by Donna Alward
Coffee. Jess’s nose twitched. Right now the thought of the dark brew made her stomach turn just a bit. “Maybe tea,” she suggested, feeling odd. “I’m a bit tired, you know? Busy time of year.”
“Have you been eating enough?” Sarah’s brow furrowed as she led her along to their table. Sure enough, a plate with a piece of cake waited for her. Sarah was mothering, but Jess let her sister pull her along without much resistance. The last few emotional weeks had taken their toll … not to mention the lack of sleep now that Rick was at her place most nights since after Thanksgiving.
“Sure. It’s just the holidays. Between the shop and the festival next week…”
“And Rick.” Sarah grinned at her. “You two are really an item now, aren’t you? I could tell when you brought him to Thanksgiving. Is it serious?”
Jess avoided answering by sitting down in the saved seat and smiling at her niece. “I hear you’ve been baking,” she commented, picking up a fork. She tasted the cake and smiled. “Don’t tell your mom, but I think it’s better than hers.”
Susan beamed. “Can I get you coffee, Aunt Jess?”
Again with the stomach flip. Jess smiled weakly. “How about a little tea instead, okay, sweetheart?”
“Coming right up.” Susan popped away to grab a cup while Sarah stood chatting with Gloria Henderson.
The hall was decorated for Christmas, with lots of paper snowflakes dangling from the ceiling and a little Christmas tree propped on a table in the corner. Jess thought back to Tom and Abby’s wedding in October and how so much had changed since then. Even though she’d been attracted to Rick before, if someone had told her they’d be practically living together six weeks later, she’d have laughed them out of town. With a slight shock, Jess realized that they’d first made love the day he’d brought over the ornaments, and that had been over three weeks ago. So much really had changed …
Over three weeks.
The cake in Jess’s mouth turned to sawdust and she fought to keep chewing. Susan returned with hot tea and Jess sipped it quickly, trying to wash down the crumbs before she began to cough.
“You okay, Aunt Jess? You don’t look so good. Is it the cake?”
Jess was getting rather good at pasting on fake smiles, and she treated her niece to one. “Of course I’m all right, honey. The cake is great. I just got a crumb down the wrong hole is all.”
“I hate when that happens.” Suzie’s ponytail bobbed. “I’ll get you some water.”
She darted off again and Jess took a few moments to count days. She distinctly remembered telling Rick not to worry about condoms their first night together. That the time of the month was wrong …
Except accidents happened.
She didn’t need to freak out. It’d been a stressful past few weeks, and she and Rick had been careful since then. But then there was the smell of the coffee, the way she’d been so tired lately, nearly falling asleep midafternoon during the most inane tasks. And her breasts were tender.
Then again, that could all be PMS, too. No need to go into an all-out panic.
Either way, the last place in the world she wanted to be was here.
She got up and touched Sarah’s arm. “Hey. I think I’m going to blast off. I need an afternoon of quiet before the week starts again.”
“You’re not coming to Uncle Pete and Aunt Barb’s for dinner? Everyone’s been invited.”
“I’ll call her. I’m just really tired, you know? With the festival next week, I need to finish up a few things.”
“You can’t take a few hours for family?”
Sarah wouldn’t give up. It was straining Jess’s patience. “Look,” she replied in an undertone. “I have the shop to worry about, and the workshop for the kids, as well as my food donations for the hall lunch. Cut me some slack, okay?”
Sarah had the grace to look guilty, which in turn made Jess feel guilty. “Okay, okay. Relax. You want me to save you some cheesecake?”
Jess wanted to scream that no, she didn’t want any damn cheesecake, but instead, she just shook her head.
“I’m good,” she answered. “I promise I’ll call and give my apologies. See you later, okay?”
She scooted out before Susan even made it back with her water.
The air was a Decemberish, raw cold that seeped into her bones, blowing in off the water with a relentlessness that made her ache. It took no time at all to drive to Josh’s. By the time she made it to his door it was open and he was standing in the breach. She must have looked terrible because his face was immediately drawn with concern.
