Along Came a Husband

by Helen Brenna

  “I’ll walk you home,” Sean said.

  “I think, at this point, I’d rather be alone.”

  A FTER M ISSY LEFT D UFFY’S P UB , Sean slid back into the booth and leaned forward. “What do you want from Missy?”

  Damned good question. One Jonas could not definitively answer. “I don’t see how my relationship with my wife is any of your business.”

  “Wife. That’s a good one.”

  “I don’t need to explain myself to you,” Jonas answered softly.

  “No. I suppose you don’t.” The doctor shook his head. “I just can’t seem to figure out what she saw in you.”

  That made two of them, but it didn’t mean the comment went over well with Jonas. “For Missy’s sake, I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

  Sitting back, he took a slow, measured breath and put the lid on his rising anger. He slapped a couple twenties on the table to cover their dinner and then some and stood. “Why don’t you have another beer, Doc. On me.”

  B IRDS CHIRPED AND TRILLED outside the open window, robins, chickadees, sparrows and finches. A crow cawed in the distance. Jonas lay in bed and breathed in the clean, cool morning air blowing into his room. A little more than two weeks had passed since he’d first stepped foot on Mirabelle and already he felt more relaxed than he could ever remember. He could get used to this. The only thing that would make this morning even better was Missy snuggled in the crook of his arm.

  Maybe in another life.

  Then again, maybe never.

  He eased himself out of bed and went downstairs. Missy was already gone, but after last night at Duffy’s with Sean that was no surprise. Even before he made a pot of coffee, Jonas logged onto the Web site where he was waiting for Reynolds to post a notice that he had further developments. There was one message with several attachments.

  Call me. Secure line.

  Jonas didn’t recognize the number. He used a safe cell phone and dialed.

  Reynolds picked up immediately. “That you?”

  “Yep.”

  “Damn, man, you’ve got a lot of evidence here. Right after I briefed Kensington on how thorough you’ve been he assembled a team. They’re working round the clock to put this together.”

  Jonas swallowed and relief swept through him. This is what he needed to hear. “What about Stein?”

  “Business as usual. He has no clue we’re on to him. Did you look at the files I sent?”

  “What are they?” Jonas said, opening them.

  “We tracked some of Stein’s e-mails.”

  Jonas studied the documents. “He’s clearing things through customs.”

  “That’s what it looks like. We’ve got our best agents on this. They’re clean. We might be ready to take down the whole organization in a few days.”

  “No,” Jonas said. “We do that and we won’t get Delgado. Wait. Trust me. He’s personally handling this next deal. If you nail him with the goods in hand, you got him.”

  “When do you think it’s going down?”

  Jonas studied the details of Stein’s e-mails, the dates, the number of packages and the weights. “I’ll bet anything this happens in the next week.”

  “We need a time and a place.”

  “I’ll figure it out.” Jonas hung up the phone.

  Easier said than done.

  He made some coffee, found out cereal with soymilk wasn’t actually all that bad and paced in Missy’s kitchen, thinking. He’d been working in Delgado’s operation for years. Figuring out the place should be a no-brainer. If only he was back in Chicago, he could put this thing to bed.

  Hearing an unfamiliar noise outside, he walked out onto Missy’s back deck. Ron was in his yard unfolding chairs, so he walked across the grass. “Looks like the makings for a party.”

  Ron glanced up. “Missy didn’t tell you?”

  Jonas shook his head, but then he hadn’t given Missy much of a chance with the way he’d been purposefully keeping his distance.

  “My birthday’s today and Jan wanted to celebrate. A man doesn’t turn sixty-five every day, I guess.”

  “Would you like some help?”

  “If you’re offering I won’t be turning you down.”

  “I’m all yours.”

  Ron set him to work setting up several banquet tables and arranging chairs. Next, he helped fill coolers with an assortment of beer, sodas and water, and then he assembled the party tent for shade. Jonas was probably pushing it a bit with all the stretching and lifting, but it felt good to be active.

