Jack swallowed. “How does Theodore John sound? Those were two of the names we talked about that day—” He broke off, blinking rapidly. “Oh, God,” he said, his throat thick. “Forgive me, Leanne.”
The wind moved the heavy cypress branches. A magpie called. An answering warble came on the breeze. Jack breathed a deep shuddering sigh and wiped his face with his forearm. “I’ll take that as a sign. You always did have a soft spot for those bloody magpies.”
He looked at the other bouquet in his hands. “Theodore John, I’m so sorry I never met you. Take care of your mum.”
He set the carnations next to the roses and listened as the silence settled over the graveyard. The sun sank below the horizon and the wind died.
After a moment he spoke again. “You know I’ll always love you, Leanne. But it’s time for me to start again. I think you’d be the first to tell me that. You’d like Sienna. She’s fearless about doing what she believes is right.” He smiled. “Even when she’s wrong.”
As he slowly walked away from Leanne’s grave he lifted his eyes from the thick green grass to the wide sturdy trunks of the cypresses and their dark spreading limbs. By the time his gaze reached the blue-black sky where the evening star twinkled, he felt almost light enough to fly.
His steps quickened with a new sense of purpose, carrying him back to the Shed. He had work to do.
Furtively she tucked her braided hair over her shoulder and made as little movement as possible so as not to draw attention to herself. Yep, it was him, leaning on his trolley and joking with Mrs. Johnson from the seniors’ home as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Obviously
he
wasn’t nursing a broken heart.
Placing one green and one yellow zucchini in her basket, she circled around behind the central display of cut flowers. If she went through the rear checkout she could slip out through the loading dock without him seeing her.
“Sienna.”
She turned slowly, pasting on a smile, steeling herself against those dark intelligent eyes that could be both compassionate and passionate, that ready grin whose crooked curves were full of humor and sex appeal. He wore a fitted shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and tapered to a narrow waist and hips. His thick tousled hair was still damp from a shower—or more likely a swim in the ocean. A stab of pain hit her hard to think of what she’d had and lost.
“Jack!” she said brightly. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“My home away from home.” He didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands.
“Steve’s being released from the hospital on Monday,” Sienna said. Of course, Jack would know that.
He nodded. “Hetty’s coming home on Sunday.”
“I hope they sort out their problems.”
Several beats went by. She couldn’t drag her eyes away from his. Casting about, she came up with a lame “I hear the Men’s Shed has a big project.”
“News travels fast,” Jack said. “Paul only came in with the tender this week.”
“Lexie mentioned it when she called to see if I could sit for her this afternoon.”
“And are you? Sitting, that is?”
“Yes.” Sienna gripped the plastic handle of her basket. “I don’t have to wear the toga anymore, thank goodness.”
“How’s Oliver?”
So. They were going to hit every painful subject before she could get out of here. “He’s at his dad’s for the term break. But he’s coming back to school here. He’s finishing grade twelve. And then we’ll see.”
“Are you happy with that?”
“I can live with it. I’m going to have to if I don’t want my son to run away to join the circus.”
“I want to thank you for that day in the parking lot,” Jack said. “The things you said helped me move on in my life.”
“I’m glad.” She smiled. “I really better go. Lexie’s expecting me.”
“It’s Saturday. Do you want to come to dinner tonight?”
“I…uh…” She longed to say yes. “Thanks but I’ve got other plans.”
“That’s too bad. I was going to make something special.”
“Sorry.” And she
was
sorry. But that didn’t mean she could endure an evening with his friends, pretending she was enjoying herself, all the while aching for what might have been. “Another time.”
“Sure.”
The way he said it, she knew he wouldn’t ask again.
“He said he was going to invite you to dinner tonight.” Lexie took a brush and mixed the two colors.
“He did, but I can’t go.”
“Too bad.” Lexie scrutinized her in that unnerving way she had, as if she was looking straight through to Sienna’s soul, when in reality she was probably analyzing the distance from her upper lip to the bottom of her nose.
