by Scott, Lisa
He draped his dishtowel over a chair and set his hands on her shoulders. “I’m useless tonight. We’ll catch up tomorrow for dinner, okay?”
She pursed her lips, then smiled. “Okay. The reception was great. Everyone was talking about how good the food was.” She pecked him on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She drifted out of the kitchen, and he went over to Jeanne. “You get home. I’ll finish here.”
“I’m not injured, Brad.”
“But you’ve been on your feet all night, and I’m sure today was emotional for you. I’m sure you were thinking about your parents and how much they would’ve loved seeing the wedding.”
She hung her head and didn’t fight the tears.
He walked over and took her hand in his. Pulling her toward him, he set his cheek on the top of her head.
She looked down at her feet. The poor things, they looked like mounds of dough rising up out of her shoes. “Yeah. It was happy and sad. Happens sometimes. I’ll bet it was hard for you, too.”
“I’m used to things being hard, Jeanne. I don’t want you to settle for that, though. Your life’s been hard enough. That’s why you need to find the father of this baby.”
He rubbed her tummy, and she jerked back.
“Brad, leave it be. That’s the best thing you can do for me.”
No, the best he could do for her was to find the father of this baby, and he wouldn’t stop looking ’til he did.
THE PHONE RANG earlier than Brad would’ve liked, considering he’d been up all night worrying about Jeanne.
“‘ello?” he answered, yawning.
“Bro, it’s Tommy.”
“Where are you?” It was Saturday. Tommy was usually home.
“Aw, had a few things to tie up at the office. Listen, I’m calling to tell you before you hear it from someone else.”
Damn! Had news gotten out that Jeanne was pregnant? “What?”
Tommy sighed. “Just read in the paper that the State DOT is going ahead and installing that new traffic light.”
“Okay, we thought that was going to happen.” Brad sat up in bed.
“Yeah. Well, they’re doing it on New Year’s Eve as part of the big bash. Trying to turn a tragedy into a celebration of life and all that nonsense. Just thought you should know.”
Brad blew out a long breath and flopped back onto the bed. “You know Jeanne and I are catering that, right?”
“It’s going to be a tough night for you two.”
“It’s not like we can turn down the job. The money’s going to save us. And it’s going to put Elegant Eats on the map. We’ll have to get through it.”
“I’m sure you’ll manage. Just wanted to give you a heads up.”
“Thanks for telling me.” He hung up with a sense of dread. It would be painful for Jeanne. It would be hard on him, too. Just one more thing to worry about.
And with that thought, he hauled his sorry self out of bed and hopped in the shower.
Lily deserved a night out on the town together—and another bouquet of flowers Monday morning. He hadn’t paid her proper attention at the wedding. She wanted a whole lot more than he was giving her. But giving her that would be sending the wrong message. Jeanne would be needing his help soon if he couldn’t find the father. And that would make Lily about as happy as a cat left out in the rain. With that reminder, he made plans to head to Whitesville after they finished catering a small anniversary party that night.
He called Jeanne. “Take the night off. Lily’s going to help me at the banquet tonight. She’s upset we don’t spend more time together, and she loves working in the kitchen. This gives you some time to relax.”
“I can manage just fine.” There was subtle grit to her voice he heard whenever his bossy side showed up. Happened more often than he liked to admit.
“Jeanne, I don’t need you there.”
She said nothing.
“And one more thing. The night of the New Year’s bash? They’re installing the traffic light at the intersection.” He didn’t need to say which intersection. They both knew. “Instead of a ball drop, they’ll be turning it on. Are you going to be able to handle it? With your condition and all?”
“Of course I am, you fool. Unless you’d rather have Lily there instead.”
“Jeanne … it’s just going to bring back a lot of memories. And you’ll be pretty far along at that point. When is the due date?”
She paused. “Doctors say the beginning of February. I can handle it. And I have to be looking forward, not backward, now that I’ve got a baby on the way. I’ll be fine.” And she hung up.
Yep, he’d definitely be heading to Whitesville. Lily would have to wait.
