Chapter Fourteen

Abby had instructed Jonah to meet her and Eva Grace in the school gymnasium at one. Since it was a beautiful fall day, she and Eva Grace set out for the school on foot.

Being behind the wheel still caused her stomach to jitter. She could drive. Had driven herself a few blocks. But it didn’t give her the pleasure it once had.

Baby steps, she told herself.

Given time, the fear would fade completely. Or so she hoped.

“Jonah,” Eva Grace called out, then sprinted down the sidewalk.

When Eva Grace reached him, he swung the child high in the air. Then he turned to her, his grin infectious. “Hi, Abby. Beautiful day for a walk.”

For the first time, Abby realized she didn’t know where Jonah lived. Had he secured a place near downtown? Hers was the only hotel in the historic district, and he wasn’t staying under her roof. No sirree, that would be way too close for comfort.

Setting Eva Grace down, but keeping her small hand in his, he fell into step beside Abby. “This is a nice coincidence.”

For a second, Abby said nothing. She knew as surely as she knew her own name that his showing up on the street in front of her hotel was anything but random.

She lifted a brow. “I don’t believe I asked where you’re living.”

“I was lucky enough to get a short-term lease on a condo in Greenbriar Place.”

“Those are nice units.” In this instance, “nice” fell under the category of extreme understatement. The twenty-unit brick-and-stone condominium building had been erected late last year. With ten-foot ceilings, a rooftop garden, and underground parking, the high-end units sold for astronomically high prices. “I didn’t think rentals were allowed.”

“Short-term leases only,” Jonah confirmed. “This one was available for three months while the owner is out of the country. That suited me fine, since it gives me a chance to get to know the community better and decide where I want to live.”

“Your condo is just down the street from Eva Grace’s school.”

He nodded absently, his gaze drawn in the direction of a black squirrel Eva Grace was pointing at.

“Both of those buildings are on the other side of the Green.”

The blue eyes that fixed on her looked like pools of azure in the sunshine. “Are you trying to make a point?”

Busted, she wanted to say, but refrained. Instead, she pointed out the obvious. “We live in the opposite direction of the school.”

He chuckled. “I got ready early and decided to take a walk before heading to the school.”

“That’s when you saw me and Mommy.” Eva Grace’s loud voice had the squirrel scampering up the nearest tree.

“I did.” He gave the child’s hand a swing. “Now we can walk to the school together.”

Was he telling the truth? Impossible to say. That worried her. She needed to keep control of the situation, and right now things felt out of control.

“Watch me skip.” Eva Grace let go of Jonah’s hand and took off down the walkway.

“I didn’t deliberately run into you.” Jonah’s gaze met Abby’s. “I’m grateful to you for letting me spend time with you and Eva Grace.”

Those blue eyes were strong and steady on hers.

She gave a curt nod, ignoring the pressure inside her chest. They’d once been friends, good friends, and seeing him again brought old memories flooding back.

But she couldn’t forget what he’d done. If she pushed those hurts to the back of her mind, he could hurt her again. And if he hurt her, Eva Grace could be caught in the cross fire.

Abby expelled a breath when the school came into view. The new one-story brick building took up an entire block. Today a banner over the front door announced the “Helen Potter Elementary Fall Carnival” in brightly colored letters.

Jonah held the door open for them.

When Abby stepped inside the shiny hall, signs lined the hallway, advertising the booths they could expect to see once they followed the arrows to the gym.

“Twenty ways to—” Eva Grace paused in front of a sign featuring pumpkins covered in everything from candy corn to googly eyes. “De . . . co . . .”

The child looked to Jonah for assistance.

Abby gave a subtle shake of her head.

“You’re doing great. Keep sounding it out.” Jonah offered the girl an encouraging smile. “You’ll get it.”

Eva Grace’s brows pulled together, and her face held a look of intense concentration. Abby recalled seeing that same look a time or two on Jonah’s face when he was stumped by something.

“Rate?” The little girl cast imploring eyes in Abby’s direction.

Abby could see the frustration starting to build. She reminded herself that though Eva Grace was a whiz at reading, she was still five years old.

Putting a hand on her daughter’s shoulder, Abby kept her voice calm. “Let’s you and I put it together. De-co-rate.” She saw the second the word registered. “Tell me what it is.”

 

Eva Grace smiled triumphantly. “Decorate.”

Jonah held out a hand for a fist bump. “Twenty ways to decorate pumpkins.”