  After he’d finished with the obvious, he turned to Ron. “Anything else?”

  “We’re having it catered by Jan’s coworkers at the inn, so the food’s covered.” Ron glanced around. “I guess there’s nothing left for you to do except come on over here later on tonight and help us celebrate.”

  “Me? You want me to come?”

  Holding Jonas’s gaze, Ron said, “Why not?”

  “Look, you don’t know me. It’s okay—”

  “Missy told us who you are.”

  Jonas studied him. “She told you…”

  “That you’re her husband.”

  She’d told Gaia, too, which had surprised him. He’d be gone within the week, so what was the point? Maybe that’s not what really bothered him about the admission. Being a husband implied a close relationship, but he was having a helluva time figuring out exactly what he was to Missy. And what she was to him.

  “She told us about the Camden part of the whole deal, as well.”

  “She must trust you very much.”

  “Apparently. She knows Jan and I would do anything for her.”

  “She’s lucky to have you.”

  Ron took a dark bottle from the cooler and held it out to Jonas. “Why don’t you sit and chat awhile?”

  Jonas hesitated, but a cold beer sounded good. He took Ron up on his offer. What followed was a round of twenty questions. Where’d you grow up? Where’s your dad? Close to him? It was the exact type of interrogation any man meeting a woman’s father for the first time would expect, only Ron wasn’t Missy’s dad and Jonas wasn’t prospective suitor material. Even so, there was no doubt he was sizing up Jonas.

  “Okay,” Jonas said, his patience finally wearing thin. “If Missy’s told you who I am and who she is, then she’s no doubt told you that she wants a divorce. So what are you after, Ron?”

  “Yeah, she told us. Is that what you want, too?”

  “What I want doesn’t matter.”

  Ron was silent for a moment. “You still love her, don’t you?”

  Jonas snapped his head up. “To be honest, I’m not sure I know what love is.”

  “Tricky, isn’t it? Well, I’ll tell you one thing. A man doesn’t walk away from a woman and get away with it for four years, only to pop back into her life again for no reason.”

  “How I feel or don’t feel about Missy doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. Missy may come across as being a laid-back flower child, but once she makes up her mind about something, she’s more stubborn than a mule.”

  “I’ll tell you what I think.”

  Jonas hadn’t asked, but he had a feeling he was going to get an earful in any case.

  “I think you’re the type of man who would do anything for the woman he loves. Including working night and day trying to support her. Trying to give her the life she was used to.”

  Jonas drained his beer.

  “Sometimes a woman needs to know she’s the most important thing in a man’s life. And sometimes the words mean more to her than anything else.”

  “Maybe Missy never loved me.” He stood up and tossed his bottle into the recycling bin. “Maybe she was just rebelling against her family, her dad. Ever considered that?”

  Ron nodded. “For about two seconds.”

  “Yeah, well, she had you fooled for four years.” Jonas started walking away.

  “Missy’s never tried to fool anyone about anything.”

  Jonas
stopped.

  “I may not know a lot about you, Jonas, but I know Missy.” He shook his head. “I remember very clearly the look on her face when she told us about you dying. It was the look of a woman who had loved her husband very much.”

  “You weren’t there, Ron. How can you have a clue what happened?”

  “Sometimes we see what we want to see. Even if it isn’t the truth. Those are the times we need to put aside what we think and trust what we know .”

  “T HAT CAN’T BE L AUREN and Kurt,” Missy said, shaking her head. “They look so grown up.”

  “Sixteen,” Sophie Bennett said as she watched her twin teenagers carry their twin baby brother and sister around to meet the guests at the Setterbergs’ backyard party.

  Lauren’s hair was still long, but darker than Missy remembered and her figure had turned decidedly womanly. Kurt’s hair had lost some of its babyish curl and his face and arms displayed the healthy look of a young athlete.

  “Are they driving?” Missy asked.

  “Oh, yeah.” Noah Bennett laughed, throwing his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “For the first time they were a bit reluctant to come to Mirabelle for the summer.”

