The House on Blackberry Hill: Jewell Cove #1 (Jewel Cove) (21 page)

She swallowed against a lump in her throat. It was odd. She’d never felt closer to someone, and still so far away, too. No matter how hard she’d tried, she couldn’t rid herself of the knowledge that Tom and Josh had been in love with the same woman. Erin must have been some woman to inspire such devotion—such passion—in both men.

Abby wondered what it would be like to have that sort of female power. She couldn’t compete with that, even if she wanted to. The cold truth was that no one had ever wanted her that much. No one had fought for her because she hadn’t been worth fighting
for.

There was one last note in the library, a folded paper on the sewing table she’d liked so much that very first day.

This room isn’t finished. I have a surprise for you.

A surprise? She spun in a circle, taking in the gleaming floor and polished furniture. It really needed a proper sofa, something that fit the décor but was functional, too. But what kind of surprise could he mean? They hadn’t talked about anything else.

Well, it wasn’t for her to figure out tonight. Right now she just wanted to crawl into a pair of sleep pants and a T-shirt and scrounge for something to eat.

She’d changed and shoved her hair into a messy bun when the phone rang, startling her in the silence. When she answered it, Jess was on the line.

“You’re home,” she said. “Tom said you were due back today.”

“I just got back a half hour ago.” Abby knew her voice held a touch of reserve. The last she’d spoken to Jess was the night of the party. They hadn’t left things on nice terms.

“Have you eaten?”

It was nearly eight o’clock at night and she could hear her stomach growling. “Not yet,” she admitted.

“Great. How about pizza?” Jess seemed like her usual self, as if nothing awkward had happened at all.

“Jessica, I—”

“If you’re calling me Jessica, you’re still mad.” In contrast to Tom’s inability to speak plainly, Jess was incredibly blunt. She was also perfectly sincere. “Honestly, Abby, I’m
really
sorry. We knew Josh was having a hard time but we had no idea he’d still be so angry. He and Tom were super close growing up. We just thought it would help mend fences. Promise.”

“You still should have told me. I was so blindsided.”

“I know. You’re right. We were absolutely wrong to keep you in the dark.”

Abby wanted to stay angry, but she knew Jess meant every word. Jess didn’t feel the need to babble on, and her quiet agreement acknowledged Abby’s rights to her feelings. Abby’s hostility melted away. “Thanks for that. But as for pizza, I’m not really up to going out. I’m already in my pajamas. I’m just going to grab something from the freezer.”

“No you’re not, that’s gross.” Jess’s voice was loud and clear. “Have you got wine?”

“There’s probably a bottle kicking around here somewhere.”

“I’m bringing pizza to you. Is there anything you don’t like?”

“Anchovies,” she answered easily, knowing steamroller Jess wasn’t going to pay attention to any protests.

“Yuck,” Jess answered. “No worries there. Give me half an hour. And don’t eat.”

She hung up.

Abby went around all the rooms and made sure she had all the notes, tucking them into her purse for safekeeping. The last thing she needed was Jess seeing those bits of paper in Tom’s writing. She’d be sure to make something of it. Abby knew she should throw them out, but she secretly wanted to hold on to them. They were the closest thing to love notes she’d ever received. She was still mad at Tom, but the notes had gone a long way toward ameliorating her feelings. She would just have to keep a “fool me once, fool me twice” attitude about it and be smarter, that’s all. No more confidences. Definitely no more kisses in the foyer. Or anywhere else.

She found a bottle of pinot noir that she’d stored in the fridge before the crew removed the cupboards. If she took it out now, it would have time to lose some of the chill before they were ready to drink it. Then she wandered for a few minutes, wondering if and when she’d see Edith again. The house had had a face-lift, but there was still a weird feeling as she walked through the rooms. Like someone was waiting.

Forty minutes later Jess pulled into the yard. To Abby’s surprise, it turned out that it wasn’t just Jess getting out of the car; her sister Sarah had come too, and carried a large pizza box while Jess held a bag which appeared to contain more wine and bags of potato chips. Abby’s mouth watered at the sight of junk food. She could afford one night of splurging. Especially since all the cleaning and packing and moving had resulted in the loss of a few unexpected pounds.

“Hope it’s okay Sarah came. She doesn’t get out of the house much.”

