Page 35

“I’ve heard a warbling whippoorwill—” Verify began to recite in an affected British accent, making Prudence giggle.

“She’s an excellent driver,” Jack interrupted. Thank God.

Doug and Ernie both turned and stared at him.

“Since when does Constance know how to drive?” Ernie demanded, looking daggers at Jack.

Doug didn’t look any happier than Ernie.

“Jack has been teaching me,” she explained, not sure why they were so upset. “He thought it might be a good idea if I could drive myself and not rely so much on him and you to get to work.”

“Jack drives you to work?” Doug asked quietly, all hint of a smile gone from his face.

“Yes, I thought you knew. Ernie isn’t around to drive me every day, so some days, I get a ride with Jack.”

Doug stared at her in silence for a long moment. Ernie continued to glare at Jack. Everyone else stared at their plates.

How had everything gone so wrong so quickly? Why was it a problem that Jack drove her to work? It was all perfectly innocent. They were just friends.

“Could we talk privately for a moment?” Doug asked at last.

Having no choice, she nodded. She got up and led Doug to the front parlor, feeling like she was walking to the gallows, even though she’d done nothing wrong. They sat down at opposite ends of a chintz-covered sofa with a faded pink rose pattern. Her eye was immediately drawn to the small hole in the fabric beside where Doug was sitting. She could only hope he didn’t notice how shabby it was.

“Doug, I swear I wasn’t hiding anything from you. I honestly thought you knew Jack drove me to work on occasion.”

Doug let out a long slow breath and looked at her with infinite sadness. “Constance, I want you to be completely honest with me. Is there something between you and Jack?”

“How could there be? He’s practically my brother.”

“That’s not a ‘no.’”

How had they gotten here? The evening had started out so well, and now it felt like everything was falling apart.

“Jack doesn’t feel that way about me. He never has.” And she’d spent several years getting over that heartbreak, but she’d done it. Doug was her future, and she wasn’t going to risk it for a dream.

“I disagree, but that’s not my biggest worry.” He looked deep into her eyes.

She felt caught, trapped. Though what she had done, she still wasn’t sure.

“What I want to know, and I want you to be honest,” he said slowly, holding her gaze, “is whether you have feelings for him.”

“I…I…” Everything in her screamed to deny it. She’d buried those feelings for so long, had been so careful to hide them from the world, and especially from Doug. But looking into his eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to lie. “It doesn’t matter. I choose you.”

“It does matter. And I think I have my answer.”

He got up and walked slowly to the door.

With each step, her hopes and dreams for the future crumbled a little further. She was supposed to be Mrs. Brown. Her family was supposed to be safe, her future secure. She was letting everything fall apart because of a fantasy that would never come true.

But she couldn’t deny she had feelings for Jack, not when Doug asked directly like that. As bad as this was, it would be worse for their marriage to be based on a lie. He deserved the truth, even if it ruined everything.

Heat welled up in her throat and behind her eyes. She dashed away the first tears as they trickled down to her chin.

Doug stopped and turned back right before the door. “I hope you’ll be happy together. I wish you the best.”

“Doug, please,” she begged. “There’s nothing between us. I don’t want to lose you over this.”

“I’m sorry, Constance. I wish you well.”