“It won’t be that much of a gamble,” Jen said. “I have a good feeling about this. We’ll make a go of it.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
Grant fixed a steely eyed look on him. “Rob, you mean to tell me you picked her up at the airport and you hardly spoke to each other?”
Rob sucked the ice from his soda. “You got it.”
Grant shook his head. “I don’t understand. You tell me you’re crazy in love with the girl, but now you’re angry at her, won’t event talk to her.”
They’d taken a booth in the diner in the back corner. Since lunch had long since finished and dinner wouldn’t be served for two more hours, they pretty much had the place to themselves.
After dropping Maryann at the Pritchard house, Rob had gone back on the job to the house he and his crew were currently renovating. But everything seemed under control. They didn’t need him at the moment. He felt too frustrated to work right now anyway. Maryann had crawled under his skin. So he phoned Grant and asked if they could meet for a little while. The diner seemed like neutral ground.
But Grant hadn’t been showing him the kind of sympathy or understanding he would have expected.
“Aren’t you going to tell me how she and Jen Stoddard are snobs and I shouldn’t have anything to do with Maryann?”
Grant lowered his eyes. “I could have been wrong about that.”
Rob stared at his brother. “You changed your mind about them?”
“Well, about Jen anyway. You could say that we had a misunderstanding back in the day. Didn’t happen to be my fault or hers. I feel like we lost a lot of time together. Can’t make up for it, but I can right things now. Don’t let that happen to you. Maybe Maryann’s waiting for you to say something to her. She came back, didn’t she? Brought all that luggage with her? Doesn’t that count for something?”
Rob left the diner realizing he had a lot to consider. What Grant said made sense. Still, he couldn’t be certain of Maryann’s feelings. He drove back to the Pritchard house, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake.
Jen let him in before he could even ring the bell or knock. “We saw you drive up. Aaron’s still asleep so we’re trying to keep quiet. I’m so glad you came back. We were going to phone you this evening.”
“We?”
Jen hooked his arm and led him into the living room. Maryann sat on a rocking chair talking on her cell phone. She looked up at him.
“Mom, I’ve got to go. Just wanted you and Dad to know that I arrived safely. I’ll phone again soon and let you know how things are going here.” She put the phone down on an end table.
“Well, Mary, Mary quite contrary, are you ready to tell me how your garden grows?”
“Humph.” She narrowed her gaze.
“What does that mean?”
“That I haven’t liked the tone you’ve taken toward me.”
He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Then he sat her down beside him on the closer of the two sofas. “Okay, no more dancing around. Time for some serious conversation.”
“Excuse me,” Jen said. “I have to check on Aaron.” She hurried from the room.
“Now see, I think you made her feel uncomfortable, and in her own home at that.”
He didn’t let go of her hand. “You exasperate me, lady. You know that?”
She shrugged. “It’s not intentional.”
“I think it is. Now tell me straight out what’s going on.”
She did and he listened with total interest.
“Wow! You sure got some ambitious plans.” He ran his hands through his hair.
She smiled at him, making him think of sunshine as her hair caught the glow of the late afternoon sun through the window.
“I think the business will work. I’m not afraid of hard work. That’s something we have in common.”
He thought what a joy she was to look at and how he’d find the utmost pleasure in looking at her for the rest of his life.
“Jen and I will want to hire you to renovate our store. We know how good you are.”
“I’d consider it an honor and a privilege. But why are you doing this? Why didn’t you stay in New York? I thought that was what you wanted.”
She lowered her gaze. “I thought it was too. But I realized I was wrong. Your words kept running through my mind, haunting me. I realize that I’ve changed. And it’s all your fault.” She pointed an accusing finger at him.
“What did I do?”
“You made me question myself. You made me want more than just work. You made me see that I needed a more complete existence. I don’t want to spend my life alone anymore.”
That was all he needed to hear. Rob took Maryann in his arms and kissed her. She looped her arms around his neck and drew closer to him, returning his kiss with enthusiasm. He felt swamped with emotion, dazed and dazzled by her. His lips skimmed her cheeks, her chin, and then the swanlike curve of her throat.
“I love you so much,” he said. “I’m going to ask you again. Will you marry me?”
“Yes, I love you too. I didn’t recognize how much until I left here. But I honestly didn’t think you’d still want me after I refused you before.”
“But you came back anyway.”
She nodded and there were tears in her great green eyes. “I felt bereft. I hoped there might still be a chance for us.”
He caressed her cheek. “We’ll get married as soon as I finish building the house for us. You pick out everything you want to see in it.”
“I’ll be frugal.”
“Honey, business is good. Gonna build you a fine house, worthy of my bride.”
They kissed again, holding nothing back.
Chapter Fifty-Four
The Coleman clan gathered in her grandmother’s dining room. Jen had invited Rob’s family to a celebratory dinner. Rob and Maryann had officially announced their engagement. Maryann flashed her blue white diamond ring for everyone to see. Lori grabbed Maryann’s hand to get a better look.
“Oh, it’s so beautiful,” Sue gushed. “Rob, you have such good taste in jewelry. What a surprise.”
He offered a modest shrug. “Maryann chose the stone and the setting. I just paid for it.”
“The most important part,” Linda assured him with a big smile. “So Maryann, Rob tells us that you are going to manage our local bookstore and possibly the bakery. You and Jennifer are going to be partners in an antique business besides. I admire your energy and drive.”
