Teri blinked, hardly able to believe what she’d just heard. She’d actually confronted their mother any number of times. Apparently Christie hadn’t been around to witness it—probably too busy dating one of Teri’s old boyfriends.
“We should all sit down and eat,” Johnny said after a moment. “It’d be a shame to let a perfectly good dinner go to waste.”
“I agree,” Bobby said.
To her surprise, the meal went smoothly. Without complaint, Christie switched from beer to tap water. The two of them talked in an unusually friendly fashion. Comfortable with each other, Johnny and Bobby chatted about chess, cars and Star Trek. Bobby was polite toward Christie but conveyed in unmistakable terms that he wouldn’t be swayed by her many charms.
“Would anyone like dessert?” Teri asked, her mood hovering close to joyous. She’d always known that she’d married a wonderful man, but he was even more wonderful than she’d realized. Every time she thought about the matter-of-fact way he’d delivered her mother’s purse to the front door, it warmed her heart. Bobby wasn’t about to let anyone insult his wife. He hadn’t spoken a single word, but his message was clear. She couldn’t wait to show him her love and gratitude, and from the gleam in his eyes, Bobby knew exactly how she intended to do that.
Christie must have noticed the look they’d shared because she followed Teri into the kitchen. “He loves you,” she murmured.
“He does.” Teri started to load the plates into the dishwasher. “No man’s ever loved me like that.”
“Where’d you meet him?”
“Not in a bar,” Teri said pointedly.
“I thought you’d say that.” Christie rinsed off the dishes and handed them to Teri.
Teri couldn’t remember ever working side by side with her sister before. Not as an adult, at any rate.
“He’s a decent guy, you know,” Christie said thoughtfully. “I’m not likely to meet someone like him.”
Teri had to agree that she’d been fortunate. “Don’t be so sure,” she told her sister. “Think positive.”
Christie snickered. “A lot of good that’ll do me.”
Teri made a pot of coffee while Christie sliced the homemade coconut cake. Together they carried dessert into the dining room.
Half an hour later, Johnny prepared to leave for Seattle. He hugged both of his sisters and as he walked out, he gave Teri a thumbs-up.
“We’ll drive you home,” Bobby said when Christie told them it was time for her to leave as well.
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Christie insisted. “I’ll walk.”
Bobby wouldn’t hear of it. “James is outside waiting.”
“James?” Christie asked, glancing at Teri for an answer.
“James Wilbur, Bobby’s personal driver.”
“Oh.” Christie struggled with little success to hide a smile. “I guess that would be all right.”
Teri and Bobby escorted her to the vehicle. James, looking distinguished as usual, stood by the passenger door, waiting to open it for her.
“La-di-da,” Christie said, clearly impressed. She inclined her head. “Thank you, James.” Giggling, she gestured regally. “Home, James.”
Without cracking a smile, James held the door and Christie slid inside. As soon as she was seated, she lowered the tinted window. “Wow, this is really something.” She sounded about ten years old, and Teri was touched by this glimpse of a more innocent Christie.
“Come and visit us again,” Bobby said.
“I will,” Christie promised. Then, with an exaggerated flourish, she pressed the button to raise the window.
When James pulled onto the drive, Teri leaned against her husband. “That was nice of you.”
“Yes.”
It was just like him to acknowledge his own generosity. But then—why shouldn’t he? “So,” she said. “What do you think of my family?”
“I like Johnny.”
“I know.”
“And Christie.”
Her defenses immediately went on alert. “You…like…Christie?”
“I do, but it’s you I love.”
“Excellent answer, Mr. Polgar.”
Bobby chuckled. “I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.”
Teri knew it wasn’t sleeping he had in mind. “It’s too early.”
“No, it isn’t,” he said. “In fact, it’s two or three hours later than I would’ve liked.”
Oh, yes, Teri Polgar loved her husband. At least as much as he loved her….
Seven
Grace Sherman Harding cradled the sleeping infant in her arms. The overwhelming love she felt for this tiny being was almost more than a single heart could hold. This was her new grandson: Drake Joseph Bowman. She smiled; that was quite a handle for such a small baby.
