Ann-Marie sighed. “I’m sorry that I overreacted,” she said grudgingly. “It was just seeing you after all this time. It was the last thing I expected when I opened the door.”
Bobby met her gaze. “Believe me, I can understand that.” For just an instant the old chemistry was there. There wasn’t anything sexual about it, though. It had more to do with a memory of the way they’d once been able to read each other’s thoughts. The silence grew until Anna-Louise cut in.
“There are some groups at church J.C. might enjoy,” she said.
Ann-Marie broke eye contact with Bobby and nodded. “I’ll speak to Lonnie and to J.C.” For the first time, she regarded Jenna with an expression of real regret. “I’m sorry your daughter was scared. But J.C. would never have hurt her.”
“But he did,” Jenna replied. “Sometimes words and threats can be just as terrifying when you’re only nine.”
“And alone J.C. might not harm another kid, but if he’s being goaded by older, meaner youngsters, there’s no telling what he might do to fit in,” Anna-Louise warned.
“Trust me, we will deal with this,” Ann-Marie said firmly, sounding as if she was no longer in denial.
Bobby gave her a curt nod of satisfaction. “We’ll be going, then.”
Outside, he forced a smile at Jenna and Anna-Louise. “After this, the rest are going to be a piece of cake.”
Jenna regarded him sympathetically. “We don’t have to see all of the other parents tonight.”
“Yes, we do,” Bobby insisted. “Otherwise, J.C. will talk to his buddies, find out no one’s been to see their parents, and Ann-Marie will conclude that we did single out J.C. because of past history.”
“Bobby has a point,” Anna-Louise said.
Jenna’s gaze remained locked with his. “You’re sure?”
He nodded. “Like I said, after this, the others will be a piece of cake.”
Besides, the longer he could postpone thinking about Ann-Marie’s revelation about the timing of her pregnancy, the better off he would be. He’d had a whole half hour of being almost over his resentment of what had happened years ago, when she’d dropped that little bomb-shell. Now he wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Maybe nothing. It was as if the part of him that had stirred to life when he’d met Jenna had just died all over again. Of all the things he’d hated Ann-Marie for, it had never occurred to him that she might have gotten pregnant with Lonnie’s baby while she was still engaged to him.
Jenna couldn’t help slanting worried looks at Bobby for the rest of the evening. He was right, none of the other visits were half as fraught with tension as their meeting with Ann-Marie. They bumped into a lot of denial, but she’d been pleased that not one single parent had reacted with indifference. Once convinced of the seriousness of the problem thanks to Anna-Louise’s calm, persuasive statements, each and every one had agreed to separate their sons from the other troublemakers.
As they left the last home, Anna-Louise looked pleased. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the divide-and-conquer strategy works,” she said. “And maybe some of these boys will get involved in other activities that will work off some of their misdirected energy.”
“We can always pray,” Bobby said wryly.
Anna-Louise grinned at him. “Now you’re talking. Okay, you two, I’m exhausted and I have an impatient husband who’s probably waiting at home to be fed.”
“Daisy said she’d keep something warm until we got there to pick up Darcy. You could call Richard and come along with us,” Bobby suggested. “Richard could meet us there.”
“Thanks just the same, but I’d like to be alone with my husband, if you know what I mean,” the pastor said with a wink.
Jenna chuckled at Bobby’s startled expression. “I think we both know exactly what you mean,” she said.
“Not that I needed to,” Bobby said with heartfelt dismay. “By all means, though, go home. Do you need a ride?”
“Nope. It’s only a few blocks, and the walk will do me good.”
After she’d gone and they were on their way to Daisy’s, Jenna looked at Bobby. “She really is amazing, isn’t she? I’ve never known anyone like her. Not only does she radiate sort of an inner goodness, but she puts herself on the line and gets involved. The church and the community are lucky to have her.”
“I can’t speak for the church,” Bobby said, “but the town surely is. And Richard is making his own kind of contribution by publishing a newspaper that doesn’t flinch at taking tough stands on local issues.”
