We said our good-byes and I grabbed my purse and petted Rover’s ears on my way to the front door. He didn’t like it when I left the house without him. The moment he saw me getting ready to go, he’d raise his head, and when he didn’t see the leash, a sad woe-is-me look would come over him and he’d rest his chin on his paws and mope. But then by the time I returned home, he’d be over it and greet me as though I’d been away far too long and been terribly, terribly missed.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” I promised my faithful friend.
As I came out onto the porch, I saw Mark busy at work in the garden once again. Hesitating on the top step, I paused and smiled, grateful that I’d made the effort to settle our differences even if I’d been the one to make the first move.
Mark must have heard the screen door close, because he looked up, and when he saw it was me, he leaned against the pitchfork. “Where you headed off to?” he asked.
“Chamber meet and greet,” I said. Thanks to Peggy Beldon’s advice, I’d joined as soon as I moved to Cedar Cove, and attended every meeting. I enjoyed the camaraderie among the business owners. We encouraged and supported one another. Come to think of it, I’d never seen Mark at any of the get-togethers. He had his own business and would benefit from the association.
“How come you’re not a Chamber member?” I asked.
“Who says I’m not?”
Good point. “I’ve never seen you at the meetings.”
“I don’t go.”
“Why not?” In my humble opinion, it would do him good to be a bit more sociable.
He shrugged. “For one thing, I got more than enough work to keep me busy as it is. For another, I don’t go for chitchat and exchanging business cards. If these people would spend half as much time working on building up their businesses as they do on schmoozing with one another, they wouldn’t have time for all these social niceties.”
“You’re just Mr. Personality, aren’t you?”
He grinned and nodded. “I don’t have time for all that stuff. You want me to work on your garden or head off to some cheese-and-crackers get-together?”
“Work on the garden.”
“My point exactly.”
Mark grinned again. Twice in one day; this was amazing.
“I won’t be long,” I promised him. “Another guest might show up in the next hour or so. I left her room key on the kitchen countertop.”
“What about the woman sunning herself on the side porch? What’s her story?”
“Mary Smith? I don’t know.”
“She okay?” He frowned, looking toward my guest.
“She’s under the weather,” I told him. “So if she gets a bit prickly, ignore her. I think the flight must have drained her. She seems to need the rest, so don’t take it wrong if she snaps at you.”
“Not to worry, I’ll snap right back.”
“Mark,” I warned, “be nice.”
“I will,” he promised, and I was off.
Because most everything is a convenient distance from the inn, I chose to walk to the Chamber meeting. The office building was right off Harbor Street. It wasn’t really a formal meeting as such; those were held once a month at noon at a local restaurant. The Chamber of Commerce had recently changed locations, and this was an invitation to come and view their new digs. I supposed this was a casual open house of their own.
By the time I arrived, the building was already crowded. The first person I saw was Grace Harding, the local librarian. She’d become a friend and a great source of information for me. Having lived in Cedar Cove her entire life, it seemed she knew just about everyone in town. In addition, she’d been a widow for several years before remarrying, and because of that she’d sort of taken me under her wing. I appreciated both her friendship and her advice.
It’d been a while since we’d last talked, although I saw her often enough at the library, but lately that was only in passing.
“Jo Marie,” she said, walking toward me. She held out both hands in greeting.
“Grace, it’s so good to see you.”
“You, too. How’s Rover?”
“Loyal as ever,” I supplied.
“I’m glad you decided to keep his name. It suits him.”
I’d gone back and forth with the idea of giving him a more dignified, catchy name. First off, Rover was such a plain, rather overused dog name. I wanted to be more original, clever. A name like Buttercup. Grace and her husband, Cliff, had donated a fenced area for the rescue dogs to run, in memory of their beloved golden retriever who had become Grace’s faithful companion after her first husband’s death.
Buttercup.
What a wonderful name for a pet. By comparison, Rover seemed dull and unimpressive. The fact that he’d been roving around was another reason I continued to toy with the idea of renaming him. Rover had a home now. I, too, had been a rover of sorts in my own right, and like my dog, I’d found a safe harbor.
“Rover is doing well? No problems with him toward the guests?”
“None whatsoever.”
Her face relaxed. “Wonderful.”
Digging the remaining invitations out of my purse, I handed her two. “I’m hoping you can come and bring Judge Griffin with you. Here’s a couple more if you can think of anyone else I should invite.”
Grace looked over the invitation. “I’d love to see what you’ve done with the inn. I know Olivia would as well.”
“Then come. I’d enjoy showing you around.” I hesitated to mention the rose garden. Despite the fact that Mark and I had patched up our differences, I was sorely disappointed that the rose garden remained unfinished.
“I’ll look forward to it,” Grace said, and tucked the invite into the side pocket of her large handbag.
“Grace,” Sheriff Troy Davis called out to her. He spoke with another man I didn’t recognize and looked over to the librarian.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Grace said.
“Of course.”