“Rob’s encouraged me to take chances. I think the three shops together will offer shoppers a special enjoyable experience.”
Jen turned to the others, sweeping her gaze over the group as a whole. “Maryann came up with a great name for the shop: Everything Old Is New Again. What do you think?”
“Clever,” Grant said with an approving nod. “I like it.”
“So do I,” Rob agreed, placing a supportive arm around Maryann.
The doorbell rang. “Are we expecting more company?” Maryann turned an inquiring look on Jen.
“Did you ask Bobby?” Aaron jumped up. “I’ll get it.”
“I didn’t invite the Higgins family,” Jen called after him. “Excuse me.” She went after her son.
When she reached the front door, Jen observed her son staring at a woman who he did not know.
He remained in the doorway. “Mom, this lady says she’s my grandmother. But how can she be?”
Jen placed her hand on her bewildered son’s shoulder. “Aaron, this is Grandma Sara, my mother. She is your grandmother. You have two grandmothers. You just haven’t seen Grandma Sara since you were very little.”
“Sorry,” he said to Jen’s mother. “I don’t remember you.”
“I wouldn’t expect it.” Sara Morrow gave Jen a critical look.
“Would you like to come in and join us for dinner?”
“Why did you extend the invitation?” Sara sniffed the air and narrowed her eyes as if suspicious.
“Aaron, would you please tell o
ur guests that I’ll be returning in a few minutes to serve the main course.”
He skipped away.
“I don’t want to keep you from your guests.”
“You’re welcome to stay and break bread with us. My friend Maryann has gotten engaged to Rob Coleman. I believe you are acquainted with Linda Coleman and her son Grant.I invited Rob’s family to dinner to celebrate the engagement. That’s why I left the message at your motel. I thought you might want to come as well. It’s a good opportunity for you to get to know Aaron.”
Sara opened her mouth but then closed it again.
“What’s the matter, Mother?”
“Linda Coleman is a cleaning lady. She worked for your grandmother. She and her children aren’t the sort of people who should be guests in this house.”
“I believe you told Grant something of the sort when we were in high school.” Jen made an effort not to raise her voice or sound accusatory. She knew having dealt with her mother over the years that it would do no good at all. “I discovered that all those years ago you lied to me and you lied to Grant. It was an incredibly cruel thing to do. How could you?”
“I protected you. You happened to be a minor, my responsibility.”
Jen shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t believe that. However, I believe in doing unto others as I would have them do unto me. So I invited you to my home today for dinner in spite of our differences.”
“Ha, you are doing this to insult me. Admit it! I thought you left that message for me because you realized that I should share in your grandmother’s estate with you.”
“I thought about that and I agree. I will share whatever money there is when the reckoning is made in two years. You can have your lawyer draw up an agreement to that effect. I’ll sign it.”
“You will?” Her mother looked jubilant.
“That’s right. You don’t need to drag this matter through the courts with an expensive law suit that you’ll ultimately lose anyway. You can have half of the remaining assets, outside of the house itself which I intend to continue living in and the furnishings which I hope to restore.”
Her mother’s small eyes moved around. Her expression appeared thoughtful. “All right, I agree. I don’t want the house anyway. You’re welcome to it and good riddance. As for me, I’m going back to Chicago. Frank and I split up, but the city’s full of lively people. Thank goodness your father still provides me with alimony so I can live decently.”
“As I said, you’re welcome to stay for dinner.”
“Some other time maybe.”
Jen closed the front door as her mother walked out.
“She gone?” Grant joined her.
Jen managed a nod. “Did Aaron tell you she came?”
“If you want to keep a secret, don’t tell your son.” He gave her a wry smile.
“It wasn’t a secret. I extended an olive branch to her.”
Grant’s expression darkened. “Why would you do that?”
“She’s a horrible person, but she is still my mother. I made a decision to share my grandmother’s inheritance with her when I receive it. I wanted to let her know. There’s been enough unpleasantness. I want it to end. I’m also going to donate funds to each of the charities my Grandmother gave money to, except for the Forrest Foundation.”
Grant took her in his arms. “You’re a mighty decent human being.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “Some would say foolish.”
He kissed her forehead. “I wouldn’t be one of them.”
She closed her eyes and felt his breath inches from her own. Then he kissed her lips. She lifted her arms and caressed the back of his neck, kissing him back.
“We lost a lot of time,” he said. “It pains me to think about it.”
Jen shook her head. She realized that her years with Bill had been good ones until the end of his life when they had suffered horribly. But she wouldn’t trade any of those years because she had a wonderful son.
“I love you,” Grant said. “We are meant to be together, to share our lives. I want to marry you. And I like Aaron. He’s a good kid. I wouldn’t try to replace his father, but there are lots of things we could do together.” That brought joy to her heart.
His steady gaze met hers as he held her hands in his.
“How would you feel about having a kid with me?”
“I can’t think of anything that would make me happier.”
As he kissed her again, Jen knew it was true. She realized this was what her grandmother had wanted for her. She had finally and truly come home.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald, has taught creative, expository and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English.
She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Sixteen of her books of fiction have been published to critical praise including books for adults, teens and children.
Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies such as: The Writer, L.A. Times, Reader’s Digest, Pedestal, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, Over My Dead Body!, Gumshoe Review, The Mystery Megapack, and The Christian Science Monitor.
She’s also an amateur landscape artist and loves blue grass music. She loves hearing from readers. Her writer’s blog can be found at:
http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com
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