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“I’ll stay with the boy,” Carol volunteered, “if you like.”
Jessa glanced at Hunter, who gave his head the tiniest of nods. “Thank you, Carol. I’ll try not to be long.”
“Oh, don’t rush on my account,” Carol said, moving across the room to seat herself on the couch. “I like kids. Would a snack be okay? Fruit and maybe a cookie or two? Nothing to ruin the young man’s dinner.” Hunter perked up noticeably.
“That would be fine,” Jessa said with a smile, moving toward the door.
Hunter’s eyes twinkled at Jessa as she backed from the room. She knew that in many ways her little boy was not as mature as others of his age, but he possessed a quiet sense of humor rivaling that of any adult.
Taking down her hair as she traversed the landing, Jessa combed through it with her fingers and twisted it up again, expertly fixing the clip in place. She hadn’t reached the curve in the broad staircase before silky strands drifted down to waft about her face. She blew one out of her eyes with a puff of air from between her lips and wondered if she should have changed her cheap canvas tennis shoes for dressier flats. Then again, if winning the day depended upon her attire, she’d be lost before she’d begun.
The door to which Magnolia had pointed earlier now stood open, and muted voices filtered through it, along with the soft rumble of laughter. Her heart pounding, Jessa paused on the stairs to gather her courage.
Now would be the time, Lord, she found herself praying. If ever You’re going to answer my prayers, now would be the time. For my son’s sake, and in the name of Your Son, please.
Inhaling deeply, she moved on down to the foyer and crossed over to the library door. She’d seen public libraries with less to offer. Bookshelves lined every wall, and a long, interesting table, surrounded by chairs, occupied the center of the densely carpeted floor, with a number of people standing and sitting around it. Hilda dropped into a chair, obviously having just placed an ornate silver tea service on the table. Heads turned in Jessa’s direction, but before she could speak, she felt a presence at her back.
“Hello, everyone,” Garrett called out cheerfully.
A light touch near her waist literally propelled her into the room. Kent Monroe came to his feet, Odelia clinging to his hand. For a moment, Jessa couldn’t tear her eyes from the woman, who wore an aqua turban, chandelier earrings hung with multicolored stones, and a shocking pink caftan trimmed with rainbow fringe.
“We’re meeting early today,” Garrett said to no one in particular.
A slender man in an expensive suit turned from a private conversation with Ellie Monroe and smiled. A rosy gray painted the temples of his chestnut hair and called attention to his glittering amber eyes. If they were not enough to mark him as a Chatam, the cleft chin certainly was.
“It’s an early release day at the school,” he said. He came around the end of the table, his hand outstretched. “Ms. Pagett, I presume. I’m Asher Chatam.”
Jessa shook his hand, and said, “Nice to meet you.”
Ellie came to offer an apologetic hug. “Jessa, I’m so sorry about what’s happened. I had no idea Grandpa had spoken to Garrett about the house.”
“We’ll sort it out, sweetheart,” Asher told Ellie, sliding his arm around her to cup his hand over her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around his waist, smiling up at him as if he’d hung the moon.
Jessa felt a stab of envy. She’d seen that look before. In her wedding photos. Unfortunately it hadn’t lasted a month.
At Hypatia’s urging, they all gathered around the table, the Chatam triplets, Kent and Ellie Monroe, Asher, the cook Hilda, Garrett and Jessa. After pulling out a chair for Jessa, Garrett managed to find himself a seat opposite her next to Magnolia. Asher took the spot at the head of the table, Ellie on his right, while Kent remained at the foot with Odelia next to him.
Hypatia began passing out tea, starting with Jessa.
“Thank you,” she began, “but—”
Garrett cleared his throat loudly then declared, “This is nice. One benefit of meeting early. A cup of tea is always nice. Especially around here.”
Jessa blinked. Had he just sent her a message? She caught the expectant expression on Hypatia Chatam’s face, took the hint and reached for the teacup. Eyeing the three sugar cubes on the accompanying saucer, Jessa carefully amended her comment.
“I—I really don’t need sugar.”
Smiling, Hypatia quickly switched saucers, confiding, “I take my own tea black, but nearly everyone else sweetens theirs.”
“Some of us more than others,” Kent acknowledged, plunking four of the cubes into his own cup and then reaching for a small plate of finger sandwiches.
Jessa carefully tasted the tea and found it surprisingly pleasant. Hypatia’s demeanor told her that she’d just passed a kind of test. Jessa glanced at Garrett with gratitude in her eyes. He acknowledged it with a slight dip of his head, and she quickly looked away again.
Oh, it would not do to like him. Gratitude was one thing, but liking was something else altogether, the first step on a dangerous path that could only lead to heartbreak. He was her adversary, not her friend. If only he weren’t so breathtakingly handsome....
Chapter Four
“So,” Asher Chatam said, effortlessly taking command of the meeting, “here’s what I gather so far. Ellie spoke with Jessa at the school about nine-thirty yesterday morning, Wednesday. They made an agreement for Jessa to lease the house on Charter Street and Ellie received a check, which she has not deposited.”
