Treasure on Lilac Lane: A Jewell Cove Novel (21 page)

Sarah was taking the stuffing out of the bird and Mary was finishing setting out plates and cutlery while Jess went to work mashing potatoes. Her mother sliced fresh buns and put them in a wicker basket while Aunt Barb spooned pickles into tiny dishes. “Jess,” Meggie said quietly, low enough that Jess was sure it was so no one else could hear. “Are you sure about Rick?”

“What do you mean?”

Meggie put down the knife and put her hand on Jess’s wrist. Jess looked up into blue eyes that were very much like her own. Though Meggie’s hair was graying, the resemblance was striking. Jess had always been rather pleased that she got her mother’s looks. She’d wished she had more of her mom’s strength, though. She’d become a single mom of teenagers and dealt with the grief of losing her husband and done it all with grace and patience.

“I saw how Rick looked at you. And how you looked at him. There’s something happening between you. I just want you to be sure, okay? I love Rick, but he’s been struggling. And I’ve waited a very long time for you to take this step. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

Jess blinked several times as emotion welled up inside her. She met her mother’s gaze and gave her a watery smile. “I love you, Mom. And I promise it’s okay. I’m being careful. Not rushing into anything and keeping my eyes wide open.”

“I know you are. I just want you to be happy.”

“I’m working on it.” She gave the potatoes one final mash. “What do you think, okay?”

“Perfect,” Meggie answered. “Why don’t you call the boys and round up the kids? We’ll get everything on the table.”

Jess stuck her head into the den and took a second to imprint the scene on her heart. Her favorite men in the world were gathered in this room—doctor, teacher, cop, soldier. All of them friends, brothers, and protectors of those they loved—whichever was needed at the time. And one was something more. Lover. Rick was sitting next to Mark drinking soda from a can and scowling at the television, grumbling about a bad call. Being with him changed everything.

She just wasn’t sure what she wanted to do about it.

Rick half-turned to put his empty on an end table and saw her standing there. For a few moments their gazes caught and clung, the connection between them as strong as ever. He was out of his ratty T-shirt today and instead wore jeans and a button-down shirt in soft blue. She hadn’t noticed earlier but he’d had his hair cut, too. It was neater along the sides and back, but she could still see the hint of curl there.

And the moment drew out …

Josh shouted at the television and Jess blinked. “Um, we’re ready to eat, guys. Hope you’re hungry.”

“About time,” Bryce said. “I’m starving.”

Jess reluctantly dragged her gaze away from Rick and went to find the kids. By the time she had them with their hands washed and heading to the kitchen, Sarah was shooing everyone to the table while she put a huge pitcher of water in the center. Jess had Alice on her hip, and she inhaled the scent of baby lotion, made stronger by the exertion of the baby’s games with her cousins.

“Let’s get you in your high chair, hmm?” she asked, giving Alice a kiss on the cheek. Mary was seated next to the chair, ready with a bowl of mashed potatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes. It only took a moment for Alice to start banging her hands on the plastic tray, clearly excited about what was about to come her way.

Mark, as head of the hosting family, said a brief blessing and then they all dug in.

Bowls were passed and glasses filled until everyone had a bit of everything. Jess marveled that Josh and Tom managed to keep all their food on their plates without the use of sideboards to keep the gravy from dripping off. Beside her, Rick was loaded up with vegetables and turkey and one of Meggie’s fresh buns. “You’re going to have to roll me home after this,” he said, picking up his fork. “I haven’t eaten like this since…”

He hesitated, and Jess’s heart went out to him. “Since Roberta cooked for you?”

He nodded. Put the fork in his mouth and chewed but Jess knew his mood had taken a hit.

“You still have family. You have people who care about you.”

“And yet you were the only one who thought to invite me today.”

“Well, I care about you.” She kept her voice low and stared down at her plate, making a show of spearing a few golden circles of carrot.

And then she reached over, not caring that it was his prosthetic that she was touching, and squeezed his hand.

