Hush (11 page)

That brought Coby‘s thoughts back to Danner with a bang. And in that moment the doorbell rang again, and a moment later Coby heard Genevieve‘s flinty voice and Jarrod‘s deeper tones.

She picked up her glass of wine again and braved walking into the dining room where Yvette was standing at the end of the table. Coby stopped short and watched as Genevieve and Annette both squealed like teenagers upon seeing each other. They‘d become good friends over the years, which was weird, given how Gen had felt about Yvette and probably still did.
But maybe
she’d gotten past all that?
Coby thought, sliding Yvette a sideways look. In some ways, Gen and Annette were very much alike: outspoken, leaders, bullheaded, overly confident. Maybe that transcended disliking—hating—your friend‘s sister.

Coby sensed, rather than saw, Danner and Faith approaching the newcomers, as she wouldn‘t move her head to see them. But then Danner was shaking his brother‘s hand and Faith was forced to greet Genevieve warmly, though she couldn‘t seem to bring herself to thaw for Annette, as she wouldn‘t deign to even look at her.

Jarrod Lockwood had cut his hair in the intervening years. No more was it overly long, rock-star long. Now it was short, damn near a buzz cut, and as he said hello to his brother and Faith, his eyes searched the room, finally colliding with Coby.

Jarrod Lockwood. Danner Lockwood‘s younger brother. Genevieve Knapp Lockwood‘s husband.

Coby swallowed a gulp of wine as Jarrod and Genevieve headed into the room, big smiles of greeting on both of their faces.

―God,‖ Yvette murmured. ―The ‗It‘ couple.‖

That was the first thing Coby could agree with her on though she‘d be damned if she‘d say so. Jarrod and Gen didn‘t seem real. Too bright and cheery for words. They
were
the everlasting

―It‖ couple. Genevieve‘s blond hair was blunt cut at her chin and her body looked hard and lean, as if she worked out every spare moment. She‘d thrust a large box into Annette‘s hands when she‘d entered, which made Coby feel guilty for not bringing a gift. She hadn‘t even thought of it, which said something about their relationship.

―It‘s enough to make me lose my lunch,‖ Yvette said. She wasn‘t drinking, had declined every round of drinks that passed by, though now she glanced at Coby‘s glass as if rethinking that decision.

As Gen and Jarrod bore down on them, Yvette asked, ―You think your dad cheats on Annette like he cheated on your mother?‖

―I never said he cheated on my mother,‖ Coby said, surprised. Her lie had come back to haunt her all these years later!

―That‘s what it sounded like to me.‖

―I was just trying to come up with some big secret because I didn‘t have one. It wasn‘t even true.‖

―Yeah?‖ Yvette shrugged, skeptical and uncaring.

―Yeah,‖ Coby said, her jaw tight.

―You think it was Vic Franzen who left those notes in our lockers. The prick,‖ Yvette said.

―He‘s not coming tonight, is he?‖

―You‘d have to ask your sister.‖

Gen got sidelined by Big Bob, who started bragging about how well McKenna was doing on the comedy circuit. Coby would have liked to hear more about McKenna, but Jarrod had reached her and Yvette by that time. Behind him, Faith had put her hand on Danner‘s arm and moved him toward the far end of the living room, where they were in a conversation with Jean-Claude.

―Hey, Yvette.‖ Jarrod greeted her but his eyes were on Coby. ―Hi, Coby.‖

―Hi.‖ She smiled.

He might have traded his long hair for a trim above his ears, but he still had a lazy way of talking that reminded Coby of his older brother.

Yvette gave him the once-over. ―You married Genevieve Knapp.‖

―Yeah, I did.‖

―Why?‖

Jarrod chose to be amused rather than annoyed. ―She held a gun to my head and said she‘d take out all my friends and family unless I walked her down the aisle.‖

―Funny.‖ Yvette drifted away, looking bugged.

Jarrod looked at Coby and saw the smile she couldn‘t contain. ―Has she always been such a bitch?‖ he asked.

―Yes.‖ Coby couldn‘t contain a small laugh. ―How are you, Jarrod?‖

―Can‘t complain.‖ His brown hair and eyes were as she remembered. It was unfair, but Danner‘s blue ones slid across the screen of her mind. ―Economy‘s shit, but I still have a day job,‖

he went on. ―Play guitar at a few places. You should come by sometime.‖

―I will,‖ she promised automatically. Just like she‘d promised to stop by her father‘s hotel.

―Will you?‖

―Yes.‖ She was emphatic.

