by Brenda Novak
Gram patted his arm. “I’ll tell Pop you had to go. Thanks for helping Jenna and—”
Before Gram could finish her sentence, Ryan’s excited high-pitched voice carried out to them through the open door. “Gram! You made my favorite chocolate cake!”
Mrs. Durham chuckled. “Goodbye, Adam.” She turned and went inside, and Jenna heard her tell Ryan that she had to bake something special for her favorite grandson.
When they were alone, Adam glanced back at his car. “I’d better get going.”
Jenna was reluctant to let him leave. Especially before they’d had a chance to talk. “What did you and Dennis work out?” she asked.
He raised his hands. “Jen, I’m beat and I have a mess to take care of. Can we talk about it later?”
She nodded.
“I’ll call you,” he promised, but he made no move to touch her before walking quickly to his car.
Jenna stood on the porch and watched him start the Mercedes and back out of the drive. “Goodbye, Adam,” she whispered.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“JENNA? YOU STILL AWAKE?”
Jenna glanced up to see Gram standing in the open doorway of her room. Ryan lay beside her, asleep, along with the pile of books they’d read together.
“How is he?”
“He seems fine. Dennis frightened him, but no more so than when we were living with him.” Jenna smiled down at her son’s sleeping face. “I think he’s already bounced back, and it hasn’t even been a day.”
“Children are pretty resilient. He might need to talk about what happened later, but we’re all here to support him. I think he knows we love him.”
Jenna nodded. “Thanks for being so good to him.”
Gram moved farther into the room and handed her a small piece of paper. “I found that in the office a few minutes ago. Pop took the message, but with you being gone and all the worry over Ryan, he forgot to mention it to anyone.”
“What is it?” Jenna squinted to read Pop’s chicken scratches.
Gram’s eyes sparkled. “Mr. LeCourt called. He told Pop you need to get him more stained glass. The other windows have sold already.”
Excitement tingled through Jenna. “Really?” Ryan stirred, as though unconsciously aware that something had changed, and she carefully removed her arm from beneath his head. “But it’s only been a few days. And he never told me what he was going to charge.”
“I can’t give you the details. You know Pop. Getting words out of him is like prying rusty nails from a thick board, so you’ll have to call in the morning to find out what happened. But it can only be good news, right?” She smiled. “After what’s happened, I thought you could use it.”
She could use it. The stress or the pregnancy—probably both—had taken its toll on Jenna. She felt like she could sleep for a week—if only she could stop worrying about the way Adam had turned so cold and distant after he’d learned that Dennis was the baby’s father. She kept seeing his closed face, hearing his curt goodbye, and trying to figure out what he was feeling underneath it all. But there was no way to tell for sure, not until he was ready to talk to her.
“It’s only nine o’clock, but I’m going to bed,” Gram said, moving back into the hall. “I think we could all benefit from a little extra sleep tonight.”
“Good night.” Jenna returned the older woman’s smile, but her thoughts were on Mr. LeCourt. If she established a name for herself, she could probably make a good living at her stained glass. She could sell her windows in just a few exclusive shops. Or maybe she could even take on apprentices and expand her little company until her designs were sold all over the country. The possibilities were endless. And this was just the beginning.
Too excited to stay still, Jenna got up and headed down to the kitchen to make herself some hot tea. She’d met Mr. LeCourt because of Adam. She wished Adam was still here so she could tell him the good news. She had Ryan back, unharmed. Her business was showing promise. Her morning sickness was behind her, and she was starting to look forward to holding a newborn. And Gram and Pop were there to love and support her little family. Her future seemed bright at last, but she had a hard time looking forward to any future without Adam.
Jenna eyed the phone and considered calling him. Adam had done a lot for her, and though her reasons had seemed valid at the time, she’d lied to him. At the very least she owed him an apology.
THE RINGING of the telephone pulled Adam into the house before he could even get his keys out of the lock. By the time he picked up the receiver, the answering machine had already started its spiel. He told his caller to hang on and hurried to the office, where he clicked it off.