By the time I left the meet and greet I’d handed out all the remaining invitations and had several business owners assure me they would be stopping by Sunday afternoon. Both Peggy Beldon and her friend Corrie McAfee offered to help with anything I needed done. I thanked them, but at this point, I had everything under control—or so I hoped. I promised to call them if it became necessary.
The first thing I noticed when I got back to the inn was that Mark had left and Annie Newton had arrived. Her car was parked in the driveway. Mary was no longer on the porch, and I had to assume it’d become too chilly for her and she’d moved inside.
My faithful Rover was waiting at the door when I came into the inn. And after the usual I’m-so-glad-you’re-back routine in which he jumped and yelped and raced two or three circles around me, he hurried into the living room area to make sure I knew an additional guest was in the house.
I found her sitting on the sofa in front of the unlit fireplace, staring into the empty pit.
“Hello, Annie.”
She glanced up with a surprised look on her face. Apparently, all the racket Rover made hadn’t alerted her to the fact that I’d returned. When she saw it was me, she smiled. “Thanks for letting me arrive early.”
“It wasn’t a problem in the least.” I set my purse inside my office and returned. “Did you meet my other guest?”
“Mary Smith, right?”
“Right.”
“She said she was feeling tired and went up to bed. I hope she’s okay.”
“Did she mention anything about dinner?” I asked. If she wanted, I could order a meal and have it delivered. For that matter, I could cook for her myself.
“No. I don’t think she’s up to eating just yet.”
“Probably not. She’s still on East Coast time, and the flight must have tired her out.
“I was about to brew some tea. Would you care to join me?”
Annie paused for just a moment and then nodded. “I would. Thanks.”
Annie was a lovely
young woman with auburn-colored hair and deep green eyes. I envied her long, thick hair that fell halfway down the middle of her back. If she wanted to, she would probably qualify for one of those shampoo commercials, with cascading hair down her backside. She followed me into the kitchen, and as she sat on a stool I noticed she had a wadded-up tissue in her hand. It was apparent the phone call with her ex-fiancé continued to trouble her. I understood far too well how she felt.
I made busywork around the kitchen, assembling a pot of tea. “I’m a good listener if you want to talk, Annie,” I said casually. I didn’t want her to think I was pressuring her, but we’d developed a good rapport over the last six months.
“I’m over him,” she said. “I really am. If I’m sad, it’s because of what we might have had together. My mom said I was in love with being in love, and I think she might be right.”
“Moms are like that, aren’t they?” I said as I slid onto the stool on the opposite side of the counter from where Annie sat. “They seem to know us better than we do ourselves.”
Annie studied the marble countertop as if finding sense in the meaningless wandering pattern of the veins there. “Lenny remains under the misconception that I’ll change my mind. I did once before, but I won’t again.” She said this with the same determination I’d heard earlier.
I poured us each a mug of hot tea and waited for Annie to continue, if she wanted to. Although I couldn’t help being curious, I wouldn’t badger her with questions.
After a moment, she reached for the mug and cradled it in her hands as if she needed its warmth. “It’s for the best.”
I sipped my tea while I continued to give her my attention.
“I love … loved Lenny. Funny, isn’t it? I loved him enough to want to be his wife. Then I learned while we were dating that he’d been with another woman. As soon as I heard about what he called his ‘little slip,’ I broke off the relationship entirely. Over time he managed to convince me to give him another chance.”
“And you did?”
She nodded. “Then, six months ago, it happened again. That was it. We were through. I broke the engagement. The first time around I didn’t tell my parents. My family liked Lenny. He’s fun and personable, and, looking at him, he seems to be the perfect guy.”
“Except for this one flaw.”
Annie raised the tea to her lips. “A pretty major flaw, don’t you think? Unfortunately, Lenny hasn’t been able to accept the fact I refuse to marry him.”
It sounded to me like she’d made a wise choice and was well rid of him.
“What I can’t understand, what’s been so hard,” she said, looking down at the mug, “is that despite everything, I miss being with him.” She snorted a laugh. “That’s absolutely ridiculous, isn’t it?”
“Not in the least,” I told her, and leaning my elbows against the countertop, I held my tea mug close to my lips. “The two of you must have spent a lot of time together. Being with Lenny is simply habit.”
Annie stared at me for a long, heart-stopping moment as she considered what I’d said. “You’re right. I saw him every day; we did practically everything together … or so I assumed.” This last part was added with a smirk.
“I think you’re better off now than making this discovery after you’re married.”
“My thoughts exactly. He swears it meant nothing …” Closing her eyes, Annie shook her head. “He actually claimed the other woman seduced him just so she could ruin any chance he had of finding happiness with me.”
“Do you believe that?”
She motioned with one hand. “I don’t think it matters if I do or not. If she intentionally seduced him, no matter what her reasons, Lenny had a choice, and he chose to … to betray me.”
“It hurts terribly now, but it does get better.” I’d learned that life after a loss wasn’t easy, but gradually one learns to live with that pain.
“I refuse to marry a man I can’t trust.”
Again, I agreed with her.
