Jeff was waiting on her when she stepped out of the kitchen. He had Rosie in his arms. “I’ll follow you home,” he said. It was pouring down rain and Serena drove very slowly with Jeff behind her. She felt comforted to see his headlights as she inched home. When they had parked their cars, Serena went to Jeff’s car and opened the door.
“Give Rosie to me,” she said. “So you can get out. I’ll take her inside.”
She ran for the steps cradling Rosie in her jacket. Jeff followed her and they walked into the cottage, soaking wet. Rosie meowed and struggled to get out of the jacket. Serena put her on the floor.
“Come here, Rosita,” Nonna said. “I’ve got some cream for you.” Rosie went into the kitchen with Nonna and began to lap at the cream.
“We should probably all stay downstairs tonight,” Nonna said. “Jeff can take the couch. I’ve set up two air mattresses for Serena and me.”
“Elena, I insist you take the couch,” Jeff said. Nonna began to protest, but Jeff held up his hand and said, “I insist. A mattress will be just fine for me and Rosie. She’ll like it.”
Nonna didn’t protest any longer. She was nearly seventy years old and needed the most comfortable place to sleep. Serena mouthed a silent thank you to Jeff.
The air mattresses were side by side in the corner of the living room closest to the stairs. Nonna didn’t seem to notice that Serena and Jeff would be side by side on those mattresses. Or maybe she just didn’t care.
“Do you think we should evacuate?” Serena asked.
“We’ve lived through many hurricanes, cara. This house has stood through them all and so has Rossetti’s,” Nonna said.
“We’re going to get a lot of water,” Jeff said. “We’re already getting it. Does this house flood?”
“It’s never flooded,” Nonna said. “It sits up a little. We’ve had water in the yard, but not in the house.”
Serena walked into the kitchen and tried to call Steven. She was worried about him. His phone went immediately to voice mail. “Steven, there’s a hurricane coming. I’m sure you know that, but I’m worried about you staying on the coast. Please call me,” she said into what she thought might be a dead connection. She texted the same message to him, but had no way of knowing if it went through.
By the time she walked back in the living room, Nonna had fallen asleep with Rosie curled at her side. Serena pulled her blanket up and sat down on the mattress beside Jeff.
“I couldn’t get Steven,” she said. “I’m worried about him. I think I need to go check on him.”
“I’m not going to let you do that, Serena,” Jeff said. “It’s pouring down out there and you can’t even see the road. It’s too dangerous. I’m sure Steven knows how to take care of himself.”
Serena lay back on the mattress and so did Jeff. “When is this going to be over?” she asked.
“Probably late tomorrow. We can go check on Steven then if it’s clear enough.”
“What do you mean ‘we?’” she asked.
“We don’t know what to expect tomorrow. I’m not going to let you go alone. Nonna won’t either.”
Serena continued to fret. Jeff reached out and took her hand. He brought it to his mouth and kissed it. Serena turned to look at Jeff. His blue eyes looked back and she saw nothing but love in them. She leaned over and kissed him.
“Are you in love with Steven?” Jeff whispered.
“I’m very confused right now,” she answered in a whisper. “Very confused. When Steven left, I was in love with him. Now, I’m not so sure. But I am worried about him.”
“I know,” Jeff said, pulling her closer to him. The wind whipped and the rain fell all night as Serena slept in Jeff’s arms. When she woke up, Nonna was standing over her and Jeff. She didn’t look upset to see Serena in Jeff’s arms; she looked happy.
“We’ve got a surge and it’s raining, but I saw on the news that people are out. I even saw some sunshine, but it went away. It’s going to hit Louisiana, like they’ve been predicting.”
Serena pulled her covers back and got up from the mattress. Jeff stirred and looked up at Serena and Nonna who stood above him. Serena motioned to him that everything was okay with Nonna.
“I need to get back to our breakfast,” Nonna said. “Come on in the kitchen for some coffee.”