―Okay. We‘re at the Cellar in Laurelton for the rest of the month. Friday and Saturday nights.‖ He gave her a sideways look. ―Danner was by last weekend.‖

―Oh?‖

―Is he really here with your sister?‖

―Looks like it,‖ Coby said.

―Have you talked to him tonight?‖

―Nope.‖

―You still got a thing for him?‖

―Good God, no,‖ she assured him quickly. ―I just got out of a relationship and I‘m not even thinking about that part of my personal life.‖

He looked at her in a way that called her a liar, but what he said was, ―Didn‘t I see an hors d‘oeuvre tray going by? There! Suzette‘s got a plate of bruschetta.‖

He tucked his hand around Coby‘s elbow and started guiding her toward Suzette, who was moving between people and growing closer to Danner and Faith. Coby‘s footsteps dragged. ―I think I‘ll stay by the table. They‘re going to be bringing out the lasagna soon.‖

―I won‘t make you talk to Danner.‖

It was Juliet he snagged first, and she gave him a melting look as she held out a tray of stuffed mushrooms. Jarrod grabbed several and handed one to Coby.

―I‘ll talk to him,‖ Coby assured him. ―That‘s not a problem. He and I are long over,‖ she said. ―And it wasn‘t much to begin with.‖ Coby tossed the mushroom cap in her mouth. It turned out to be burning hot and she started choking.

―Really? Well, here he comes,‖ Jarrod said. ―You can tell him that yourself.‖

She glanced up through tearing eyes to see him bearing down on her, sans Faith.

Danner reached Coby as she was fighting something caught in her throat. She held a hand up, half laughing, and he asked, ―Water?‖

―No, I‘m okay,‖ she choked out. ―Really.‖

―I think Juliet‘s trying to kill us,‖ Jarrod said and Juliet, who overheard, swung around.

―I can‘t help it if they‘re hot!‖ she declared.

―I was just giving you shit,‖ he said. ―Chill. Kirk‘ll be here soon.‖

Juliet moved off, clearly still angry, but Coby‘s concentration was focused solely on Danner.

He looked . . . good. She liked the black sweater and the casual way he pushed the sleeves up his forearms. She liked the way he smelled, lightly citrus from his aftershave, she remembered.

She liked the way his hair curled behind his ear; he was wearing it a bit longer now. He was with the Portland police, and she‘d heard along the way that he‘d had a meteoric rise within the department. She didn‘t doubt it. He was just someone who was capable and quietly determined and aware.

She‘d loved him. That she knew.

Jarrod said, ―When was the last time you two saw each other?‖

―About twenty minutes ago,‖ Danner drawled. ―When I got here Coby was already here. We said hi.‖

―I‘m guessing it‘s been a few years,‖ Jarrod said, ignoring him.

―A few,‖ Coby agreed. She‘d stopped fighting a cough,
thank you, God.

Faith was suddenly there, at Danner‘s side. It rattled Coby though Faith didn‘t seem fazed in the least. ―Got a minute?‖ she asked Coby. ―I‘d like to talk to you about something.‖

And she led Coby away.

Danner watched them head toward a corner by the windows. He stayed back, biding his time. He wanted to be with Coby, but steps had to be taken to ease the path and if Faith wanted to buttonhole her sister for a tête-à-tête, so be it.

With a strange feeling of déjà vu, he remembered this was the house where they were all staying when Lucas Moore fell to his death. Danner had been out of high school by the time the accident occurred, but Jarrod had been at the scene and therefore interviewed by the sheriff‘s department. Danner recalled his own interest in the case and idly wondered now, as he had then, whether Moore‘s death was really an accident.

Faith said to Coby, ―I wanted to talk to you about Annette. Have you heard about this whole baby thing?‖

―Well, yeah.‖

It was hard for Coby to get Danner out of her head completely. Her attention was shot and she was having trouble keeping track of any conversation. She knew it would be rude to go off by herself, maybe somewhere to the back of the house—the den, her refuge—but she really didn‘t want to talk to Faith. Or anybody.

But then, dinner was about to be served, so she was kind of stuck.

―What do you think about it?‖ Faith demanded. ―Doesn‘t it make you just want to scream?‖

―I guess.‖

―You guess? Jesus, Coby. Are you listening to me?‖ Faith snapped her fingers in front of Coby‘s face.

―Don‘t do that,‖ Coby said swiftly. When Faith got on her older-sister high horse it really pissed her off.

―Annette can‘t have a baby. I can‘t have a half sibling
thirty years younger than I am
!‖

―At the risk of sounding like Dad, it isn‘t about you.‖

―Yeah, it is. And it‘s about you, too. Come on, be on my side for one goddamned time,‖

Faith demanded. ―We‘ve got to talk some sense into him. Maybe we can get him away for a few minutes. It‘s about the only reason I came tonight.‖

―You brought Danner,‖ Coby said.

