Suddenly One Summer (18 page)

Reid knew that feeling all too well. “You’re doing something now. You’re protecting Lexie. You’ve given up your life to do that.”

“It’s not enough.”

“It’s a hell of a lot. You’re that little girl’s salvation.”

“I hope so. I want to give Lexie the life that Kelly wanted her to have, but I know I’ll be a poor replacement. I’m not her mother. And I know what it feels like to lose a mother. I wasn’t much older than Lexie when my mom died.”

“How did she die?” Reid asked.

“A car accident. She was supposed to play at our church on Christmas Eve—she was a pianist, too.

On the way, her car hit an icy patch and flipped over. She was killed instantly.” She drew in a shaky breath.
“I’ve lost two people in a second. Twice I didn’t say good-bye. I don’t want to take anyone else for granted.”

Reid stared at the bonfire. He knew exactly what she meant. But what the hell were good-byes worth, anyway? What mattered was what came before the end. He didn’t regret not saying good-bye to Allison. He regretted involving her in his life.

“Do you mind if we change the subject?” Jenna asked.

“Definitely not,” he said, relieved.

“How is your article coming? Have you started to believe in angels yet?”

“I have not been converted, no.”

“You’re a tough nut to crack.”

“I’m a realist. You’re not going to tell me you believe there are angels flying around the cliffs, are you?”

“It’s an intriguing thought.”

He shook his head. “The angel video could have been easily constructed with special effects available on any personal computer. The markings on the cliff could be the result of the tides, the winds, natural erosion.”

She tilted her head, a quizzical look in her eyes. “Is that what you’re going to write in your article?”

He smiled. “Hell, no. Erosion doesn’t sell magazines. I’m going to relate all the wonderful tales I’ve heard about miracle experiences, and let people think what they want.”

“Even though you don’t believe?”

He shrugged. “I’m reporting what people tell me. I’m not their judge and jury.”

“My mother used to say that you can’t find hope if you’re not looking up. Maybe that’s why everyone’s gaze is on the sky.” Jenna stretched out to rest on her elbows, her head tilted upward. “It’s a beautiful night. Try it, Reid.”

“I’ve seen the sky before.”

“Not this night’s sky, not with me. Come on. What do you have to lose?”

He hesitated one more second, and then followed suit, stretching out on the blanket. He’d lost hope and faith and all that other shit a long time ago. It was true that he’d spent most of the past eleven months looking down, but he didn’t think gazing at the sky would change his attitude. He had to admit he was surprised by the multitude of stars, though, more than he could ever remember seeing.

He’d grown up in a big city where skyscrapers and city lights drowned out the stars. He liked the energy, the rush, the adrenaline of the busy streets. But there were downsides to that, too. In Angel’s Bay people knew one another. They cared about their neighbors. They had hope, he realized. And just as Jenna had predicted, he was starting to feel that hope seep into his bones.

“Kelly used to know the constellations,” Jenna said. “I can never remember what they are. That group of stars looks like a lion, don’t you think?”

“I think you see whatever you need to see,” Reid replied, surprising himself with the same words that
had once come out of Henry’s mouth. If he didn’t get out of Angel’s Bay soon, he had a feeling he’d lose all sense of reason.

“I need to see Kelly’s face,” Jenna continued, the sad note back in her voice. “I need to know I’m doing what she wanted.”

His hand slid across the blanket, covering hers. “You are, Jenna, and you already know that. You don’t need an angel to tell you. You don’t need me to tell you.”

“Thanks anyway,” she said quietly.

“You’re welcome.” With his fingers intertwined with hers, he felt connected again—to the world, to his life, and most importantly, to her. The connection scared the hell out of him.

He pulled his hand away from hers and sat up just as Lexie and her friend came racing over to them. Lexie’s face was lit up like a Christmas tree. She had sand clinging to her cheeks and probably in her hair, but there was a simple joy in her eyes. Jenna had given Lexie this moment, this feeling of being safe and protected. Reid hoped she could see that.