She’d experienced the same sense of wonder when she’d held Tyler and Katie as newborns.
“Is he still sleeping?” Maryellen asked, bringing two glasses of lemonade into the living room.
“Oh, Maryellen, he’s so precious.” This had been a difficult pregnancy for her daughter. Maryellen had spent the last five months bedridden. Both Grace and Cliff had done what they could to help, but it wasn’t enough. Thankfully, Jon’s parents had come from Oregon and were able to visit every day; otherwise, Grace didn’t know how Maryellen and Jon would’ve managed. Not with a two-year-old underfoot and Jon working all hours to support his family.
“Drake was worth every second of discomfort,” Maryellen said.
“How’s Katie doing?” Grace asked.
Maryellen sat down on the sofa opposite Grace’s chair. “She’s enthralled with being a big sister. Jon and I were afraid she’d show signs of jealousy. But so far, she hasn’t.”
“Good.” The baby’s eyes fluttered open and he stared up at Grace. Some might say she was imagining things, but she was sure he’d smiled at her. Grace smiled back. “Hello, handsome boy.”
“I see he’s awake and I’ll bet he’s hungry,” Maryellen said. “He probably needs a diaper change, too.” She reached for her son, and Grace watched as Maryellen changed him out of a soggy diaper into a fresh one.
“How’s Kelly doing?” Maryellen asked when she’d finished.
Grace’s younger daughter was due in the next two weeks.
“She envies you,” Grace said wryly. “She’s definitely ready for this baby to be born.”
“The last two weeks of this pregnancy were the longest of my life,” Maryellen said as she nestled her son to her breast.
It was a joy to see her daughter this content. Suddenly Grace felt an intense sadness that took her completely by surprise. Dan was missing so much. Her first husband had been dead for six years now. After his disappearance, Grace had met Cliff Harding; once Dan’s body was recovered—with his suicide note—she’d allowed herself to find happiness in loving Cliff. Earlier that year, she’d finally married him.
When Dan had first gone missing, Grace had been sure she’d never feel contentment again. She didn’t sleep, didn’t eat and was scarcely able to function. Only recently had she begun to understand the kinds of demons that had chased her husband and compelled him into such a drastic solution.
Kelly had always been close to her father, and his disappearance had been hardest on her. She’d been pregnant with Tyler at the time, utterly convinced her father would return for the birth of his first grandchild. Until the very end, Kelly had believed Dan would have a perfectly rational explanation for disappearing.
“Mom?” Maryellen said. “Is something wrong?”
Grace smiled despite her sadness. “I was thinking about your father and how proud he would’ve been of his grandchildren.”
Maryellen looked away and, when she turned back, her eyes brimmed with tears. “I think about Dad a lot. I miss him. I didn’t expect I would…. I was so furious with him for what he did. Now…now I’m not. I just feel so sad for him and what he’s missing.”
Grace leaned forward. “I miss him, too. We’ll never fully unders
tand why he chose suicide, and there’s no point in trying to find a logical reason. He wasn’t himself.” And hadn’t been for years, she thought but didn’t say.
“I know.”
Grace heard sounds from upstairs indicating that Katie had awakened from her nap. “I’ll get her,” she told Maryellen, wiping the tears from her own cheeks as she walked up the stairs to collect her granddaughter.
Still tired and a little cranky, Katie crawled into her grandmother’s arms and pressed her cheek against Grace’s shoulder. Moving carefully on the steps, Grace carried her granddaughter back to the living room. She settled down on the sofa again and held Katie close.
“I heard the art gallery isn’t doing so well,” Maryellen said. She met her mother’s gaze. “Lois phoned the other day and said sales are way down.”
Lois Habbersmith had taken over as manager when Maryellen had to quit. Grace knew that Maryellen had always had reservations about Lois’s ability to cope with the job’s responsibilities. Her daughter’s instincts had proved to be right. Lois was overwhelmed, and the gallery seemed to be suffering. Grace hated to see all of Maryellen’s hard work erode.
