Foolish Games(96)

“Nothing if you keep interrupting us.” Hank winked at her.

“Hank!” Annabeth mouthed.

“Wow, Dad, this is so cool. I was gonna tell you all about the ship, but this is so much better.”

“I’ll call you tonight and you can tell us both all about your trip.”

“Ohmigosh, I’ve got to tell Mom!”

“Sophie Claire, do not share my personal life with your mother!”

“Sure thing, Dad. You two have a nice day! Bye!”

They both could hear her screaming for her mother as she hung up the phone.

Hank swore. “Now we’ll have the two of them badgering us all day.”

Annabeth grabbed the lapels of his suit and pulled him flush against her body. “Tell me more about this amazing shower. I’m pretty sure we won’t be able to hear the phone in there.”

He framed her face with both hands. “Annabeth Connelly, have I told you lately how smart you are?” He didn’t wait for an answer, instead kissing her with all the promise of an exciting life ahead.





Twenty-seven





“I was serious when I told you that you and Owen are welcome to stay at our house,” Carly said with a huff as she snapped one side of the portable crib into place.

Owen dozed in his bouncy seat, his face puffy from the tears he’d been crying off and on all day. Seven hours confined to a car seat had been too much for the baby who’d passed the last month in the arms of one person or another. He’d spent most of the trip either indignant or annoyed that he wasn’t being held, letting everyone between coastal North Carolina and Baltimore know about it.

Her son’s distress had only added to Julianne’s agitation. Will hadn’t bothered to call or text in nearly three days. She’d resorted to bullying Brody to find out if her husband was still alive. Brody’s affirmation that Will was in fact working out at the training facility had only infuriated her more.

“I told you, we’d just get in the way. Owen still doesn’t sleep through the night. Besides, I don’t want to put Shane in an awkward position with his teammate.” Julianne pulled out the crib sheets from the travel bag.

Originally, she’d hoped to take Carly up on her offer, longing for the familiarity and understanding her best friend would provide. But when her friend had first offered, Julianne could hear the hesitation in her voice. It wasn’t hard to see where Carly’s loyalty now lay. Fortunately, Sebastian had already rented a fully furnished house for him and Nigel. When she’d told Carly she and Owen were staying there, the relief in her friend’s voice had been palpable. Worse, her friend hadn’t brooked any argument.

This arrangement was the best for everyone. But that didn’t mean Carly’s defection didn’t hurt. Perhaps most painful of all, Julianne sensed that her friend accepted the story that she had deliberately told Stephen about Will.

Julianne’s only confidante, Annabeth, had made her own way up to Baltimore, citing an appointment she had early today. Patricia had volunteered to drive with Julianne and a howling Owen, claiming to want to check out the competition, a bed-and-breakfast in Annapolis. It seemed they’d made the trip for nothing, however, because Will hadn’t bothered to contact Julianne about seeing his son.

“Besides,” Julianne said as she unpacked Owen’s clothes and piled them in the dresser drawers, “I’m not even sure how long we’ll be in town. I hope to get back to Chances Inlet as soon as possible.”

Carly looked up from what she was doing with a speculative pause. “You’d stay there even without Will?”

Julianne tried not to bristle at her friend’s question. “It’s Owen’s home now, too. And it’s where my new designs will be manufactured.”

“When you mentioned you were designing again, I didn’t think you’d progressed so far as to begin manufacturing.” Carly’s statement was more of a question.

Julianne shrugged. “There’s no sense in waiting. People need jobs, and I’ve got the means to employ them. It will be a huge boon to the town.”

“That’s good, I guess,” Carly said. “It’ll certainly keep you busy. But how will you handle starting a new company and taking care of the baby?”

“Will’s mother is going to help. And I have Sebastian to take care of the business end of things.”

Carly totally ignored the second half of her statement. “Will’s mother? I’d think she’d be on his side. I mean . . .” Her voice trailed off.

“She’s on Owen’s side.” Julianne struggled to keep her voice steady. Clearly, her friend thought the worst of her. “It’s best if Owen puts down roots in one place so that he’s not shuffled around constantly. Locating the company in Chances Inlet will allow him to have a more stable life.”