“We’re going to make s’mores,” Lexie said excitedly.

“What’s that?” Jenna asked.

“You don’t know?” the little girl with Lexie asked, clearly astonished. “You take two graham crackers and put a piece of chocolate in the middle and then a melted marshmallow. It’s
really
good.”

“Do you want one?” Lexie asked.

“I don’t think—” Jenna began.

“She’d love one,” Reid said. “And so would I. Come on, Jenna.” He pulled her to her feet.

“I really don’t think I want one,” she said to him. “It sounds disgusting.”

“Trust me: you do, and it’s not.” He led her over to the picnic table where the s’mores were under construction. Lexie and her friend were already busy making their own.

“It looks messy,” Jenna said, with a wrinkle of her nose.

“Messy can be good.” He picked up two graham crackers and handed them to her. Then he grabbed a piece of chocolate and slid a half-melted marshmallow off a stick. “You put the chocolate down, then the marshmallow over that,” he instructed. “Now bite.”

She gave him a doubtful look but took a bite. He watched the look of delight come over her face, and felt more proud and pleased than he had in a long time. “Well?”

“Excellent,” she said with surprise, her mouth full of marshmallow. “This is fantastic!”

“Told you.”

“I can’t believe I never had one of these. And I can’t imagine how many calories are in this.”

“Don’t imagine. Just enjoy.” He leaned over and took a bite.

“Hey, get your own,” she complained.

“You wouldn’t have even tried this if I hadn’t dragged you over here. Now you don’t want to share?”

“No, but thank you for bringing me over here. Now get your own,” she told him with a laugh. She popped the rest of the cracker into her mouth.

“I’ve got a better idea.” He grabbed her finger and licked off the remaining chocolate. Her eyes darkened with desire, and his heart thumped against his rib cage.

Jenna jerked her hand away, grabbed a napkin off the table, and wiped off her hands. Whatever she’d been feeling for the brief second that had passed between them, she’d shut it down.

He followed her across the beach. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she told him as she sat down with an angry flounce. “Anyone could have seen you.”

“So what?” he asked, sitting next to her.

“So I don’t need the attention.”

“No one was watching.”

“You don’t know that,” she said, her gaze sweeping the beach. “I always feel like someone is watching.”

“That’s your fear talking. But even if someone saw us, what’s the crime? You’re living as a widow. I’m a single guy. We can share a kiss. We can share whatever we want.”

“No, we can’t. You’re leaving in a day or two, and I’m on the run with a small child. I’m not in a position to get involved with anyone, even if you wanted that, which I’m sure you don’t. This isn’t the time to start anything, even anything casual.”

“Who says it would be casual?” he challenged, not sure why he threw the words out. But they were on the table, and he couldn’t take them back.

“Because you’re not a serious relationship kind of guy, and I’m not a one-night-stand kind of woman.”

He would have liked to argue that she had him wrong, but unfortunately she was on the money where his relationships were concerned. For the past year he had steered clear of anything longer than one night. If he were honest, he would admit that had been the case for most of his life. He didn’t know how to stay. His years in foster care had taught him to leave before someone left him. He’d never been able to trust that a relationship would work any other way. So he didn’t put himself in that position. He didn’t put his heart on the line.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Jenna prodded.

“I’ve spent most of my life pursuing my career.”

“Your career as a freelance tabloid reporter?” she asked with a disbelieving raise of her eyebrow.

“I’ve worked a few other places.”

“Like…”

He sighed.
“The New York Times,
the
San Francisco Chronicle,
and most recently
The Washington D.C. Journal.”

“Very impressive. So why the fall?”

“Who said it was a fall? Maybe I just wanted a change.”

“And maybe I’m not a fool. Come on, Reid. I know there’s something going on with you. Your intensity, your personality, your drive—it doesn’t add up to your current job.” She looked long and hard at him. “I get the feeling that you’re running away from something, too.”

