Foolish Games(56)

Annabeth didn’t hear whatever Sophie said next because the dueling gazes of her son and Hank were making her increasingly uncomfortable. Unable to take it anymore, she excused herself to go check on Owen.

She had no sooner reached the nursery when she heard the echo of a pair of footsteps following her. She prayed it wasn’t Hank. Or worse, her son. Instead, it was Julianne who followed her into the room where Owen slept peacefully. She wasn’t sure whether she was relieved. Definitely, she was surprised.

“Is everything okay?” Julianne asked as she gently adjusted the blanket covering her son.

“I thought I heard him crying, but he seems fine,” Annabeth fibbed.

Julianne glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. “I meant, is everything okay with you?”

Her daughter-in-law was perceptive. Annabeth had tried not to form too much of an attachment with Julianne, knowing that she’d be gone from Chances Inlet in a matter of months and would probably never be back. But it was clear there was something more than just Owen pulling Will and Julianne together. She only hoped they both figured it out before it was too late.

“I don’t want to like you,” Annabeth blurted out.

Julianne’s eyes went from quizzical to sad, but she acknowledged Annabeth’s admission with a firm nod. “You don’t have to like me,” she said, chewing on her bottom lip. “As long as you always love Owen.”

Shame brought a flush to Annabeth’s face. “That was hateful of me, wasn’t it?” she whispered.

“No, it was fair.”

“No!” Annabeth shook her head vehemently. “It wasn’t. I’m the last person who should be judging any woman. You’re Owen’s mother, and whether this marriage lasts three months or thirty-three years, that’s not going to change. At the very least you deserve my respect. But I think it would be hard not to like you, too.”

A slow grin spread over Julianne’s face. “I’d really like that.”

Owen rustled in his crib. Julianne put a finger to her lips and motioned for Annabeth to follow her into the adjoining bedroom.

“Let’s start again,” Julianne suggested. “You rushed out of the dining room like you were upset. Is there anything I can do?”

“You could not invite Hank Osbourne to dinner.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

“Aha!” Julianne bounced down on her bed. “At the risk of sounding thirteen again, I think he likes you.”

Annabeth picked up a pillow and, under the guise of fluffing it, gave it a firm punch. “He’s made no secret about that.”

Julianne sat Indian style on the bed, her chin resting on her hands and a broad grin on her face. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Why not?” Julianne protested. “He’s a very handsome man. And he’s got all his teeth and all his hair.”

Annabeth threw the pillow at her.

“Seriously, Annabeth. You’re a beautiful, financially independent woman with no one but yourself to answer to. Hank’s a pretty good catch, by all accounts. My friend Carly used to work for him. When I talked to her this afternoon, she described him as a very loyal, caring man who’d be devoted to any woman lucky enough to catch his eye.”

Annabeth was mortified. “You talked to your friend about this?”

“Well, I didn’t name any names, if that’s what you mean. But I wasn’t going to invite some man over here to leer at my son’s grandmother without knowing something about him!”

Annabeth didn’t know whether to smack Julianne or hug her. “How did you know there was any interest on his part, anyway?”

Julianne picked at a string on the bedspread. “I might have seen you two in the shop this morning.”

Annabeth plopped down on the bed beside her. “Does Will know?”

Julianne snorted. “I mentioned it, but he’s a bit obtuse. He believes what he wants to believe.”

Annabeth laughed at that. Her son would not be able to steamroll over his wife.

“He’s only in town for the weekend, Annabeth. There’s no harm in enjoying his company and enjoying his attention. You deserve it.”

She was right, Annabeth thought. She couldn’t get her heart broken in three days. Besides, he wouldn’t be able to discover all her faults in that short time.

There was a knock at the door followed by Sophie’s voice. “Annabeth?”

Julianne pulled open the door and smiled at Sophie. “Oh gosh, we left you defenseless down there with the NFL’s finest, sorry.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “I’m used to it. Hey, Brody says there’s a great little ice cream stand a few blocks from the inn. It’s called the Patty Wagon. It’s named after the innkeeper. Isn’t that cool? Daddy and I are going to go check it out. Do you guys want to come with us?”