“Without carving,” Abby added, reading the small print.

“Can we do that?” Eva Grace’s gaze shifted from Jonah to Abby, then back to Jonah.

Jonah grinned. “I believe that’s why we’re here.”

+

Jonah stood beside Abby and watched Eva Grace round the squares in the cakewalk. A bright bouncy tune that reminded him of a carnival played, then abruptly stopped.

He recognized the volunteer running the game as Frank Partridge. The white-haired man with a full beard was the postal carrier assigned to the downtown district. In a deep voice capable of carrying to the back row of any theater, Frank called out the next number.

Eva Grace glanced down, then shrugged good-naturedly while the boy in front of her jumped high in the air and uttered a loud whoop.

This was Eva Grace’s second time around the circle, and he had the feeling she was going to go round and round until she won something. Of course, it wasn’t like there were other games left to play.

They’d already visited the ring toss, the balloon pop, and the tic-tac-throw. But Jonah’s favorite was the picture Abby held in her hands, the one taken of him and Eva Grace at the photo booth. Eva Grace had stuck her head through the lion’s face, and his had gone through the opening for the circus ringmaster.

Abby glanced down. “She looks just like you.”

Jonah studied the picture. “You can see the resemblance.”

She pushed the photo into his hands. “Keep it.”

“You don’t want it?” he asked even as his fingers closed around the precious photo. It was the first—and only—photo he had of him with his daughter.

“I have lots of pictures.” Her gaze didn’t meet his.

She was being generous but didn’t want to appear so.

He gave a short nod and slipped the picture carefully into his jacket pocket just as Liz hurried up.

“Abby.” Her friend’s eyes widened just a little at the sight of Jonah. “Chief.”

“I think we know each other well enough that you can call me Jonah.”

Liz smiled. Then, catching Eva Grace’s eye, she waved at the child.

Abby glanced around. “Where’s Sawyer?”

“It’s his weekend with his dad.”

“Did you tell him the school carnival was this weekend?”

“Yes.” Liz lifted her hands, let them drop, then changed the subject. “Can I get a picture of the two of you?”

A startled look crossed Abby’s face. “Why?”

“I’m doing a small article on the carnival for the Chronicle. Even though Hank didn’t ask for photos, I thought I’d take a bunch and see if any of them work.”

“Fine with me,” Jonah said. “If it’s okay with Abby.”

“I suppose.”

If Liz noticed Abby’s reluctance, it didn’t show. “Just turn back like you were and watch the cakewalk. Pretend I’m not here.”

Just then, the music stopped, and Frank bellowed out another number.

The smile on Eva Grace’s face when she realized she was standing on the winning square had Jonah forgetting all about Liz.

He gave Eva Grace a thumbs-up, then turned to Abby. “She won.”

“She did.” Abby’s smile was as big as Eva Grace’s.

For a second, Jonah basked in the warmth of it.

“I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Liz patted Abby on the shoulder, shot Jonah a speculative glance followed by a smile, and hurried off.

Jonah lifted a hand in farewell then turned back to Abby. God, she was beautiful. While the mustard-colored shirt matched the plaid pants that hugged her slender legs like a glove and her hair, pulled back from her face with a stretchy band, shone like polished mahogany under the fluorescent lights, it was her full lips that captured his attention.

Slick with gloss, which he couldn’t identify the color of except to say it was some shade of red. Whatever it was, it looked amazing on her.

Jonah had gotten a brief taste of her mouth the other day. That had been a mistake. The problem was, it hadn’t felt like a mistake. It had felt real. And right.

A platter containing a chocolate cake covered in plastic wrap was shoved into his midsection, pulling his thoughts back from the fantasy of him and Abby. After what he’d done, he was lucky she was even talking to him.

“Look what I won.” Eva Grace hopped from one foot to the other.

“I can’t believe you carried this big cake all the way over here by yourself,” he told her, lifting the platter from her hands.

“You were looking at Mommy.” She smiled, not seeming bothered by that fact. “She was looking at you.”

Jonah’s gaze shot to Abby. Could it be that he wasn’t the only one interested?

The cool look in her eyes dashed that second of wishful thinking.

“Well”—Abby’s smile didn’t reach her eyes—“as fun as this has been, it’s time to head home.”

“Please, can’t we—” Eva Grace stopped when Abby shot her a glance.