“I’m just here doing my job.”

“No. I may have been a little self-involved in the past, too caught up in my own problems to consider what other people were going through, but that changed when I grabbed Lexie and ran. I can’t afford not to notice what’s going on with other people now. So talk to me, Reid. Tell me your story.”

He didn’t know how to answer that question. He certainly didn’t feel like confessing his sins to Jenna. Fortunately he was saved by Lexie’s reappearance. The kid had chocolate smeared across her mouth, but she was holding something out in her hand. It looked like a pebble, but then he saw blood. He tensed, until he heard Lexie say, “My tooth came out! Look.”

“Wow,” Jenna said. “I guess it got stuck in the s’mores.” She took the tooth out of Lexie’s palm. “Why don’t I hang on to this for you?”

“Do you think the tooth fairy will be able to find me?” Lexie asked, worry in her eyes. “What if she can’t?”

“The tooth fairy can find anyone.” Jenna pulled a tissue out of her purse and wrapped up the tooth, then applied another tissue to Lexie’s face. “Trust me, she’ll come when you’re fast asleep in dreamland.”

“Do you think so, too?” Lexie asked Reid.

“Absolutely,” he said.

Lexie gave him a thoughtful look, as if she were judging the truthfulness of his answer. “Okay. I’m going to watch the fireworks with Kimmy’s family, all right? They have a better spot.” Lexie pointed across the beach. Kimmy’s mother gave a wave in return.

“Fine, but stay right there. I mean it, Lexie—no running off to look for angels,” Jenna warned.

“I won’t. I promise.” Lexie took off at a dead run.

“She’s a bundle of energy,” Jenna said to Reid. “Kelly was like that, too. Thank God that tooth came out. I was terribly afraid I would have to pull it, and while there are some parts of motherhood I’m able to handle, yanking out loose baby teeth is not my idea of fun.” She paused, giving a shake of her head. “But we were talking about how you went from the
Journal
to
Spotlight Magazine
.”

“It doesn’t matter how, because I’m here now. And I’m not looking back; I’m not looking forward. I’m just concentrating on the present.”

Jenna started as a testing sky rocket lit up the night. She turned her head and the moonlight caught the stark beauty of her face. Reid drew in a quick breath. Her dark hair flowed loosely about her shoulders, and he was tempted to pull her hair to one side and kiss the curve of her neck.

“I guess the fireworks are starting,” Jenna said as the crowd began to murmur with excitement.

“I think they already started—for me, anyway,” he murmured.

She turned her head and met his gaze. “Reid. Don’t.”

Fireworks rattled the sky, a shower of red, gold, blue sparkles lighting the air, shimmering to the ground. They were nowhere near as spectacular as the fireworks going off in his head.

“I can’t resist.” He leaned over and stole a kiss.
Her mouth was soft, her breath warm. He wanted more.

She put a hand against his chest, but she didn’t push him away. Instead her fingers curled in the material of his shirt. “Someone will see.”

“No one is looking at us.”

“Lexie—”

“Is fine,” he said, lowering his head again. “Relax. Live for the moment. It’s allowed.”

“Maybe one moment,” she murmured. “But that’s all.”

Jenna went back for a lot more than one kiss before she finally pushed Reid away. Her pulse was pounding, her lips tingling, and her body was more than ready to take things a lot further. Judging by the look in Reid’s eyes, he was, too.

“Jenna…” he began.

“Don’t say anything,” she whispered as the fireworks exploded in a climactic frenzy. The crowd cheered as the last colors rained out of the sky. She got to her feet, drawing in several deep breaths of air as she did so. Her eyes sought out Lexie, who was with the Coopers, thank goodness.

Reid moved in behind her, his breath warm on her neck. It wouldn’t take much for her to lean back against his chest, for him to slide his hands around her waist, for her to turn her head ever so slightly…

“Kissing me isn’t a crime,” Reid said.