“Lenny seems to think if he pesters me enough I’ll eventually change my mind. It’s been six months and he still believes there’s a chance for the two of us, despite everything I’ve done and said.”
In order to escape Lenny, Annie had decided to arrive a day early. She was looking to escape her ex-fiancé or perhaps the fear that she might change her mind yet again. Although it was clearly a painful decision, it appeared to be the right one. I just hoped that being at the inn would help her heal, the way it had me. At least now being in Cedar Cove would give Annie the space and strength she needed.
Chapter 6
In an effort to distract herself from the broken engagement, Annie had worked hard on this anniversary celebration for her grandparents. Everything had been set into place. The special invitations she’d designed as scrolls had gone out in small tubes. She’d received RSVPs from more than a hundred and fifty family and friends. In addition, she’d met with the local priest and arranged for a renewal-of-vows ceremony to take place on the waterfront. The reception, buffet dinner, and dance to follow should go off without a hitch. The dinner menu was set, and a three-piece band that had come highly recommended had been hired. Two of the band’s original members had been playing in the area fifty years ago, and now their children had stepped into their roles. There was every likelihood that Annie’s grandparents had danced to the band’s music when they were young.
What Annie hadn’t anticipated was how determined Lenny would be to win her back. The problem, she realized, was that she’d ‘forgiven’ him the first time. Now he seemed to assume that because he’d been able to change her mind once, all it would take was time and that she’d be willing to look past this second indiscretion. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. In an effort to distract herself from the painful breakup, she’d put all her effort into making this anniversary party one the family would never forget.
As if on cue, her cell phone rang. Annie reached for it and glanced at caller ID, although it wasn’t necessary. It was Lenny, just as she suspected.
At first she toyed with ignoring the call, but that didn’t seem to be working. After two weeks of silence, he’d contacted her again by leaving her countless messages. It was clear he wasn’t going to let go until he persuaded her to take him back. If she didn’t put an end to it right now, then he might well ruin the anniversary party.
She punched the answer button but didn’t give him the opportunity to speak. “I told you not to call me again,” she said with a determination born of anger and pain. “There’s nothing left you can say that’s going to make me change my mind.”
“Annie, please.”
“I don’t know how many times I have to say it, Lenny, but it is over. So please leave me alone. Understand?” Her resolve was set, and she had no intention of backing down.
“No, I don’t understand,” he argued. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“I can answer that in one word: Nichole … and Sadie, and whoever else whose names I don’t know.”
The words hung in the air between them, as if caught on an invisible wire.
“How many times do I have to tell you all this is their fault? They seduced me.”
Annie struggled with the fact that Lenny couldn’t even own up to his own part in his betrayal. “You’re right, you were tricked. It was all a mistake, a life-changing mistake, a break-the-engagement, never-want-to-see-you-again kind of mistake.” She’d made that clear for the last six months, but apparently he hadn’t gotten the message.
“Where are you?” Lenny asked instead of arguing. “I’ve been sitting outside your condo for over an hour, waiting to talk to you. Can’t you see what this is doing to me? I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. We’ve got to settle this once and for all before I go mad.”
Frustrated, Annie’s fingers bunched up the bedspread. Everything Lenny said related to him, revolved around him. It shocked her that she hadn’t seen this earlier. Perhaps her mother was right and she’d fallen in love with
being in love. After all the time and effort she’d put into this anniversary party for her grandparents, she would have assumed Lenny would guess her whereabouts. If there was anything to be grateful for, it was his short, self-absorbed memory. “I’m not in Seattle.”
“I know.” Aggravation bled into his words. “Where did you go? Tell me and I’ll come join you and we’ll reason all this out. I’m miserable without you, Annie. Have a heart and put me out of my pain.”
The last thing Annie intended was to see him. “Lenny, it’s over. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you that, but our relationship is kaput, finished, done with. We are not getting married.”
“My family, especially my mom, once she finds out …”
“You mean to say after six months you still haven’t told your mother and sister?” Unbelievable! Well, she’d take care of that in short order. “Listen,” she said, ever so sweetly, “if you want me to tell your mom and family myself, and save you the trouble and the embarrassment, then I will.”
“No, don’t.”
“Then stop pestering me.”
“I can’t and I won’t until we talk this out.” Lenny, as he so often did, ignored anything he didn’t want to hear, didn’t want to believe.
As far as Annie was concerned, there was nothing left to be said. Her eyes had been opened, and she wasn’t going back. Lenny was a fun guy, the kind of person people liked being around because he was witty and charming. He was the perfect car salesman and often the top seller of the month. He enjoyed being the center of attention, but as she’d come to realize, it was all surface with him. Life was a game to be played. Talk was cheap, as her dad said. What she should have recognized long before she did was that there was no depth to him.
“Mom thinks the world of you, and …”
“I’m sure she’ll like Nichole or Sadie, too.” In his mother’s eyes, her precious son could do no wrong.
“Annie, please, just tell me where you are so we can talk face-to-face.”