“What’s going on?” he asked quickly. “Is it Mike?”
She hadn’t given Mike a single thought. “No, I haven’t seen him. I have a favor to ask.”
“Is it Rick? If he hurt you … I swear to God. I warned him about that.”
She couldn’t stop a small smile from tipping up her lips. “I love you, big brother, but it’s not that either. Not really, anyway.” She paused. “I need you to promise that no matter what, you don’t say a word to a soul about why I’m here today.”
“I swear. If you’re in trouble I want to help.” He stepped aside and let her inside the foyer.
A laugh bubbled out of her mouth as he shut the door behind her. Trouble was the clichéd word for it all right. “You have no idea.” She sighed, met Josh’s concerned eyes. “I came here because I need something … sensitive that I don’t want to go to the town pharmacy for. You know how everyone gossips there, and there’s no sense bugging Dr. Yang on a Sunday when you’re sharing an office anyway.” Jess paused, taking a deep breath. “Do you have pregnancy tests at your office?”
His eyes widened. “You think you’re pregnant?”
Hearing the words scared her to death, especially since she didn’t even know how Rick felt about her. She knew she loved him and thought he probably felt the same, but they hadn’t made any promises or declarations. “I might be. I’m late. We’ve been careful, but the first time…”
He raised an eyebrow. “We maybe weren’t as careful as we might have been,” she admitted.
“Shit, Jess.” Josh blew out a breath and sat down on a nearby bar stool.
“I know,” she answered meaningfully.
“What are you going to do if you are?” he asked. “Does Rick know?”
“No, he doesn’t know. I just realized I’m late and there’s no sense saying anything until I know for sure. So are you going to help me or what? If I walk into the drugstore and buy a pregnancy test … well, nothing stays a secret for long in this town.” That she’d managed to keep her share of secrets was tantamount to a miracle. She really didn’t want to tempt fate.
She looked up at him hopefully.
Tenderness softened his features. “You know I will always help you. Always. Give me five minutes to run to the office.”
“Thanks, Josh,” she answered, thankful once again for her big brother.
“There’s coffee on if you want some,” he suggested, grabbing a jacket from a small closet.
“No, no coffee. Definitely no coffee.”
His gaze settled on her once more, and it seemed like they both knew what the test was going to say. It was just a matter of physical proof.
Jess looked around Josh’s place while he was gone. It was messy but not dirty, with clean dishes piled in a drying rack, a stack of laundered clothes sitting on a chair in the living room, a week’s worth of mail strewn across the counter. There were no pictures of people—and particularly none of Josh with Erin. Either he was in the middle of one serious case of denial, or he really meant it when he said he was moving on.
He came back, handed over a small box, and pointed her to the bathroom. “The sooner you know, the better,” he suggested. “Waiting sucks.”
So on a bitter Sunday afternoon she found herself peeing on a stick in her brother’s bathroom, waiting to see if the line turned to a plus or stayed a minus.
Rick might not be ready for fatherhood. They might
not make it as a couple. But she knew, deep down, that he would love his child. It would be okay. It had to be.
She emerged from the bathroom holding the stick and met Josh’s gaze. “Looks like you’re going to be an uncle again,” she said quietly.
CHAPTER 20
Jess paced the carpet in front of her sofa. She knew she should tell Rick right away. There had been enough secrets lately and he deserved to know. And yet she couldn’t make herself drive over to his house and throw his world into more upheaval. Maybe it would be okay to keep the news to herself—well, between herself and Josh—for a little while. She could get used to the idea and then decide how to tell him.
She sank down on the cushions. Their relationship was so new. They had said repeatedly that they were going to take their time. Oh, what a mess.
She put her hand on her still-flat tummy, the warmth of her palm soaking through the skin. Still. She’d always wanted a family. While the idea of having a baby scared her to death, there was a little bit of her that was pleased … excited, even. A little life, growing inside of her. A miracle.
