by Barbara Gee
His smile came slowly, but it came. “You know I love and adore you, right?”
I lifted one shoulder in a shrug, giving him a teasing look. “I mean, I’m pretty sure…”
The smile grew a little, then faded. “There’s something else I have to say to you.”
He took my hands in his, his eyes roaming over my face like they did sometimes when I could tell he could hardly believe I was there. I knew that look, because I felt it often myself.
“When we got back together,” he continued, “I never dreamed I’d be dragging you into such a mess. That I’d put you in danger.”
I shook my head quickly. “I did that all on my own.”
“But only because you were trying to help me.”
“Cuz I love and adore you a little bit too,” I quipped. I was trying to lighten the mood, but he wasn’t quite finished with the serious stuff.
“You got a lot more than you bargained for, but I’m selfishly so grateful that you stood by me. You made the last six weeks bearable, Myla. Thanks for your patience and your undying support, and most of all for accepting Lily the way you have. I haven’t done a good job of showing you how much I love and appreciate you lately, but you have my word that I’ll try to do better.”
Tears stung but I held them back. “You’ve done just fine,” I said softly.
***
Lily did well with Camilla the next two days and Camilla loved having her. I got a chance to talk with her on Friday when I picked Lily up from their place because JP got stuck in a meeting at work. Camilla told me that Lily’s temperament was a lot like JP’s at her age, very easygoing and beyond her years, although JP had been more of a daredevil than Lily was. We both figured Lily’s more timid nature was due in large part to having no siblings and being raised by a grandma.
JP told me later that evening that he’d decided to take Lily to spend the day with Adalyn on Saturday. He’d been in close contact with her the last few days and had even helped her take care of the final arrangements for Haley. Adalyn had chosen cremation and purchased a plot at a nice memorial garden. She planned to have a small marker made for the grave but she hadn’t yet decided what to put on it.
JP was worried about Adalyn. She was two treatments shy of being done with chemo, but due to her weakened state, her doctor had advised her to skip those last two and start her time off now.
That should have been welcome news. Prior to everything that had happened with Haley, Adalyn had been looking so forward to this time, certain that without the chemo she’d rally enough to be able to have Lily with her again. But now she seemed to have lost her will to fight. According to Louise, she’d stayed in bed the last few days, refusing to take any phone calls except for JP’s.
Louise thought having Lily visit might perk Adalyn up and give her something to fight for. When JP agreed to bring her, Louise warned him to have a talk with Lily prior to arriving, so she wouldn’t be shocked by her grandmother’s listless state.
I had already made plans to hang out with Ava and Janna for most of the morning. I told JP I could cancel if he thought I should go along to see Adalyn, but he told me not to worry about it. I think he knew I needed a little girl time. He was thoughtful like that.
***
The three of us were planning to meet for breakfast in Hidden Creek, and then Janna was going to show Ava and me through the house that had been donated to Find Your Rest. She said she had some big news about that, but we had to wait until she could tell us in person.
I secretly hoped she had some big news about Beckett Foster, too, or at least some minor news, but I kept that to myself.
I got to the coffee shop before the other girls and took the liberty of ordering an assortment of muffins and pastries. I’d let them choose their own coffee, but I went ahead and got a large latte for myself and sipped it while I waited.
Ava came in first, grinning when she saw me. “It’s been way, way, way too long since we’ve done this.”
“I agree, and I’m so glad Janna’s coming. I can’t wait to see that house.”
“Me either, but I have plenty of questions for her first. That girl needs to come clean about the FBI guy. There’s something going on there, I just haven’t had a chance to ask her about it.”
“I have,” I said with a mischievous smile. “She’s definitely interested, but she claims it’s one-sided.”
Ava’s perfect brows shot up. “Seriously? Well, I think she’s wrong about that. I saw him watching her after he and JP got back from that trip with the sheriff and he’s certainly not immune. And how could he be, really? Janna’s gorgeous, smart, and sweet as they come. Beckett Foster is a lucky man if she’s set her sights on him.”
I nodded agreement. “But she’s also a lot more reserved than her brothers. She won’t make the first move. If Beckett won’t either, they’re not going to get anywhere.”
Ava thought about that for a moment, unwinding her scarf from around her neck and draping it over the back of the chair next to her. “He seems like the type of guy to go after what he wants.”
I gave another nod. “Yeah, unless he thinks he shouldn’t want it. Janna thinks he does undercover work. That would make it real tough to have a relationship.”
Ava’s eyes widened. “Undercover? Doing what?”
“Janna said he’s an expert on human trafficking, so probably something in that field. Maybe even rescues.”
“Oh my word.” Ava scrunched her face in sympathy. “That has to be terrifying for Janna.”
“He disappeared for a couple of weeks and returned right before my run-in with Willard. She has no idea when he might leave again.”
“He probably doesn’t know himself. It could be the kind of thing where he just always has to be ready and when the time is right, he goes.”
“Which is exactly what Janna’s afraid of,” I said.
The front door chimed and we both turned to see Janna had arrived. We waved her over, and then she and Ava went to get their coffees. As soon as they got back to the table, Ava got right to the point.
