Hawthorne Harbor Box Set

by Elana Johnson

  “I do. Ribeye and macaroni and cheese. Not the boxed kind. The homemade kind. I made it a couple of weeks ago.” He sat up straighter. “I can make it again. Please, Mom?”

  She pulled into the parking lot and swung the ancient Jeep into a stall. She met her son’s eye, and she couldn’t deny him.

  “I know you’re in love with him,” Jess said, his voice quiet yet powerful. “And it’s okay. I asked him if he wanted to be my dad, and he said yes.”

  Janey’s breath froze in her lungs.

  Jess swiped at his eyes. “Even though Dixie told me not to, I’ve been wishing for you and him to get back together. Every time I go out to the lavender farm.” He turned away from her and sniffed, wiping at his face again. “I’m so stupid.”

  “You are not.” Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his shoulder. “You asked him if he wanted to be your dad?”

  “A long time ago, before you guys even broke up.” Another sniff. He didn’t twitch a muscle toward her.

  Janey stared out the front windshield, so deep inside her mind she couldn’t see a way out. She loved Adam. Gretchen was right. She wasn’t happy, and she just wanted to be happy. She wanted her son to be happy, and he spent more time with Adam than with her.

  “Can you keep a secret?” she asked, an idea occurring to her.

  Jess shifted halfway toward her. “Sometimes.” He shrugged. “I’m actually not that great at it.”

  She swallowed, and pushed away all her thoughts, all her fears. “I love him,” she said, tears springing to her eyes.

  Jess searched her face, a light of hope shining in his eyes she hadn’t seen in a while. “Yeah? And?”

  “So I have an idea...but you have to keep it a secret.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Adam showed up at the Magleby Mansion several hours before the wedding was set to happen. Drew had asked him to come help him get ready and then keep him company during the formal photography session.

  He got out of his cruiser with only a hint of pain from the break in his lower leg, and the beach just down the lawn called to him, begged him to come run along the shore. Just for a few minutes. The cast had come off last week, and Adam had celebrated with ice cream and homemade brownies. Well, Jess had made the brownies.

  Gretchen would be happy about today’s sunshine, even if it was weak and barely lent any warmth to the air. He turned away from the glorious water and faced the Mansion. This wouldn’t be a terribly big wedding, but Janey would be here. Adam was hoping to avoid her, but as the best man and with her as the matron of honor, Drew had told him he’d have to be in at least one picture with her.

  Maybe one with just the two of them.

  His stomach warred with his other internal organs. He’d rather be anywhere but here, but his brother needed him, so in he went.

  The Mansion had been transformed from a beautiful, old building into a Christmas spectacular. Wreaths hung from every arch and a Christmas tree no shorter than fifteen feet loomed before him. The steps curving up and to the left bore pine boughs and poinsettias, and Adam stopped and took it all in.

  No wonder Gretchen wanted to get married here. It was magical. Even the functional items, like tables and chairs, held an elegance that demanded people stop and breathe it all in before they continued.

  “Chief Herrin.”

  He turned toward the weathered voice to find Mabel standing a few arches down. She wore a frown of disapproval, but Adam had dealt with her differing opinions before.

  “Mabel.” He moved toward her and shook her hand. “This place looks great.”

  “Of course it does,” she said. “We’re having a wedding today.”

  “Right. Do you know where Drew is?”

  “The groom’s room is upstairs,” she said. “He got here about five minutes ago.”

  “Thanks.” Adam turned to go, but Mabel’s veined hand shot out and grabbed his arm. She was surprisingly strong for an elderly woman, and he looked down at her. “Something I can help you with?”

  “She’ll come around.”

  He frowned at her. “Who?”

  “Oh, you know who, you brute.” She released his hand and turned to go back through the arch, which led into the kitchen. “She loves you, and when she figures it out, she’ll come back to you.” She stepped through the door, leaving him with those words.

