“Why hello there, Miss Jessica. What brings you here on this lovely day?”
Jessica smiled at his warm welcome. “I’m sorry to just drop by, but I needed to talk to you.”
“Oh, it’s no bother. I don’t get a lot of visitors nowadays, so I’m happy when someone stops by.” He opened the door wider. “Please come in.”
She followed him into a small living room and sat on the chair he offered.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Well, what is it you want to talk to me about? Are you still doing your research?”
“Yes. I think I’m nearly done now. I just had a couple of questions.”
Thomas leaned back in his chair. “All right.”
“After I spoke to you and your friend Paul the other day, I became more interested in the former owner of my aunt’s house, William Donohoe. So I began learning a little more about him.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And one thing I found out that surprised me was that he actually died in that house.”
Thomas nodded, but didn’t reply.
“Did you know he fell down the stairs and died from his injuries?” Jessica asked.
“Yes, I certainly did know that.”
“There was just a small mention in the newspaper about it. Do you know if a lot of people attended his funeral?”
“I kind of doubt it.”
“Really? Why’s that? Didn’t he have many friends?”
“That was part of it, sure. But the bigger reason was that his funeral coincided with another funeral that drew most of the townspeople.”
“Oh. I’m surprised that in a town this size that there would be two funerals scheduled at the same time.”
“Well, sometimes it can’t be helped. That’s just how the scheduling worked out.”
Jessica nodded. “So who was having a funeral the same day? It must have been someone prominent if most of the townspeople attended.”
“Yes. It was Mrs. Teal Harrington.”
“What?!” She couldn’t hide her shock.
“That’s right.”
“But how did she die?”
“Drowned in her bathtub.”
“Drowned?”
“That’s right.”
“How did she drown in the tub?”
“Evidently she slipped in the tub and hit her head pretty hard, which knocked her out.”
“That’s awful.”
Thomas nodded.
“Who found her?”
“It was her son, Douglas. Poor kid. He was only eighteen at the time. No one else was home—his father was away on business and his younger brother was at work. So it fell to him to call the police and see his mother taken away.”
At this latest bit of information, Jessica's heart pounded. Was it possible that Douglas was so angry at both William and his mother that he killed them both? This information seemed to seal her suspicions that Douglas was a murderer. “That must have really shaken him up.”
“I suppose it would.”
“What happened after that?”
“He left for college soon after.”
“When did he come back to stay?”
“He came and left several times, but finally settled here about fifteen years ago, soon after his father died.”
Jessica almost corrected Thomas in that Charles was not Douglas’s father, but kept her comments to herself. “So Douglas took over Charles’ businesses?”
“Yes. And started some of his own.”
“I guess he’s done pretty well.”
“Indeed.”
“I remember when we first spoke, you said something about Douglas having some trouble in his youth. How about as an adult?”
Thomas squinted at Jessica. “I thought this conversation was about William Donohoe. What does this have to do with Douglas?”
Thomas had answered the other questions so readily, she wondered why he was suddenly being evasive. Was he hiding something? “I just find their family quite interesting.” Jessica chuckled. “I guess like a lot of other people in this town, right?”
Thomas seemed to relax. “Yes, that’s for sure.”
“So, has Douglas had any trouble as an adult?”
Thomas chewed his lower lip for a moment, then said, “Nothing official. But the man has a temper. Let’s just leave it at that.”
She had gotten the information she was looking for. “Well, I appreciate you talking to me.”
“Happy to.”
Jessica stood, and Thomas walked her to the door. She thanked him again, then climbed into her car and headed to her aunt’s house. As she drove, she thought about what she had learned. William had died by falling down the stairs the day after Douglas turned eighteen. The day after that, Teal had fallen in the bathtub and drowned. Though it was all circumstantial, the information led Jessica to believe that when Douglas had found out his true parentage, he had freaked out and killed both of his biological parents. As Jessica pulled onto the gravel road that led to her aunt’s house, she felt agitated and didn’t know what to do. Though she wanted to go to the police with what she knew, she wasn’t sure it would be enough for them to do anything.
Maybe I should tell Kyle about this, she thought. But would he believe me? She remembered their conversation the day before and felt the sting of his disbelief. She wasn’t sure she wanted to expose herself to that again.
She parked her car and turned off the engine, but sat there, immobilized by indecision. As she sat there, arguing with herself about what to do, there was a tap at her window. She jerked her head toward the sound, expecting to see Douglas standing there, but instead she saw Alex.
Is it lunchtime already?
“Jessica, are you okay?” he asked through the glass.
She opened the door and climbed out. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied.
Alex pulled her into his arms and held her close. Though Jessica had finally admitted to herself that she couldn’t marry him, she did feel safe in his arms. She pressed her cheek against his chest.
“I love you,” he murmured.
She remained silent, thinking that if she replied in kind he would think she was going to go through with marrying him, but she wasn’t prepared to break it off with him at that moment. Instead, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to be held.
After a moment, Alex released her. “How are you feeling today? Is your back better?”
