“It’s fine.” He tried to believe it as he studied the menu, but couldn’t help being distracted by her conversation.
“Hello, Linda. I haven’t heard from you in a while. Yeah, I heard about that coup, you must be thrilled. November, that’s fast for such a big event. Well, yeah, that’s like a dream wedding for a planner.” The furrow between her brows deepened. “Oh, well, my contract here goes until September first. No, I couldn’t possibly. It’s complicated. Of course it would be an amazing opportunity.” There was a long pause and she picked at the edge of the menu. “Really? Wow, that’s generous. Yeah, I’ll think about it. Of course.” She glanced at Jeremy. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll get back to you. Thanks. You too.” She looked a little uncertain when she hung up the phone.
“What was that all about? One of your friends back home?” He tried to act nonchalant as he perused the menu, but couldn’t help looking back at her.
“It was my old boss. They have a major society wedding coming up this November and she wants me to work it with her.” She didn’t look up from her menu.
“That would be quite an accomplishment since you’re here.”
Delphi pursed her lips. “She invited me to come back to the business as a full partner when my contract expires here.”
He felt his stomach drop out. “Well, you’re not going, are you? You have work here. A job here. Family here.” Me here. She hadn’t made a commitment to stay after her year, but with things going so well, he had been sure she would
She wet her lips nervously. “I have all of that there too. And it’s where I grew up, near my mom when she’s struggling.”
His mind searched frantically for a response. “She might not be by September. It’s still three months away. And besides, she drives you crazy and doesn’t appreciate you.” Was he really only going to have three more months with her? Could that be enough? “Maybe she’ll decide to move somewhere else, to start over.”
Delphi shook her head. “Mom would never leave New York; it’s her home, her life.”
“And what about your home?” he asked, grabbing her hand in the hopes of drawing her attention to him. It worked. “I thought you were happy here, comfortable, getting to know your sisters. You know most of them, at least, aren’t going anywhere in September. Haven’t you been kept apart too much already?”
Her eyelids lifted and her blue eyes stared him down. “Is it really my sisters you’re worried about?” The question was soft, but serious.
Those three little words were on the tip of his tongue again and he nearly got them out, but they wouldn’t come. “You. I’m worried about you.”
She nodded, though she appeared disappointed. “Then know I’ll make the choice that I think is best for me.” She extracted her hand and picked up the menu again. “Do you know what you want to order?”
Food? She wanted him to think about food now, at a time like this? He stared blindly at the menu, seeing nothing. When the waitress returned, he pointed at something in the burger section, not caring what he got, then focused back on Delphi.
“I saw Ash again this morning,” she said as if she hadn’t just said she was going to leave him. “Lana brought him to the meeting—against Blake’s objections. He thinks Ash is too young to haul around the hotel. Ash is so adorable, and his hair is growing in thick. It’s obvious Blake is going to be one of those daddies wrapped around his kid’s finger. And Lana is every bit as bad.”
“Who wouldn’t be?” Jeremy asked. “He’s cute.” All he could think though was that Delphi was going to return to New York. Whatever this was, whether it was the big L word or just a small l, she was going to leave and he couldn’t stop her, because he wasn’t enough to hold her.
The rest of lunch conversation was stilted and he didn’t know what to say when she hurriedly excused herself to make more phone calls.
He paid the tab and headed for his car, still a little dazed.
“Hey, what are you doing here at this time of day?” Al asked as Jeremy walked into his father’s home before dinner the next night.
“I brought you some samples.” Jeremy set down three asphalt shingles on the kitchen table. “I’m thinking the brown, but I thought before I ordered them that you ought to get a say, seeing as how it’s your house.” He kept his expression bland—he wasn’t going to let his dad worm his way out of the roof repairs this time. His ordeal in the cave had taught him not to put things off, at least.
“I didn’t ask you to do this.”
“Nope, you didn’t, but it needs to be done. You can either make a decision and I’ll order the shingles, or I’ll make the decision and order them. You have leaks. You need a decent roof over your head.”
“Leave it be. I’ll take care of it when I get around to it.” Al turned back to the kitchen stove. An open box of macaroni and cheese sat beside him on the counter.
Jeremy steeled himself for a fight, but kept his voice even. “Last week you had words with me because I haven’t been open with you about what’s going on. You say you worry. I’m telling you now that I worry about you. The house needs repairs. You haven’t gotten to them for a few years. You need a new roof now, not in three years when you’ve damaged all of your ceilings from leaks. I need to know that you’re going to be protected through the winter. It’s part of my job as your son, so you’re going to have to deal with it. And you can tell me not to worry about you, but it won’t change anything.”
“You think I don’t take care of this place?” Al looked offended.
“I know you don’t.” Jeremy stopped for a second. “I know you miss Mom and Loren. So do I. Every day. But you haven’t changed one lamp or picture frame in all of these years. Don’t you think it’s time you replaced that ratty old couch or painted the house or something?”
Hurt and anger filled Al’s expression. “I’m not wallowing in the past, no matter what you think.”