  He wanted to believe Janey loved him, but all the evidence pointed to the contrary. Doesn’t matter, he told himself. If she ever came back to him, ready to throw the ball back to his court, he’d take it. He wasn’t sure if that made him romantic or pathetic.

  He found the groom’s room on the second floor easily, and he knocked as he pushed open the door. His garment bag was starting to get heavy, and relief spread through his shoulder and bicep when he was able to hang it on a clothing rack just inside the door.

  “Hey.” Drew stood at the window, gazing out the glass. Adam joined him to take in the spectacular view spread before him. Though the gardens weren’t as green and full as they would be in the spring and summer, the winter version was still beautiful. And the beach beyond was stunning, calming Adam’s heart and reminding him that he was as steady and predictable as the waves that washed ashore day and night.

  “You ready for this?” he asked as a sleek silver sedan turned from the highway to come up the drive to the Mansion.

  “Yeah.” Drew didn’t carry an ounce of hesitation or resistance in his voice. He’d come a long way in establishing who he was and what he wanted out of life since leaving Hawthorne Harbor years ago, being disappointed in Seattle, and returning to town.

  Adam was the one who’d always known what he wanted to be. He’d gone to school, gotten trainings, everything he could to enhance his career. Drew had too, getting several certifications as a paramedic, and then becoming a firefighter too. Neither was particularly easy, but neither had been a perfect fit for him.

  Funny that lavender farming was the perfect fit for him. And now with Gretchen and Daisy, a measure of jealousy tickled the back of Adam’s throat as he realized Drew was about to get everything Adam had always wanted.

  Different woman. Different kid. But still. Adam could become the director of the FBI and it wouldn’t be enough if he didn’t have Janey and Jess. In fact, nothing really compared to having them in his life. He didn’t need anything but them.

  The urge to leave the Mansion and find Janey, talk to her, make her understand, filtered through him until he thought he’d go mad. But Dixie had said it was best to wish for things he could control, and he absolutely couldn’t control Janey.

  So he got himself dressed, and helped Drew with his bowtie and cufflinks, and looked into his brother’s eyes.

  “I wish Dad were here,” Drew said, his voice almost a whisper.

  Adam smiled, but it felt pinched on his face. Sometimes he didn’t think about his father for weeks at a time. And other times, it was like he was constantly present in everything Adam did. “I know.”

  Someone knocked and called, “Mister Herrin? It’s Alicia Bagley, the photographer.”

  Adam held Drews’ gaze for one more moment before turning to get the door. The photographer swept into the room and scanned everything.

  “Right over here, please,” she said, indicating a spot in front of the window. “We’ll get some shots of you as if you’re getting ready, and then we’ll go outside. Gretchen is almost ready, but you need to be in place first for the first look.”

  “First look?” Adam asked as her assistant lifted a flash above her head.

  “I haven’t seen Gretchen’s dress,” Drew explained.

  “Okay, so yeah,” Alicia said, clearly perturbed by the explanation and interruption. “Put your hands on your bow tie, like you’re adjusting it...good...look down to your right...good....” The camera went click, click, click. Alicia made him pretend to tie his shoes, do up his belt, all of it. Adam had a hard time believing they’d paid money for someone to do this, but he stood silently to
the side, as instructed.

  “Done,” Alicia finally announced. “Let’s go outside. Tara, you take them both. I’ll go check on Gretchen.”

  Tara led the way outside, and Adam was thankful for his jacket once they hit the gardens. He followed instructions, kept his brother company, smiled when Drew finally got to turn and see his bride in her wedding gown.

  Each event, each minute was captured on camera—and brought Adam closer to when he’d have to see Janey.

  She came out with a handful of other women, all of them wearing pale pink bridesmaid dresses. She wore pearls around her neck and diamonds in her ears, and her hair swept up on top of her head like a princess.

  He couldn’t breathe. And he absolutely couldn’t look away. She caught him staring, and he didn’t even care. The pull that had been between them since he’d confessed his feelings to her seemed to tug until he couldn’t resist taking a step toward her.