“This isn’t me. I’m breaking all the rules.”

“What rules?”

“No public displays of emotion or affection. No scandals. No wrong notes. No bad hair days. No breakdowns. No forgetting what I’m supposed to do, who I’m supposed to be.”

“Those sound like your father’s rules. You can choose your own, Jenna.” Reid put his hand on her waist. “Stop worrying so much,” he whispered by her ear. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

She put her hand over his, and the warmth of his fingers seeped into her soul. Why this man? Why now, when she had so many other things to deal with?

As usual, the universe wasn’t including her in its plans. She was just going along for a very wild ride.

As the fireworks ended, the crowd began to break up. Jenna stepped away from Reid as Kara and Colin walked over to them. She was grateful for their interruption.

Kara’s face was glowing, and Colin had his arm around his wife as if he never intended to let her go. If the word
happiness
had a picture next to it in the dictionary, it would be an image of Kara and Colin.

“Hey there, Jenna,” Kara said with a smile. “Weren’t the fireworks spectacular?”

“They were amazing,” Jenna replied.

“Spectacular,” Reid agreed.

Jenna heard the smile in his voice and knew he wasn’t thinking about the fireworks. She felt a blush warm her cheeks and hoped no one noticed.

“I don’t think we’ve met.” Kara gave Reid a curious look. “I’m Kara Lynch, and this is my husband, Colin.”

“Reid Tanner.” He stepped forward to shake Kara’s hand. Reid offered his hand to Colin next, but Colin simply scowled at him.

Kara glanced up at her husband. “What’s wrong with you? You’re being rude.”

“We’ve already met,” Colin told his wife. “He was one of the men in the bar fight last night.”

“I thought one of the Harlan brothers punched you.” Kara frowned at Reid. “You’re not the one who put that bruise on my husband’s face, are you?”

“No,” Reid replied. “I am sorry about the fight. The Harlan brothers misunderstood my desire to get across the room as being impolite. They assumed that I had shoved one of them, which wasn’t the case. Unfortunately, when someone takes a swing at me, I swing back.”

Colin’s scowl lifted as he gave a nod. “Roger and Bill have hot tempers; always have. I got into my share of misunderstandings with them when we were kids. I’d suggest you steer clear of them when they’re drinking. Otherwise, they’re not bad guys.” He stuck out his hand. “I guess I should officially welcome you to Angel’s Bay. What’s your business here? Or are you just vacationing?”

“I’m covering the angels for a magazine.”

Colin tipped his head in acknowledgment. “I’m a big fan of our local legends, but I wouldn’t mind if the angels disappeared for a while. We’ve had more vandalism this weekend than we’ve had in a long time. A few break-ins, too. So make sure you lock your doors at night. We’re stepping up patrols, but
there are a lot of strangers in town and I’ll be happy when they go home. Speaking of which…” Colin glanced down at his wife. “We should go. The baby needs to sleep.”

“Does that mean we’ll be going right to sleep?” Kara asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“We’ll have to see how tired you are,” Colin said with a laugh, as he brushed a strand of hair from her face in a tender gesture.

“Bye, Jenna,” Kara said as her husband led her away.

“They’re a nice couple,” Jenna commented. “Very much in love.”

Reid didn’t answer. He seemed lost in thought.

“Reid?” she prodded. “What are you thinking?”

“I was just considering what Colin said about vandalism. It makes me wonder if there’s a link between the break-ins, the video, the angel fanatics, and the symbols on the cliff. I don’t know how anyone could get to that cliff face now; there are too many eyes on it. But even though the angels haven’t appeared in at least a week, no one seems to be going home.”

“I guess faith doesn’t have a time limit. And here I thought I was your favorite story,” she added lightly.

He smiled at her. “I can multitask.” His expression grew serious. “About your story, Jenna. What about confiding in Colin?”

“Absolutely not. He might be a good guy, but he’s also a cop. It’s too big a risk.”