THERE WERE dozens of bars in Whitesville, and Brad had no idea which one Jeanne had gone to. Once he’d cleaned up after the event, he started at the nightspots near the airport, but he wouldn’t be drinking, even though he hadn’t reached his six-drink-a-week maximum. This night would be hard enough, and who knew what he’d do if he did find the guy? Adding alcohol to the mix certainly wouldn’t help.
He nodded to the bartender and asked for a coke. She slid it across the bar to him, with a flirty smile, and let her hand linger near his. He pulled out the picture of Jeanne. “Do you remember seeing this woman here on April Fool’s Day?”
Pulling her hand back, her smile quirked into a frown. “That your girlfriend?”
Hell, he wished she was. “No. Just a friend, and I’m trying to track down someone she met that night at a bar in Whitesville.”
The girl shook her head, her dangly earrings swaying. “I remember being glad I wasn’t working that night with every fool in Carson County trying to live up to the namesake of the day. I think Mark was working. I’ll go get him.”
“Thanks.”
She walked to the other end of the bar and looked back over her shoulder at him.
A good-looking guy came over, drying a beer mug. “You’re looking for someone?”
“I’m trying to find a guy named Jim. My friend, Jeanne, met him at a bar on April Fool’s Day.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I was here that night, but I don’t recognize her. Wouldn’t mind getting to know her, though. She single?”
“No,” he lied. Which was ridiculous. Months ago, he was pawning her off to men he barely knew. And look what had happened. This was all his fault. The Larsen family was screwing things up for the Clarks again.
The guy frowned. “Too bad. But no, she wasn’t here. I would’ve remembered her.”
He hit four more bars, but had no luck from passing around her picture to the servers and the regulars. No one remembered seeing the blond hottie, but he could’ve set her up with dozens of men. If he didn’t find the guy, Brad was going to have to help her make this right, but he couldn’t imagine her saying yes to a sympathy proposal.
And he couldn’t imagine being father to any child, especially one that wasn’t his.
IN SEPTEMBER when Jeanne hit month five of her pregnancy, she had to break down and buy maternity clothes. There was no hiding it now. Monday morning she squeezed into a pair of pants with a stretch panel and headed for work. People would be gawking soon enough. And asking questions soon after.
She read the note taped to the refrigerator. “Got in early to deliver your pies.”
Jeanne’s eyes pricked with tears. He was as thoughtful as if the baby were his own. Which it was, of course, only he didn’t know that. She kept trying to gain the courage to tell him. But that would be the same as ruining his life. Hadn’t Brad suffered enough through the years? Maybe this was the way to make things right for him, relieving him of this burden.
The bells on the front door jangled, and she perked up at the thought of seeing him. Then her smile fell when Lily wandered into the kitchen.
Lily’s smile fell, too. “Where’s Brad?”
“Out delivering pies.”
“Don’t you usually do that?”
Jeanne sighed and put
her hands on her hips, which only accentuated her tummy. Lily’s eyes darted from Jeanne’s baby belly to her face and back again. “Jeanne?”
Jeanne closed her eyes. She could tell her it was pecan pie that had an express train right to her waistline. But Lily would find out soon enough. “Yep. I’m pregnant.”
“Who?” Her face was pale.
Jeanne sank onto a stool because standing sure wasn’t as easy as it used to be. “I don’t know. Met him at a bar one night. He was in Whitesville on business. I have no way of tracking him down.”
Pink returned to Lily’s cheeks. “Oh. You don’t know the father. You’re going to raise the baby alone?”
“Yep. I’ve always wanted children. This isn’t how I planned it, but we’re going to be happy, me and the wee one.”
Lily leaned against the counter and propped her chin on her hand. “I’m so glad Brad doesn’t want kids, because I don’t, either. I spent most of my teenage years raising my little sisters while my parents worked. It sucked. I figure I’ve paid my dues.” She opened the fridge and grabbed a handful of blueberries.
Jeanne hated her even more for snacking healthy. “Makes sense.”
Lily tossed a blueberry into her mouth. “Not that it matters. Brad sure is taking his sweet time getting me into bed.”
Jeanne dropped her measuring cup. “Really?” She figured they’d done the deed a long time ago. She’d agonized over it many a night.