“Yes,” Ellie said.
“Ellie then told Jessa that she could go ahead and move into the house.” He looked pointedly to Ellie, adding, “Even though I hadn’t yet had a chance to draw up papers.” Ellie gave a little shrug, smiling wanly. Clearly, Jessa noted, she was not troubled by his thinly veiled scold.
“At about the same time as Ellie was talking to Jessa,” Asher went on, “Kent spoke to Garrett here at Chatam House about a lease/purchase agreement. They agreed on a monthly consideration, and funds were deposited with Kent to seal the deal.”
“Uh, no,” Garrett interrupted. “That’s not correct. No money changed hands on our end.”
Kent cleared his throat, and Magnolia sighed. “Actually,” she muttered, “money did change hands, so to speak.”
“She had the money transferred into my bank account,” Kent clarified.
Garrett closed his eyes and shook his head. “And you were going to tell me this when?”
“When you needed to know,” Magnolia answered primly.
He clamped his jaw, looking away. An uncomfortable silence ensued, broken moments later by Asher. “Well,” he said, “there you have it. One property. Two legally identical transactions.”
“Quite the coincidence,” Jessa mumbled.
“Oh, my dear,” Hypatia said with a chuckle that proved the acuity of her hearing, “we don’t believe in coincidences around here, not for God’s children.”
“Indeed, not,” Magnolia commented.
“A coincidence is just God at work,” Odelia tittered.
“That’s good,” Asher said, “because we’re going to need some divine guidance to resolve this. Unless....” He looked from Garrett, who appeared to be brooding, to Jessa who, admittedly, was doing a bit of the same. Unless what? she wondered, but before she could ask for clarification, Magnolia spoke up again.
“I propose that we put this issue aside until after Ellie and Asher’s wedding.” Jessa bit her lip in dismay, but Magnolia hurried on. “Of course, Jessa and Hunter will remain here with us as our guests in the meantime.”
“But the wedding’s a month away, isn’t it?” Jessa spoke up quickly. “We couldn’t impose that long.”
“It’s no imposition,” Magnolia insisted, sitting forward. “More like a blessing.” She glanced around the table, adding pointedly, “Jessa just happens to be a florist.”
“That’s true,” Ellie chimed in, “and I admit that when she told me about wanting to open her own shop at the house on Charter Street, I immediately thought about asking her to help out with the wedding.” She looked to Jessa, saying, “I meant to let you get settled first.”
“Well, I’m happy to be of assistance, of course,” Jessa said, brightening, “especially if it will help cover our room and board here.”
“Now, now,” Hypatia interrupted. “None of that. Our guests do not worry about room and board. We will pay you for your help, of course.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Asher commented, sitting back in his chair.
“Me, too!” Ellie declared.
Jessa beamed. This could all work out in her favor, after all. She already had most of the material she would need, other than the flowers, and she could find many of those in the greenhouse. More importantly, if she did a good job for them, Ellie and Asher just might start to argue on her behalf in regard to the Monroe place. Staying here wasn’t the same as Hunter and her having their own home, of course, but it wasn’t exactly slumming, either, and they wouldn’t have to impose on Abby, at least not for a good while.
“Now that that’s settled,” Hilda said, “could we finalize the menu? This May wedding isn’t exactly a small family affair. Not that there’s any such thing with the Chatams.”
Conversation shifted to food and then to the guest list, which was considerable. Finally, Hilda rose to depart, saying that she had to start dinner.
“And I have another meeting,” Asher said apologetically, already on his feet.
“Thanks for working around my schedule,” Ellie told him, turning her face up to receive his kiss.
“I’m happy to work around your schedule, sweetheart,” he told her.
They murmured between themselves for several seconds before he left the room. Jessa tried not to watch, only to have her gaze land on Garrett. He seemed troubled, caught in his own thoughts, until Asher left, at which point he roused himself and turned to Ellie.
“About the violets…”
“I think they’ll be perfect on the cake,” she gushed. “Don’t you?”
“Those are candied violets,” Garrett pointed out. “That’s not my department, but I have several dozen potted violets that we can use for decoration. I’m just not sure they’ll be enough to strike a real theme, you know?”
“I think you’re right,” Jessa interjected quickly. “I suggest going with mixed bouquets with as many purples as we can find.”
Ellie clapped her hands. “Excellent. Why don’t you meet with Garrett and figure out what we can use, then maybe put together something I can look at?”
“I’ve already seen the greenhouse, so I can go ahead and draw up some designs,” Jessa told her.
“What a blessing you are!” Ellie exclaimed, coming around the table to hug her again. “And after all the mix-up, too! Don’t you worry, though, it’ll all work out. Right, Garrett?”
“Right.” He nodded, smiling wanly. “Wedding, property issues, all of it.”
Beaming, Ellie danced away, her hopes and dreams secure. Jessa wished that she could be so sure about her own life, but she had never been among the blessed, not like these people.