“One you may have to take.”

He might be right, but she wasn’t ready to make that decision. “I’ll think about it. Right now, I need to get Lexie home.” She picked up the blanket and shook out the sand.

“I’ll walk back with you,” Reid said as volunteers began breaking down the tables next to the bonfire.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll say good night at the door.”

She didn’t believe him for a second. “You are too good at talking me into things I don’t want to do.”

He grinned. “Oh, I think you want to do them; you just need a little encouragement.”

“You’re very cocky, did you know that?”

“I’ve been told,” he said.

Jenna sighed. Reid was pretty irresistible. The more she knew about him, the better she liked him, cockiness and all.

A moment later Lexie came running over, talking a mile a minute about the fireworks show. When she finally slowed down to take a breath, Jenna said, “I’m glad you had fun, but it’s way past your bedtime. We need to go home.”

“Kimmy said I could come over to her house tomorrow if I want,” Lexie volunteered. “She has swings in her backyard. I really like to swing.”

Jenna blew out a breath. There seemed to be no end to the many things Lexie wanted to do that would take her away from Jenna’s protective care, which was normal, and somehow she’d have to find a way to deal. “Let’s talk about that in the morning.”

As they headed up the stairs from the beach, Jenna saw Lexie grab Reid’s hand as she talked about her favorite fireworks. Reid was good with Lexie. He talked
to
her, not down to her, and Lexie blossomed under his smile. She probably missed the presence of a father figure in her life, but it worried Jenna that Lexie might get attached to Reid. He was only temporary; she’d have to make sure that Lexie understood that.

About two blocks from the beach, Lexie’s energy gave out. She stopped walking abruptly and raised her arms in the air.

“I’m tired. Could you give me a piggyback ride?” Lexie asked Reid.

“Sure.” Reid squatted down. “Climb on, kid.”

Lexie threw her arms around Reid’s neck and wrapped her legs around his waist as he stood up. She let out a squeal as Reid took off on a jog.

Jenna smiled to herself. The man was showing off—no doubt about it. She just hoped he knew there was a hill coming.

Annie stared at the phone in the Adamses’ study for a long moment. It was almost ten o’clock at night, and she thought both Charlotte and her mother had gone to bed. They were in their bedrooms, and she hadn’t heard any sounds in a long time. Mrs. Adams had had two lady visitors for most of the night, and they’d spent the evening in the kitchen. Charlotte had been in her room, talking on the phone to her
sister, Doreen, for at least a half hour, and it was clear they were arguing about something.

Charlotte didn’t seem to get along very well with either her mother or her sister, but Annie couldn’t figure out why. Charlotte was the nicest person she’d ever met. Mrs. Adams was nice, too. She was strict, though. Mrs. Adams liked things a certain way, and Annie hoped she wouldn’t screw up. She really didn’t know where else she could go. Maybe she could help cheer Mrs. Adams up, and then she’d be allowed to stay.

Annie understood sadness. She’d felt it throughout most of her life, but she’d especially grieved for her mother. She hadn’t just lost a parent; she’d lost her best friend. She couldn’t imagine living the rest of her life without her mom. She couldn’t imagine giving birth to her own child without her mother being there to help her. But she was gone. And that was that.

Her gaze moved from the phone and swept the rest of the room. This was the room that Reverend Adams had used as his office. There was a family photo on the desk right next to a Bible. She wondered if Charlotte’s father had made her memorize the Bible, the way her father had done.

Seeing the Bible reminded her of the shame she’d brought to her father. He hated her now. She was dead to him. She shouldn’t care. He hadn’t loved her in a long time. In truth, he might never have loved her—or at least not since she was a small child and the war changed him.