Two tables had been set up—one being the dining table with all its leaves inserted, which sat eight comfortably and right now held a crowded eleven. Another card table had been set up nearby, where Mark and Sarah ate with their kids. The noise from separate conversations kept the volume at a steady hum and Jess watched out of the corner of her eye as Rick managed to cut his turkey, somewhat awkwardly but successfully. Pete regaled the group with a tale of his latest fishing trip and Bryce had his own stories to share about life as the police chief. Someone asked about the sale the next day at Treasures; Meggie assured Jess she was coming over to help out but only for a few hours because she wanted to take advantage of the markdowns around town as she was hoping to get some holiday shopping done.

Jess looked around her and felt so very blessed. No matter her troubles, no matter her mistakes, she had a wonderful family. She looked up and met Josh’s gaze and he smiled at her, looked at Rick, looked back at her, and winked.

She winked back.

C
HAPTER
16

When the main course was over, it was time for pie. The kids went to work clearing the table and loading the dishwasher while pumpkin and pecan pies were taken from the cool back porch and a golden apple pie was taken out of the oven where it had been warming. They were all lined up on the butcher block for cutting when Sarah let out an “Oh, no!”

Everyone looked up.

“I forgot ice cream.”

Jess couldn’t have cared less if she had it or not but the chorus of dismay from the rest of the family was downright ugly. “You can’t have warm apple pie without ice cream,” Josh said with a frown. “It’s just not Thanksgiving!”

“Really, Josh? What are you, four?” Jess raised her eyebrows and teased. “It’ll be fine.”

“I can’t believe I forgot it. And the market’s closed.” Sarah looked truly distressed. Jess sighed. Only Sarah would consider the lack of ice cream a national emergency. She did have a tendency to be a bit of a perfectionist, especially when it came to hosting anything.

Rick interrupted. “I bet the G and S is still open. It doesn’t generally close on holidays. I can go get some, if you want.”

“Really?” Sarah’s face lit up. “We can let dinner settle for a few minutes, can’t we, guys?” She looked down at baby Alice, her cheeks smudged with sweet potato and peas. “I mean, poor Alice might like dessert, too.”

Jess snorted. A tub of yogurt would have done Alice just fine but when Sarah got something into her head …

“We’ll go, won’t we, Rick? It won’t take long. I could stand to walk off some of that stuffing anyway.”

“Back in a flash,” he agreed.

They put on jackets and shoes and headed out the door, making their way to a side street where the G & S Convenience was open pretty much every day of the year. The afternoon had warmed up a bit and neither Jess nor Rick seemed too concerned with hurrying back. Jess in particular was happy to be out of the commotion for a few minutes alone with Rick—even if it was simply walking to the store.

“So, did you get the third degree?” Rick asked, ambling along with his hands in his pockets.

“A little,” Jess answered. “Sarah mostly. She’s nosy. And my mom was a little concerned. Aunt Barb didn’t say much.”

“Concerned how?”

Jess shrugged. “Just doesn’t want me to rush into anything. Not when … well, we both know it’s no secret I had quite a dry spell.” She looked sideways at him and sent him a crooked smile. “You?”

“A bit. Mark and Pete didn’t say much, and Tom and Bryce gave me some shit, but Josh was a bit more, stern, maybe, than I expected. He’s pretty protective of you.”

“Josh was there that night,” she reminded him. “And he’s my big brother, not my cousin.”

Rick took his hand out of his pocket and reached down, lacing his fingers with hers. “He asked me if we were a
thing
. I said define
thing
.” He chuckled. “Poor guy couldn’t do it. Couldn’t come right out and ask if I was sleeping with his sister, so he said if I hurt you he was going to mess me up bad.”

“And you said?” She kept her hand in his. It felt good.

“I said fair enough.” He squeezed her fingers. “Except I’m not quite sure what we are either.”

“We’ll figure it out on our own time,” she said, but he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

“That’s what I figure, too. I mean, there’s no rush, is there?”

They were face-to-face now and she looked up at him. “No rush at all,” she answered, but couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed. It had taken her a while to be ready to be in a relationship again. It wasn’t much fun feeling like she was dragging him along with her, perhaps a little reluctantly. What was he so afraid of?

She stood on tiptoe and, regardless of any potential audience, gave him a kiss. She twined her arms around his neck as her body pressed against his, and his hand rested on the curve of her back, pulling her close.