“Hello?”
“Adam, it’s me.”
Jenna. Just the sound of her voice was enough to escalate his pulse, despite his anger toward her. “Jen, how’s Ryan?”
“He’s good. Everything’s good. You got home okay, then?”
“Just walked in the door. I’ve been at the office all afternoon and evening.”
“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the desk, feeling his anger give way, despite the memory of Dennis taunting him about the baby. “No.”
“Mr. LeCourt called. He’s sold all my windows already,” she said, obviously brimming with delight.
Adam sat up again. “Wow, that’s fast! How much?”
“I don’t know yet. Pop took the message.”
“That can be scary.”
She laughed. “I know. I can’t even read Pop’s handwriting. Gram interpreted—that’s how come I know as much as I do.”
He chuckled. “Those two make quite a pair. Any word on Dennis?”
“Russ called to tell me he found a great detox program for Dennis. He goes in tomorrow.”
“How long does he stay?”
“Six months. Russ told me what you and Dennis agreed to do about the papers and the money. He said to send anything you need signed to him, and he’ll take care of it and get it right back to you.”
“Good.”
“Can you have someone sign something like that, Adam? I mean, is it legal?”
“Acting as private citizens, Dennis and I can certainly make this agreement. Whether or not it would ever hold up in court, I don’t know. I don’t know enough about family law.”
“But the money, Adam. That’s a lot to risk on something you’re not sure of.”
“It’s worth it to buy peace, even for a short time. And maybe it’ll actually do Dennis some good.”
Silence fell between them, then Jenna cleared her throat. “Adam, I…I’m sorry for what I told you about the baby’s father.”
Adam pinched the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger. “Evidently you didn’t feel you could trust me with the truth. Trust is a real issue with us, isn’t it, Jen?”
“Yes and no. I mean, that’s not why I said what I did.”
“Then why did you?”
He heard a soft sigh. “I told you what I did because…because I didn’t want you to know how the pregnancy really came about.”
“I think I can imagine how—”
“No. I don’t know if anyone can imagine it.” Her voice was clipped, as though she was angry, too. “Dennis came to the house, drunk, about three months after the divorce was final. It was late on a school night and Ryan was asleep. He’d seen so much ugliness between Dennis and me, so much I’d rather he hadn’t seen, that when Dennis started pressing me, I…”
Her words dropped off, and Adam’s stomach tightened. “It was easier to give in than to fight him. Is that what you’re saying?”
“I just wanted peace, you know? I wanted the violence to end, and I knew Dennis would go away without disturbing Ryan if—”
“It’s okay, Jen.” Adam felt like a jerk. If not for his ego and his unreasonable jealousy, he might have understood sooner. “You don’t have to say any more.”
“I’m sorry.”
&
nbsp; “No, I’m the one who should apologize. I know you better than to believe you got carried away with some guy you met at a bar. You’ve never been like that.”
“Adam?”
He had no idea what Jenna was going to say, but what he heard pierced him to the core. “I love you.”
He sat, telling himself to breathe, to believe he’d heard her speak those words—at last. Finally he said, “Again, Jenna? You love me again?”
“No, still,” she admitted, then the line clicked and he heard only a dial tone.
ADAM SAT IN MIKE’S OFFICE, toying with the glass globe paperweight from his partner’s desk. He’d tried to arrange a meeting with Mike when he’d first arrived in San Francisco yesterday afternoon, but his partner had been in court. So Adam had spent the past twenty-four hours packing up his office and making sure his clients were in good hands. Now it was after five. The telephones had died down, along with the foot traffic, creating the perfect opportunity for him and Mike to speak in private.
“You’ve been wanting to talk to me,” Adam said, gazing across the desk.
Mike loosened his tie and his shoes before sinking into his chair, which groaned beneath his weight. “Listen, Adam, I owe you an apology. I flew off the handle the other day on the phone, but I didn’t mean what I said. I was frantic, what with the Roger thing and all that. Now that he’s gone and none of the rest of us have been implicated—”
“He’s gone?”