“I’ve hardly seen him this week,” Lexie went on, making a few swift strokes on the canvas. “He’s been so busy.”
“He got the Men’s Shed running again.”
“As well as a project of his own he’s working on.”
“A project?” Sienna repeated, her ears pricking. It really didn’t matter to her what he did with his time, as long as he was happy. But just privately, she still believed that having a goal he was working toward would bring him the most satisfaction.
“It’s top secret,” Lexie said. “He won’t even tell me and Renita. But he’s been at it night and day.”
Could it be the GPS? Sienna wondered with a surge of excitement. “Are
you
going over there for dinner tonight?”
Lexie tossed the rag and loaded up her brush with paint. “He didn’t invite me.”
“Really.” That was odd. “I thought you and Renita had a standing invitation.”
Lexie gave her a sly smile. “Maybe he wanted a quiet dinner for two.”
“Do you think so? I just assumed there would be the usual crowd.” Sienna felt a faint stirring of hope. Maybe she was giving up too easily. But no, he’d been so angry at her over Olly. She wondered what he would say if she told him Oliver really had cheated. But she wouldn’t do that to Olly. Loyalty was important to her, too.
Lexie motioned her to move to the left. “Turn just a little…that’s good.”
From her new vantage point Sienna saw a flash of dark hair pass the window. Her heart kicked into over- drive. Then it dropped back into low gear as Renita knocked and entered.
“Hey, ladies,” Renita said. “Hope you don’t mind, Lexie. Jack told me Sienna was going to be here and I wanted to ask her about the latest on Dad.”
“You’re forgiven this time,” Lexie said.
Renita turned to Sienna. “Is he going to be okay?”
“He’s had a scare, but he’ll be fine.”
“That’s a relief.” Renita removed a stack of empty frames from a chair and sat. “What’s the deal with his condition? Can you fill us in so we can help him get healthy?”
Sienna gave them a brief rundown on type 2 diabetes. “Once he gets his blood sugar stabilized, it’s mainly diet and exercise.”
“Mum will have to help him watch his diet,” Renita said. “And I’m sure Jack will make him exercise.”
“It’s up to Dad to make sure he’s doing the right thing,” Lexie said. “Mum’s got her own life.”
“How do you think he got to this state?” Renita argued. “She took off and left him.”
“Lexie’s right,” Sienna inserted quickly. “Steve needs to understand his condition and take responsibility. But—” she nodded to Renita “—Hetty can help and encourage him.”
“If their marriage holds up,” Lexie said quietly.
“I had no idea they were having problems,” Renita agreed, subdued. “You just expect your parents to always be there, like the furniture.”
“Hetty will be home soon,” Sienna said, trying to put an optimistic spin on the situation. “That’s a good start.”
“I’d better go,” Renita said, looking at her watch. “I’ve got a hot date.” She grinned as she rose and salsa’d the few steps to the door. “I’m going dancing.”
So she wasn’t going to Jack’s, either, Sienna thought. Could Lexie be right, that Jack had planned a special dinner for two?
Lexie glanced at the clock. “Is it that late? No wonder the light is fading. Sienna, we’ll have to finish for today.”
“That’s okay.” Sienna slipped her jacket on and gathered her purse. “I’ve got to go anyway.”
“What are you doing tonight?” Lexie asked.
“I’m not sure.” But she wasn’t going home to her empty house to eat potatoes and zucchini.
Her problem, she mused as she drove across town, was that she kept underestimating Jack. Look at the way he’d reacted to the phony dinner she’d served at her party. He hadn’t been angry at her then for not being perfect. So why did she think he would give up on her now? He’d said he loved her in spite of her flaws. She had to find out if he really meant it. That no matter what stupid thing she did today he’d still be with her tomorrow. Even Erica thought that if he loved her, he would forgive her.