“You have school tomorrow. We still need to eat dinner, then get your bath—”

“I’ve an idea.” Jonah tightened his fingers around the cake platter. “My refrigerator is fully stocked. Why don’t you stop at my place? It’s a block away. We can whip up something, then eat on the rooftop garden?”

“Eat on a roof?” Eva Grace’s eyes went wide. “Like the kind on top of a house?”

Jonah smiled. “This roof is flat, with lots of flowers. And it overlooks the Green.”

“I want to eat on a roof.” Eva Grace spun around. “That would be awesome.”

“If we did, we wouldn’t be able to stay long.” Abby chewed on her bottom lip, her desire to end the day with him clearly at odds with a desire to get an up close and personal look at Greenbriar Place.

Still, she hesitated. Likely calculating how much extra time this would add to their day. As much as he’d envisioned them cooking together, he’d save that for another time.

“There’s an organic grocery store just around the corner that has takeout. We could grab something and take it up to the roof.”

“Please, Mommy.” Eva Grace put her hands together as if praying. “I’ve never eaten on a roof before.”

Abby’s gaze slid from her daughter to Jonah. When she gave a little laugh, he realized this “awesome” day wasn’t over yet.

+

Abby finished off the last bite of her caramel sea salt macaroon and realized how much better she felt ten days post accident. Her wrists no longer ached, and the scratches and facial bruising weren’t anything a little makeup couldn’t conceal.

It wasn’t only the physical, Abby realized. Making the decision to let Eva Grace get better acquainted with Jonah had eased some mental strain. She still wasn’t certain she could fully trust him, but she was reminded of what Nell had once said: people are incapable of hiding their true selves.

When Nell had tossed out the comment last year after a breakup with an attorney from Chicago, Abby remembered nodding her head in complete and total agreement.

She’d been thinking of Jonah at the time, recalling how he’d disappointed her. What did it say about her that she was now giving a man who’d shown her his true colors a second chance? She glanced across the table to where he and Eva Grace were making up a story. From the way they were laughing, it must be a funny one.

Abby reminded herself that she wasn’t really giving him a second chance. That would mean opening up her heart and letting him back in. That was definitely out of the question.

What she was doing was making the best of a bad—and awkward—situation. She was merely seeing how Jonah interacted with Eva Grace so she could assess whether he would be the best choice to care for her daughter if anything should happen to her.

So far, he hadn’t done anything to make her eliminate the possibility.

“Then the big bear growled and said, ‘Give me your bike.’” Eva Grace offered up a monster growl, then fell into a fit of giggling.

With a grin a mile wide, Jonah shifted his gaze and met Abby’s eyes.

The look of pure joy on his face was so engaging she couldn’t help but smile back. By the time Abby realized what she was doing and squelched the smile, his attention was back on Eva Grace.

“But the girl jumped on her bike and rode away, the sound of the bear’s roar following her down the path.”

Abby resisted the urge to roll her eyes. While she’d give them two points for creativity, this was no Caldecott Award winner they were plotting.

With the macaroon now history, she took a sip of wine and leaned back in her chair. The rooftop garden was nicer than she’d imagined. Strategically placed heat lamps warmed the air just enough to take away any chill. Humongous urns filled with flowers added bright splashes of color.

There were even trees, actual trees, planted in huge containers, their leaves beginning to turn red, yellow, and orange. When they’d first stepped out of the elevator, most of the tables had been filled with residents and their guests enjoying wine and conversation.

Eva Grace had been the only child in view, and they’d been the only table eating. Over the last hour, the rooftop had cleared, and right now, for the first time since they’d arrived, they were alone.

That was one of the reasons she didn’t make any attempt to shush Eva Grace when her daughter squealed with glee. From what Abby could gather, the bear had fallen into a deep hole while chasing the girl.

“I want to make up another story.” Eva Grace leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. “This one will have fairies.”

Jonah slanted a glance in Abby’s direction. “We’ve been ignoring your mother.”

“Mommy can make up stories with us.”

“That’s one solution.” Jonah appeared to be giving Eva Grace’s suggestion a lot of thought. “Or we could go back to my apartment and pick out a game we could all play? Maybe have a cookie?”

“We just had macaroons for dessert,” Abby reminded him.

Eva Grace wrinkled her nose. She’d only taken a tiny bit of hers, forcing Abby to finish it for her.

“Do you have chocolate chip?” Eva Grace asked.

“Of course.” Jonah grinned. “They’re the best.”

