Something in her sister’s voice snagged Ally’s attention, and she dropped onto the couch next to her sister. “What do you mean? Is something…is something wrong with you?” Jess didn’t speak, and Ally’s imagination went into overdrive.
“No, nothing’s wrong with me.” Jess gave her a small deprecating smile. “It’s just that I’m pregnant again.”
For a moment, Ally just stared at her sister, then she clasped her arms around her and hugged her fiercely. “Oh, sis! That—that’s wonderful news!”
A dull ache throbbed low in her belly. She told herself it was psychosomatic and forced away the memories to muster a bright smile for her sister. “Another baby! You and Brian must be so thrilled. Have you told Nana yet?”
Jess grinned. “Not yet. I’m just a few weeks in. You’re the first to know.”
“No wonder Brian was so smoochy-smoochy when he said good-bye to you this afternoon.”
“He loves being a dad.” Jess’s smile faded at the edges. “I’m the one feeling a little overwhelmed this time. We didn’t plan this one, you see. I knew we were going to have more kids, but not so soon. In a few months I’ll have three children under the age of three, not to mention the business as well. I don’t know if I’ll be able to cope.”
“Jess, you’re the master of coping.” She gave her sister another hug. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to manage. You always do.”
“Do I? Well, sometimes it gets very tiring always being the person who holds it together. Sometimes it would be nice to just let myself go to pieces.”
Ally blinked. When had her sister ever gone to pieces? Even when their parents had died Jess had remained the stoic big sis who’d been there to comfort her, keeping her own tears private.
“I’m here for you, sis. Whatever you need to get you through this, just call me. I mean it.”
“Thanks.” Taking Ally’s hand, she pressed it against her still-flat abdomen. “And the baby thanks you, too.”
Against her palm, Ally felt her sister’s taut stomach, and she imagined the tiny fetus curled up inside, delicate and precious like a rosebud. Involuntarily her teeth clamped against the inside of her cheek. Something warm and salty pricked her tongue. She flattened her lips and swallowed, the blood trickling down to join the ache still secreted inside her.
Ally plunged the sponge into the bucket of water, crushed it between her hands, then swept it over the shelf. Her knees were sore from kneeling on the wooden floor, and her hands were red and chafed. Some way to be spending a Sunday evening. She ought to be relaxing in a bubble bath or reading a book, but she was too pent-up to lie still. Not after Sunday dinner at Jess’s place, with Nana giving her the third degree about both Paul and the gift shop, and then going into a tizzy when Jess had told her about her pregnancy.
She grimaced and scrubbed the already pristine shelf even harder. While her grandma had fussed over Jess, Ally had been aware of that dull ache in her again. She didn’t like feeling jealous of her sister. She wasn’t jealous; she was more…heartsore.
So now she was cleaning the shop, preparing it for the new stock that would be arriving the next week. Already she had planned the layout and printed out flyers to distribute in the following days.
A tap on the front door had her frowning. Just because the lights were on, people assumed the shop was open. Couldn’t they read the sign? Pulling herself to her feet, she took a couple steps toward the door, then halted. Peering at her through the glass was Seth.
She froze, and her mind went blank.
He gave her a sheepish wave, his expression tentative, as if he fully expected her to snub him. That did it. If he thought she couldn’t face him after all this time, he could think again. Chin up, she walked over to the door and unlocked it.
Seth dipped his head. “Uh, hi…”
“Hello, Seth.” She looked him up and down, cucumber cool. “This is a surprise. Looking for a last-minute gift for your fiancée? I have some Angora sweaters she’d simply adore.”
“Um…no…I didn’t come to buy anything…” He shuffled his feet on her doormat.
“No? Then I’ll have to ask you to leave. I’m terribly busy at the moment.”
“Oh, well, I guess I could have a look around.”
An icy control had taken hold of her. She held the door open. “Come inside, then.”