Jeff stood up and put his hands on Serena’s arms, looking directly at her.
“Did Elena see us lying there together? You know, the way we were . . . .”
“She sure did,” Serena said. She giggled then and couldn’t seem to stop. It must have been the stress of the weather and Jeff and Steven. Jeff started laughing, too.
“What’s so funny?” Nonna called from the kitchen. Serena and Jeff looked at each other and started laughing all over again.
“Nothing, Nonna,” Serena finally managed to croak out. She and Jeff went into the kitchen where Nonna had cups of coffee for them on the table. Serena avoided Jeff’s eyes so she wouldn’t erupt into gales of laughter again. She tittered just a little anyway.
Nonna put down plates of scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast with butter and jam. Serena hadn’t realized how hungry she was and ate without talking for several minutes. Jeff did the same.
“You both look starved,” Nonna said. “I guess this weather must be having an effect on you.” Serena caught Jeff’s eye then and nearly lost it. She cleared her throat, and said, “excuse me,” before leaving the table. She heard Nonna say, “What’s gotten into her?” She went upstairs, her body heaving with silent laughter. When she got to her bed, she lay on it face down and allowed herself to laugh out loud into her pillow. She laughed so hard tears streamed down her face.
Finally, she turned over on the bed with just a few chortles left in her. And then she stopped. What was she doing laughing like this when she was so worried about Steven? Dammit, her phone was in her purse downstairs. She ran down the stairs and over to her purse and started rummaging through it for her phone. She checked it and there was no response from Steven. She had to go check on him.
“I’ve got to go check on Steven,” she said to Nonna and Jeff.
“I’ll drive you,” Jeff said.
“I can drive myself,” she said, but Jeff was already getting up from the table.
“Let Jeff drive you, cara. I’ll worry too much if you go by yourself.”
“Fine,” Serena said huffily.
She and Jeff got in his car. It was still raining, but it was drivable. Suddenly, Serena remembered Angela.
“I guess Angela picked the worst place to be during this hurricane,” she said.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. She texted me yesterday and said she was leaving New Orleans to go stay with some friends in Montgomery.”
“Oh,” Serena said. “Well, it’s good she got out of the way.”
They drove in silence toward the coast. When the water came into view, the waves were high and violent, but people were out taking photographs. Jeff pulled into Steven’s driveway and Serena noticed two cars.
“I wonder who’s here,” she said half to herself.
“Maybe somebody who came to check on him,” Jeff said. He parked the car behind Steven’s.
“I’ll wait here for you. If you decide you want to stay, which will break my heart, then I’ll leave.”
“Okay,” she said, getting out of the car. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. After what seemed like a long time, Steven cracked the door open.
“Hey, Serena,” he said. “Can I call you in a little while? Someone’s here and I need to get rid of them.”
“I just wanted to make sure you’re all right,” she said. She was about to leave when she heard another voice from inside Steven’s house.
“Who is it?” a woman said. “Has somebody come to visit us?” And the door was flung wide and a beautiful blond woman stood beside Steven in the doorway. She held out her hand.
“Hi, I’m Janet Calloway,” she said.
Serena took the woman�
��s hand. Did Steven have a sister that had come to check on him? She was confused, which seemed to be her constant state of mind lately. She looked at Steven, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“I’m Serena,” she said.
“Well, come in, Serena,” Janet said in a phony welcoming voice. There was something wrong with her voice. It was too high-pitched or something. Definitely a voice under strain.
And then she asked a dumb question. Well, at least it seemed dumb in retrospect.
“Are you Steven’s sister?” she asked.
Janet laughed longer than was necessary.
“I’m Steven’s wife!” she said. “Are you his girlfriend?”
Serena turned and walked down the stairs. She was angry. She saw Jeff through the windshield and he waved. She got in the car and started crying. She covered her eyes with her hands. Her shoulders heaved. Jeff put his arms around her.