They reached Jonah’s floor, and Eva Grace ran ahead, his key card clutched tightly between her fingers. On the way down to his floor, Eva Grace had asked politely whether she could open the door to the apartment with “the card.” She’d been fascinated ever since she’d watched him open the door to his unit without a key.

“I don’t know what kind of games you have.” Abby kept her voice low. “But with her being only five, there’s not many games she can play.”

“I think I’ve got one or two that we can all agree upon.”

Abby started to open her mouth again but decided to wait and see whether any of the ones he had were appropriate.

Once inside, Jonah headed to the spacious state-of-the-art kitchen and retrieved a white cookie jar in the shape of a clown.

It had a big red nose and a creepy grin.

Abby recognized the jar instantly. “That used to be your mother’s.”

He pulled out several cookies and set them on a blue ceramic plate. These chocolate chip cookies were too perfect to have come from anywhere but the bakery down the street. “Mom gave the jar to me after Veronica and I split.”

Abby understood why Nancy Rollins had waited. She couldn’t imagine Veronica ever allowing the clown in her kitchen. Where would she put it? Certainly not next to the stylish Ratio Eight coffee maker with its black-walnut wood and hand-blown glass that had been Veronica’s pride and joy.

Not that Abby blamed the woman for not wanting the clown. There was something about the grin that made her shiver. But she knew Jonah loved it.

“Do you want to take the cookies and the games back up to the roof or play here?”

Abby wondered whether Jonah would be willing to give Marc a few lessons on give and take. The thought made her smile.

“Let’s play here.” As much as Abby had enjoyed the rooftop, the setting had a romantic feel that made her uneasy. “We can’t stay long. Eva Grace has school tomorrow. What games do you have?”

Ignoring the question, Jonah held up a glass milk bottle and raised a brow. Abby recognized the brand. Hormone and antibiotic free.

She inclined her head and watched Jonah fill a glass half-full.

“Would you like a glass as well?”

Abby shook her head. “I’m not sure it goes all that well with wine.”

Eva Grace sat at the counter with her cookies and milk while Jonah opened a cabinet under the large flat-screen television. He glanced back at Abby. “I’ll tell you what games I have, and you and Eva Grace can pick.”

“I want to play Hisss.”

Abby turned to her daughter. “I’m sure Jonah doesn’t have—”

“As a matter of fact, it’s right here.” Beneath several games Abby recognized, Jonah pulled out a bright-blue box with a multicolored snake on the front.

“Yay.” Eva Grace set down her glass of milk and clapped. “I’m going to get the most snakes.”

“We’ll see about that,” Jonah teased.

“How do you have all these kids’ games?” Abby was genuinely perplexed. She’d counted at least five in the drawer, four that she had in her home.

“I wanted to be prepared if Eva Grace ever came over.” A sheepish look crossed his face. “I did some online research, and these games are top rated by both parents and children in her age range.”

It was, Abby thought, incredibly sweet. It also had a knot forming in her gut. She couldn’t forget that his arrival in Hazel Green hadn’t been simply happenstance.

They’d just finished setting up the game on the glossy black dining room table when the buzzer sounded from the lobby. Requiring the residents to release the door leading to the elevators added an extra layer of security.

Jonah moved to the intercom. “Yes?”

“Jonah.” Though it had been over five years, Abby recognized Nancy Rollins’s voice immediately. “Your dad and I are in the lobby. Can you buzz us up?”

“Sure.”

When he turned away from the intercom, Abby had to resist the overwhelming urge to bolt. Her gaze narrowed on him. “Did you know they were coming? Is that why you invited us here?”

“What? No.” Then he repeated, as if wanting to make sure there was no misunderstanding, “No. I had no idea they were coming. I’m not sure why they’re here.”

The puzzled look in his eyes told Abby this hadn’t been a setup. Still, seeing his parents again was bound to be awkward. While she wasn’t about to race out the door like a scared rabbit, neither did she plan to hang around a second longer than necessary.

“Eva Grace. We need to get going.”

Her daughter looked up, cookie in hand, her face dusted with crumbs. The same puzzled look that had been in Jonah’s eyes now filled hers. Only for a different reason. “But we were going to play Hisss.”

“Another time.” Abby flashed a bright smile. “Jonah has company.”

“You could stay.” He offered her a hopeful look. “I know they’d love to see you both.”

“No.” Abby stood, knowing any minute his parents would be at the door.

Good manners dictated a pleasant hello, but that’s all Michael and Nancy would get out of her.

They hadn’t had time for her five years ago.

She didn’t have time for them now.