“So, Janna, it’s time to tell us about Agent Foster,” she said as she unwrapped a muffin. “We know you like him. Have you made any progress?”
Janna raised a brow, looking very much like her brothers as she did so. “Well, you see, here’s the thing. In order to make progress, you need to have a starting point. A place to measure from. Beckett and I haven’t started anything. He’s nice to me, but that’s it. Most of the time he doesn’t even notice I’m around.”
“Oh, now see, that’s not true,” Ava said, shaking a stern finger. “I saw him watching you last week. He most definitely noticed you were around. Couldn’t take his eyes off you, in fact.”
Janna froze mid-chew, then slowly lowered her muffin. “What are you talking about?”
“When we were all together at JP’s place after Myla’s night in the woods,” Ava explained. “Beckett and JP had just gotten back and JP was in the bedroom making out with Myla while we all waited in the living room. Beckett was sitting off to the side where he could watch you without you seeing him.”
“He was watching me?” Janna asked, her voice faint.
“Almost non-stop.”
Janna looked at me for corroboration, but I raised my hands defensively. “Don’t look at me. I was in the bedroom. And JP and I were not making out.”
Janna glared at her sister-in-law. “We all know you tend to exaggerate, Ava,” she accused. “I’m guessing Beckett glanced in my direction for a few seconds at most. That hardly qualifies as watching me non-stop.”
Ava grinned and shook her head. “He glanced in your direction and never glanced away.”
Janna groaned and sat back, forgetting her muffin. “I don’t even know what to think. Honestly, that man confuses me like none other. I mean, I’ve tried to find some indication of interest, you know? I’ve gone so far as to flirt with him—not much, just a little tiny bit—just so I can see his reaction. I get nothing.
Just a polite smile like he’d give anyone else. And yet, I feel like deep down he’s interested. I can’t explain it. It’s not anything he says or does, it just happens when I’m close to him. Like he ties this invisible rope around me and keeps me there.”
“Did you two talk much on your way home from JP’s?” I asked. “Did you ask him how long he’s going to be around?”
“Kind of. I asked him if he was going to be able to come to our dedication ceremony for the house, which should be in a few weeks. He said he doesn’t know because sometimes he gets loaned out to other field offices.”
Her sad gaze found mine and I winced. “Is that code-speak for he goes undercover, like we thought?”
“That’s the way I took it, but I couldn’t exactly ask him. I’m sure he has no idea we’ve made that assumption about what he does. And if he can’t talk about it, I don’t want to pry. Then he’ll start avoiding me and that’s the last thing I want.”
Janna bit into her muffin again while Ava and I sat there sipping our coffee, wishing we had some encouraging words for her. As far as I knew, Janna hadn’t dated anyone seriously in years and it was sad that the first man to turn her head appeared to be off limits.
“How about if we have a dinner and invite him?” Ava suggested. “You know, to thank him for being there for JP last week. Would he think that’s weird?”
Janna shrugged. “I have no idea. I hardly know him, remember? And apparently he wants to keep it that way.” She gave a frustrated sigh. “He seemed to really like you all though, so maybe he’d enjoy getting together.”
“It can’t hurt, right?” Ava asked, looking from Janna to me and back again.
“I wouldn’t think so,” I said. “We just have to make sure he doesn’t catch us watching his every move, trying to catch him staring at Janna.” I grinned at Janna and she rolled her eyes.
“I don’t know if I can trust you two—” she began, and then reached for her purse when her phone rang. She dug it out and looked at the screen, then at us, her eyes huge. “This is—this is him!” she said, her voice strangled. “Why’s he calling me? He’s never called me before!”
“Why do you have him in your phone then?” Ava asked.
“I have all the volunteers’ numbers. I send out group texts about the project.”
“Answer it,” I prompted. “It must be important.”
She looked terrified as she swiped and raised the phone to her ear. “H-hello?” She swallowed. “Hey, Beck. What’s up?”
Ava nodded approvingly. “You sound totally normal,” she whispered encouragingly.
Janna listened for a moment then gave us an incredulous look. “Um, yeah, sure. I’m grabbing a bite to eat with Ava and Myla right now. We’ll head over after that. Maybe twenty minutes?” She listened again. “Okay, see you then.”
“He’s coming here?” Ava asked as soon as Janna hung up.
“I—he—yeah, he is.”
“How’d he know you were in Hidden Creek?” I asked.
“Yesterday I stopped by the Victorian to drop off subs for the volunteers for lunch, and we were all joking around while we ate. I told them I was coming to check out the house over here this morning and I’d be sure to return with a long list of projects for them.”
“So he wants to meet you at the new house?”
Janna nodded. “He said he just left a meeting in Mountain View and since he’s so close he thought he’d stop by. He wants to talk to me for a minute.” Her voice trailed off and her eyes filled with tears. “He’s going to tell me he’s leaving and it’s going to be for a long time this time. I know it. I feel it. There’s no other reason he’d seek me out. He wants to tell me I can’t count on him volunteering anymore.”
“Maybe that’s not it,” I said, even though I feared she was right. “Maybe he really is just taking advantage of being so close and he wants to see what all needs to be done at this house.”