―I needed a date. Hugh broke up with me, you know. I wasn‘t going to come alone.‖

Like I did
, Coby thought, but she didn‘t say it. And anyway, she heard something in Faith‘s tone that caught her attention. ―You‘re missing Hugh.‖

―Of course I am. I thought I was going to marry the asshole!‖ Faith looked at Coby as if she were totally dense. ―Oh, you think I brought Danner like a date? Well, of course you would,‖ she said a moment later, as if talking to herself. ―It‘s not like that. Danner doesn‘t even hardly date women, from what I can tell. We‘re friends. He lets me bitch about Hugh and that ‘s it. I‘m surprised he accepted my invitation, unless he did it to see you. Maybe you guys can hook up again, at least for some fun, unless you and Joe worked things out?‖ she asked hopefully.

―No.‖

She sighed heavily. ―I wish one of us was having something work out in the love department. Hugh is such a . . . bastard.‖

Coby was definitely starting to feel a little more lighthearted. ―Why did you two break up?‖

―He‘s a commitment-phobe. I want to make plans. Get married. You know, normal stuff?

He just freaks out anytime we talk about it, and now it‘s over.‖

Coby nodded sympathetically, but she was selfishly jubilant inside. Faith didn‘t have any designs on Danner and she doubted he had any on her, either. She looked around the room, seeing Danner talking with Jarrod and Genevieve. She also saw that Annette had put Juliet on table duty and she was currently placing another tray of bruschetta next to a huge Caesar salad in a big silver bowl. The tomato-and-basil-topped crispy baguette slices were disappearing fast, and Coby wondered if Jarrod was going to get his portion before they were gone. Juliet didn‘t look too happy about helping her sister; her pretty face was set in a scowl.

Faith absently picked up a piece of bruschetta and held it. ―But it‘s the baby thing, Coby.

Dad doesn‘t want it. You can just tell. But Annette just keeps pushing. She‘ll get herself pregnant whether he agrees to it or not.‖

―She told me she wants to start trying.‖

Faith gazed at her in horror. ―See?‖

―I‘m not crazy about the idea, but it‘s not our call.‖

―What about Mom?‖ Faith asked. ―Think about her.‖

―It‘s not up to Mom, either. Duh,‖ Coby said to her.

―It‘ll make her crazy. She‘ll do something crazy. Mark my words. She‘s not over Dad.

Certainly not with Barry.‖ As if recognizing she‘d taken the bruschetta, Faith finally bit into it, holding her left hand under her chin to catch any bits of tomato and onion that might drop off.

―God, this is good.‖

Jarrod separated from Danner and Genevieve at that moment and rejoined Coby and Faith, who asked him about his band. He told her about the Cellar and invited her to come by, too. He went on to say that his day job, where he actually made his living, was being in charge of inventory at a regional retail store. Faith seemed interested but Coby‘s attention drifted. She saw that Danner was now caught in a conversation with Big Bob Forrester, and Genevieve was untangling herself from them both and heading Coby‘s way as well.

―It‘s not that much of an intellectual challenge but it lets me stay with the band,‖ Jarrod was saying as Gen sidled up next to him, tucking her arm through his, giving Coby a long look.

―Jarrod was just talking about his job,‖ Coby felt required to say.

―Yeah, well, I work for a title company and in this economy I‘m lucky to still have a job,‖

Faith said.

Genevieve looked past them, as if she were waiting for someone better to come through the door. ―I used to work for a downtown developer who built office buildings.‖

―Where do you work now?‖ Faith asked.

―I don‘t.‖

Jarrod said, ―Gen‘s looking for a job,‖ to which Gen‘s lips pinched together as if she‘d bitten into something sour.

Genevieve‘s father, Lawrence Knapp, had been into commercial real estate before his death, and Coby wondered if he was the ―downtown developer‖ she referred to.

―You have anything to do with Lovejoy‘s?‖ Jarrod asked Coby curiously, bringing her back to the moment.

―I‘m at Jacoby, Jacoby, and Rosenthal. But Annette works at the hotel, and I think both Juliet and Suzette?‖

―Lawrence had some property in the Alphabet District,‖ he said, mentioning his deceased father-in-law. The Alphabet District was another name for the area where Coby‘s father‘s and Jean-Claude‘s hotel was located. ―He wanted to develop some apartments into a hotel like Lovejoy‘s but he was all wrapped up in red tape and then the real estate market just went to shit. He managed to sell the property but he took a loss. Maybe that‘s what brought on the heart attack.‖