Her cell rang in the stillness and she jumped before reaching for it and pressing the button to accept the call.
“Jess, it’s Abby. Are you and Rick busy this afternoon?”
“I haven’t seen him today. Why?”
“I have some news about the necklace. I was going to call Rick, but I thought that since you were the one who brought it to me…” There was a little hesitation in her voice. “Plus Rick could use some moral support.”
“Oh, God. Is it bad?”
“I’d rather talk to you both in person. But no, not really bad. Just … surprising.”
“I’ll give him a call.” Jess forgot all about her news momentarily. “Unless you hear otherwise, we’ll be over this afternoon.”
“Okay. Thanks, Jess.”
Abby clicked off, and Jess sat a moment on the sofa. Not bad but interesting. She wondered what Abby had managed to dig up. But first she had to tell Rick what she’d done. And hope that he’d be happy about it.
She toyed with the phone but figured this was better done in person.
The air was cold, the bitter kind of wind that seemed to seep through any and all clothing right to a person’s bones. Jess stood on Rick’s front step, waiting for him to open the door. When he did her heart gave a mighty thump and the first thought in her head was, I’m having your baby. But she kept the words unspoken and smiled instead. “Can I come in? We need to talk.”
His face took on a wary expression. “That doesn’t sound good.”
She went into the kitchen and instantly smelled something delicious. Her gaze was diverted to a metal pan of still-warm brownies on the stove top.
“You made brownies?”
“I got hungry and the bakery is closed on Sundays.” He must have seen her ravenous look because he grinned and reached into the cupboard. “Would you like one?”
“Maybe a small one.”
He started to cut and she went over and put her hand over his. “Not that small…” She shifted the knife over so the brownie was nearly twice as big as he’d been going to cut. Rick laughed, a deep rumble in his chest, and Jess felt the warm flush, knowing in that moment what it was like to be in love.
They sat at the kitchen table, and Jess took a few bites. As Rick poured her a glass of cold milk, she thought of how it was good for the baby and once more the words sat on her tongue. But first things first. Nervously, she put down her fork and reached for his hand.
“Rick, I need to tell you something.”
“This sound serious.”
“It might be. Remember the necklace you gave me?”
He nodded. “Right. You were going to see if you could find out anything about it.”
“I thought I’d seen it before. And I was right. At least I’d seen one like it. So I did a little investigating.”
“And what did you discover?” His gaze sharpened and he, too, put down his fork.
She swallowed. “I saw a similar necklace in a picture at the Foster House.”
Rick’s brow furrowed. “The Foster House? Then how did my mother get ahold of it?”
“That’s what Abby and I both wondered. So I left it with her to do some digging around. I hope that’s okay. I designed Abby’s wedding necklace, remember? It was a replica of the one in her picture. That’s why it seemed so familiar.”
She paused, wondering how much to reveal. “Rick, I’m sorry. For getting someone else involved and not telling you what I’d done.”
He let out a sigh. “It’s okay. I mean … it’s not like you shared it at one of your crafty meetings or whatever. It’s just Abby. To be honest, I’ve been so busy the last few weeks I’d kind of forgotten about it.”
She nodded, relieved. “Well, Abby called me a while ago. Said she has news about it. She thought we might like to go over there together.”
“Sure, why not? It’d be nice to know where it came from.” He smiled at her. “Letting go isn’t as scary as it once was, Jess. I have you to thank for that.”
Jess smiled at him and squeezed his fingers. She was relieved he wasn’t mad at her for getting Abby involved, and doubly pleased that he wanted her by his side.
But she couldn’t escape the feeling that he wouldn’t be so content with it all if he knew she had told Abby his secret. Or if he knew she was hanging on to another surprise that was bigger still.
She was just waiting for the right time to tell him about the baby. That was all.