“You don’t go to her church?” Jenna asked, surprised. “From something Daisy said, I thought your whole family did.”
“I haven’t been much lately,” Bobby said, his expression neutral.
The reason finally dawned on Jenna. “Because of your former fiancée.”
He nodded, but before she could say anything more, he held up his hand. “I’m not going to discuss any of that and I would appreciate it if you didn’t bring it up around Daisy. My sister will pester me to death about it. In case you haven’t noticed, Daisy is a nag.”
“I hadn’t noticed, but I certainly won’t say a word if that’s what you want.”
“It is,” he said flatly.
“Can I say one more thing, though, before we let the matter drop?”
Bobby sighed. “Could I stop you?”
She returned his resigned look evenly. “Yes.”
He gave her a disbelieving look, then laughed. “In return for that astounding offer, you deserve to have your say. What is it?”
“A woman who would sleep with her fiancé’s best friend is no loss. If she did it before the wedding, she would have done it after. Lonnie did you a favor, Bobby. Try to remember that and keep what she told you tonight in perspective. She only said it to hurt you all over again.”
For the longest time, Bobby didn’t respond. Jenna thought perhaps she had gone too far, touched an open wound she had no business being anywhere near.
When he finally did meet her gaze again, something had changed. He almost looked at peace.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “Daisy said something like that to me once—she was the only one in the family who even dared to broach the subject—but I dismissed it because she was family and therefore biased. Hearing it from an objective outsider actually helps.”
“I’m glad. I may not know you very well, and we may have our own differences to work through, but I know one thing, Bobby Spencer. You’re one of the good guys. Ann-Marie’s the idiot.” She grinned at him and deliberately set out to lighten the mood as they pulled up in front of Daisy’s. “And just so you know, I intend to test your tolerance by pestering you until you agree to look at my complete proposal for the boardwalk. I should have it finished in another day or two. I’m not an architect or an artist, but I think you’ll be able to get the idea.”
He cut the car’s engine and turned to face her. “Funny thing about that,” he said. “You’ve been giving me ideas since the moment we met.”
His gaze met hers, and suddenly something between them shifted. Anticipation simmered between them. He reached out and skimmed her cheek with unsteady fingers. A shudder washed through Jenna even before he lowered his head and touched his lips to hers.
The kiss was fleeting, no more than a quick skim of heated flesh across heated flesh. It couldn’t possibly have meant anything, yet Jenna’s heart thundered; it hadn’t been deep or lingering or demanding, but it had been better than all of Nick Kennedy’s most dangerous kisses rolled into one.
Bad idea, she thought a little desperately as she reached for the door handle and fled the car. She was still fighting for composure when Bobby joined her on the sidewalk. Kisses were the one sure way to mess up a business proposition. The waters surrounding this project of hers were muddy enough without bringing hormones into play. If—no, when, she thought fiercely—Bobby agreed to let Pennington and Sons have the job, she wanted there to be absolutely no doubt in her own mind about how s
he’d won the contract.
“That can’t happen again,” she said staunchly, eyeing him with a determined look.
“It shouldn’t,” he agreed, though there was amusement lurking in the depths of his eyes as he met her gaze. “But something tells me it will.”
Yeah, Jenna thought ruefully. She was pretty sure of the same thing. Something that felt that good, that wicked, was going to beg to be repeated. And her track record for resisting temptation wasn’t exactly sterling.
Five pairs of expectant eyes looked up when Bobby and Jenna eventually walked into Daisy’s kitchen. Bobby saw his sister take in Jenna’s flushed face and could almost read her mind. Daisy was leaping to conclusions faster than King would have if he’d been on the premises. Bobby frowned at her, though he doubted his forbidding expression would dampen Daisy’s enthusiasm for whatever theory she’d come up with.
“You two have been lurking around outside for a long time,” Walker commented, no doubt echoing his wife’s thoughts. “Anything going on we need to know about?”
