“Be careful and call me when you get there just so I know you’re okay.”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mother.”
* * *
That evening, Jack sat in the kitchen, staring into his liquor. He’d spent all afternoon rehearsing what he was going to say to Sara, but when the front door opened, a wave of panic raced through him, causing his mind to go blank.
“There you are,” she said, looking surprised to see him. She set the groceries on the counter and kissed him. “I wasn’t expecting you until later.”
“Yeah, well, Matthew agreed to close up, so I decided to come home early.”
She smiled at him with her eyes. “I’m glad you did because I stopped to see Gary and had him cut us a couple of steaks.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“There isn’t one. I’m just happy things are finally returning to normal.”
“And by that you mean—?”
Sara cut her eyes to him. “Back to the way things were before the funeral.” She unpacked the bags and asked if he wanted to eat now or later.
He downed the rest of his drink, then got up and eased toward the living room. “I’m not really that hungry.”
She followed him. “What’s the matter?”
He took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. “You’ve always been honest with me, right? I mean, you wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”
“Heavens, no.” Her face scrunched up in worry. “What’s got you all worked up anyway?”
“There’s something I need to ask you, something important, and I want you to be honest.”
Sara frowned and sat uneasily in the open chair.
“Why didn’t you tell me you called Marie Spencer to let her know I was planning to propose to Ellie?”
The color left her face. “W-What are you talking about?”
“All this time I thought her showing up unexpectedly was just a terrible coincidence, but I was wrong.”
“Who told you that? Was it Ellie?”
“What if it was? Do you deny it?”
“She’s lying, Jack. Can’t you see that? She’s trying to do whatever she can to steal you from me.”
“Steal me. Really, Sara? Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me you didn’t call Marie the night you saw the engagement ring?” His feelings shifted from irritation to anger. “I saw the look on your face. You were angry, weren’t you? And you thought if you could get Marie here before I had a chance to ask Ellie, you’d still have a shot, didn’t you?”
Sara wilted under his gaze.
“Why would you do that to me? I thought you loved me?”
“I do love you. Don’t you see? That’s why I did it. Ellie never loved you, not the way I do. All she ever did was break your heart.”
“You’re right,” he said, hurt by her betrayal. “She did break my heart, but what you did was worse. You had no right.”
“No right?” Sara jumped to her feet. “I’ve been in love with you from the beginning, long before Ellie Spencer blew into town with her fancy clothes and uppity attitude. And who was there after she broke your heart, huh? Who has always been there, picking up the pieces, patiently waiting? Me, that’s who. So don’t tell me I didn’t have a right.” She stopped and took a breath, looking as if she might cry. “But none of that matters now. Ellie’s gone, hopefully for good this time, and you need to accept that.” She turned on her heel and started toward the kitchen.
“Actually, she isn’t.”