Seth edged into the shop, blinking furtively under the bright lights. The years had altered the man she’d thought she would spend the rest of her life with. His clothes were slick, his haircut expensive. He looked like he worked out at a gym, which was just as well because a shadow of fat had begun to dog his chin. The pampered life of a city fat cat, she thought caustically. The easy-going, down-to-earth country boy she’d known had turned into a metrosexual.
He glanced about him, avoiding her eye. “Nice place you’ve got here.”
“I like it.” She walked over to the rack of Angora sweaters she’d been about to pack away and grabbed the most hideous one, a bright pink puffball adorned with bobbles and ribbons. “Here. I’ve got the perfect gift for you—any woman would love to wear this. It’s the latest thing this spring.” She thrust the garment into his hands.
Alarm flickered over Seth’s face. “I don’t know if this is Paige’s taste.”
She paused, waiting for the mention of his fiancée’s name to trigger some response in her. Jealousy, irritation, curiosity…but there was nothing. She waited another moment, but still nothing. Nothing except relief. Relief that she could look at him with dispassionate eyes and know she was well and truly over him. That she was a hundred times better off without him. That she’d had a lucky escape. Oh, the relief.
But that didn’t mean she was ready to go easy on him.
“I’m telling you, that sweater is a guaranteed winner.” She fixed him with a penetrating gaze as she picked up another sweater and pressed it on him. “In fact, I insist you buy a second one for Paige’s mother. Crystal will love wearing this on television, absolutely love it. I take all major credit cards.” She held out her palm toward him.
“Oh…I don’t…” His cheeks puffed in and out before he relented and dug in his pocket for his wallet. “Okay, here you go.”
She took his credit card and sauntered to the counter to process the sale.
Seth shuffled up behind her. “I guess I can afford it,” he muttered.
Her spine stiffened but she remained silent. She punched the keys of the cash register, glad to charge several hundred dollars to Seth’s account. Not that he would care much. That jacket of his alone must have cost him thousands. He had the same expensive tastes as Nate, yet he wasn’t half as attractive. Money had made Seth sleek and self-satisfied, but Nate wasn’t altered by his wealth. After all, he was willing to swap his city penthouse for his brother’s modest house. But why was she comparing Seth to Nate, anyway? Why was she even thinking about Nate?
She completed the sale, folded the two sweaters into a bag, and handed it to Seth with a bland smile as if he were just another of her customers. “Enjoy. So glad you could pop by.”
“Can we talk?”
She sighed, suddenly weary. It was heartening to realize Seth did nothing for her pulse rate anymore, but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend more time with him. He was a part of her past, a past from which she wanted to move on.
“Seth.” Spreading her hands on the counter, she kept her voice low and firm as she said, “What’s done is done. I don’t want to rehash the past. I don’t have any opinion about you marrying Paige. It’s your life, and you can do what you want.”
He exhaled a long breath, his shoulders relaxing. “Oh, you don’t know how glad I am to hear you say that. I’ve been a bit worried, you know. I thought you might be kind of weird about the whole thing.”
“Weird?” She frowned. “What do you mean, weird?”
He shrugged, his usual uncommunicative self. “Oh, y’know, I thought you might still have it in for me. A woman scorned, and all that kind of thing.”
A tiny hammer thudded against the insides of her temples. “And just what exactly did you think I’d do in revenge? Boil your pet bunny?”
He gave an uneasy laugh. “I really don’t know.”
“No, you don’t, do you? You don’t have a clue.” Her fingers curled into the flesh of her palm. “You know what? I am so relieved we didn’t get married. Because it’s obvious you don’t know me at all, and when I look at you now with your fancy clothes”—she waved at him—“I realize I don’t know you, either. Isn’t that strange? After everything we’ve been through, you’re like a stranger to me now.”
Seth opened and shut his mouth a couple of times. “So…we’re good, then?”
She widened her eyes, wondering if he was being deliberately obtuse. “Sure, Seth. We’re all right.” Despite herself, she couldn’t help adding, “Does Paige know you’re here?”
His gaze slid away from her. “Well, that’s the thing…”