“What happened?” he said. “What’s wrong?”
“Just drive away from here,” she sobbed. “Please get me away from here.”
Jeff backed up and pulled out of the driveway. He kept his hand on hers as he drove. “We can’t let Elena see you like this,” he said. “Let’s go to the diner until you calm down.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
When they got to Rossetti’s they ran through the rain to the doors. It was dark and silent inside and it felt eerie to Serena. She was used to a lot of noise in the restaurant. Jeff took her hand and they went upstairs. She sat on his bed, where they had been making love only hours before. Jeff went into the bathroom and brought her a roll of toilet paper. “Sorry, I don’t have any Kleenex,” he said.
“This is fine,” she said faintly.
“I’m going to call Elena and let her know that Steven is okay and we’re checking out Rossetti’s.”
She nodded.
Chapter Twelve
After calling Elena, Jeff sat on the bed beside Serena.
“What did that bastard do?” he asked.
“He’s married,” Serena said. She could hardly believe she was saying those words. She never suspected anything like that. “That’s really all I know. He didn’t want to let me in and said he’d call me later, but then his wife came to the door.” She broke down then into more crying.
“Maybe she was lying,” Jeff said.
“He didn’t deny it. He wouldn’t even look at me.”
“What a coward,” Jeff said angrily. “I’d like to go beat his ass.”
Serena looked at Jeff with alarm. “No! Don’t do that!”
“What are you going to do?” he asked her, rubbing her arm.
“I don’t think there’s anything to do,” she said. “What can I do? I never would have gotten involved with him if I’d known he was married.”
“Of course not,” Jeff said. “I’m sure he knew that.”
Serena thought about that. Of course Steven knew that. And then she started to wonder about everything else. He must have had to cover it up at some point. He must have lied to her about a lot of things. She didn’t know when he had lied, but she was going to think about it a lot.
“What are you thinking about?” Jeff asked.
“I was just wondering what kind of lies he told me. I don’t even know. It makes me feel so foolish.”
“He’s the one who should feel foolish, taking advantage of a loving woman like you. Lying to you,” Jeff said.
Serena didn’t know what was real anymore. The world that she had believed in for months never existed. She didn’t know how to extricate her mind from that false world and into the new real world. She didn’t know who she was.
“I’ve got to tell you something,” Jeff said.
She looked at him. “What?”
“I did some research on Steven and found out he was married,” he said.
Anger replaced the hurt inside of Serena. “How dare you not tell me!” she said. “How dare you let me keep seeing him when you knew!”
“Hold on a second,” Jeff said. “I found out he was married but I couldn’t find a divorce. That didn’t mean he wasn’t divorced. People can get divorced all over the place.”
“You should’ve told me,” she said.
“Maybe you’re right. I just thought if I told you that you’d take it out on me, think I was trying to ruin your relationship or something. I couldn’t prove he wasn’t divorced and I really sort of assumed he was.”
“How did you find out he was married?” she asked, still fuming at Jeff.
“I Googled him. I had to go through a lot of pages, but I finally found the wedding announcement in the newspaper. His wife is from a very wealthy Charleston family.”
She didn’t say anything for a long time. Jeff put his arms around her and she leaned her head on his chest. “It seems like I’m always crying on your shoulder,” she said.
“That’s what it’s here for,” he said. “Come on. Lie down for a few minutes before we go back to your house.”
She lay back on the unmade bed and stared up at the tall ceiling. Jeff lay beside her and rubbed her arm. Gradually, she became drowsy and fell into a deep slumber. When she woke up an hour later, Jeff was looking at her.
“We need to go,” she said jumping out of bed.
Nonna was sitting in the living room with Rosie in her lap when they got back.
“How’s Steven?” she asked Serena as she sat down on the couch.
“He’s fine. No damage.”
“That’s good,” Nonna said. She glanced at Jeff, then back at the television.
