I should have closed the minute we got word, but since I’m not
really
family, I thought I’d give them some time alone.”

“You’re just like family.” Jenessa draped an arm around her friend again.

The little bells jingled as the front door opened and Ramey looked past Jenessa to see the next customer. “Sorry, but we’re about to close.”

“I just wanted a coffee to go.”

I know that voice.
Jenessa stiffened and her heartbeat quickened. Hoping she was wrong, she slowly turned around.

Standing before her was a tall, thirty-year-old man with wavy blond hair and piercing blue eyes.

“Jenessa?”

She swallowed down the lump that had risen into her throat, seeing that his broad shoulders and engaging smile were just as she had remembered them.

Chapter 3

“Logan.”

It had been a long time since Jenessa had seen her old boyfriend and he had grown into quite a handsome man.

He spread his arms out and stepped toward her.

She let him give her a quick hug, wondering if he could feel her stiffness. She remembered the tears she had spilled on the drive down and hoped her makeup wasn’t smeared all down her face. It had been years since she had seen him, and this was not the way she wanted to run into her ex again.

“I heard about your dad and I’m so sorry,” Logan said.

“You already heard?” Ramey asked.

“He was my father’s attorney,” he replied, his brilliant blue eyes still on Jenessa. “My dad phoned me a little while ago about it. I wondered if you’d be back in town.”

“You didn’t think I’d come for my dad’s funeral?” Jenessa snapped.

“Well, I know you two didn’t exactly get along.”

“No thanks to you,” she huffed.

“You know, Ramey,” Logan raised his gaze to the redhead, “I think I’ll take a rain check on that coffee.” He backed toward the door, shifting his attention again to Jenessa. “I am truly sorry about your dad.” He turned and stepped outside.

Jenessa watched through the large storefront windows as he walked down the street and out of sight. That wasn’t the way she had envisioned running into her old flame. She had played the scene repeatedly in her mind over the years—what she would say, what he would say, what she would be wearing and looking fabulous in. Not that she wanted him back. Rather, she wanted him to want
her
back, to feel some of the pain he had caused her back then.

It all seemed so silly now. They had been high school sweethearts, little more than children at the time. She shook her head at the thought. He had obviously moved on, probably dated a long string of gorgeous coeds in college and now had some other lovely creature in his life.