“Yes, it feels fine.” She smiled at him, appreciative of his thoughtfulness.
“Good.” He gently rubbed her back. “Are you ready to go get some lunch?”
Her appetite was gone, but she nodded and followed him to his car. They drove to a local restaurant where Jessica ordered a small salad. Even as she kept Douglas and the new information she had learned at the front of her mind, she knew she needed to let Alex know she wasn’t ready to marry him. Trying to postpone breaking off their engagement, she briefly considered telling him about Douglas and what she had learned, but the thought of delving into that story exhausted her. Not only that, but she knew he would have enough on his mind once she broke it off with him.
She tried to be attentive as he talked about his work, but in her mind she tried out different ways to tell him she wouldn’t be marrying him.
“Jessica, you seem very far away,” Alex said as they were finishing their meal. “What’s wrong?”
Glad for an opening, she dove right in. “I’ve been thinking a lot about us getting married.”
“Me too,” he interrupted. “I’m so excited to start our life together.”
That doesn’t make this any harder, she thought with sarcasm, suppressing a frown. “That’s just it. Alex, I’m sorry, but I’ve, well, I’ve decided I can’t marry you.”
“Wait. What?” Hurt and confusion fought for dominance on his face.
His reaction made Jessica feel terribly guilty, but she pressed on, trying to soften the blow. “I realized tha
t I’m just not ready to make that kind of commitment.”
“But Jessica, I love you so much. I can make you so happy. I don’t understand.” He didn’t try to hide his dismay as his eyes filled with tears.
Oh my gosh, he’s going to cry, Jessica thought in a panic. “It’s not you, Alex, truly. I’m just having trouble with the whole marriage idea.” She tried to soften the blatant lie with a smile, but Alex didn’t seem to notice.
He took her hand. “Jessica, I’ll do anything for you. Just tell me what it is. What can I do to make you feel good about marrying me?”
She pulled her hand out of his and started sliding the engagement ring off of her finger. Alex put his hand over hers to stop her.
“No, don’t take it off yet. Please.”
Jessica stopped and looked at him.
“Here’s what I propose,” he said, ever the lawyer. “I’m going to go back home and not bother you while you’re here with your aunt. You take all the time you need to think things over. When you come back home we can talk. And I promise, if you want to break it off, I won’t argue with you.”
That sounded like a good plan to her. She could postpone breaking his heart, but in the meantime she wouldn’t be pressured to commit to marriage. Although she already knew she wouldn’t change her mind, she agreed to his plan. “Okay. That sounds reasonable.”
Alex smiled, obviously believing she would change her mind once she thought it over.
They left a short time later, and as they drove back to her aunt’s house, they were silent. When Alex parked the car and opened his door to get out, Jessica put her arm on his to stop him. “I’ll let you know when I’m back in town, okay?”
Alex closed his door and reached toward her face, stroking her cheek. “Okay. Remember how much I love you.”
Jessica smiled and nodded, but didn’t say anything, then got out of the car and closed her door. As she watched Alex drive away, she still felt the burden of having to end it with him, but knew she didn’t have to think about it for a while at least.
Once inside, Jessica booted up her laptop and began working, but she could hear the sounds of Kyle working upstairs. Her mind kept wandering to thoughts of him with Melanie and how happy they would be. As images from the disc flashed in her mind, she decided this was the right time to give it to him. Maybe handing it over would be the first step toward taking control of her life.
She went into the library and took the envelope out of the desk drawer, then stood there a moment trying to gather her courage to take it to him. She wondered why he hadn’t asked for it—Melanie must have told him she’d given it to Jessica.
He was probably embarrassed to talk to me about it, she thought, since he must know what’s on it.
Forcing down her trepidation at having to face him now that she knew he was engaged to Melanie, Jessica glanced at the engagement ring on her finger and felt confidence flow through her. Even though she was certain she was going to end it with Alex when she got back home, having tangible proof that someone loved her made her feel better about facing Kyle.
Gripping the envelope with the disc, Jessica climbed the stairs and walked into her aunt’s bedroom. As she approached the bathroom where Kyle was nearly finished tiling the floor, Jessica stopped and stared at the beautiful job he had done. “Wow.” The exclamation escaped her mouth without thought.
Kyle turned and looked at her, a large smile on his face. “Jessica. Hi.”
“It looks great in here. Ellen is going to be so pleased.”
“Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”
“When do you think you’ll be done?”
“I should have it done by early next week.”
“That’s great, because I think my aunt will be coming home soon.” Jessica realized she wasn’t sure how she felt about not seeing him every day anymore. Though she knew it would be better to not see him anymore, the idea saddened her.
The image of Douglas filled her mind and she again considered telling him what she’d learned.
“What’s that?” Kyle asked, pointing to the envelope in her hand.
“Oh. Uh, it’s something Melanie dropped off a couple of weeks ago when she went out of town. I kept forgetting to give it to you.” Jessica held it out to him and he took it from her.
“It’s open.” He looked inside and pulled out the plastic case which held the disc, then looked at her. “What is it?”
