Still Waters (27 page)

Jenna found that she had to catch her breath, and her arms went around his neck even as his slid around her waist. “Yes, dear,” she said breathlessly, and held her face up for another kiss.

He kissed her again, then pulled away long enough to give her a stern look. “You have no objections to the terms I’ve set forth?”

“No, dear,” she said, and pulled his head down so their lips could meet again. But before they did, he asked, “What are the chances that you’ll end up a quiet, obedient wife who never gives me a moment’s grief?”

“Shut up, dear,” she said, and closed the distance between their lips before he could say another word.

* * *

“So why were you trying to call me, anyway?” Jenna asked.

She had put Christopher to bed some time ago, and she and Adam were sitting in the living room. He had his arm around her shoulders.

“Hmmm?” he asked idly, playing with her hair.

“When you got here earlier this afternoon, you said that you had been trying to call me for hours. Why were you calling?”

“Oh.” Adam sat up and grinned sheepishly. “I was going to tell you that you’d won. I talked to a friend of mine in Chicago, and I have an interview with his company.”

“When?”

“I was supposed to fly out tomorrow and come back on Monday.”

Jenna was quiet for a moment, then laughed. “So you were finally going away and letting me live in peace?”

“Something like that.”

“And now?”

“Now you’re never getting rid of me, and you’ll probably never have a moment’s peace again!”

She nestled her head on his shoulder. “Good.”

“I’ll cancel the trip.” He lifted her hand and planted a kiss on the back.

Jenna paused for the briefest moment. “All right.”

He heard the hesitation in her voice. “What? Do you think I should go?”

“Well, you may as well hear him out.”

Adam shifted slightly away so he could get a good look at her face. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Jenna spoke slowly as her thoughts evolved. “Maybe it would be better if you’re out of town when I talk to Frank. He’s been good to me, and I want to let him down gently. If you’re here, he may feel like he has to challenge you. But if you’re out of town, it will give him some time to come to terms with it.”

Now Adam was the one who paused. When he spoke, his voice vibrated with worry. “You mean you think he could be dangerous?”

The very idea made her laugh. “Of course not! I just don’t want him to feel crowded by your presence. I mean, I’ll admit he can be a little overwhelming at times, but believe me, he’s as gentle as a lamb.”

“If you say so.”

She kissed him. “I do. And don’t worry. By this time next week, everything will be different, in the very best ways possible!”

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
S
EVEN

S
HE AWOKE ON
S
ATURDAY MORNING WITH
a happiness glowing inside her that she had never known before. “We’re getting married,” she whispered to herself, burying her head against the pillow. “Adam and I are getting married.”

While making plans last night, they had decided to keep their engagement a secret for now. Jenna thought that Frank deserved to know first, before Bill and Kitty. And she would have to tell him this weekend, since Adam would be home on Monday. While she was not looking forward to that conversation, she refused to let anything cloud her happiness.

There was a stirring in the hallway, the sound of little feet padding toward the bathroom. Jenna sighed. She had a full day ahead of her, and no amount of joyful mooning over love would change that. She threw off the covers and prepared to face the day.

She put on a pot of coffee and pulled eggs and bacon from the refrigerator. She felt like making a big breakfast this morning. While she got the food going, she reached for the telephone. There were three important calls she needed to make, and she wanted to get them over with.

The first call was to Ralph Grisham, the local mechanic who had been servicing her car for years. She explained how she had hit the curb yesterday and said that her tire was now flat. “Doesn’t sound too serious,” Ralph said. “I can pick it up this morning and probably get it back to you tomorrow afternoon.”

“You’re working on Sunday?”

“We’re trying to get everybody finished up before Thanksgiving weekend,” he told her.

Jenna thought about Joseph’s recital. She absolutely could not miss it, not after it had taken so much for Maya to invite her. Well, maybe Alexander would be willing to drive her.

“Any chance you could have it back to me today?” Jenna asked.

Ralph uttered an impatient, heartfelt sigh.
Women,
that sigh said disgustedly.
Always asking for more than you can give ‘em, especially when it comes to their automobiles.

“Wish I could, Mrs. Appleton,” he said, “but we’re really backed up.”

Jenna decided not to press her luck any further. “Sunday would be great.”

“We’ll be by to pick it up in a couple hours,” Ralph said, genial once more, then rang off.

The second call was to Kitty. Jenna told her what had happened with the squirrel, and asked if Christopher could come over this afternoon instead of tomorrow. “I just feel like he could use a change of scenery. I’m afraid he’ll be out back all day, waiting for his little friend to come asking for a nut.”

“Poor thing, of course he can come over. He can even bring Fritz, if it will comfort him.” Kitty’s voice switched from sympathy to mild rebuke. “But Jenna, I hope you’ll take a lesson from this. You shouldn’t let the boy get attached to wild animals. They’re dangerous and short-lived. Squirrels die all the time!”

Jenna gritted her teeth. As if she needed reminding that she had failed as a parent yet again. “You’re right,” she said honestly. “I’ll try to be more conscious of things like that from now on.”

They set a time for Bill and Kitty to come over before ending their conversation. Jenna stirred the bacon in the frying pan, listening to Christopher’s footsteps overhead. The kitchen was warm and filled with the good smell of bacon and coffee. Soon she and Adam would be sharing moments like this every day, either in this house or in that beautiful new home that he had made for them. Jenna focused on that thought, and the joy it brought her, then she reached again for the phone.