  “I suppose that no car rule puts a damper on things.”

  “A little.” Sophie smiled. “But they both love Mirabelle.”

  “Sixteen, hmm,” Missy mused. “Would either of them be interested in working at Whimsy over the week of Fourth of July?” That was the busiest week of the entire tourist season and she and Gaia could no doubt use the help.

  Noah and Sophie glanced at each other.

  “They’re both helping out Marty and Brittany at the inn,” Noah explained.

  “But Lauren would jump at the chance to work at your shop,” Sophie added. “She gushes over your merchandise.”

  “Why don’t you ask her,” Noah suggested.

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Missy!”

  Noah and Sophie meandered away as someone called her name. Missy spun around to find Natalie Steeger Quinn coming toward her. “Natalie!” She hugged her friend. “When did you get back to the island?”

  Natalie lived in Minneapolis during the school months and ran a summer camp for kids on the property she inherited from her grandmother on the northwest side of Mirabelle. Though they’d e-mailed and talked by phone on occasion over the winter, nothing replaced seeing each other in person.

  “A couple weeks ago, but things have been so chaotic with the baby and the new camp kids that I haven’t had time to come into town. Couldn’t miss this, though!”

  Natalie’s husband, Jamis, their baby girl tight in his arms, came toward them. “Hello, Missy.”

  “Hi, Jamis.” She held out her arms. “Can I hold her?”

  Clearly reluctant to give up his child, it took him a moment to hand her over. Missy looked into the wide, dark eyes of tiny Anna and felt her heart melt. “She’s beautiful.”

  Jamis put his arm around Natalie’s shoulder and kissed her head. “I need a beer before I face this crowd.” With that he wandered over to the coolers.

  “Well, he’s as friendly as ever.” Missy chuckled. “How’s it going?”

  “With all that’s happened so quickly, there’ve been a few wrinkles to iron out.” Natalie grinned. “I’ve never been happier than I am with Jamis.”

  The unlikely couple had met here on Mirabelle almost exactly one year ago, and since then, they’d adopted four kids, gotten married and gave birth to their own child. Marriage and motherhood looked as if they agreed with Natalie.

  When the baby fussed and Missy’s attempts at calming her failed, she handed her over to Natalie.

  Natalie propped the little bundle on her shoulder and within minutes all was quiet. “What about you?” Natalie said, concerned. “I’ve heard a couple of unsettling rumors through the Hendersons.”

  Missy explained everything.

  Natalie searched through the crowd. “That’s him over there, isn’t it?” True to form, she’d completely passed over the Camden part to focus on the husband-returning-from-the-dead part.

  Jonas sipped on a beer and busied himself preparing for a campfire later in the evening. He’d stacked firewood near the fire pit and was arranging kindling inside the ring of rocks Jan and Ron had built in their backyard.

  “The one true love of your life back from the dead,” Natalie murmured. “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You’re married. You still love him.” Natalie shrugged. “Seems simple enough to me.”

  Leave it to Natalie to see only the positive in everything.

  “Who said I still loved him?”

  Natalie laughed and shook her head. “You didn’t have to say anything.”

  “Not everything is as simple as it looks.”

  “He came back for a reason, Missy.”

  “When he leaves again?”

  “What if he stays?”

  “Fate was wrong, Natalie. It happens.”

  “Maybe. Then again, maybe her timing was just off by a few years.”

  Their timing was off? That was something Missy had never considered. What if she and Jonas had met too soon?

  Natalie suddenly waved excitedly. “Sarah! It’s good to see you!”

  Missy held her breath as Sarah joined them. Sarah hugged Natalie and glanced at Missy, but quickly looked away. They hadn’t seen or spoken to one another since the tell-all discussion in the back room of her shop.

  As Sarah and Natalie caught up, Brian ran to Missy and gave her a hug. “How you doing, Bri?”

  “Okay.” Then he glanced at the group of kids of varying ages gathered around a table of munchies and said, “I gotta go!”