She didn’t miss living in the latest shack he called home. She didn’t miss worrying that he’d accidentally shoot her if she got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. She didn’t miss the harsh slap of his hand upon her face or hearing him call her a whore. But…

She missed having a home, a family. She put a hand to her stomach. There was a baby growing inside. The thought terrified her, yet she felt secretly happy that she’d finally have someone to love, someone who would love her back. But the baby wasn’t just hers. Maybe…

Maybe she should just call.

She picked up the phone and punched in the number before she could change her mind.

It rang three times and then his voice came over the line. Her heart melted at the strong masculine tone. She remembered how it had felt to hear her name on his lips as he’d made love to her. He’d told her she was beautiful, and she’d believed him. A tear slid down her cheek.

“Hello,” he said impatiently. “Who is this?”

She heard another voice in the background and knew what she had to do. She hung up the phone. She and the baby were on their own. She had to accept that.

It was nice not to come home alone, Jenna thought as they approached her house. She didn’t like the nights, the dark silence, the tall shadows from the
trees surrounding her property. But while she was grateful for Reid’s presence, she’d need to send him home before she did something stupid—like kiss him again. She liked him a little too much.

Most of the men she’d dated had come from her world; they’d been smooth, sophisticated, polished, educated in culture, the arts, music. They had season tickets to the opera and to the ballet. Reid had lots of rough edges. He obviously knew how to fight. He was blunt, honest, and she doubted he was ever politically correct. But he was also intelligent, charming, sexy, and he seemed to understand her almost better than she understood herself. He’d been kind to her, offering his shoulder to cry on, and listening to all of her concerns and insecurities. She wasn’t too naïve to see that there was something in it for a him, a potential story to break, but she knew it wasn’t all about that. He had a good heart. He cared even when he didn’t want to.

“I’m coming inside,” Reid said as they stepped onto the porch.

She unlocked the door, not bothering to argue. She always dreaded the first few moments when they entered the dark, empty house. She began turning on lights and moving through the rooms. Lexie ran down the hall to her bedroom to get into her pajamas. Jenna quickly checked the rest of the house, acutely aware that Reid was watching her every moment.

“Everything okay?” He followed her into the kitchen, tipping his head toward the basement door. “Where does that go?”

“The basement,” she said. “There’s no access to it from outside the house.”

“Why don’t we check it anyway?”

“All right.” She opened the door and flipped the light at the top of the stairs.

Reid went down first. “What is this stuff?” he asked, looking around.

“It belongs to the woman who owned this house before she died. And you’re not going to believe this, but she seems to have a tie to my family.”

An immediate gleam of curiosity flashed in his eyes. “Don’t stop there.”

“In that trunk, I found some old clothes and a journal. It seems that Rose Littleton, the woman who lived here for most of her life, gave up a baby when she was very young. That baby had a birth-mark on her heel in the shape of an angel’s wing, much like the angel’s wing featured on the centerpiece square of the Angel’s Bay quilt. I don’t know if you’ve heard any of the history of the town, but the baby was washed ashore without its parents and the town took care of her, named her Gabriella. According to the journal I found, every first daughter descended from Gabriella carries the birthmark.”

“I heard something about the baby,” Reid said, as he glanced around the basement. “How does it connect to you? I thought you came here by chance, that the underground network placed you here.”

“That’s what I thought, too. Until I read the journal. It seems that Rose gave up a baby for adop
tion, a baby who bore a birthmark in the shape of an angel’s wing. My mother and Rose’s baby had the same birthdate.”

“And your mother was adopted?”

“I didn’t know that she was. No one ever said, but since she died I’ve had no contact with her family. They lived in another state, and my father didn’t encourage any kind of relationship.”

“So all you have is a common birthdate?”

“No. Kelly had the same birthmark on her heel, and so does Lexie. I’m not sure about my mother, but I think there’s a good chance she had it, too. I believe Kelly figured out the connection to Rose, and that’s why she came here. That’s why we’re renting this house—the house of the person who was probably our biological grandmother.” She could see by the doubt in Reid’s expression that he wasn’t buying it. “You don’t believe me.”