Did she believe he loved her?
“I think he wants to love me. And he might even believe he does. Who knows how the man’s mind works?”
“Who are you talking to?” Jennifer asked, walking into the bedroom. Willa yelped and pulled the blankets up to her chin. “Ohmygod, Jen, you startled me!”
“Sorry, Auntie,” she said, her smile contradicting her apology. Her eyes widened. “Are you naked again? Cool. I think I’ll start doing that. I bet it feels wonderful, not getting all twisted up in a nightgown ten times a night.”
“What are you doing down here so early?”
“I’ve come to drive you to Emmett’s. He said you planned to work with him on the RoseWind today. But we have to stop at the store on the way, so I can pick up a few things.”
“Have your mom take you. I don’t know how long I’m staying at Emmett’s, and you have to get ready for the dance. Besides, I thought you weren’t speaking to me.”
“I wasn’t, until I saw Sam’s new truck parked beside yours most of the night.” She dropped the clothes she was holding onto the bed with a smirk. “Here. I found these scattered on the floor in front of the woodstove.”
“Brat,” Willa muttered when the girl turned and sauntered into the kitchen. “Did Peg send down any food with you?” she asked, sprinting to the closet to find some grubby work clothes to wear.
“Yup. Bacon and eggs and homemade toast,” Jen called back, her words a bit muffled. “Because, lucky for you, she also saw Sam’s truck in your driveway last night.”
“Are you eating my breakfast again?”
“Just a few bites. The homecoming dance is open to adults. Why don’t you and Sam come tonight, too?
Mom’s going with Dad.”
Willa rushed to the bedroom door, pulling a paint-stained sweatshirt over her head. “Shel’s going with Richard ?”
Jen nodded, swallowing a mouthful of food. “Cody thinks it’s beyond weird, but I think coming home to an empty house really scared Dad. And I think Mom only agreed to go to the dance with him for Cody’s and my sake. You know, so their divorce can be amicable, so we won’t feel torn in our loyalties? Dad’s ashamed of what happened inNew York , and he told Mom he was sorry and that he intends to apologize to you the first chance he gets.”
“You know about that?” Willa squeaked.
Jen looked up, her fork halfway to her mouth, and rolled her eyes. “It’s a teenager’s job to eavesdrop, Auntie. How else are we going to find out what’s going on? So, will you and Sam come to the dance? I can’t wait for you to see my new dress. Ben came shopping with us and helped Mom and me pick it out.” She canted her head at Willa. “I’m glad Sam’s the grandson who fell in love with you. Ben and Jesse are really nice, but Sam fits you better.”
Willa stood in the doorway, gaping at her niece.
Jen set down her fork and folded her hands on her lap, her expression suddenly serious. “Will you please give Sam a chance, Aunt Willa?” she pleaded. “If not for yourself, then for me?”
“What has my marrying Sam got to do with you?”
Jennifer looked down at the plate in front of her. “It’s really important to me that you stop blaming yourself for the accident,” she said, so softly that Willa had to strain to hear her. Jen looked up, her eyes welling with moisture, her little chin raised defensively. “I feel guilty for wanting to get on with my life when you can’t seem to get on with yours. I want to solo-sail a Sengatti around the world when I graduate, but I can’t even dream about doing it, knowing you’d be back here being miserable.”
“Oh, Jennifer,” Willa cried, rushing to the table. She got down on her knees and hugged her. “I’m not miserable. And that’s not fair, Jen. You can’t use me as an excuse not to go after your dreams.”
“But I remember what you were like before the accident,” the girl said into her shoulder with a sniffle. She pulled away, wiping her eyes. “It’s like you became an entirely different person. You divorced David, which was a good thing, but then you suddenly stopped living . And you started hiding behind your old people. They take advantage of your soft heart, and you just let them. And you build caskets! I mean, jeesh, Auntie, could anything be more morbid?”
She clutched Willa’s shoulders. “I’m sorry for blasting you like this, but Sam said it wasn’t fair of me to resent you without your even knowing.”
“Y-you resent me?”
“Because you make me feel guilty! Oh, this is coming out all wrong!” she cried, standing up and looking down at Willa, who couldn’t seem to move. “You didn’t ruin my life!” the girl snapped. “And I’m not a
cripple. For God’s sake, my foot got mangled because you saved me from burning alive! Would you please tell me why you think that’s such a god-awful sin?”
“Because I caused the accident, Jen,” Willa whispered, so overwhelmed that she couldn’t stand. “I was upset from walking in on David and that woman, and I wasn’t paying attention to my driving. I never saw that car.”
Jen balled her hands into fists. “Accidents happen, Aunt Willa—every day, all over the world. And sometimes bad things happen to good people for no reason. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend the rest of your life safely moored in the harbor. And it sure as hell doesn’t mean we have to stay there with you!”
“Oh, my God, Jen, you’re killing me,” Willa cried, clutching her belly.
“There’s no need for me to do that.” Jennifer’s voice was devoid of emotion. “You’re halfway there already.”
Stark silence descended over the cottage but for the sound of Jen’s footsteps. The door opened, then softly closed, and Willa heard her niece limping across the porch and down the steps. She sat on the floor, her face on her knees, and violently sobbed. All this time since the accident, what had she been doing to Jennifer?
And Cody? AndShelby ? And herself?
She’d been protecting herself, hiding deep in the cracks and crevices of life in order to survive. But not only had she gone totally overboard trying to protect herself, but she had been dragging everyone she loved overboard with her.
Willa finally blew her nose and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Okay, enough. It’s time you started living up to your name again, Willy Wild Child.”
Emmett had called her that since she was a kid, but he’d rarely done so these last few years. Except…he’d started again after Abram had arrived, almost as if he was trying to remind her who she was.
“Subtle, Emmett,” she said with a snort. “You should have just dropped a mast on my head.” She sighed. “How in hell am I going to fix this?”
Sam! He could help her figure out what to do about Jen. He’d bullied his way into her life; he could damn well be available when she needed him.
“All you got to do is get her pregnant.”
Sam spit his coffee back in his cup, wiping his mouth on his sleeve as he looked around to see how many of the diner patrons had heard Phil Grindle’s loud suggestion.
“Excuse me?” Sam whispered, leaning forward on the table. “You mind telling me how that would help anything?”
“Phil’s right,” Sean Graves interjected, also leaning on the table. He, at least, had the good sense to keep his voice low. “It’s a known fact that pregnancy turns even the hardest-headed woman into a lamb.”
“Yeah,” Phil said, scowling at Sean for elaborating on his idea. “It’s got something to do with all them hormones women got racing around their bodies,” he told Sam. “If you put a bun in their oven, they settle right down.”
“That’s because they gotta stop worrying about everything else and start nesting,” Avery Ingall added.
“You get Willamina pregnant,” Phil said, “and you’ll see her change almost overnight.” He puffed out his sunken chest. “I got my Lizzy pregnant on our honeymoon, and she stopped all her talk about working at the cannery to earn her own money. She settled right down to keeping house and raising babies, and she only spent what money I gave her.”