Treasure on Lilac Lane: A Jewell Cove Novel (27 page)

“And I’d die before I let Mike Greer lay a finger on her again. You can trust me on that.”

“I believe you. I might not be entirely happy about how things are, but I believe you.”

“And you’ll talk to Bryce and Tom?”

“You can count on it.” There was a pause. “Look after her, Rick. She’s had enough to contend with. Don’t you hurt her, too.”

With his past history, Rick knew he shouldn’t be offended, but he was just the same. He forced back the defensive words that sprang to his brain and said instead, “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

Another beat of silence and Josh asked quietly, “So you love her, huh?”

Rick swallowed thickly. “Yeah.”

“Well, goddamn.” There was a low chuckle. “Keep me posted, okay?”

“Will do.”

Rick clicked off the phone and moved to the window, staring out at the inky shape of the cove and the docks jutting into the water of the harbor. There was something else he had to do, too. He’d been putting it off long enough.

But not tonight. Not now. He’d pick a better time. Right now he just wanted to crawl back into bed with Jess and pull her warmth against him.

When he did that, he felt like everything would be okay.

*   *   *

Rick made a habit of staying as close to Jess as possible during the days that followed, insisting that she needn’t look for extra help when he could lend a hand. He spent most of his nights there, holding her close in his arms, and when he ran out of reasons to see her during the day, he brought his paints over and worked on some candle and ornament projects—she was selling out of them at a surprising rate and the holiday festival was fast approaching. The light in her living quarters was great, and Jess set up an area for him with a worktable and stool. Quite often he’d go out and pick up lunch for the two of them and bring it back, and on the nights she taught her classes he cooked something simple and had it ready for when she was done.

It was all very domestic and homey and Rick knew he should be running in the other direction as fast as his feet would carry him. And yet he didn’t, because being with Jess felt disturbingly right.

But Mike was still out there, and until that whole problem was resolved, Rick would keep his real feelings to himself. They had time. Besides, he told himself, it wasn’t like Jess was in an all-fired rush to make any huge declarations either.

One night after they’d made love, Rick traced his finger over the line of Jess’s scar, running diagonally across her stomach. “You ever going to tell me the story behind this?” he asked. He leaned over and kissed the pink, slightly puckered skin. “And not the edited version you gave your folks?”

Jess put her hand on his hair and sighed. “The night I left Mike … he cut me. Not badly, and Josh stitched me up. But it was scary. I knew then that I could never be tied to Mike in any way ever again.”

“Jess,” he whispered, awed.

“Don’t look at me like that. I was so blind. So foolish and … God, I made so many mistakes.”

He studied her face, seeing the hesitation there and something more. Fear? “It can’t be that bad, Saint Jess.” He tried an encouraging smile.

“That name.” She frowned. “I’m so far from being a saint, it isn’t funny. I’ve done things…”

He waited. Let her explain on her own terms and in her own time. She’d done the same for him and he owed her the same courtesy.

All he did was reach out and take her hand again, feeling the smaller palm against his own. The last few weeks he’d almost completely forgotten about his own disability. Life had felt … normal. He had Jess to thank for that. Whatever she was about to confess wouldn’t change that one iota.

Her voice was small as she began. “You never think it’ll happen to you. You say you would never stand for that kind of treatment and you’d get out if you found yourself in that situation…” She looked down. “I wasn’t strong enough. I wish I’d done so many things differently. And I know I can’t go back and change things and I know it wasn’t my fault. Still. I should have been smarter. Stronger.”

Rick had been staring at their joined hands but at those words his gaze snapped to hers. Her blue eyes were shimmering with tears. God, she was hurting so much. If he hadn’t hated Mike Greer before, he definitely did now.

“Oh, Jess,” he said softly, and scooted up the mattress so he was beside her. He opened his arm and she snuggled into him. He couldn’t offer her much. He didn’t have a lot of money, he was as damaged as she was, and his employment prospects were limited. But he could offer her comfort.

“Are you disappointed in me?”

What a question. “No, of course not! You could never disappoint me.”

She lifted her chin so she could look up at him. “Are you sure? Because I disappointed myself. I just didn’t know what else to do.”