Mike wiped away a trickle of sweat that had begun to roll down his heavy jowls. “They’ve got him, Adam. Even Whitehead admits that Roger destroyed the records. Without that evidence the DA probably can’t get a conviction on Whitehead, unless they come up with better witnesses than they have now. But Whitehead seems to think that pointing the finger at Roger will help get him out of the mess he’s in.”
Adam shook his head, disgusted as much by the ease with which Mike sacrificed Roger as he was by Roger’s illegal actions. “Stupidity and blind ambition don’t mix.”
Mike agreed, even though he was the one who’d hired Roger and, on a number of occasions, had insisted Whitehead was a model citizen. “Exactly, but I really don’t see any reason why we should break up the partnership. I mean, our working together has always been good for both of us, hasn’t it?” He chuckled and rubbed his hands together. “We’ve sure made a lot of money.”
“The money’s not important,” Adam said drily.
“What?” Mike looked as though Adam had just said something absurd.
“Never mind. Just my way of saying I’m out of the partnership.”
“But I said I was sorry. What more do you want? A bigger share of the profits?” Mike cackled. “You wily fox, Adam. I thought you might hold out for something like that. You’ve been around the block a few times and you can tell when you’re holding a good hand. ‘The money’s not important.’ All right, then. I’m willing to deal. What if I make you my senior partner? What do you say?”
Since an equal partnership had once been his most driving ambition, Adam tested Mike’s words, holding them in his head, spinning them around as carefully as he’d sample wine, until the full flavor burst upon him. He waited several seconds, expecting the lucrative offer to entice him. But in the end it didn’t, at least not enough to tempt him away from the decision he’d made after Jenna’s call last night.
Returning Mike’s paperweight to the desk, Adam stood. “I’m sorry, Mike, but I have other aspirations,” he said, and he hid a smile because he knew the other man wouldn’t believe it if he knew how humble those aspirations were.
But Adam didn’t care. He would have what he’d been missing. At last, he would have what meant more to him than anything.
“NO WORD FROM Adam?”
As Gram entered the kitchen, Jenna threw off the trance she’d been in. It was early yet, the sun barely over the horizon, but Jenna had been up long enough for her tea to grow cold. They’d had Ryan back for more than a week and had returned to their calm peaceful routine, but she hadn’t talked to Adam since the night Jenna told him she loved him. He’d called once, while she was helping at Ryan’s school, but he hadn’t been home when she’d returned the call, and he hadn’t tried to contact her since. She was beginning to think she’d scared him away, that he wouldn’t call at all, even though tomorrow was Thanksgiving.
At least they had no guests booked for the weekend. Jenna could relax, work on her stained glass and finish up the Victoriana website.
“He’s probably too busy,” she said, hoping to sound indifferent. But her voice was just high enough to betray her.
Gram patted her shoulder. “Why don’t you call him?”
Jenna shook her head. She had called him, and she wasn’t about to do so again. If Adam wanted her, if he felt the same way she did, he knew where to find her.
I’m such an idiot. I tell myself not to trust Adam, not to love him again, and here I am feeling as weepy as a jilted bride. She stifled a sigh and rose. “Can I make you some coffee?”
Gram stood with her back against the counter, frowning and looking as though she had something on her mind. “No, thank you. How was your appointment with the doctor yesterday?”
Jenna smiled in spite of herself. “I heard the baby’s heartbeat. It’s so incredible to realize I’m bringing another life into the world.”
“Did the doctor give you a due date?”
“April fifteenth.”
“Spring’s a wonderful time to have a baby! We’ll have a shower and get you some nice things. If you have an ultrasound, are you going to let them tell you if the baby is a boy or girl?”
Jenna could tell Gram was doing her best to cheer her up, and she tried to respond with the appropriate enthusiasm, but her heart was too heavy. “I think I’ll let it be a surprise.”