* * *
Once more Rick found himself in the foyer of Abby and Tom’s house. He’d tried to resist tapping his fingers nervously on the steering wheel on the way over, but a few times he’d forgotten and he’d caught Jess looking at him strangely.
“I made coffee,” Abby was saying, and she led the way down the hall to the kitchen. Jess took his hand and soon he found himself in the warmly lit kitchen, the rich scent of coffee and cookies in the air.
Tom was waiting, perched on a stool beside the butcher block. “Hey,” he said, looking up. “I think winter’s almost here by the feel of that north wind today. It could almost bring snow with it.”
The weather? Rick supposed they needed to break the ice somehow. “It’s bitter,” he acknowledged, rubbing his hands together.
“Go ahead and fix your coffee the way you like,” Abby instructed. She busied herself putting cookies on a plate and then put the plate in the middle of the butcher block. It seemed that counter space was going to be the center of operations, at least for now.
Rick sipped his coffee and munched on a shortbread cookie until he couldn’t take the false joviality anymore. There was a thread of tension underlying everything and he needed to get things out in the open.
“So, Jess tells me you found something out about the necklace,” he said, kicking off the conversation.
Abby nodded. “Yes, I did. Jess brought the necklace here, and we put it next to the picture of my great-grandmother. See for yourself.”
She retrieved the photo from a nearby counter and placed it before him, spreading out the necklace beside it. There was no question—they looked the same. Jess peered around his shoulder at the rubies spread on the wood. “It really is an extraordinary piece,” she murmured.
“Just because they look the same doesn’t mean they are the same.”
“Oh, I agree,” Abby said. “So Tom and I took a drive into Portland and had someone qualified have a look at it. It’s very old, Rick. And genuine. Dating takes it back over one hundred and fifty years.”
Rick sat heavily on a nearby stool. “One hundred and fifty? I knew it was old, but not that old.” He was staggered by the news. It made no sense that his mom would have something that old in her possession.
Abby met his gaze. “I know. I took along some of my own things I inherited with the house—notably an emerald choker and a diamond bracelet. Both were appraised and dated, and both are from around the same time period.”
He frowned. “Are you saying they belonged to the same person?”
Tom shrugged. “We can’t say that for sure. What we do know is that the dating puts all three pieces right around the time that George Foster settled here in Jewell Cove, along with my ancestor, Charles Arseneault, and Edward Jewell.”
“There’s more,” Abby said quietly. This time she took out a yellow envelope and removed photocopies of pictures, laying them out precisely.
Rick didn’t recognize any of the people beyond Edith Foster, but the woman in each picture was wearing the same necklace.
“Where did you get all of these?” He stared at the pages, some of the pictures very faded and a bit grainy.
“In the attic. I ran across some old albums when I first cleaned it out and I went looking a little closer.” She pointed at the first picture. “This is Edith, of course. Then we have this one—Amelia Foster, Elijah’s mother and wife to Robert. Then we have Martha, wife to Jed, who built this house. And finally, this one, dated 1864. George’s wife, Elizabeth. Right at the end of the Civil War. And that’s the last picture I have of the necklace. Not that we’d find pictures much earlier than that, anyway.”
Rick’s head was spinning.
“So how on earth did it happen to get into my mother’s possession?”
He stared at Abby, who turned her attention to Tom and the two of them shared a significant look.
“This is where it gets a little bit complicated,” Tom said quietly.
“What do you mean, complicated?” Rick asked, his voice low. He was dimly aware of Jess’s hand resting reassuringly on his forearm. She’d been very quiet during the exchange and he turned to her now. “Are you believing all of this?”
He could see in her eyes that she did. “I don’t think Tom and Abby would be telling you any of this if they weren’t sure.”
Which he knew. And which made his heart feel like it was sinking straight to his toes. Good God, had his mother stolen it? It seemed the only thing that made sense. But he couldn’t believe that. She would never have done such a thing.