“No. He sounded really subdued—not excited like he would be if it was just coming to see the house. And like I said, he’s never called me before. Something’s up and I don’t know what else it could be.”
Ava reached across the table and took her hand between both of hers. “Let’s not worry too much until we know for sure there’s something to worry about.”
Janna still looked on the verge of tears, so I went for a change of subject. “Wait a second, didn’t you tell us you have big news? You’ve been here for fifteen minutes and we still haven’t heard it.”
She blinked a few times, trying to make the switch. “Oh, yeah, I do have news.” She looked back and forth between Ava and me, her face brightening slightly. “You guys distracted me by asking about Beck right when I got here.”
“So spill,” Ava said, polishing off her muffin and brushing her hands together to get rid of the crumbs.
Janna spread her hands on the table and leaned forward. “Okay, so I got an email on Tuesday asking me to attend the board meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday evening.”
“Is that unusual?” I asked.
“Not at all. I’m the one in charge of the Victorian and they like frequent updates, so I didn’t think anything of it. But that wasn’t why they invited me this time. They told me they wanted to devote this new house to trafficking victims, but they were concerned about the challenge of taking on two new houses in such a short period of time, especially with one of the houses being in a different town with a whole new focus.” All of this poured out in a rush, and Janna had to stop to take a breath. “Anyway, they realize Anita and I—she’s our director—can’t do it all. So they want to hire someone to take my place in Crawford and move me here. To run the new house.”
Ava and I both sat there open-mouthed. I was the first to recover.
“You’ve moving here? To Hidden Creek?”
“Well, the offer has been made, and I’m seriously considering it. I wanted to see what you two think.”
What I thought was that I absolutely loved the idea, and I told her so. “You can live with me!” I added excitedly. “I mean, if you want to. At least until you can find a place. There’s plenty of room and Ava charges ridiculously low rent. And you’d only be five minutes from work!”
Janna grinned. “I was hoping you’d offer, actually. I don’t want to sign a lease on a place until I know how this is going to work out.”
“I don’t know,” Ava drawled, her eyes sparkling. “I might have to jack the rent on Grandma’s house if I have two tenants.”
“I’m your sister-in-law!” Janna declared. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Ava chuckled. “Actually, Grandma would love knowing my two best friends are in her house.”
“Hannah will love it too,” I said. “She’ll come over even more than she does now.”
“It would be fun being her neighbor,” Janna said. “Especially with a baby.”
“Do you really think you’re going to take the job?” Ava asked. “You’d be farther away from Beckett.”
That comment made Janna’s smile fade. “If he tells me what I think he’s going to tell me today, it won’t matter where I live. We’ll be far apart anyway.”
Chapter 38
I
sensed Janna’s excitement as she unlocked the door to the three-story house behind the church. She’d seen photos taken by the board members, but she couldn’t wait to explore it in person. Especially now that she’d been offered a job there.
We walked in and she spun in a slow circle, a delighted grin on her face as she took in the high ceilings and original woodwork. “Oh my word, it’s beautiful,” she declared. “Dated yes, but beautiful, don’t you think?”
“It’s in a lot better shape than the Victorian,” I said.
“Seems to be. We’ll have to do a lot of upgrades, but I’m hoping to get Owens Construction involved since they’re so close. Uncle Howard is already a donor and I’m pretty sure I can get him behind this project.”
“You won’t be short on volunteers eithe
r,” Ava predicted. “Tons of people from church will want to help.”
“Oh man, I’m loving this,” Janna said, heading down the hall. “Come on—I want to see everything.”
We wandered through every room, starting with the ground floor and ending in the attic, and I saw firsthand why Janna would be the perfect choice for this kind of project. She was totally organizing the house as we went, muttering to herself as she wrote pages of notes, complete with sketches and rough measurements of the rooms.
She immediately knew which room should be the main office, and she was determined to find a way to expand the dining room in order to fit a table large enough for “family” dinners with all the residents eating together.
There were four bedrooms upstairs and a full-sized attic that could possibly be made into two more. The house was bigger than Janna had expected, and with the right renovations, she felt that ten to twelve residents could live comfortably there.
As we went back down the attic stairs, Ava grabbed my arm and held me back.
“She’s going to take the job, no question. She already has the whole thing planned out.”
“I agree,” I whispered, grinning. “I’d better get my stuff cleared out of the spare bedroom at the house.”
The doorbell sounded from down on the first floor and Janna whipped her head around and looked up at us, her eyes suddenly full of dread.
“That’s Beck. Oh, my gosh, I can’t do this. He’s going to tell me he’s leaving and I can’t handle it.”
“Maybe not,” I said, hurrying to catch up to her. “It really is possible that he just wants to see the house.”
“Yeah, it could be as simple as that,” Ava agreed, although she shot me a worried glance when Janna wasn’t looking.
Janna shook her head but didn’t say anything else as we went down the stairs to the first floor.
“We’ll say hi and then go inspect the backyard,” Ava said, gesturing toward the back door.
“Okay.” Janna took a breath and went to the door just as the bell rang again. She put her hand on the knob and paused for a second, her eyes squeezed closed, and then she swung open the door.