“You think that’s bad? He tells me I’m special, and he doesn’t want to rush things. Never heard that before, so I figure it must be true.” She shrugged.
That would explain it. He likes her so much he doesn’t want to ruin things.
Lily had just finished her fruit when Brad walked into the kitchen. “My two favorite girls.” But he came to Jeanne first. “You okay today with your … stomach thing?”
“Lily knows. There’s really no hiding it anymore.” Jeanne stood up and spread her arms wide. “I’m officially in maternity clothes.”
“That’s another reason I’ll never have kids,” Lily said. “My sense of fashion would die a fast death.”
Jeanne leveled Brad with a knowing look. “Guess you finally found your perfect woman.”
Lily giggled, sidling over to Brad so she could loop her arm around his waist and squeeze hard. “We are perfect, aren’t we?”
He kissed her head, and Jeanne left the room. There was no way in hell she could tell him now. He’d found the perfect girl and loved her enough that he was waiting to do the deed. And Jeanne loved him enough not to let him know.
Chapter 19
AS THE WEEKS passed, Jeanne and Brad got very good at finding reasons not to be in the same room together. Even as they were prepping twenty-five Thanksgiving dinners, they spent little time together in the kitchen. Since Rita always closed the Jelly Jar on Thanksgiving, lots of folks without family had nowhere to go. So Brad and Jeanne opened up their banquet room to serve turkey and all the trimmings.
Brad was in a hurry to finish.
“Where are you off to at ten o’clock on Thanksgiving night?”
“I’m taking Lily out. It’s one of the biggest party nights of the year. We’re going in to Whitesville. We’re all set here, mind if I take off?”
“No problem. I’m going to stuff myself like a turkey with some of these leftovers and sleep until Saturday.”
“Good plan.” He took off his apron and made a beeline for the door.
Everyone she knew was visiting with family and friends. It was too late to drop in at nearly ten o’clock. She rubbed her belly. “It’s just us, kiddo.”
Since they’d baked too many sweet potato pies, Jeanne thought she’d surprise a few folks with a treat. She knew her sister would love one, and Lily’s grandma was always pestering them for some sweets. She scooped up two to drop off on the way home.
She called Becca, so she wouldn’t have to ring the doorbell and wake the baby.
The girl was waiting at the door with wiggly fingers. “Thank you! I swear I must be having sympathy pregnancy cravings on your behalf. I’m hungry all the time. You doing okay?”
“Yep.”
“I’m saving all my baby clothes for you, crossing my fingers it’s gonna be a girl.”
When she’d had her first ultrasound, Jeanne decided she didn’t want to know the gender of the baby. It would be a nice surprise.
She hugged Becca, grateful for the friends and family she did have, who would form some sort of ragtag extended family for her and her child.
She drove to Nancy’s and left a note on the pie, slipping it into her breezeway. But she knocked over a flowerpot, and the outside light flicked on.
“Shit,” she mumbled.
Lily came out, tying a robe around her nightgown. “Jeanne? What are you doing?”
“Dropping off an extra pie for your grandma. Wait—I thought Brad was taking you out?”
Lily blinked, her dark hair glowing in the moonlight, her eyes big and bright. The dang girl looked gorgeous no matter what time of day.
“No. He told me he’d be too tired after the Thanksgiving banquet.”
“But he left an hour ago to get you.” They stared at each other. “Guess he changed his mind,” Jeanne said quickly. “I gotta get home.”
Lily nodded slowly, undoubtedly working it out in her mind, and Jeanne went home to stare at the ceiling and wonder where Brad had really disappeared to.
BRAD WALKED into the Blue Moon Bar and frowned at the crowd of people. He could be here all night passing around her picture. There was probably no chance Jeanne’s guy was here on a holiday, but hopefully someone would remember her. He scooped up an empty seat at the bar and ordered a coke.
“Designated driver?” the bartender asked.
“Just trying to stay sane tonight.”
The bartender nodded, and Brad pulled Jeanne’s picture from his wallet. “I’m wondering if you saw this woman in your bar on April Fool’s Day.?”