It was at the gallery that her daughter had met Jon Bowman. What a blessing he’d been to Maryellen—to the whole family.
“There’s talk that the gallery might have to close,” Maryellen murmured. Grace recognized frustration as well as sadness in her daughter’s voice.
“That would be a real pity.”
“I think so, too, but I can’t go back to work.” Maryellen sighed. “I’d like to, but it’s impossible. Besides, I’m managing Jon’s career now. With two children under three, plus getting Jon’s photographs out to the various agents, I have all I can deal with.”
“I know,” her mother said. “The gallery’s not your obligation anymore.”
“It’s just that I put so much time and energy into the place,” Maryellen said regretfully. “It really bothers me to see it failing. I’m positive that, given half a chance, it could be profitable again.”
Grace believed that, too. None of the artists her daughter had worked with depended on income from the Harbor Street Gallery as their sole support. But sales there had supplemented many of the local artists’ revenue, including Jon’s.
Katie squirmed down from her lap, and Grace took her into the kitchen to let the little girl choose her own afternoon snack. Katie decided on a graham cracker and juice.
When she returned, Maryellen had finished nursing Drake. “Olivia came by yesterday with a gift for the baby.”
Olivia and Grace had been best friends nearly their entire lives. Before Grace could comment, her daughter continued. “She said something interesting.” Maryellen studied her closely.
Grace had a feeling she already knew what this was about. “Does it have to do with Will Jefferson?”
Maryellen nodded.
Slowly expelling her breath, Grace sat down. Will was Olivia’s older brother. In high school Grace had a huge crush on Will, but he’d hardly known she was alive. He’d gone off to college, married and moved to Atlanta. She’d married Dan and stayed in Cedar Cove.
Decades later, after Dan’s death, Will had contacted Grace to tell her how sorry he was. Their e-mail relationship had started out innocently enough. Then it turned into an affair in every sense but the physical—and that would’ve happened within a matter of weeks. Grace wasn’t blameless by any means; she knew Will was married. He’d lied, though, and said he was divorcing his wife, Georgia. Because she so badly wanted to believe him, she’d agreed to meet him in New Orleans, where they planned to share a hotel room. She was mortified when she’d learned, quite by accident, that Will had no intention of leaving his wife—for her or for any other reason. Fortunately, she’d found out before she went to Louisiana.
That betrayal had nearly destroyed Grace’s relationship with Cliff Harding. Over time, he’d forgiven her for the pain she’d brought him. Now she considered herself the luckiest woman in the world to be his wife.
“Olivia told me he’s divorced—and that he’s moving back to Cedar Cove,” Maryellen said, still studying Grace.
“I heard he might do that,” she said through numb lips.
“Why now?” Maryellen demanded.
Grace could only shrug. Apparently, seeing other women was nothing new to Olivia’s brother. Grace wasn’t his first indiscretion and she wasn’t his last. Finally Georgia had had enough and filed for divorce. Now, after nearly forty years of marriage, she wanted out.
“You aren’t going to see him, are you?” Maryellen asked.
Grace shook her head adamantly. “Not if I can help it.” In fact, she intended to do whatever she could to avoid Will Jefferson. The problem was, he hadn’t taken her rejection lightly.
He’d come to Cedar Cove once before, hoping to talk his way around his lies and her objections. There’d been an ugly incident, and Cliff had become involved. Just remembering it made Grace want to bury her face in her hands. Until Will had reentered her life, she hadn’t realized how quickly she could lower her principles or how stupid she could be when it came to love. Or, more accurately, infatuation.
“Does Cliff know?”
Grace shook her head again. She should tell him. That went without saying, but even while she acknowledged it, Grace told herself she wasn’t quite ready. She’d do it, of course. Just not yet. The time wasn’t right.