  A moment or two later, the Hendersons arrived at the party and Natalie was drawn into a conversation with them. Missy and Sarah were left standing awkwardly side by side.

  “Can we talk?” Missy asked.

  Tentatively, Sarah glanced at her. “I’d like that.”

  “I hope you understand nothing I did, didn’t do, said, or didn’t say was meant to hurt you.”

  “I know that now.” Sarah’s eyes watered. “I probably over-reacted a bit, but…” she said, pausing to gather herself. “I’m not ready to go into the details, yet, but Brian’s dad comes from a very wealthy family. Not in a Camden way, but they’re rich enough to throw their weight around. And they do.”

  That explained a lot. Knowing her friend would share more when and if she was ready, Missy didn’t push. “I’m sorry, Sarah.”

  “Missy, you’re nothing like them, and I should’ve remembered that right off the bat. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  Missy threw her arms around Sarah and hugged her.

  “Honestly, I felt a little lost these last couple of days without you.”

  “You weren’t the only one.”

  Sarah stepped back and took a deep breath. “So what’s happening between you and your…husband?” She laughed. “It’s just so weird to say that. I swear, it won’t be long and I’ll be the only single woman on Mirabelle.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  JONAS STACKED ANOTHER ARMFUL of wood by the fire pit. If he kept at this, they’d have enough fuel here for a week’s worth of fires. He glanced around the Setterbergs’ backyard and inwardly cringed. It’d been years since he’d been to a party. Everywhere he looked people were laughing, talking, relaxing and having fun.

  Relaxing and having fun. How did people do that, exactly?

  A buffet was set up at one end of the yard with a large frosted cake covered in candles at one end, hot dogs, burgers and grilled chicken on the other end and corn on the cob, watermelon, baked beans, potato salad and various other side dishes and munchies in between. Folks wandered back and forth from the food to the coolers. They stood in groups or sat at the many tables he and Ron had set up earlier that day.

  Since Missy had practically dragged him over here almost an hour ago, Jonas had kept to himself, de
laying as long as possible the inevitable socializing. What he couldn’t figure out was why she wanted him here in the first place.

  He glanced around looking for someone he could stand next to without bothering overly much with conversation. The guy at the grill looked like a good candidate. Beer in hand, he seemed perfectly content flipping burgers and ignoring the crowd. Jonas wandered over to him. “Hey.”

  “Hey yourself.” The guy barely glanced at him.

  “Need any help there?”

  “Got it covered.” He took a swig off his beer. “Missy’s husband, right?” Obviously, the man noticed more than he let on.

  “Yeah. Jonas.” To keep on the safe side, he didn’t bother with his last name.

  “Jamis Quinn.” With a spatula in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other, he didn’t offer to shake hands. “You sure caused quite a stir showing up here on Mirabelle.”

  “I’ve been away on some…long-term business.”

  “Sure you have.”

  Jonas ignored the comment. He couldn’t help but notice Missy talking with a woman he’d never met and cuddling a small bundle of a baby in her arms. What was it with her and babies?

  “That’s my wife, Natalie,” Jamis said, his gaze suddenly softening. “And Anna, our youngest.”

  “New baby?”

  He nodded. “If I were you, I’d watch out. Baby fever’s making its way around this island.”

  Jonas couldn’t help but chuckle. The virus wasn’t likely to hit Missy’s house, at least not while he was still on Mirabelle. “How many kids do you have?”

  “Five.”

  “No shit?” The guy didn’t look that old.

  “Four are adopted,” he offered in response to Jonas’s puzzled look. “Galen and Sam are my oldest.” With a proud look on his face, he pointed at a couple of teenagers. “They’re over there with the Bennett twins, Kurt and Lauren. My two little ones, Toni and Ryan are there,” he said, smiling and pointing at a table of younger kids. “Sitting with Garrett and Erica’s nephew, Jason, and Sarah Marshik’s son, Brian.”