Bobby’s scowl deepened. “We were just discussing everything that happened tonight,” he said flatly. “That’s it.”
“Must have been a lively conversation,” Walker noted with a pointed glance at Jenna.
The flush in Jenna’s cheeks deepened, but she kept her gaze perfectly level with Walker’s. “Indeed, it was,” she agreed briskly, turning her back to pour herself a glass of tea at the counter.
“How’s everything here?” she asked over her shoulder. “Darcy, have you been behaving for Daisy and Walker?”
“She’s been an absolute angel,” Daisy said at once. “She, Tommy and Pete helped me fix dinner. Darcy made the biscuits. Sit down and have something before everything gets cold.”
Daisy’s command forced Jenna to turn around. The bright patches of color in her cheeks had faded, but there was still a hint of guilt in her eyes. Bobby pulled out a chair for her, then took the empty seat beside her.
“Looks good,” he told Daisy. “I’m relieved there’s some left. I’m starved.”
“Can we go outside?” Tommy pleaded. “We’ve eaten everything on our plates.”
Daisy made an elaborate pretense of studying the plates, then shooed the three of them outside. “I’ll call you when it’s time for dessert.” As the screen door slammed behind, she shouted, “And stay away from the river!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tommy shouted back as if he’d heard it a million times before.
“How did the meetings with the parents go?” Walker asked. “Daisy filled me in.”
“We ran into some heavy denial,” Bobby admitted. “But I think they’d all come around by the time we left. Just in case, though, alert Tucker and the other deputies to keep an eye out if they see these kids congregating again.”
“Will do,” Walker agreed at once.
All during the exchange, Bobby noted that his sister’s gaze never once left his face. He could practically hear the wheels turning in her head.
“Well?” she prodded finally. “What about Ann-Marie?”
“I included her when I said how all the parents reacted,” he said defensively. “And that’s all I intend to say on that subject.”
“Bobby,” Daisy protested.
“Daisy,” he mimicked.
His sister heaved a heartfelt sigh. “Okay, I won’t pry.”
“Ha!” he muttered, but reached for her hand. “Thanks, sis.”
“Wait till Daddy hears about this, though,” she murmured.
Bobby stilled. “Why would Daddy have to hear a single word about any of this?”
Daisy regarded him with an impatient look. “Because this is Trinity Harbor. Word will leak out that you went to see Ann-Marie. I guarantee you that he’ll know about it by morning. I also guarantee that he will be on your doorstep wondering whether you’ve taken leave of your senses.” She grinned. “What do you think, Jenna? Is my brother of sound mind?”
Jenna laughed. “I can see why there might be cause to question it, but in general, I’d have to say yes.”
“I agree,” Walker said.
Bobby scowled at the lot of them. “Well, thank you for the testimonials. I’ll be sure to call you as witnesses when Daddy starts to cross-examine me. Everyone free in the morning?”
“Not me,” Jenna said at once. “I’m finishing those sketches.”
Walker held up his hands. “I’m on duty tomorrow.”
Bobby glanced at his sister. “You? You have someplace better you need to be?”
“Nope. It’s summer vacation. I’m free as a bird.”
“Good. Then you can meet me at Earlene’s for breakfast and we can preempt Daddy’s visit to the yacht center. We’ll have this whole discussion over and done with by eight o’clock.”
“I think you’re being overly optimistic,” she said. “But I’ll be there.” She glanced around the table. “Everybody ready for dessert? I baked a strawberry-rhubarb pie and there’s vanilla ice cream to go with it.”
Walker’s eyes lit up. “Now you’re talking.”
“Should I call the kids?” Jenna asked.
“No,” Bobby and Walker said in a chorus. At her startled look, they both grinned.
“More for us,” Bobby explained. “You’ll understand once you’ve tasted Daisy’s strawberry-rhubarb pie.”
