“Me too—but I’m glad she was part of my life before she died three years ago. I sure miss her, though.”
Understandable. According to his mom, Grandma Turner and Hannah had hit it off when she moved in with the family six years ago.
Kind of like Kelsey and her grandmother had, from what he’d been able to discern.
And speaking of Kelsey…
Luke cut the two sandwiches in half and set them on plates, adding a generous serving of the potato salad he’d picked up at the deli in the grocery store on his way home from the interview. “I know you miss her, Hannah—but I’m glad you like Ms. Martin. Kelsey seems to have adopted her as a grandmother too. So how did the quilting class go?” Not the smoothest or most empathetic segue…but it would have to do.
“It was fun. I never thought I was artistic, but Kelsey worked with me and we came up with a cool design. It will be fabulous in my room at home. She was really helpful with the other three ladies in the class too. I like her a lot.” She added napkins to the tray and began filling glasses with water. “It’s strange she never got married. You’d think the guys would be flocking around her. But she said she was always too busy with her career to think about romance.”
Luke did a slow blink. “Kelsey’s never been married?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“I asked.”
“You asked? Just like that?”
She gave him a get real snort. “Give me some credit. I’m not that tactless. I asked if she was a widow.”
Better—but not by much. “Don’t you think she’d have told you that if she wanted you to know?”
Hannah set the glasses of water on the tray and propped her hands on her hips. “My dear brother, if you don’t ask questions, people think you’re not interested in them. She wasn’t offended, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Good.” He angled toward the sink on the pretense of rinsing his hands, and strove for a casual tone. “So, if she’s not a widow, where’s the baby’s father?”
Hannah picked up the tray and walked over to the back door. “I don’t know. All she said was that he wasn’t part of her life. That’s when I stopped asking questions.” She pushed the door open with her hip, walked across the deck, and began unloading the tray on the glass-topped table.
As he added a small bunch of grapes to each plate, Luke frowned. Why wasn’t the father part of her life?
His original theory, premised on the scar, wasn’t fitting. Kelsey didn’t seem like the type who would put up with an abusive relationship.
Perhaps other problems had led her to make a mistake, though. She’d been in a high-pressure job, and she’d been intent on climbing the corporate ladder. Had she turned to drugs or alcohol to help her cope with the stress and the demands? And while under the influence of one of those, had she had a lapse in judgment that had produced this pregnancy? Was that the wake-up call she’d referred to earlier today?
An unwanted pregnancy could account for her ambivalent feelings about the baby she was carrying.
Yet from what he could see, she was following all the right protocols to protect the health of her unborn child.
“Are you coming, Luke?” Hannah pushed open the back door.
“I’m on my way.”
He picked up their plates and followed her toward the deck, more confused than ever about Kelsey Anderson.
And doubly determined to ferret out his mystery neighbor’s secrets.
9
Kelsey took a quick inventory in the bathroom mirror as she dried her hands on a paper towel. Sighed. Despite her best efforts, there was no disguising the bruise-like shadows beneath her lower lashes, the fine lines of tension at the corners of her mouth, or her pallor. That’s what two weeks’ worth of fitful slumber could do to a person.
But Dr. Evans hadn’t been too concerned about her sleep problems yesterday. In fact, her OB had pronounced both her and the baby in impeccable health, even if Kelsey hadn’t gained as much weight as expected.
Giving up on her efforts to mitigate her wan appearance, she tossed the paper towel into the trash, tucked her hair behind her ear, and trudged back out front to wrap up the final session of her five-day introduction-to-quilting course. Juggling the class and a behind-schedule quilt commission with the PR work for the fast-track youth center project had been a challenge these past few days—but at least the week was coming to an end. If her eager, interested students hadn’t reenergized her with their enthusiasm for an hour and a half a day, getting to Friday would have been tougher.
As she emerged into the shop, Luke waved—and her heart tripped into fast forward. The hand she lifted in response was unsteady…the very reaction that had convinced her to follow Dorothy’s advice and set up an appointment for tonight with Dr. Walters. Her handsome neighbor was bothering her far too much.
She exchanged a few comments with each of her students as they departed. When only Hannah was left, Luke came forward.
While they’d talked during the week to hammer out details on interviews and speaking engagements, there’d been no impromptu trips for brunch. No meetings on the beach. According to Hannah, Luke hadn’t had a minute to himself. When he wasn’t doing interviews or speaking to civic groups, he was busy meeting with potential benefactors and helping with details for the dinner auction, which would be held a few nights before he left.
In other words, he was doing what he’d come here to do. Giving his mission top priority.
Still, she’d missed seeing him.
Yet another incentive for scheduling an appointment with Dr. Walters.
She edged behind the work table as he approached. “Sorry I couldn’t give Hannah a ride home tonight, as usual.”
He stopped a few feet away. “No problem. I was glad to have an excuse to stop by.”
Why?
When his eyes narrowed, her pulse stuttered.
Mercy. Had she voiced that question?
No, of course not.
She picked at a piece of lint on her shirt, searching for something…anything...to say.
In the silence, Hannah looked from her to Luke—and back again.
