“Did you get everything for the centerpieces ordered like I asked you a dozen times?” Typical Whitney, ignoring anything she didn’t want to hear and making the conversation all about her. The more distance Jenna got from her sister, the clearer some things became about their fractured relationship.
“No.” It felt oddly satisfying to give her the answer.
“What do you meanno?”
“Whitney, your fiancéhiton me. Does that not bother you?” She’d kept her lips sealed about the incident after Whitney chewed her out the first time, claiming Jenna was jealous and desperate for attention. Getting kicked out of Whitney’s basement with virtually no notice was supposed to be some kind of warning from her sister to keep her mouth shutor else.But enough was enough. She was done staying silent or being pushed around. “During your engagement party, no less.”
“You’re still telling yourself that lie?”
“It’s not a lie. He tried tokissme.” The memory of him cornering her away from everyone still gave her the heebie jeebies. A kiss wasn’t all he was after, either. It was only her quick thinking that saved her.
“That’s not what he told me. Said you kicked him in the shin when he turned you down.”
Jenna let out a long groan. “Of course you believe him over your own flesh and blood.”
“He’s the one telling the truth.”
Jenna’s heart squeezed. For years, she’d wished she could figure out what made Whitney the way she was. She’d been searching memories from her childhood, before their mom passed, and couldn’t remember if that event changed her sister or if she’d always been this way.More like Mom. “Do you remember when Mom and Charmane got into that huge fight?”
“Who?”
“Charmane. Mom’sbestfriend.” The more she’d been opening up lately, the more she remembered from her younger years. Memories that were slowly filling in blanks she’d had for years. “They had a big fight about Mom’s boyfriend, Chuck.”
“Why are you bringinghimup?” Whitney was seconds from hanging up the phone, and maybe Jenna should let her. But she felt a duty as her sister to make one last effort to get through. If Whitney still didn’t want to listen, then Jenna would stick to loving her from afar.
“He made a pass at Charmane. At Christmas.”
“No, he didn’t.Shemade one at him under the mistletoe. She’d been planning it for weeks. That’s what Chuck—” Whitney gasped. “How long have you been planning to seducemyfiancé?”
Well, this was going nowhere fast. Jenna groaned, realizing when her sister went silent that she hadn’t made that sound only in her mind.Oops.“Look, I’m not coming back to Indiana, Whitney. It has very little to do with your rotten fiancé, either. If you want to lie to yourself about the womanizer with a fat bank account you’re about to marry, I’m done trying to talk sense into you. I’m staying in Alaska forme.Because that’s what I want.”
“You havesomenerve,” Whitney growled. It was a good thing her sister was thousands of miles away and unable to leap through the phone. “After everything I’ve done for you! Are you going to pay me back for all those months I let you stay with me forfree? All that time I fed you and let you hibernate in the basement so you could work on your stupid art?”
Jenna’s heart squeezed painfully at that last comment. “Stupid art.” She repeated the words so softly she barely heard them leave her quivering lips. Whitney continued her tirade, but Jenna disconnected the call without listening.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks. A sleepy Graham quickly came to her rescue, crawling into her lap when she dropped back onto the bed. She hugged him tight, and the wonderful fur-child let her squeeze him for all he was worth. “It’s not fair, Graham Cracker. I keep trying to save this relationship. Why am I the only one who cares?”
He licked her hand twice, then her cheek.
“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she said into his fur. “Better than any work promotion or publishing contract. Better than—” The memory of that spine-tingling kiss momentarily erased everything that was going wrong in her life. How many times had Cody’s lips ended up dangerously close to hers these past two days until she finally yanked him that final inch? Did she have any regrets? Absolutely not. “Okay, you and that kiss are kind of tied for first at the moment. It was areallygreat kiss.”
A knock at the door drew her attention to the alarm clock beside her bed. Cody promised to pick up her at nine, but didn’t elaborate on their plans. Before Whitney called and ruined her morning, she’d spent it wondering what list item they’d do next. Willamina’s Big Dipper wasn’t open until lunchtime. The northern lights weren’t visible during the day. And the Harvest Festival was still a day away. “Maybe we’re hunting for Ed.”
Graham groaned his disapproval, which made her finally laugh and wipe her cheeks clean of tears. “Nothunt-hunting him. We need his picture is all.” A quick peek in the mirror confirmed her waterproof mascara had done its job.
The dog beat her to the door after another knock sounded. She opened it and asked, “Are we searching for Ed today?”
Cody’s gaze traveled up and down once. Jenna felt a flutter in her tummy, wondering if he might kiss her again. Yes, she’d spent an inordinate amount of time on her makeup—her hair was a lost cause outside of a ponytail. Maybe she’d tried on three different outfits before settling on a pair of dark skinny jeans and the burnt-orange top she’d frivolously purchased at the Forget Me Not earlier that week.
Graham barged his way between them, leaning against Cody’s legs until he crouched to pet him.
“Ed has been spotted around town, but not since yesterday when he was sneaking blueberries from Tillie Grant’s kitchen window. Odds are iffy today. Ready to go?” he asked, still Graham’s prisoner on the floor. “Yes, you too, Graham Cracker.”
“How did you know—”
Cody reached for the dog’s leash on a nearby chair and clipped it onto Graham’s collar before standing. “Know what?”
“That his real name is Graham Cracker?” The only other person who knew that was Grandpa, and he’d been sworn to secrecy to keep Whitney from ruining that particular joy.