The bartender looked at him funny, then picked up the picture. His eyes lit up. “Yeah, she was here. I remember joking with her about all the fools hitting on her that day.”
Brad struggled to swallow and took a deep breath. “Do you remember who she left with?”
“Yeah. She left with me.”
Brad knew his eyeballs must have been bulging, because the bartender stepped back and held up his hands. “Dude, we didn’t hook up. I left with her and got her a hotel room because she was planning on sleeping in her car in the parking lot, she was so drunk.”
“But who did she hook up with?” He willed himself to calm down and considered ordering a drink after all. “I’m not upset. She’s not my girlfriend. I just need to find the guy she was with.”
“There was no guy. In fact, she apologized for not hooking up with me.” He shrugged. “She said she was in love with her best friend, and that she’d never be able to settle for anyone else. Something like that.”
He was stunned for a moment and said nothing. “Are you sure someone didn’t meet her at the hotel later?”
“No way. She was passed out on the bed before I left. I swear I didn’t touch her.”
“Don’t worry. I believe you.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Thanks for taking care of her that night.”
“She’s a great gal. I hope her friend knows it.”
Brad sat in the parking lot for half an hour, trying to resolve this new information. Jeanne hadn’t hooked up with anyone. But she’d had sex with him. Brad drove to her house, the anger and hurt churning and growing in him like a thundercloud. She’d lied to him. Had she been planning on keeping this news from him forever?
He pulled into her driveway, determined to bust in and yell at her. Then his heart crumbled. He couldn’t yell at Jeanne. He was hurt and scared as hell, but he couldn’t imagine how she was feeling. But one thing was for certain—he didn’t have to worry about them being a couple anymore. He could never forgive her. He could never love a woman who’d l
ied to him like this.
JEANNE GOT TO work a little after nine the next morning and saw Brad’s car in the parking lot. Where had he been the night before? Had he been cheating on Lily? The Brad she knew would never do that. She may have been screaming-green jealous of Lily, but Lily didn’t deserve to be two-timed. She marched inside and plopped her purse on the counter, the jumble of lipsticks, loose change, and rolls of antacids making an impressive thud. “We need to talk.”
He crossed his arms and looked at her without a hint of a smile. “Yeah, we do.”
She pointed a finger at him, knowing this was going to come off like a scorned wife routine. “Where did you go last night? Because I dropped off a pie for Nancy, and Lily was home. You didn’t take her out. And I let it slip I thought you two had plans, so now she’s wondering, too.”
He didn’t seem concerned. “I was at the Blue Moon Bar. In Whitesville.”
“The Blue Moon?” Her stomach tumbled, and she sank onto a stool. “By yourself? Why?”
He walked toward her, his mouth tight, the veins in his neck popping out. “To find out who did this to you. To find the guy you hooked up with that night. I’ve been hitting all the bars in Whitesville for months, only to find out you didn’t hook up with anybody that night.” The words came out through clenched teeth. “The only person you’ve been with is me. You weren’t going to tell me that’s my baby?”
She looked at her feet, her shoulders curling in. “I tried. I wanted to. But you wouldn’t hear what I was trying to say. You couldn’t even consider the possibility.”
“Of course I couldn’t—we used protection!”
“It doesn’t always work.”
His eyes looked desperate and wild. “It didn’t break or anything.”
She had to look away. “Yeah, well, when you laid on top of me afterwards … things shrink, and there’s room for ambitious swimmers to get out.” She forced a cough. “I Googled it.” Biting her lip she looked up for his reaction.
He blinked at her, his face pale. “Shit. Shit!” He started pacing the room. “But still, you should’ve told me.”
She was on her feet, fists clenched. “See? That’s all you can say—shit. Or, that it’s a mistake, or that I’m in trouble. I know you don’t want a baby, and I didn’t want this to ruin things with you and Lily. She’s your perfect girl. She’s beautiful, in love with you, and doesn’t want kids. So don’t worry about me and the baby.” She jerked her thumb against her chest, jabbing a breast by mistake. She kept forgetting how big they’d gotten. They were always in the way.