The expression on the young woman’s face went from perplexed to surprised to smug in a heartbeat.
Well, crud.
Hannah’s conclusion was obvious—and wrong. There was no potential for romance here. No way. No how.
To prove that, she summoned up her brisk corporate voice. “How did today’s interview go?”
Puzzlement flickered in Luke’s irises at her sudden businesslike tone, but he went with the flow. “Very well. It’s supposed to air tonight on the six o’clock news.”
“Did you mention the Facebook and Twitter pages?” Hannah turned her attention to Luke.
“Yes—and the website Father Joe set up.”
“Awesome. Since you talked about it on the radio interview Wednesday, Carlos has attracted more than a hundred followers. The TV spot should boost the numbers. Hopefully some of them will also visit the official website and send a few bucks.”
“We’ll take every one we can get. You ready to go?”
“Not until the grand unveiling.” Hannah grinned and tapped her framed wall hanging, which lay face down on the work table.
He folded his arms. “Lay it on me.”
With a flourish, she lifted the piece and turned it around. “Ta-da!”
Luke gave the modernistic rising-sun motif an appreciative scan. “I’m impressed. Didn’t you tell me once you couldn’t draw a straight line?”
“I had help with my design. Kelsey smoothed out the rough edges. And trust me, there were a ton of them. After that, it was just a matter of tracing the pattern, cutting out the pieces, and stitching them. Although I needed help with the stitching part too.”
“You did great.” Kelsey moved beside Hannah and put an arm around her shoulders. “Best of all, you found out there’s more to the art of quilting than traditional patchw
ork.”
“For sure.” She slid the finished piece into a plastic bag and slung her purse over her shoulder. “I’m ready. Are you going to the beach tomorrow morning before you open the shop, Kelsey?”
“Yes. For a little while.”
The temptation to ask Luke his plans was strong, but she held back. He’d be gone in four short weeks. It wasn’t wise to encourage social interaction. Besides, once he knew her story, he might lose whatever interest Hannah had picked up on a few minutes ago. Especially when he found out what she was considering doing with the baby.
“We’ll be there too.” Hannah tucked the bag under her arm. “You are going tomorrow, aren’t you, Luke?”
“Yes. It doesn’t make sense to stay in a beach house if you never go to the beach.”
Maybe she wouldn’t go, after all.
As if reading her mind, Luke spoke. “Why don’t I carry your stuff down for you? About nine?”
No way would she commit to that—in case she decided to change her mind at the last minute. “I can manage. I’ll only have my chair tomorrow.”
Hannah tucked her arm in her brother’s and tugged him toward the door. “Let’s go, Luke. Kelsey has to leave. ’Night, Kelsey.” She grinned and winked. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Oh, brother.
Sinking back against the work table as the door jingled shut behind them, Kelsey massaged her forehead. She did not want a teenage matchmaker whose head was filled with visions of romance butting into her life. Yes, there were vibes between her and Luke. But she wasn’t ready to deal with feelings of attraction for anyone, let alone a man who would soon be exiting her life. Besides, she had more pressing issues to deal with before she tackled romance.
She stood, retrieved her purse from the desk, and called out a goodbye to Dorothy, who was in the back baking for Saturday’s customers.
Her visit with Dr. Walters couldn’t come soon enough.
* * *
Luke settled behind the wheel of the car, watching Kelsey’s shop in his peripheral vision in case she came out while they were still there. “Are you up for pizza again tonight?”
As he fumbled the key in the lock, a chuckle was Hannah’s only response.
He started the engine and put the car in gear. “What kind of answer is that?”
“It’s not an answer. It’s a reaction.” She buckled her seat belt and set her wall hanging in her lap.
“To what?”
“You.”
Frowning, Luke backed out, gave Not Your Grandmother’s Quilts a final once-over, and accelerated down West Center toward Blue Star Highway. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know. That’s what’s so funny.”
“You want to clue me in?”
“Sure. You think Kelsey’s hot.”
His heart missed a beat. “What?”
“You heard me. Watch the road.” She pointed out the front window.
He made a quick course correction to avoid taking out a curbside planter.
“And on top of that, she thinks you’re hot. So what are you going to do about it?”
He tightened his grip on the wheel. “That came out of left field, didn’t it?”
Although he did his best to hide his discomfiture under an amused tone, Hannah wasn’t buying.
“Maybe. But I hit a home run.”
“You’re nuts.”
“And you’re avoiding the issue.”
“There isn’t any issue.”
She chuckled again. “And they say teenagers are immature.”
Fighting back a surge of irritation, he pulled onto the highway and picked up speed toward the interstate that would take them to Pier Cove. “This has nothing to do with maturity. Yes, Kelsey is an attractive woman. But for your information, she and I got off to a very rocky start. She was not happy to discover she had to share her private beach with me. I doubt we’d even be talking if the youth center project hadn’t forced us to interact.”
“Then that’s another blessing to come out of this project, isn’t it?”
As his knuckles whitened on the wheel, he unclenched his fingers. “Hannah, even if there was a spark of attraction on either side—and I’m not admitting there is—it’s too complicated. I’m leaving in a month—and she’s pregnant.”