“That will be exciting.” Gram studied her for a moment. “Jenna, Adam…”
Jenna looked up from washing her cup in the sink. “What?”
“There’s something I should tell you, dear, but…never mind. After all, today’s the day.”
She set her cup in the drainer, wondering what Gram was talking about now. “The day for what?”
Opening the cupboard that contained the breakfast cereals, Adam’s grandmother quickly located the round tub of oatmeal and brought it down. “The day to buy a new rug for the dining room, I guess. There’s a wonderful little shop that just opened next to the health-food store. I’ve been meaning to get down there. Will you go with me?”
“I appreciate your trying to get me out of the house and all, but I talked to Mr. LeCourt again yesterday, and he’s pressing me for more windows. If I’m to keep up with him, I need to get busy.”
Fortunately Gram didn’t know she had just wasted an hour doing absolutely nothing besides staring glumly into her tea. “But that’s wonderful news, dear! Aren’t you excited?”
Jenna shrugged. She would have been ecstatic if she could have thought beyond how badly she wanted to hear Adam’s voice.
“I think that grandson of mine should be ashamed of himself for putting you through this. He should have called.”
Feeling guilty for not doing a better job of concealing her disappointment, Jenna said, “Don’t be mad at him. He’s been great, really. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him last week.”
“Well, forget Adam and come shopping with me today.”
The phone rang and Jenna snatched it up, but it wasn’t Adam. It was Laura.
“Hi. I thought I’d swing by and see you today. Okay?”
Jenna contemplated an hour spent in Laura’s company, trying to avoid her friend’s pointed questions—and decided to accompany Gram to buy the rug. “I’ll be out for a while,” she said, knowing she was in no emotional shape to deal with Laura. “Gram and I are going to do some shopping. Why don’t I call you when I get back?”
“Great. You all right?”
“Yeah.”
“I got your message. The baby’s due April fifteenth, hu
h? Maybe I’ll knit you an afghan.”
“I didn’t realize you know how to knit.”
“I don’t, but I could learn.”
Jenna laughed. “I’ll call you when I get back.”
“Bye.”
She smiled at Gram. “When do you want to leave?”
“I’ll make breakfast while you get Ryan up for school. We’ll leave as soon as the stores open at ten.”
JENNA FOLLOWED GRAM down Ukiah Street, mildly surprised when the older woman passed, without pause, the pretty window displays that normally drew her attention. Handmade jewelry, handblown glass, chocolates and truffles and antique linens sparkled in the mellow sunlight, but today Adam’s grandmother seemed too intent on her destination to admire such shopping delights.
“Well, he said it was right here,” she muttered when they came to the end of the block and found no store selling rugs.
Assuming it was the salesclerk who had given Gram the store’s location, Jenna said, “If it’s not on the next block, maybe we should stop and ask somebody.”
Giving her an absentminded nod, Gram started across the street. When she reached the other corner, she turned back with a gleam in her eye and announced, “I think I see it.”
Two stores down, Jenna noticed a large white flag hanging over the sidewalk, rippling softly in the wind, and wondered what type of store hung out such a thing. An American flag, she could understand. But a plain white flag that looked like it had seen better days as a sheet?
To her surprise Gram motioned her toward that very store. “There it is. Take a look.”
“At what?” Mystified, Jenna stepped closer. The building was rather plain but in good repair and looked more professional than its Victorian neighbor. Despite the cool weather, the door stood ajar. Fancy gold lettering covered its one large window:
Adam Durham, Attorney at Law
Wills
Divorce
Personal Injury
Contracts
The implication of the words took a moment to sink in, but when it did, all the pain and disappointment Jenna had felt in the preceding week disappeared. She stared at Adam’s name, tracing the upswing of the A with an imaginary hand over and over again before she felt Gram at her side, prodding her toward the entrance. A glance at the open doorway revealed Adam, leaning against the jamb with his hands in his pockets, watching her.