“I made some soup,” Nonna said. “It’s on the stove.”
Serena got up and she and Jeff went into the kitchen, which smelled rich and savory. “Can I bring you some?” Serena called to her grandmother.
“I’ve already had some. You go ahead.”
Serena filled large bowls with Nonna’s chicken vegetable soup and set them on the table. When she sat down, she looked over at Jeff and whispered, “Don’t you dare tell Nonna about Steven being married. She would be ashamed for me.”
“Don’t worry,” he whispered back. “I’ve got better sense than that.”
Serena looked at him wondering what kind of sense Jeff did have. He had told her he was in love with her. That had come out of left field, and Serena didn’t know what to think about it. And now she was facing this emotional crisis that she didn’t want Nonna to see. How was she going to manage that?
When they had finished the soup, Jeff said he should get back to his place at Rossetti’s. The hurricane had moved away and Luna Bay was left with rain and some flooding, but there was no reason to stay with Serena and Nonna any longer.
“I wish you didn’t have to go,” Nonna said. “But I know you need to.” She picked up Rosie and handed her to Jeff. “Goodbye, little Rosita,” she said rubbing the cat’s head. “I’ll miss you.”
“Would you like to keep Rosie another night?” Jeff asked. “Serena could bring her back tomorrow when she comes to work.”
Nonna held out her hands to take Rosie back. “Thank you,” she told Jeff. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
When he was gone, Nonna looked at Serena and said, “I know something’s wrong and I know you’re not going to talk about it. But tell me this much. Is it Steven?”
Serena wished that she could talk to Nonna about Steven. If the circumstances were different, she probably would. But she couldn’t. “We’re over,” she said.
“Is it because you’re in love with Jeff?” Nonna asked, peering at her over Rosie’s head.
“What? Why would you say that?” Serena said.
“It’s not hard to see,” Nonna said.
“I think I’ll go to bed,” Serena said. “It’s been a long day and I want to be fresh for work tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, cara. I love you.”
She leaned down and gave Nonna a kiss, then Rosie. “I love you, too,” she said.
Serena took a shower before going to bed. She wanted to wash away her time
with Steven, she wanted to wash him out of her mind. But it wasn’t that easy. She had opened herself up to him, made herself vulnerable, only to have him stomp all over her heart.
She lay back on the bed and turned the light out. Rain pelted the roof and windows, but it was more of a comfort than the violence of the previous night. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She decided instead to begin an analysis of her relationship with Steven. Try to figure out how he had deceived her and how she had let it happen.
Serena had always held herself back in relationships. Even with Tony in high school. She liked Tony, but she never loved him. They had fun together but she had no interest in a long-term relationship. He was going to work on the shrimp boats and she was going to culinary school. She was going to have a life outside of Luna Bay. A career. At least that’s what she had planned for.
Maybe her mother had something to do with it. Adrianna always had boyfriends, but she would never commit for very long. Serena grew up seeing her mother flirt, seeing the men practically line up to go out with her. The lucky ones did. But Adrianna would not give her heart to them. Was this what Serena had modeled her life on? Maybe so, she thought for the first time in her life. Maybe so.
It was natural for Serena to have a casual relationship with Jeff in Atlanta. She kept her wall up. Now that she thought about it, really thought about it, Jeff had tried to get to know her at first. He had asked her questions about her life, her dreams. But she cut him off and he quickly learned to put a wall up himself. She realized now how foolish that had been. But it kept her from ever getting hurt, and she never had been hurt until Steven.
And so her mind settled on Steven and moved away from Jeff. She had been attracted to Steven the first time she ever saw him in Rossetti’s. When he rescued her from Tony, if you could call it that, she allowed her heart to open up just a little bit. It wasn’t long before her heart was an open book for Steven. She had been blindly in love with him, and that’s how she missed every red flag that flew up in her face.
Serena's Choice - Coastal Romance Series Page 13