“So? If you’re in love, you can overcome the distance problem. And I thought you liked kids.”
“I do.”
She lifted one shoulder. “Ready-made family.”
He pulled onto the entrance ramp for I-196 and accelerated. “You’re jumping to a bunch of wrong conclusions.”
“About what? That you’re in love? Or that you could accept a child who wasn’t your own?”
This girl would make an ace attorney someday. Getting grilled by her on the witness stand would be no picnic.
“First of all, I’m not in love with Kelsey. I just met her two weeks ago. Falling in love with someone that fast would be foolish. And as for accepting a child who isn’t my own…it’s not a subject I’ve ever considered. It would depend on the circumstances. And if I was interested in Kelsey, her circumstances are mysterious, to say the least.”
She skewered him with a look that was far too grown-up and insightful for a seventeen-year-old.
“You don’t choose who to fall in love with, or how fast it happens. And I’m not saying you’re there yet. But trust me, the mutual attraction is obvious. I bet even Dorothy’s picked up on it. As for Kelsey’s circumstances, they may be mysterious—but I’ve spent hours with her this week, and she’s awesome. You could do worse. And maybe if you showed you were interested in her life and had feelings for her, she might let you in on this mystery that has you so worried.”
She settled back in her seat and turned her attention to the passing scenery.
In the silence that followed, Luke tried without much success to absorb all the implications of his sister’s speech.
But one conclusion was clear.
He’d just been lectured on romance by his kid sister.
Even worse, now that she’d brought up the subject, she wasn’t likely to let it die. All the Turners had the perseverance gene.
Meaning he’d best get a handle on his feelings for Kelsey. Quick. And then decide what to do about them.
Before Hannah decided to step in and take charge.
* * *
Something was up.
As Kelsey emerged from the tall grass on Saturday morning and joined Luke and Hannah on the beach, a silent warning flashed from brother to sister.
There was a new dynamic at play here. One that sent a ripple of apprehension through her.
“Good morning.” She tried to read their expressions as she approached. Hannah appeared happy, relaxed and…smug was the adjective that came to mind. By contrast, twin furrows creased Luke’s brow, and his posture was stiff as he stood to greet her.
“Hi, Kelsey.” Hannah reached for the jacket on the sand beside her chair. “Did you sleep any better last night?”
Kelsey arched her eyebrows. What had prompted that question? She’d only mentioned her sleep problems once, and Hannah hadn’t brought them up since. Why now?
She switched her attention to Luke. His frown had deepened, and she shifted under his scrutiny. A doctor wasn’t going to miss the dark circles beneath her lashes, despite her efforts to camouflage them. “I think sleep disruptions go with the territory.” She kept her tone light as she placed a hand on her stomach. “Junior must be starting to feel confined.”
“Is it a boy?” Luke moved closer, tugged her folding chair from her fingers, and settled it in the sand beside his.
“I don’t know.” She clenched her mug, striving to hang on to her light tone. “There’s a lot to be said for being surprised, don’t you think?” She lowered herself into the lawn chair as he held it steady.
Without commenting, Luke retook his seat in the low-slung beach chair.
“What color scheme are you using in the nursery
, if you don’t know the baby’s gender?”
At Hannah’s question, Kelsey’s stomach twisted, curdling the milk she’d been drinking. How had they gotten on this subject?
“I’m not that far along with my plans yet. Yellow is always safe, though. Or green. I have a few more weeks to think about it. And the shop will be quieter once the summer crowd leaves. I can worry about details like that then.”
Stop babbling, Kelsey. That will only arouse suspicion.
Too late. When she peeked at Luke, he was watching her from under hooded lids.
Hannah stood and draped her jacket around her shoulders. “I think I’ll take a walk on the beach.” With a pointed glance at her brother, she sauntered down the sand.
Face averted, he watched his sister—but though his features were hidden, odd vibes were radiating from him. Like he was…nervous, maybe. Or uncertain.
Odd.
In their past encounters, he’d always come across as confident, in control, and decisive.
For whatever reason, his uneasiness calmed her. Leveled the playing field in some way. And his uncharacteristic awkwardness also made it easier to deal with Dr. Walters’s recommendation. When Kelsey had explained how her initial fear of him had given way to attraction, the therapist had suggested she let those feelings surface. Not necessarily act on them, but allow herself to feel them in a safe context so she’d learn not to fear them.
This was about as safe as she was going to get.
Wriggling down into her chair, she waited Luke out.
Half a minute passed before he transferred his attention from Hannah to her. When he found her watching him, his neck reddened and he groped for his sunglasses—unnecessary at this hour of the morning, with the sun at their backs.
He was hiding behind them. Just as she’d hidden behind hers at their first meeting.
Interesting.
“Hannah told me you saw your OB this week. Is everything okay? You, uh, seem a bit tired.”
O-kay. That was way too personal.
Her defenses slammed back into place with the resounding clang of a prison lockdown.
“Yes. Everything’s fine.” Her voice tightened, as did her hold on the mug.
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