  He felt the weight of all the female eyes in the near vicinity, but he was used to them. Janey didn’t look away from him either, and it was like he’d parted the Red Sea as the other bridesmaids flowed around him until he was face-to-face with her.

  The woman he loved.

  He didn’t say anything. His emotions stormed through his chest, but everything else around him had gone quiet, still.

  Someone called his name, but he ignored it easily, like swatting away a fly.

  “They want you,” Janey said quietly, a flush staining her tanned cheeks.

  Did she want him too?

  Why couldn’t he say anything?

  “You better go. Everyone’s staring.”

  “Adam?” Drew arrived at his side and put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Come on, Chief. Alicia only has about twenty minutes to get these pictures done.” He glanced at Janey. “Hi, Janey.”

  “You look so handsome, Drew.” Her face bloomed with a smile, and she ducked her head, tucking a hair that wasn’t there out of old habit. “You too, Chief.”

  “Come on,” Drew said. “You can talk to her later, when I’m not paying for it.” He turned, and Adam looked at Janey for one more moment. His beautiful, wonderful Janey.

  She linked her arm through his and gently turned him around. “I think he’s going to hurt you if you don’t fall into line,” she said. “He’s stressed. So let’s make it easy for him, okay?”

  He could listen to the magical, musical sound of her voice all day. Her words bounced around inside his mind and he managed to listen to the photographer enough to stand where she wanted him, look at the camera, put his hand in his pocket with the thumb out.

  Let’s make it easy for him.

  Was that what she was doing? Being nice to him because it was easier than trying to avoid him?

  For some reason that made him angrier, not more hopeful that they could get back together. Sure, his arm felt like she’d shocked it with her bare hands, even through his suit coat sleeve.

  “Done,” Alicia announced. “Thanks, everyone.”

  “We have a light lunch for all of you in the conference room upstairs,” Gretchen called. The women started mincing their way back to the Mansion, their heels sinking into the gravel as they went. Adam hung back with Drew and Gretchen, not wanting to be trapped in a small space with Janey.

  “I’m supposed to go get Jess,” he said. “So I’ll skip lunch if that’s okay.”

  “Be sure to just grab something,” Gretchen said. “I got the roast beef with avocado just for you.” She looked at him with anxious eyes, and Adam hated that he’d caused problems for her.

  “Thank you, Gretchen,” he said, his voice catching on the last syllable of her name for a reason he couldn't fathom. His emotions vibrated just underneath his skin, and it didn’t feel like an adequate barrier for keeping them contained.

  “She’ll come around,” Drew said.

  “She already has,” Gretchen said.

  “I couldn’t say anything to her,” Adam said. “I don’t know what to say. I feel like I’ve said it all already.”

  “Just don’t zone out so much,” Drew said, waiting for Adam to open the huge doors for him and his bride-to-be.

  “Definitely cut back on the zombie staring,” Gretchen said, a teasing quality in her voice.

  “Was it that bad?” Adam watched his brother’s face and saw that yes, it was.

  Gretchen laughed. “We all shouted your name simultaneously and you didn’t even flinch.”

  “Great,” Adam mumbled. He headed up the steps to collect his sandwich because he really didn’t want Gretchen to be upset with him on her wedding day. Then he got out of the Mansion as fast as possible so he wouldn’t have another apocalyptic encounter with Janey.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Janey finished vacuuming and decided to leave the bathrooms for another day. Her back ached from the five-mile climb she’d done in the park the day before. That, combined with scrubbing the shower, and the couch and a fistful of ibuprofen were calling her name.

  Rain started to fall steadily against the kitchen window as she downed the painkillers and tore a banana off the bunch. Armed with the fruit and a mug of her favorite dark roast coffee, she headed into the living room to put on a movie she’d seen a dozen times before. With any luck, she could doze for an hour or two.

  She wouldn’t see Jess until evening, when Adam pulled up in his new cruiser and dropped him off. But she wanted to get a few more recipes into the book she’d been putting together on her days off, when Jess wasn’t around.