Jeremy sucked in a breath and tried again. “Look, you choose how to live your life, and that’s fine. You’re doing better now than you were the first few years. I’m glad. But the roof has got to be done. You decide if you want to have a say in what happens or lend a hand, but it’s going to be done either way. Do you have an opinion about your roof color?”
“Is this really about roof color?” Al stared at him for a long moment, then looked down at the wooden spoon in his hands. “I’ve been thinking about what you said last time you were here. I have just been existing from day to day instead of really living. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you more when your mother died. You were just a kid and you needed me as much as I needed her.”
Jeremy stared at the table, playing with the edges of the shingle. “I get it, not completely, but I saw how it was for you. We were both crushed.”
“And I should have turned to you instead of to myself.”
“I had Vince and Gage.” They hadn’t been enough though. He’d needed his dad.
“Yeah, you did. I’m really glad of that. You turned out really good considering how screwed up everything was here. Your mom was my life and I lost her and I didn’t know what to do or how to function for the longest time. You’ll know when you meet the right girl.”
Jeremy froze, thinking of Delphi.
“Or have you already met her? I’m still hearing rumors about you and one of those DiCarlo girls. Delphinium is it?”
“Yeah, it’s Delphi.” A moment of silence passed before Jeremy spoke. “I think she might be the right girl. She sure keeps me on my toes. She’s bright and fun and organized as a general, gorgeous and just makes every minute better.” And she’s talking about moving back to New York.
“Then don’t let her go. If you love her and she makes you feel all of that, then hold tight. You don’t find that often.” Al lifted his eyebrows when Jeremy just stared at him. “What? I loved your mother. Our life together wasn’t perfect, but it was so good. We were so happy, up until Loren died. And eventually, even after that, we rebuilt things. It wasn’t the same
, but it was strong and good and we were happy again. If this Delphi makes you happy, you should hold tight. You don’t find that kind of love every day. It’s worth the risk.”
Jeremy thought it probably was. The thought of losing Delphi hurt too much. Was this what love felt like? “How do I know?”
“If she’ll do anything for you, and you’ll do anything for her, you’ll know.”
A memory of Delphi’s knees torn up from crawling across the cave floor, and the way he’d held her the next night when they had slept in her bed flashed through him. He would have given anything to have saved her from the pain. He slumped onto the chair beside him, reeling from the realization that he loved her.
“You okay?” Al asked.
“Yeah, just… thinking.” Jeremy shook his head and looked back at his father. He would have to deal with this later. When his dad wasn’t watching every expression cross his face. He focused back on the conversation. “How about you? Are you about ready to join the dating pool again?”
Al stirred the macaroni in his pot. “I might be at that. I’m thinking about it, anyway. There’s a woman I might ask out.”
“Good.
“And I agree, I like the brown.” Al gestured to the shingles again. “Go ahead and order. I’ll pick them up and pay for them when they arrive.” He turned back to his pot.
Jeremy felt like his head was whirling, but he had a few things to think about, and fast.
Delphi woke the morning of her birthday and wished she could just stay in bed. Rosemary would never allow it though, especially not when she had slaved over a birthday cake.
Claire was going to handle clients today so Delphi could just pop in to work for a while if she wanted and wouldn’t be required to stay, but now she wondered what she was going to do with the rest of her day. A bike ride sounded good if the weather cooperated. It would get her away from the house, from the memory of her father’s death—or at least where she could breathe without anyone watching her or banging on her bedroom door to make her socialize.
She pulled herself out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
When she came up to the main floor a while later, she looked out the window and groaned. It was raining. Raining! “Have I been so bad that I deserve rain today?” she asked Jonquil who was reading the paper and stirring eggs in a pan.
“Yes. You’ve been very mean and naughty and Karma is paying you back.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be an idiot. It’ll probably be over in an hour and thirty minutes later you can be out on your bike tearing up the road.”
Delphi studied her baby sister. “Sometimes you’re so perceptive it’s scary.”
“You’re welcome. There’s juice in the fridge.”
“Thanks.” Delphi when to pour a glass.
“I noticed your old bike hasn’t returned since you bought the BMW.”
Delphi turned, leaning back against the sink and watching Jonquil. “I’ve been trying to decide what to do about it all week. I got a call a couple of days ago from some kid who works at the bike shop. He’s looking for something to fix up and offered me a little money if I’m interested.”
“Are you going to take it?”
Delphi hadn’t been sure until that moment, torn about the decision. “I think so. The kid is young and eager. He’s excited to tear it apart and put it back together again. He reminds me of Fallon in that way. I think Fallon would like seeing his bike get new life. I probably won’t actually use it again, so this is better than junking it.” It hadn’t been an easy decision, but it felt good to her, even though it made her sad. It was just one more stop along the road to changing her life.
“Is Jeremy coming over for lunch?” Jonquil finally asked.
“Yes, he told me you asked him. He’s got a shoot this afternoon, though, so he can’t stay long.” She wondered if he could use a grunt to carry his equipment again. She didn’t want to be alone today, and she couldn’t impose on Jonquil to hang out and keep her company all day.