It was only five o’clock. It wouldn’t even be dark for a couple hours yet. Way too soon to arrive for dinner, but if she was wrong and other guests were coming she had some things she wanted to say before the hordes descended.
Words and explanations were tumbling through her mind, so she didn’t notice right away that Jack was coming out of his driveway at the same time as she turned in. She slammed on the brakes, almost crashing head-on into his utility truck.
Sienna waited a moment until her heartbeat slowed. Then, deliberately, she turned off the ignition and pulled on the hand brake. Jack Thatcher wasn’t going anywhere.
Jack climbed out of his ute to check the front end. Their bumpers were just touching. “You’re damn lucky.”
“
I’m
lucky?
You
almost scratched my chrome.” This wasn’t quite the way she’d envisaged sweet-talking her way back into his life.
“Did you want something?” he asked. “I’m in a hurry.”
He wasn’t making this any easier. But she was here, she was going to see it through. Sienna sucked in a breath. “The thing is, I’m not perfect.”
He stared at her. “Whoever asked you to be perfect?”
“I’ve been less than truthful at times.” She sped on before she lost her nerve. “I can’t cook to save my soul. I’m too demanding of other people—” She broke off. “This is embarrassing. Aren’t you going to stop me?”
“Nope.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the hood of his vehicle, a small smile playing over his face. “Go on—this is interesting.”
“I’ve lost my train of thought.” She frowned and muttered, “You know I’ve never admitted any of this to anyone before. You might be a little nicer.”
“Okay, I’ll help. You’re a workaholic.”
“High achiever.”
“Competitive.”
“That can be a
good
thing.”
“Stubborn.” He took a step forward, hands on hips.
“Determined.” She tossed her head.
“You have a temper.” He was nose-to-nose with her. “I’m
passionate.
” Her fists were clenched at her sides.
“I
know.
” He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her for a bruising kiss.
She was out of comebacks. Unless throwing her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss counted as a witty riposte. Finally he loosened his hold and she slid boneless to the ground.
“What just happened here?” she said, dazed. Their arms still encircled each other.
“It’s called making up,” he said into her hair, his husky voice making her shiver deliciously.
“I wasn’t finished talking.”
“You were finished.” He kissed her temple. “I’ve got a lifetime to discover your imperfections. There’s no rush.”
A lifetime.
A thrill went through her. “So you’ll take me as I am?”
“Do I have a choice?” His voice softened. “I love you. I’ll never stop loving you.”
She lifted her face for another long, lingering kiss. Breaking apart, she said, “Let’s take this inside.”
“Can’t.” He looked past her at the sky. “I have to go. You can wait here for me or I’ll come by your place when I’m done.”
“Where are you going? Can I come?”
“You wouldn’t want to. Anyway, it’s something I need to do on my own.”
“Why are you being so cagey? Tell me what it is.”
“I’m going to take my plane up and test the GPS.”
Her eyes widened. She wanted to leap at him and hug him but made herself ask casually, “So you’ve fixed it?”
He nodded. “I’m going to fly into the sunset over the bay. That used to be my favorite thing.”
Sienna swallowed. “Then it’s going to be my favorite thing, too. I’m coming.”
“But you’re afraid of flying in small planes. You’ll have a panic attack.”
“Do I look like a woman who’s okay with her weaknesses, or do I look like a woman who wants to overcome them?”
“The GPS might still have problems. This is a test run.”
“It’s a clear evening, not a breath of wind. We’re not going to hit anything or crash. And I promise I won’t say a word to distract you.”
“It might not work,” he repeated. “There may be no future in it.”
Ah, now she knew what he was trying to say. “Jack, I don’t give a flying fig whether it works or not, except for your sake. Just as I don’t care what you do as long as I can be with you, and be part of your life. Not just for one night, or one month or one year. But for always.”
Maybe it was the rich glow of the westering sun shining in his face or maybe she’d said the right thing for once, because Jack seemed to light up from within. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”