“But look at you now,” he insisted. “You overcame it. You went back to school and built this great business for yourself. You did beat him, Jess.” He put his finger under her chin and lifted until she met his gaze. “Take it from me. Sometimes you can’t do it by yourself. I thank God that Josh was there that night. And I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.”

She was crying now, broken sobs against his shoulder as he held her close and felt his eyes sting in response to her pain. He let her go on, knowing she needed this the same way he’d needed to talk about Kyle. “Shh,” he soothed, rubbing her arm and kissing her hair. “It’s okay to let it out.”

After a few minutes her crying lessened and she pushed away, turning her tearstained face his way. “I go for ages where it doesn’t bother me, but lately … I think being with you, and then seeing him … it brought back a lot of stuff I haven’t had to think about in a while.” She gave a self-deprecating smile. “All the time and therapy in the world doesn’t erase the fact that people, if they knew, would ask how I could be so stupid.”

He gave a short laugh. “I hope you don’t include me in that group. I’m the last person who should ever pass judgment on anyone. Ever.”

He got up and slid beneath the covers with her, cradling her close.

Her shoulders relaxed and she turned into his arms once more. They lay that way for a long time, just holding onto each other. They talked a while longer in the dark, and then got up to actually get ready for bed. Jess brushed her teeth while Rick recharged his battery for his arm. It was nothing for her to see him without it now. He had a toothbrush in her toothbrush holder on the sink. His shampoo was in her shower. His clothes were on her floor.

Hell, he’d practically moved in.

It should have bothered him more as they crawled into bed and pulled the covers up, cuddling together.

It should have. And it didn’t. Because he trusted her. Because he loved her. And if things kept going the way they were …

He couldn’t think that way. Not yet. One day at a time.

*   *   *

The hall in the basement of the church was teeming with people. It was Advent, and there were always more people who turned out this time of year for weekly services. Lighting the Advent candles was always a special event, followed by carols, and today the junior choir had sung a sweet rendition of “Away in a Manger.” Jess had enjoyed it but missed seeing Rick at the service. He wasn’t much of a churchgoer, so she’d given him some space and come to church alone.

Brian Greer sat at a table across the hall, with Pamela at his side. Jess breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Karen wasn’t doing well at all, but Mike must have gone back to his life—wherever that was.

“Hey, sis!” Sarah came up to her and linked their elbows. “Matt and Susan want you to come sit with us. Suzie made the cinnamon cake and she saved you a piece to have with some coffee.”

Coffee. Jess’s nose twitched. Right now the thought of the dark brew made her stomach turn just a bit. “Maybe tea,” she suggested, feeling odd. “I’m a bit tired, you know? Busy time of year.”

“Have you been eating enough?” Sarah’s brow furrowed as she led her along to their table. Sure enough, a plate with a piece of cake waited for her. Sarah was mothering, but Jess let her sister pull her along without much resistance. The last few emotional weeks had taken their toll … not to mention the lack of sleep now that Rick was at her place most nights since after Thanksgiving.

“Sure. It’s just the holidays. Between the shop and the festival next week…”

“And Rick.” Sarah grinned at her. “You two are really an item now, aren’t you? I could tell when you brought him to Thanksgiving. Is it serious?”

Jess avoided answering by sitting down in the saved seat and smiling at her niece. “I hear you’ve been baking,” she commented, picking up a fork. She tasted the cake and smiled. “Don’t tell your mom, but I think it’s better than hers.”

Susan beamed. “Can I get you coffee, Aunt Jess?”

Again with the stomach flip. Jess smiled weakly. “How about a little tea instead, okay, sweetheart?”

“Coming right up.” Susan popped away to grab a cup while Sarah stood chatting with Gloria Henderson.

The hall was decorated for Christmas, with lots of paper snowflakes dangling from the ceiling and a little Christmas tree propped on a table in the corner. Jess thought back to Tom and Abby’s wedding in October and how so much had changed since then. Even though she’d been attracted to Rick before, if someone had told her they’d be practically living together six weeks later, she’d have laughed them out of town. With a slight shock, Jess realized that they’d first made love the day he’d brought over the ornaments, and that had been over three weeks ago. So much really had changed …

Over three weeks.