  It was a gift for him, and she hoped to be able to present it to him at Adam’s birthday dinner. The plans for that had been going great, as Jess had suggested they do it at his house. “I cook for him all the time anyway,” he’d said. “I’ll just tell him I’m making steak and mac and cheese, and he can sit back and relax.”

  “You cook for him all the time?”

  “Yeah, every weekend,” he said. “He cooks during the week, or he buys me a hamburger. It’s...nice.”

  Janey supposed it was nice, and while the fact that Adam cooking for and feeding her son triggered some guilt in her, she didn’t want to take it from Jess.

  “Besides,” she told herself as she shut the blinds so the living room was dark. “If you can pull off this birthday dinner and get him to take you back, he can cook for you too.” With that thought in her head, and the soft strains of a romantic movie on the screen, she ate her banana and sipped her coffee.

  The wind blew like it had a personal vendetta against the Washington Peninsula, and Janey was glad to be home, tucked under a warm blanket. She wouldn’t want to be outside in this gale, which only made the pounding on her front door more upsetting.

  She flung the blanket off her legs and darted around the corner, her heart flinging itself against her breastbone.

  The knocking came again, not quite as loud but just as urgent.

  She strode forward and pulled the door open only to come face-to-face with a dripping wet man.

  “Adam.” She pressed one hand to her chest as two wet, muddy, and slobbery dogs misseled past her and into the house she’d just cleaned.

  “I can’t do it,” he panted. He wore a pair of black gym shorts that felt to his knee and showed the bright red scar from his recent surgery. His gray T-shirt was plastered to his body by the rain, and water dripped from the ends of his hair.

  “Can’t do what?” She ignored the slipping and sliding of dog claws on her hard floor. She didn’t dare turn to see what they’d done to her house.

  “I can’t give you up.” He blinked at her and wiped his hand down his face. “I just can’t do it. Tell me what to do to get you back, and I’ll do it.”

  Of course he would. Janey didn’t know what to say—he didn’t need to do anything—so she backed up and said, “Come in.” She waved him forward when he hesitated. “Come on inside. It’s freezing out there.” The wind whipped the rain horizontally, and though her porch was covered, Adam was still getting sprayed.

 
; He stepped through the door and closed it behind him. Now she had three huge animals dripping all over her floor.

  “Janey—”

  “Don’t,” she said. A sigh ripped through her body, and she paced away from him. She hadn’t imagined making up with him while he stood in her foyer, dripping wet. She’d fantasized about showing up at his house on his birthday, the cake Jess had made in her hands as she walked through the door wearing a green party dress that complemented her hair and eyes.

  But she was wearing a pair of sweats and a ratty navy sweatshirt that fell off her left shoulder clumsily.

  She looked at him and wanted to be with him. Wanted him to know. So though her nerves batted around her chest, she said, “I love you. Jess and I were planning this big birthday surprise for you, and he’s going to be so upset you ruined it.”

  Adam blinked, a frown pulling at his eyebrows. “I’m sorry. Did you say you loved me?”

  She exhaled a laugh. “Desperately. Madly. Terribly.”

  He moved with the power and grace of a panther, sweeping her into his arms and pressing his lips to hers. The water from his clothes seeped into hers, but she didn’t mind so much, not when he kissed her with so much love and emotion in his touch.

  “I love you, too,” he said.

  She pressed her forehead against his, enjoying the weight of his hands on her hips. She laughed, this time with a little more mirth in the sound. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

  She took his hand and turned around, stopping in her tracks after only one step. “Oh my goodness. Your dogs—” Janey didn’t know how to finish. Mud and water had been splattered on the walls and now ran down. Dozens of footprints marred the floor and she couldn’t even imagine what her carpet looked like. Gypsy peeked her sopping, dirty head out of the living room, and a groan issued from Janey’s mouth.

  “I’ll call a maid service.” Adam stepped around her and said, “Come on, Gypsy. Get outta there. Fable?”

  The husky appeared down the hall, in the kitchen—which at least didn’t have fibers on the floor.