Daisy shook her head. “You two men are such pigs. Neither one of you likes to share, which, I might add, sets a very bad example. But that is exactly why I baked two pies. Jenna, call the kids.”
Bobby sat back as Jenna stepped outside and hollered for Darcy, Tommy and Pete. The three of them came racing inside, filling the kitchen with the sound of laughter. The commotion could have been overwhelming, but he loved it. He realized just how much he wanted all of this for himself.
Once Ann-Marie had devastated him by turning to his best friend, Bobby had pushed all thoughts of marriage and family firmly aside. He’d run off to Europe to study cooking, burying himself in the excitement and adventure of being on his own in France and Italy, of learning the skills of his trade from a range of international master chefs.
By the time he’d come back to Trinity Harbor, he’d thought his heart was healed, but back then one glimpse of Ann-Marie with her new little family had been enough to tear him apart all over again. From that moment on, he’d shut himself off emotionally. He’d bought the yacht center and buried himself in the work it took to turn it around and make it a successful restaurant and marina. Then he’d begun acquiring riverfront property.
But his workaholic days were over, he thought, watching Jenna move to Daisy’s side to help her scoop ice cream onto the pie. She fit in here, he realized with a sense of amazement. He barely knew her. She’d only met his sister a few days ago. And yet right here and now, he could imagine her being in his life forever.
The fact that such a thought had even crossed his mind scared the hell out of him.
He glanced across the table and saw Walker studying him with a commiserating look.
“Goner,” Walker mouthed silently, his amusement plain.
Bobby cast a surreptitious glance back at Jenna, then turned back to his brother-in-law with a shrug. Why even bother to deny it?
Still, he leaned in Walker’s direction and said in a low voice, “You say one word to my sister and you will live to regret it.”
Walker laughed. “My lips are sealed,” he said, his grin spreading. “For now.”
Daisy paused as she was about to set a plate in front of her husband. “Sealed about what?” she said, eyeing the two of them curiously.
Walker tugged her into his lap and snagged the plate. “It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, would it?”
Heat flared at once in Daisy’s eyes. “Oh, I think I know how to get it out of you,” she said, then stood up primly and straightened her T-shirt, pulling it just a little tighter across her breasts in the process. “But that can wait till later.”
“Hey, you two,” Bobby prote
sted. “There are children in the room, to say nothing of the fact that I’m here. There are some things a brother does not need to see.”
Daisy winked at him. “And some that could be a lesson to him,” she teased.
Bobby glanced at Jenna, who was watching the byplay with evident fascination. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”
11
King stared at the headline on the front page of The Trinity Harbor Weekly and muttered a curse. There it was again. His family was stirring up talk all over town. It was getting so he was afraid to show his face.
Despite that, he braced himself for a barrage of questions and headed for Earlene’s. Right after he had a substantial breakfast, he intended to find his son and ask a few questions of his own, such as why Bobby had gotten it into his head to pay a visit to that trollop who’d humiliated him all those years ago. King had heard all about the social call Bobby had paid on Ann-Marie the night before…while her husband wasn’t home, no less. What none of those reporting had seemed to know was why the ice had thawed between those two after all these years.
He spotted Pete and the rest of his buddies in their usual booth by the window, but before he could join them, he was waylaid by his son. King frowned at Bobby, not at all sure he wanted to get into the various private matters he’d intended to discuss right here in public. He’d figured once he’d listened to more of the gossip he’d have time to work up a really good head of steam before having his little face-to-face with Bobby over at the yacht center.
“What are you doing here?” King groused.
“Same as you, I imagine,” Bobby retorted cheerfully. “Having breakfast. Daisy’s with me. Care to join us?”
Though it had been phrased as a question, King got the distinct impression that Bobby didn’t intend to take no for an answer. King cast a longing look at his friends, then shrugged. “Might as well,” he said and followed his son.
He frowned at the sight of Daisy’s expectant, amused expression. “What’s this? Some kind of ambush or something?”
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