“Jess,” he said, his chest rising and falling faster than before. “We’re in the middle of the street.”

“You really don’t want people to know we’re seeing each other?” she asked, frowning a little.

He stepped back just a little, but enough that she felt the cool November air surround her once more. “I think you’ve forgotten how gossipy this town can be.” His dark gaze met hers. “It was only a few months ago that you were pointing out what everyone thought about me, Jess. Do you really think that’s changed? That the people of Jewell Cove suddenly think I should be polishing my halo?”

She hadn’t really thought of it that way, but he was right. He’d made some mistakes, and quite visibly. As a result he’d faced a fair bit of censure. She really couldn’t blame him for not wanting his every move scrutinized and judged.

Jess reached up and touched his face with her hand. “I understand,” she said softly. “I just want you to know, Rick, that I’m sorry for how hard I was on you, and that I’m not afraid of people knowing we’re together. Whenever you’re ready for that.”

“Thank you,” he said. “For being patient with me.”

She laughed and lowered her heels, tugging on his hand. “Don’t get used to it,” she joked. “My patience has a sell-by date.”

“Mine, too,” he replied, giving her a jostle with his elbow and making her laugh. “So let’s get this ice cream. The sooner dessert’s over, the sooner we get to go home.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Up ahead the convenience store was deserted in the late afternoon. Jess took in the empty street and parking lot, before nudging Rick. “Looks like everyone else in Jewell Cove is still sleeping off their food comas.”

Rick smiled and, in a heart-fluttering move, brought her hand up to his mouth for a quick kiss. “Good for us. I like being alone with you.”

Jess didn’t say anything as they closed the distance between them and the parking lot, but she couldn’t remember a Thanksgiving afternoon she’d enjoyed as much as this rambling walk with Rick.

A car pulling into the station broke the comfortable silence, stirring up a cloud of dust from the gravel. She gave a little cough, but her breath froze in her lungs as the car door opened and a man got out, slamming the door behind him.

She’d forgotten. Somehow it had slipped from her mind that this was Thanksgiving weekend, the perfect time for Mike to come home from
wherever
to see his family. Even in a community as small as Jewell Cove, Jess could go days without seeing acquaintances. What were the chances of running into each other at exactly this moment? Damn Sarah and her stupid ice cream.

She halted, catching Rick up short and pulling him back. She could tell the moment he noticed Mike because his hand tightened on hers reassuringly.

Maybe Mike would go into the store without seeing her and it would be fine.

Her heart beat wildly. She told herself that she had no reason to be afraid right now but her adrenaline had already kicked in, igniting her fight-or-flight response. “We can go,” she whispered to Rick. “Sarah can go without her ice cream.”

Mike was walking across the parking lot with long strides, and she was nearly in the clear when he put his hand on the door, pulled it open, and looked over his shoulder at the same time. When he saw her the curl of panic tightened in her stomach. It felt like it was centered directly behind her scar, the spot where he’d cut her all those years ago.

He let go of the door.

“Don’t run,” Rick said quietly. “I’m here. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

She watched Mike start toward her and fought the urge to cower. She hadn’t seen him since that night. Since Josh had threatened him, stitched up her wound, and driven her to the shelter. Perhaps she should have faced him before now, because the sight of his face did frighten her. Her body was tensed, ready to flee. It was only Rick’s hand clutching hers that kept her rooted to the spot.

Mike’s face was impassive, unreadable, and he stopped a few feet away, his gaze locked on hers. In that moment, looking into the face that had haunted her for years, Jess realized she was done cowering. She’d had years of healing, friends, and laughter, and she wasn’t going to let him take anything away from her ever again. At that realization, something eased inside of her, and she took a breath and straightened her spine, her eyes holding his. She was determined to do this with her chin up.

“Jess,” he greeted, his voice as smooth and charming as ever. He smiled, his teeth perfectly white.
Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly …

“Michael,” she answered coolly.

“You must be surprised to see me,” he continued.

She knew exactly what he was saying. He’d broken his promise to Josh to never return to Jewell Cove. With his mocking smile, he was telling her he knew and didn’t care.