“Jess!” Sarah swatted her sister’s arm. “Hi, Abby,” she said shyly, holding out the pizza box. “We come bearing peace offerings.”

Abby smiled. “Not necessary, but welcome just the same. Come on in.”

It was the first company she’d had at the house and she felt a little excited as she led them inside and down the hall, feeling like a real hostess. “Holy hell,” Jess exclaimed, her head twisted around as she tried to look at everything as they went through. “I’ve never been in here before. This place is huge.”

“You get used to it,” Abby replied. “And it looks a lot different today than when I left.”

“Yeah?”

Abby took them into the library, the most comfortable room since the kitchen was out of commission. “Oh, yes. The floors weren’t even stripped before I left. It looks completely different. There’s a new roof and new paint outside, and the downstairs bath is all done. Just hold that a sec, will you?”

She scooted off to the kitchen to get a cloth and dashed back, spreading it on the table to protect it from the heat of the pizza box. “All the dishes are boxed up in the kitchen, but I’m betting that we can find plates and a few wine glasses if we dig a little.”

It took a bit of searching but before long they had plates, utensils, and a roll of paper towel to serve as napkins. In lieu of a proper sofa, Abby plopped fat cushions on the floor for them to sit on and opened the box, releasing the tempting scent of dough, tomato sauce, and melted cheese.

“I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse,” Sarah said, reaching for the first piece.

“How can you say that and stay the size you are? You just had dinner two hours ago!” Jess glared at her sister as she plopped a slice on her plate. “Come on, Abs, dig in.”

Abby took a slice and bit into it. It tasted like pepperoni and cheese and belonging. The way she’d never really belonged before. She’d never had nights with the girls, never felt like she was so intrinsically accepted as she was here with the two sisters. It more than made up for any past transgression.

Sarah shrugged. “It was only chicken and salad. It didn’t last long.”

“Right. The last time you ate like this you gained forty pounds and had Matt—”

Jess halted and looked over at Sarah. “You’re knocked up again?”

Sarah’s eyes got huge as Abby watched the two of them. At Sarah’s small nod, Jess’s smile grew. “And everything’s okay?”

“So far. Fourteen weeks,” she said, smiling, too.

“What? And you didn’t tell me?”

“We wanted to be sure … you know.”

Jess nodded, her eyes twinkling. “Of course you did. Oh, honey. Congratulations.”

Sarah looked over at Abby and explained. “We’ve been trying for quite a while to get pregnant again.”

Jess reached for the wine she’d brought, wielded the corkscrew, and poured wine into two glasses. “No wonder you offered to be the designated driver tonight.”

Sarah took a bottle of club soda from the bag containing the chips. “I was going to tell everyone at the party, but it didn’t quite work out the way I hoped.” She shrugged.

The party, where any announcement would have been upstaged by the Josh and Tom fireworks. “Congratulations,” Abby offered, accepting a wine glass. “Sorry your big announcement got wrecked, though.”

Sarah poured the soda into her glass. “I should have known better. Just ask Jess. I make all these grand plans but something usually happens to derail them. With Josh and Tom both there, I should have known that would be excitement enough.” She scowled. “I really thought they’d be more grown-up about it. I can’t believe Josh punched him.”

“I can’t believe Tom didn’t clean his clock in return,” Jess said, taking a sip of wine. “Tom’s never been one to back down from a fight.”

Just what Abby had thought. Unless Tom did feel guilty. “I felt like knocking their heads together, personally.”

Jess snickered and Sarah grinned. “See? I knew there was a reason we liked you. We’ve been saying that for years.”

Abby took a sip of the wine Jess had poured. “Does Josh really hate him that much?”

Sarah’s and Jess’s gazes met then they both looked at Abby. Jess spoke first. “We think Josh is more angry with himself. Or just angry in general and looking for somewhere to put it. Tom’s an easy target.”

Abby snorted a little. “I would think so. I’d be angry if I were Josh, too.”

“Why? Tom didn’t do anything wrong. Josh is as much to blame as Tom is.”

Abby’s lips dropped open at the unequivocal support for their cousin over their brother. “But this Erin … she was Josh’s wife.”

“Yeah, but she was Tom’s girl first.” Sarah looked sideways at Abby.

The bottom seemed to fall out of Abby’s stomach. “What?”