No matter. Things had been worse, much worse. Maybe her life wasn’t what she’d hoped it would be at this moment, but it was a far cry from what it had been, and her son would never, never again, live with fear. She would uphold that vow, whatever it took.
Right now, that would have to be enough.
As Jessa excused herself and hurried from the room, Garrett looked around for Magnolia. Knowing that she would be eager to avoid him, he didn’t bother looking in her chair. He found her speaking to Odelia and Kent. She skirted the balding, portly old gent, making a beeline for Ellie.
Garrett trailed her, arriving in time to hear Ellie say, “I think you’re right. I’m sure she’ll be a great help. Frankly, I’m a little concerned about the boy, though.”
“What about the boy?” Garrett couldn’t help asking.
“Well, Jessa’s homeschooling,” Ellie said, “and while I’m not against homeschooling on principle, I do wonder if Hunter is being socialized enough. He seems unusually timid and quiet.”
Given Ellie’s occupation as a kindergarten teacher, Garrett wasn’t surprised at her conclusion. He’d made a similar judgment himself earlier, but something compelled him to defend the boy.
“That might not have anything to do with his schooling. He could just be naturally shy.”
“That’s true,” Ellie conceded, “but he would still need large-group experience to help him overcome his natural tendency to fade into the background.”
“Couldn’t he get that, say, at church?” Garrett pressed.
“Possibly.”
“He’s certainly well-mannered,” Magnolia observed, “but he does stick close to his mother. You don’t suppose he was bullied in the past, do you? I’ve heard of that happening to quiet children.”
Bullied, Garrett thought, his heart sinking, or, more likely, abused. He fervently hoped that was not the case, but he’d already recognized the signs. Maybe he’d find out the truth while he and Jessa worked on the flowers for the wedding.
He certainly didn’t mind the idea of working with her. She seemed to have a good eye and even if her skills turned out to be only mediocre, they would be better than his or Magnolia’s when it came to bouquets and such. Besides, he didn’t exactly find her repulsive. Prickly, yes, but somehow that only added to her appeal. That didn’t really explain why he’d kept his mouth shut about backing out of his deal with Kent, though.
He’d intended to do it, and Asher had clearly expected it of him or Jessa. In his defense, Garrett had been momentarily blindsided by Magnolia’s admission concerning the money. When they’d talked, Kent had detailed the kind of investment that would be expected in order to finalize the deal, but he hadn’t asked for the money then. Garrett had assumed that it would be expected at the signing of the papers. He’d never dreamed that Magnolia would take it upon herself to pay the funds herself. That reminded him why he was standing there.
Tugging at her sleeve, he cleared his throat. “I need a word with you, please.”
Ellie split an amused look between them. “I promised to spend a few minutes with Grandpa,” she said, pirouetting off in Kent’s direction. “You’d think we were never going to see each other again after I move into Asher’s house.”
“Now, Garrett,” Magnolia began immediately.
“It was very generous of you to give Kent cash out of your own account, but you know I can’t accept your money,” Garrett said.
“I only wanted—”
“I have money,” he went on firmly, “and I would have paid Kent what he needed when we signed the papers.”
“But I have so much more than—”
“It goes back into your account, Magnolia. Every penny.”
“Why do you have to be so stubborn?” she grumbled.
Grinning, he bent and smacked a kiss on her leathery cheek. “Why do you?”
She folded her arms, fighting a smile. Garrett left her there, wondering yet again why he hadn’t just ended the whole debacle earlier by dropping his claim to the Charter Street site. As he hurried back to his duties, Garrett admitted the truth. He didn’t drop his claim because then Jessa Lynn Pagett and her too-quiet son would leave Chatam House for good. Before he knew them better. Before he knew her better. Before he knew the truth about them.
Before he knew why he couldn’t stop thinking about her or looking forward to their next encounter.
Garrett stayed busy that evening. He ignored Magnolia’s summons to the dinner table, knowing that if he let her turn him up sweet now, she’d harass him about accepting her money. Instead, he made a little space in the greenhouse by moving some of the topiaries outside to the patio, something he should have done a week or so earlier. After that, he gathered up all of the containers scattered around the building. After a late supper in the kitchen, he stopped by the family parlor in hopes of arranging to meet with Jessa and Magnolia the next day.
Jessa was nowhere to be seen, however. She and Hunter had declined to join the family for dinner, too. Garrett told himself that they were not avoiding him, just still settling in, but then Hilda reported the next morning that not only had they elected to take dinner in their suite the night before, but also breakfast. Garrett nursed a secret emotional bruise while demolishing a bowl of Hilda’s grits with stewed pears, then headed out to the greenhouse to seek out every purple flower he could find and some ferns he’d had in mind.
The instant he stepped through the door, he knew someone was there. Glancing around, he eased through the front space and into the next, slipping through the heavy plastic curtain. Surprised at whom he found there among the flowers, he took a moment to make certain that his voice remained calm and level.
“Hello.”
The boy whirled away from the rose bush to face Garrett, tension in every line of the small body inside his oversize clothes. “I didn’t touch it,” he said.