Getting past how she’d misled Cliff—no, how she’d lied to him—had been a major hurdle in their relationship. Unfortunately, his first wife had cheated on him, so Cliff recognized all the signs. He’d heard the excuses. This was a path he wasn’t walking twice. It’d taken Grace months to prove herself to him. Now she was unwilling to put her marriage at risk over a man who meant absolutely nothing to her. His lies had destroyed any feeling she’d had.
The sound of a car coming into the driveway interrupted her thoughts.
“Daddy’s home,” Maryellen announced for Katie’s benefit.
Scrambling out of her chair, Katie ran toward the door, her face lit up with joy. “Daddy, Daddy!”
Jon entered the house and swept the two-year-old into his embrace. With her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, Katie smeared kisses across her father’s cheek.
“How are my girls doing?” Jon asked.
Maryellen looked up at him and smiled. “Your son might take exception to being called a girl.”
“Oops,” Jon said and, leaning down, he kissed the baby’s head. “I keep forgetting about you.” He chuckled at his own joke.
Maryellen gazed at the baby, gurgling contentedly in her arms. “Let’s remind him around two tomorrow morning, shall we, Drake?”
“Hi, Grace.” Jon greeted her with a lazy grin. “Good to see you.”
“You, too.”
“Did my parents come by?” Jon asked as he walked over to the kitchen counter and sorted through the mail.
“This morning,” Maryellen told him. “They decided to stay in town until the end of the month.”
He nodded.
“Daddy, Daddy, come see.” Katie grabbed her father’s hand, pulling him toward the puzzle she’d completed before her nap.
Seeing that the young family was busy, Grace decided to leave. She put a casserole in the oven, then said her farewells and kissed both her grandchildren.
By the time she pulled into the yard at her home with Cliff in nearby Olalla, she still hadn’t decided what she should do about Will Jefferson. Sooner or later her husband would learn that Will was retiring in Cedar Cove. If she mentioned the fact, it might place more significance on the event than warranted. She didn’t care where Will Jefferson chose to live. He could take up residence on Mars if he wanted to.
But by the same token, not telling Cliff might make it seem significant in a different way—as if she had something to hide.
When Cliff heard her car, he came out of the barn, smiling. Buttercup, her golden retriever, wandered over from her perch on the front step
s, plumy tail wagging.
Her husband opened the car door for her. “Welcome home,” he said.
Grace slipped her arms around his middle and kissed him warmly. When they broke contact, Cliff leaned his head back. “Wow! What did I do to deserve this?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Arm in arm, they strolled toward the house. “You’re late,” he said casually.
“I went to see Maryellen after work.”
“Ah.”
“Missed me, did you?” she asked with a teasing smile.
Grace suddenly realized that if she told Cliff about Will, he’d suspect she was with the other man anytime she was late. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him. And yet…Eventually he’d find out. What then?
Eight
Troy Davis walked into the house and dejectedly tossed the mail on the kitchen counter. He hadn’t even bothered to look at it. He already knew it was nothing but junk with a couple of bills thrown in. Just like it always was. He felt bored, depressed, lonely. In fact, he was downright crumpy, a word Sandy had invented—grumpy plus cranky—to describe him when he was feeling low. Whenever she’d said it, he’d had to smile.
Sandy. He missed her, missed her so much.
Although she’d been in the nursing home for two years, he’d gone there almost every day after work and weekends, too. The nursing home had become an extension of his own home and, apart from his job, visiting Sandy was his routine, his life. Now that she was gone he had time on his hands. Time he didn’t know how to fill.
Turning on the television, he sat in his favorite chair and watched ten minutes of a Seattle news broadcast. There had to be more to life than this…this emptiness. Because Sandy had required so much of his time, he’d never developed hobbies. He supposed he could now, but he couldn’t think of a single thing that interested him enough to devote his efforts and resources to. This didn’t bode well for retirement.
Restless, he got up and wandered into the kitchen. He’d been preparing his own meals for years now. Generally he picked up something easy at the grocery store or got takeout from a fast-food place. He’d learned basic cooking skills and mastered the microwave. He could barbecue a steak, nuke a potato and pour salad dressing over lettuce with the best of ’em. Nothing fancy, though.