The cake in Jess’s mouth turned to sawdust and she fought to keep chewing. Susan returned with hot tea and Jess sipped it quickly, trying to wash down the crumbs before she began to cough.

“You okay, Aunt Jess? You don’t look so good. Is it the cake?”

Jess was getting rather good at pasting on fake smiles, and she treated her niece to one. “Of course I’m all right, honey. The cake is great. I just got a crumb down the wrong hole is all.”

“I hate when that happens.” Suzie’s ponytail bobbed. “I’ll get you some water.”

She darted off again and Jess took a few moments to count days. She distinctly remembered telling Rick not to worry about condoms their first night together. That the time of the month was wrong …

Except accidents happened.

She didn’t need to freak out. It’d been a stressful past few weeks, and she and Rick had been careful since then. But then there was the smell of the coffee, the way she’d been so tired lately, nearly falling asleep midafternoon during the most inane tasks. And her breasts were tender.

Then again, that could all be PMS, too. No need to go into an all-out panic.

Either way, the last place in the world she wanted to be was here.

She got up and touched Sarah’s arm. “Hey. I think I’m going to blast off. I need an afternoon of quiet before the week starts again.”

“You’re not coming to Uncle Pete and Aunt Barb’s for dinner? Everyone’s been invited.”

“I’ll call her. I’m just really tired, you know? With the festival next week, I need to finish up a few things.”

“You can’t take a few hours for family?”

Sarah wouldn’t give up. It was straining Jess’s patience. “Look,” she replied in an undertone. “I have the shop to worry about, and the workshop for the kids, as well as my food donations for the hall lunch. Cut me some slack, okay?”

Sarah had the grace to look guilty, which in turn made Jess feel guilty. “Okay, okay. Relax. You want me to save you some cheesecake?”

Jess wanted to scream that no, she didn’t want any damn cheesecake, but instead, she just shook her head.

“I’m good,” she answered. “I promise I’ll call and give my apologies. See you later, okay?”

She scooted out before Susan even made it back with her water.

The air was a Decemberish, raw cold that seeped into her bones, blowing in off the water with a relentlessness that made her ache. It took no time at all to drive to Josh’s. By the time she made it to his door it was open and he was standing in the breach. She must have looked terrible because his face was immediately drawn with concern.

“What’s going on?” he asked quickly. “Is it Mike?”

She hadn’t given Mike a single thought. “No, I haven’t seen him. I have a favor to ask.”

“Is it Rick? If he hurt you … I swear to God. I warned him about that.”

She couldn’t stop a small smile from tipping up her lips. “I love you, big brother, but it’s not that either. Not really, anyway.” She paused. “I need you to promise that no matter what, you don’t say a word to a soul about why I’m here today.”

“I swear. If you’re in trouble I want to help.” He stepped aside and let her inside the foyer.

A laugh bubbled out of her mouth as he shut the door behind her. Trouble was the clichéd word for it all right. “You have no idea.” She sighed, met Josh’s concerned eyes. “I came here because I need something … sensitive that I don’t want to go to the town pharmacy for. You know how everyone gossips there, and there’s no sense bugging Dr. Yang on a Sunday when you’re sharing an office anyway.” Jess paused, taking a deep breath. “Do you have pregnancy tests at your office?”

His eyes widened. “You think you’re pregnant?”

Hearing the words scared her to death, especially since she didn’t even know how Rick felt about her. She knew she loved him and thought he probably felt the same, but they hadn’t made any promises or declarations. “I might be. I’m late. We’ve been careful, but the first time…”

He raised an eyebrow. “We maybe weren’t as careful as we might have been,” she admitted.

“Shit, Jess.” Josh blew out a breath and sat down on a nearby bar stool.

“I know,” she answered meaningfully.

“What are you going to do if you are?” he asked. “Does Rick know?”

“No, he doesn’t know. I just realized I’m late and there’s no sense saying anything until I know for sure. So are you going to help me or what? If I walk into the drugstore and buy a pregnancy test … well, nothing stays a secret for long in this town.” That she’d managed to keep her share of secrets was tantamount to a miracle. She really didn’t want to tempt fate.