“Tea would be great, thanks.”
Kat sat cross-legged on the floor near Chip, missing Fitz’s company already. She smiled as the tortoise waddled toward her, extending his wrinkled neck so she could nuzzle his head with the tip of her finger.
“I may have to go downstairs if we hear the bell above the entrance, but it’s been a slow day thanks to the storm.” Penny filled an antique copper kettle with water from the sink and set it on the stove. “I’m so glad you were able to solve the riddle. I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever figure it out.”
“Actually, Jack deserves the credit. It only took him a few seconds to solve, too.”
“Really?” Penny elongated each syllable, showcasing her curiosity. “What was it like? Getting trapped together in the snowstorm, I mean.”
Kat blushed as her sister filled an infuser with fragrant tea leaves, watching her closely. “It was… uneventful.”
Penny pinched her eyebrows together as if she didn’t quite believe her, but she didn’t press further, busying herself with arranging gingersnaps on a dainty china plate. “I guess it must’ve taken a while for the roads to clear this morning.”
Kat’s blush deepened as though she were a toddler caught stealing Santa’s milk and cookies. She really needed to switch topics, but nothing else came to mind. She couldn’t steer her thoughts away from Jack no matter how hard she tried.
Hoping for a distraction, she turned her attention back to Chip, but he’d shuffled toward his enclosure, apparently uninterested in their girl talk.
“You know, Jack hasn’t had a girlfriend since high school,” Penny informed her out of the blue.
“Oh?” She tried—unsuccessfully—to keep the interest out of her voice.
Penny’s lips twitched and she opened her mouth to say more, but the kettle screeched, cutting her off, much to Kat’s dismay. She waited impatiently as Penny filled the teapot with boiling water. Could she pour any slower?
“Her name was Ashley Tanner,” Penny said at last, carrying the plate of cookies to the coffee table. “We were all waiting for Jack to propose, but one day she simply packed her bags and left town, almost like she’d vanished into thin air. It was strange.”
“Were you two friends?” Kat asked, wanting to know all she could about the woman Jack almost married.
“Not friends, per se.” She sank onto the chaise lounge, the fringe of her shawl draped elegantly across the teal velvet upholstery. “She was always nice to me, but she was a few years older than I was and, honestly, fairly intimidating.”
Kat’s stomach twisted. Of course she was. What else did she expect?
As if noticing her crestfallen expression, Penny quickly added, “But she wasn’t right for Jack.”
“Why do you say that?”
“It’s hard to explain. It was an intangible quality. I always got the sense that Poppy Creek wasn’t enough for her. Which made me wonder ifJackwould be enough for her.”
Kat straightened, suddenly indignant at the notion that Jack was somehow lacking in anything. She started to protest, but caught her sister’s somber countenance. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…” Penny hesitated before adding softly, “It made me think of Helena and how love wasn’t enough for her, either.”
Her chest tightening, Kat looked away, focusing on the landscape painting above the mantel—the emerald green hills seemed to disappear into the indigo horizon with one effortless brushstroke.
As if sensing her discomfort, Penny mustered up a smile. “The tea should be ready.” Rising from the chaise lounge, she strode the few feet into the kitchen.
Desperate to change the subject, Kat said, “You have lovely artwork.”
“Thank you. Dad collected most of it. In fact”—her face brightened—“there’s one I want to show you.” She motioned for Kat to join her in the kitchen. “This one is my favorite.”
Although the photograph had clearly been taken decades earlier, Kat instantly recognized the stately home perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean. “That’s Hope Hideaway.” Her gaze traveled the well-known path to the beach, resting on two small girls building a sandcastle. The youngest couldn’t have been more than two years old. Her breath stalled. “Is that—”
“It’s the two of us. My dad took it the day he brought me to Starcross Cove, hoping to win Helena back. After all those years, he’d never stopped loving her.” Penny’s voice trembled, and Kat struggled to keep her own emotions under control.
“I don’t remember,” she whispered, grazing the edge of the wooden frame with her fingertip.
“We were too young. But now we can make new memories together.” Penny turned to face her, her eyes shimmering.
Kat’s throat burned and she found it difficult to swallow. This woman had been nothing but kind, and yet Kat couldn’t even tell her the truth about their mother’s death. Not without facing feelings she’d long suppressed.