Her last call was to Frank. Part of her hoped that he wouldn’t answer, but her heart slipped a notch when she heard his voice at the other end of the line. Jenna didn’t relish the prospect of breaking up with him, or the pain it would cause him. They had been together for three years, and he had been good for her. He treated her like an intellectual equal, and he was always kind to her son. How many men would have done the same?

Seizing control of her emotions, she spoke rapidly. “I’ve just been making plans for the day, and I’m wondering if you’re free to come over for dinner tonight. Christopher will be with his grandparents.” Suddenly realizing that that sounded like an invitation to an intimate evening, she groped for something more to say, but found nothing. She didn’t want to say “We have to talk,” since those words always seemed to foreshadow a breakup.

Into the abrupt and awkward silence, Frank spoke. “I appreciate the invitation, my dear, but I thought you were going to be busy with your cooking all day. I’m afraid I’ve already told General Caulfield that I would dine with him. Of course if you’re free, I can call Mrs. Caulfield and tell her I’m bringing a guest….”

“No,” Jenna said quickly. “Thank you, but I do plan to be in the kitchen most of the day, and I’m afraid I won’t be presentable enough to go out this evening.” She attempted a laugh, hoping that it seemed natural.

Apparently it didn’t. “Are you all right, sweetheart? Is anything the matter?”

“Things are fine,” Jenna lied. “I just feel guilty to have sprung this on you at the last minute.”

“Don’t be silly. It was very sweet of you to think of it. Maybe tomorrow, if you’re free?”

“How about tomorrow evening?” Jenna asked, deciding that Christopher could stay with his grandparents until Monday, even if it meant he had to miss a day of school. She needed to be alone with Frank when they had this conversation.

“I can be over around six, if that will work?”

“Perfect,” Jenna said. But her heart was sitting uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach. She had wanted to get it over with today. “I’ll see you then.”

Christopher came trotting into the kitchen at that moment, driving all other thoughts from her mind. She hung up the phone and turned her attention back to the stove. Among the mechanic, the grandparents, and the pies, the rest of the day went by so quickly that it wasn’t until late that afternoon that Jenna remembered she needed a ride to the recital tomorrow.

By that time, she was too tired to worry whether or not Alexander would consider it an imposition to drive her. She merely picked up the phone and dialed, prepared to try her luck.

To her surprise, he agreed readily, and he was out front of her house at eleven the next morning, just as he’d promised he would be. With his usual polite silence, he drove them to the church where the recital was to be held.

The Metropolitan A.M.E. Church was a soaring gothic structure of red brick with white trim. Alexander offered Jenna his arm, and escorted her inside. The recital had been scheduled for just after the Sunday service, so there was a full house. They found Maya in the crowd, and Jenna was introduced to Maya’s husband Fred, a smiling man with wide shoulders and hair that was just beginning to gray at the temples.

The four of them settled into their seats and the program started. Joseph was fourth out of six performers. His playing was as beautiful as Jenna remembered, and the only thing that would have made the day better was if Adam and Christopher had been there with her. Soon, she promised herself.

Alexander said he preferred not to stay for the brief reception after the concert, which surprised no one.

Jenna settled into the car and leaned her head back against the seat, watched the frosty autumn world roll by outside the window. The notes that Joseph had played were still ringing delicately through her mind. She could feel the small smile that hovered around her mouth, reflecting the peaceful glow inside her. Before she and Alexander had left the church, Maya had invited Jenna and Christopher to go to the Museum of Natural History with them next week.

“I don’t know if the boys should be told yet who they are to each other,” Maya had said cautiously. Then she’d smiled. “But I sure do want to meet that little man of yours. And I want to see our sons play together.”

Family
, Jenna thought blissfully.
My nephew. My sister-in-law.

The image of Bill and Kitty flickered through her mind: a harsh note threatening the warm swell of her happy world. But she pushed it away, determined to enjoy the moment.

As they approached Fort Myer, Jenna heard Alexander click on the turn signal to go right.

“It’s a little further down,” she told him. “I’ll let you know when you get to the turn.”

Without a word, he turned off the signal and drove on. She wanted to grin as she looked at him.
My brother-in-law.
Or he would have been, if Denny and Maya had married as they’d planned. Jenna didn’t think that Alexander would be overly pleased with the title, but maybe that would change with time. So many things were changing, after all.

“It’s very kind of you to drive me,” she said. “I would have hated to miss this.”

Alexander’s face was as immobile as ever, but Jenna thought she could detect the beginnings of warmth glimmering under the surface. “It was good for Joseph to see you.”

“I appreciate that. And it’s the next right turn.” She paused, and then took a chance. “I think that we have a wonderful family, Mr. Graves.”

He rotated the wheel smoothly. “I’m beginning to agree with you, Mrs. Appleton.”

She directed him around the traffic circle. He asked, “Did the mechanic say when your car would be ready?”

“He thought he’d have it finished today. Yes.” She caught sight of it as they came around the corner. “There it is, in the driveway.”

Her heart lurched as she realized that Frank’s car was parked behind hers. Alexander did a neat three-point turn and pulled up at the curb. Frank was seated in the porch swing, a black spot on the bright blur of the day. His coat was buttoned and the collar turned up; his hands were in his pockets. He looked as if he’d been there for some time.

Alexander leaned over. “And who is that, sitting in the cold?”

“That’s my fiancé,” Jenna said softly. She met Frank’s eyes through the glass. The warmth of the afternoon ebbed away, and in its place cold came creeping. “He doesn’t look happy.”

“Do you want me to go in with you?” Concern marked Alexander’s voice. Jenna turned long enough to flash him an appreciative smile, then quickly looked away. She was very conscious of Frank’s gaze on them, watching them.