On the other hand, while he had admitted that their relationship was no longer no-strings-attached anymore, and things felt serious, he hadn’t said anything to indicate that he saw a real future for them. Was she wasting her time, growing closer to a man who was willing to let her go in a few months? She had hoped that the worry in his eyes when he learned about the offer from New York had been because he didn’t want her to go, but he didn’t say so.
Once she had hoped to return to her old job, and this was an even better position than she’d left. Did she want to go back to work for Linda? Was it still better than being here? Not if she had Jeremy, but if he couldn’t make a commitment to her, then she didn’t think she could stand to stay.
“You’re awfully thoughtful. What’s going on?” Jonquil plated up some scrambled eggs and toast and took the spot beside Delphi.
“Linda called me this week. She was my boss in New York. She offered me a better position than before, more money and more prestige. I’m trying to decide what I think about it.”
Jonquil didn’t say anything for a long moment. “You want to go back to New York?”
Delphi retrieved a glass from the cupboard, thinking juice sounded good. “I don’t know. I’ve been hoping for this opportunity since I came here, but when I left she wouldn’t promise me my job back. Now I have to decide whether I want to stay here or not.”
“Tough decision.” Jonquil’s words were deliberate and neutral.
Delphi poured herself a glass of juice. “What would you do if you could jump right back into your old job, your old life? As if all of this,” she waved her hand to encompass the kitchen, “never happened?”
“I can’t think like that. It did happen.” Jonquil shrugged a little. “I’m not the same person I was back then, and I really like it here. I like the job, the outdoor activities, having the sisters so close by. My brothers back home never seemed to really see me and heaven knows my baby sister Angela didn’t get me. I was Jonquil, the big sister whose dad came around sometimes, brought presents, took her on trips—trips they didn’t get to go on. We didn’t really bond—the age difference doesn’t help with that, but it’s not the only factor. There have been a lot of good things happen here for all of us.”
Delphi picked up a banana from the bunch in the fruit bowl and dug at the sticker. “Yeah, because Dad orchestrated our lives.” She wanted to be able to put her feelings about that in a little box, simple, clear and easy. But it wasn’t.
“And if you could have changed it all a year ago, you would have. Would you now?”
Delphi didn’t answer, considering for a long moment. Her dad had been bossy, arrogant and presumptive in sending them all to Juniper Ridge. But maybe he’d been right too. She liked being in charge, running the show. And it turned out her sisters weren’t so bad, after all. In fact, she was really starting to like them. Most of the time.
She didn’t know how she would mesh back into Linda’s organization. She liked heading the department herself, and might be interested in opening her own wedding planner service, but she might be fine staying right where she was, too. “Sometimes I hate that he was right so often. Do you think maybe he had some of that precognition stuff that Sage is always throwing around? Otherwise I can’t figure out how he didn’t royally screw things up, bringing us all together like this. And involving the guys. Seriously, it’s unbelievable.”
“The guys?” Jonquil asked.
Delphi smiled and leaned across the kitchen island to look Jonquil in the eye. “You know how Gage and Jeremy hated us both on sight? That’s because Dad decided we would make good couples—and he made the mistake of telling them.”
Jonquil had been lifting a spoonful of eggs to her mouth, but let it drop back to the bowl, staring at Delphi. “Dad thought about Gage and me? That sneaky little bastard.” She considered for a moment, then resumed eating, much more thoughtfully. “You think he was right?”
“Apparently he was right about everyone else.” Delphi frowned. “Of cou
rse, he may not have been banking on Jeremy’s refusal to make a commitment.”
“You’ve talked to him about getting married?” Jonquil asked slyly.
“No. But he knows about the job offer in New York and he didn’t say anything about wanting me to stay, either. Why wouldn’t he tell me he doesn’t want me to go if he cares about me?”
Jonquil swallowed and set down her fork. “Because he’s a scared little boy. Quit being such a pansy and tell him how you feel. If you’re both waiting for someone else to make the move nothing will happen.”
Easy for Jonquil to say. “Nice. And that hard-core crush you’ve been sporting for Gage? Are you going to do anything about it?”
Jonquil smiled to herself. “He just might find out what happens when he tangles with fate.”
Delphi wished it was that easy, but decided breakfast and a thorough cleaning of the house were in order. If she wasn’t going for a ride, she might as well clean for their guests.
The sun was still hiding behind dark clouds but the house was so spotless it gleamed by the time everyone began arriving for the party. Each couple showed up together, Rosemary and Harrison with Cleo in tow and Lana and Blake bringing up the rear with their baby, but Jeremy still wasn’t there.
Delphi smiled at her sister and brother-in-law, poked back the blanket over the baby carrier to look at her niece, and pretended that she wasn’t primarily waiting for the one person who didn’t call himself family. Maybe he had decided since Jonquil had made the invitation that Delphi didn’t really want him there? She still wasn’t sure why she hadn’t asked him herself, unless she was just trying to forget the day existed.
Rosemary and Jonquil were in the kitchen area talking and setting out the food Rosemary had picked up from the hotel restaurant. Their laughter filled the room, making the day seem somehow weirder than before. Their dad had died a year ago on this date and everything had changed.
Wild Hearts (The DiCarlo Brides) Page 24