“You didn’t know? He didn’t tell you?” Jess smacked her forehead with her hand. “No wonder you were still so angry! Our cousin is so stupid. He never comes right out and says what he means anymore.”

“I’ve noticed that,” Abby remarked dryly.

“Well, he did get burned. Like the night Erin and Josh got engaged and he made a fool of himself at the Rusty Fern. We were all there.”

“Erin was dating Tom?”

“Oh, yeah. She was vacationing here with her family that summer before going off to basic. Tom was young too, and full of piss and vinegar as our mom would say. We all knew he was sweet on her. And then Josh came home from school and swept her off her feet.”

“Tom didn’t fight for her?”

Sarah wiped her fingers on her paper towel. “He and Josh had grown up like brothers. Bryce, too. We’d been through a lot as a family that year. Our dad died in a fishing accident and Josh was a mess. When Tom knew Erin felt the same way for Josh, he stepped aside. Problem was, he’d fallen in love with her anyway. I think a part of him hoped the thing with Josh would burn hot and fast and flame out. Or that Josh would go back to med school and that would be the end of it and Erin would come back to him. Only it didn’t work that way. Erin spent Christmas with our family that year. It was barely four months after they met, and Josh proposed.”

“That’s fast.”

Jess smiled. “They were happy. But Tom … he hadn’t gotten over her. The night of their engagement announcement he got drunk, stood on a table, and told everyone that Erin was marrying the wrong man. That she could have done better with him and how he’d had her first anyway. It was quite an uncomfortable few minutes until Bryce came in and told him to get off the table or he’d take him to jail, brother or not.”

Abby tried to imagine Tom standing on a table in a drunken state and making that sort of announcement. Not Tom, who kept his emotions hidden. Who hid behind a slick exterior of charm without really showing his true self. Even the night he’d kissed her, he’d hedged. He’d only done it because he wanted to. No deeper explanation. Just an impulse. Abby suspected the closest she’d gotten to seeing the real Tom Arseneault was probably the fire burning in his eyes as he told his cousin the first punch was free.

“That doesn’t sound like something Tom would do.”

“Oh, the old Tom would. He’s changed since then,” Sarah confirmed. “Josh and Erin got married and Tom retreated to his cottage out at Fiddler’s Rock. We hardly saw him for a long while. We really thought that once they were married, Tom would get over her. But he didn’t. He put all his time and energy into his business. Seriously, you’re the first woman he’s shown any interest in at all. We took it as a good sign.”

“Kind of backfired.” Abby sipped at the wine. Goodness, Jess really did know how to pick them. First the pinot at her shop and now this lovely bold shiraz. “This is really good, Jess.”

“Drink up.” She raised her still-full glass. “And cheers. To new friends and new babies.”

They touched glasses and laughed, a new comfort level settling in around them. Friends. Twenty-four hours ago Abby wouldn’t have thought it. But Jess and Sarah had an easy way about them that was hard to resist for very long.

By nine-thirty the pizza was down to two lonely slices and Jess had opened Abby’s bottle of wine. Abby was still on the floor, leaning back against a chair munching on potato chips as she watched the two women with affection. It had been the best evening. She didn’t really want it to end. “Know what? I think we should have a pajama party.” It was a crazy suggestion. She hadn’t had a sleepover since she was twelve years old.

Jess giggled. “I’m on the downhill slide to thirty and you want to have a slumber party? Are we going to get into your parents’ liquor cabinet and sneak out the windows to meet boys?”

Abby grinned. “I think the ship has sailed on the liquor. And sneak out one of those windows and you’ll break your legs. Sarah would have to drive us to the hospital.”

“We have a doctor in the family. Besides, maybe Josh will take a shine to you, Abby.”

“No way. I’m not getting in the middle of those two again.”

“In the middle?” Jess put on an innocent look. “But if there’s nothing between you and Tom…”

“That’s what Tom said,” Sarah confirmed, waggling her fingers for the chip bag. “Nothing between you at all.”

It stung that he’d said that to them and Abby set her lips in annoyance.

Jess leaned closer. “Unless he lied. Look at her, Sarah! She’s not saying anything. Come on, Abby, out with it!”

“If that’s what Tom said, then it must be right,” she hedged. And if she didn’t want there to be anything between them, why did his blithe dismissal of their kiss get on her nerves so much?

“You’re a terrible liar. Something has happened, hasn’t it?”