“I, uh, I don’t know.”
“Who opened it?”
Though she didn’t want to throw her aunt under the bus, the truth was that Ellen had opened it. “I guess my aunt thought it was for her and opened it. It didn’t have your name on it.”
Kyle examined the envelope. “Oh.”
“Do you know what it is?” She had to know if he knew what was on the disc.
“I have no idea.” He turned the disc over and studied it, as if that would tell him what was on it.
Irritated that he had no clue that the disc had pictures of him with Melanie and their child—his future family—Jessica exclaimed, “It’s pictures, okay? Pictures of you and Melanie.”
“What? But she gave those to me months ago.”
Surprised by that information, she shook her head. “These photos were taken in the park.” She hesitated. “The same park where you and I had our pictures taken.”
Kyle gazed at Jessica, obviously aware of which park she’d been talking about. “How do you know what’s on the disc? I thought you said you hadn’t looked at it.”
Trying to avoid answering his question, Jessica asked, “Why would Melanie give these to you again?”
“Why did you lie to me? Does it bother you to see me with Melanie?”
Bullseye. She couldn’t believe what he’d just said. How could he be so casual about her feelings? Infuriated, her thoughts whirled and her head started to pound. Even so, she couldn’t admit her feelings to him. What would be the point? Clearly, he was with Melanie now. “Why should I care about you and Melanie?” She held up her left ring finger, moving it so that the diamond sparkled. “I’m marrying Alex.” The lie tasted bitter.
Kyle’s smile faded a bit. “So you’ve decided then?”
“Yes,” Jessica snapped.
“When’s the big day?”
“We haven’t set a date yet.” And we never will, she thought, since I’m going to end it with him.
“Well, I’m happy for you.”
It felt like a giant rock had settled in Jessica’s stomach. She wasn’t happy at all. In fact, she was miserable. Not only was she not going to be with Alex, she was also fully aware that Kyle and Melanie would be riding off into the sunset together. “Thanks.” She barely managed to get the word out.
“I guess I should finish this up.” Kyle vaguely motioned to the bathroom. “I’ll be done tiling in a couple of hours, but by next week I’ll be completely done in here, and then I’ll be out of your life for good.”
Overwhelming sadness flooded her as she nodded, then left the room, and trudged back down to the sunroom and her laptop.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jessica worked on her programming project, but her vision kept blurring as her eyes filled with tears. Why can’t I find happiness? I know I don’t need a man to be happy, but I want to get married. She stared at the diamond ring on her finger. No, not to Alex. I want to be with Kyle.
Fresh tears welled up as she slid the ring off of her finger and set it on the table next to her. I refuse to be with someone I’m not deeply in love with, even if that means I’m going to be alone, she thought resolutely.
Jessica went into the bathroom and splashed cool water on her face, then patted it dry and stared at herself in the mirror. “Don’t worry,” she said to her reflection. “Everything will work out.” She looked away. “Yeah, right.” She blew her nose, then went back to the sunroom and tried to focus on work.
Again she considered telling Kyle about Douglas and her suspicions, but she just couldn’t face him after their
fight. What good would it do anyway? He probably wouldn’t even believe her.
An hour later she heard Kyle going up and down the stairs, evidently taking things out to his truck. Finally, all was silent, and she wondered if he’d left. Hurrying to the front window, she looked out and saw him driving away. She dropped the curtains in place, then went back to the sunroom and settled in a chair. She picked up her laptop, but couldn’t bring herself to begin working. Staring at the cheerful room, Jessica wallowed in self-pity.
Hudson must have sensed her despair, because moments later he jumped onto her lap and began purring. She held him close, the warmth of his soft body lifting her mood slightly.
A few minutes later there was a knock at the front door.
“Who could that be?” Jessica asked Hudson as she set him on the floor. Maybe Kyle forgot something and had to come back, she thought, her mood brightening. As she walked to the door she tried to think of what she would say to him. Should I confess that I’m still in love with him? Would that matter to him now? Or would he just feel sorry for me that I can’t get over him?
I’ll just follow his lead, she thought as she turned the knob and pulled the door open.
A man stood on her porch. A man she wished she had never heard of. She didn’t speak as she stared at Douglas Harrington, but her heart raced and panic flooded her veins.
“Jessica. How nice to see you again.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Did you ever decide about a car for your aunt Debra?”
“No.” By the way he said her mother’s name, Jessica had a feeling he knew she had lied about her aunt’s name.
“I’d like to speak with you. May I come in?”
No! She wanted to shout. “This isn’t a good time.”
“That’s too bad. But you see, this is the best time for me. So I’m going to have to insist.”
Jessica swung the door closed, but it hit something and wouldn’t shut. She glanced down and saw Douglas’s foot jammed into the space between the door and the wall. She spun away and ran. Just as she rounded the corner into the sunroom, she felt a powerful grip on her arm. Flailing her arms in Douglas’s direction, she nearly broke free, but he was strong and held on. “Let me go!”
Over You Page 20