1022 Evergreen Place

Five

Christie walked out of her sister’s house and slumped against the closed front door. She didn’t know how Teri managed with three tiny infants. Identical triplet sons.

After a single afternoon of helping Teri with the babies, Christie was completely exhausted. Thankfully Teri’s husband, Bobby, had insisted on a live-in nanny; otherwise, Christie had no idea how the family would’ve coped.

Nikki, the nanny, was off on Wednesdays, and Christie had arranged to have her afternoons free on the same day so she could come over and assist Teri. To her surprise, she’d discovered that when she focused her attention on others, she was a happier person. She’d learned that lesson over Christmas, which had otherwise been a miserable time for her. James, Bobby’s closest friend and chauffeur, had vanished. In an effort to divert herself from her unhappiness without him, Christie had helped distribute food and gifts to the needy. It turned out to be the best thing she could’ve done. Christmas Day was another matter, but she didn’t want to think about that. And then weeks later, he’d returned, without apology or explanation.

The apartment door above the garage opened, and James stepped onto the small porch. While he didn’t invite her into his apartment, he made it clear that he’d welcome her company. The fact that he stood there quietly, waiting, told her as much.

Tired though she was, Christie couldn’t walk away. She loved James. He’d hurt her badly when he’d disappeared without a word—and then seemed to think all should be forgiven once he came back. Eventually she had forgiven him, although she still didn’t understand exactly why he’d left. For good measure she’d tossed in a threat or two. If he ever walked out on her again, it would be over.

She had legitimate reasons for being upset with him. She’d believed he was different from her various exes. Christie had a bad track record with men, starting in high school. The only thing her ex-husband had ever given her—besides trouble—was his name. And every man she’d loved, before and since, had left her high and dry. She’d had a pattern of finding losers she felt she could rescue with enough love and sympathy. Generally they moved in together and for a while all would go well. Then, invariably, there’d be a fight or a betrayal or some kind of disastrous revelation, and the affair would be over, leaving Christie sick at heart, crying her eyes out and desperately alone.

Yes, she’d believed James was unlike any other man she’d ever known. Certainly in the obvious ways, such as the fact that he wasn’t nearly as handsome as the guys she usually went for. Tall, skinny, with facial features that were sharp and slightly irregular, he resembled the caricature of a butler in some English comedies she’d seen. But that was superficial and irrelevant. He was compassionate, caring and kind, and that made him more appealing than all the good-looking men she’d been attracted to in the past.

Furthermore, James had inspired her to become a different woman, to look beyond herself. She’d laid out her past, ugly as it was, so there’d be no secrets between them. Then poof! Like every other man she’d ever loved, he’d disappeared from her life.

When he’d come back a few weeks later, Teri and Bobby had championed his case, but Christie was having none of it. Then Teri went into labor and they’d met at the hospital. After that, Christie decided to give their relationship a second chance. However, things were still tentative. She was bruised, weary, uncertain; experience had been a brutal taskmaster and she’d already given too many second chances.

“You look tired,” James said. He met her halfway down the stairs and slipped his arm around her waist. Walking beside her, he guided her up the rest of the steps.

“You would, too, if you’d held a fussy infant for the past three hours.”

“Jimmy?”

“No, Christopher.” Her sister had named the three little boys after Bobby, James and Christie. Naturally, Christie couldn’t help being partial to Christopher, the smallest of the three and—of course—the one who demanded the most attention.

“What did you do to your hair?” James asked as he kissed the top of her head.

Christie had recently had the front bleached blond and then added streaks of auburn. She never could wear her hair just plain. That was far too boring. Good thing Teri was a hairdresser by trade, or had been until her difficult pregnancy, which had put a temporary end to her career. Her friend Rachel Peyton had done a terrific job with this new style.

“Do you like it?”

“I like you,” he said, drawing her inside his small apartment. He led her to the sofa and urged her to sit down. Christie didn’t object as he went into the kitchen and put water on for tea.

“I like you, too,” she told him.

James brought her a cup of tea, sweetened with honey and with a fresh slice of lemon on the side. No other man had ever waited on her. None had loved her in quite the way James did, either. It would be easy to let down her guard yet again, but she couldn’t. She needed time to feel confident in his love. Everything she knew about James said she could trust him; however, she’d believed that before, and he’d abandoned her. No, for her own peace of mind, her own emotional well-being, she had to play it safe.

“How’s school?” he asked.

Christie had signed up for photography and accounting classes, and another business course, intent on starting a company that specialized in documenting personal property for insurance purposes.

“Okay.” Having a reliable vehicle was a huge benefit. Getting to school by bus could be a daunting task, especially since she still worked at Wal-Mart. James had been instrumental in getting her that car, although she hadn’t known it at the time. She would never have accepted his assistance had she been aware that Bobby and Teri had involved him.

“I’m helping one of the girls in my accounting class.” Christie was proud of that. “I’m actually pretty good with numbers.”

“Me, too.”

“I guess that means we’ll have smart babies one day,” she said, laughing. She couldn’t resist teasing him a little.

James’s face flushed at the mention of children. He was worlds behind her when it came to sex and relationships. Christie knew he’d had some brief and not very successful liaisons, but had never been in a serious relationship before now. He’d been a chess prodigy—like Bobby—until he’d suffered a nervous collapse. Bobby was a good friend to James, and had eventually hired him as his driver. To the best of Christie’s knowledge, James hadn’t played chess since he was a teenager.

James sat close to her and slid one arm around her shoulders. Christie relaxed against him, shutting her eyes and sighing contentedly.

“I want us to get married soon,” he said.

She savored his words, wanting to believe they’d spend the rest of their lives blissfully together. But her experience shouted otherwise.

Several of the men in her past had offered to marry her; the marriage proposal typically came just before certain awkward matters arose.

Yeah, right. Awkward didn’t begin to describe them.

With Jason, they’d had to wait until his divorce was final—and then she’d learned he hadn’t even bothered to file.

With the next guy, it was problems with the IRS. Big problems…. He’d expected her to pay off his debt.

And with Danny … He’d had trouble with the law. In fact, she’d found out just in time that he was only interested in marriage so she would make conjugal visits while he served a twenty-year prison sentence for fraud. Plus, her role as his wife meant supplying him with money for the entire length of his term.

“Christie?”

She knew James was waiting for her response.

“I … I don’t think I’m ready for marriage yet,” she murmured, and felt him tense. She didn’t expect him to be pleased but she couldn’t say anything different.

James didn’t respond right away. “I thought marriage was what you wanted,” he finally said. “What we both want.”

“I do … but not yet.”

He removed his arm and straightened. Leaning forward, he stared down at the floor, then asked, “When do you suppose you will?”

“I don’t know. Why? Are you planning to walk out on me again?” If so, she wanted to know that now.

“No. I plan to spend the rest of my life loving you.”

She’d heard that before. Her suspicions rose again; it sounded so promising, but then it always did … until she learned the truth.

“Why do you want to get married so quickly? Do we really know each other, James? I trusted you and look what happened.” She didn’t mean to keep throwing that one transgression in his face, but she was genuinely worried about it.

He stood and walked to the other side of the room. “I’d hoped we could let it go.”

Christie wished their situation was that simple. “Do we really know each other?” she repeated. “Sure, we’re attracted and it would be easy to become physically involved …”

“Okay.” He perked up at that.

How predictable men were. This was usually when other men she’d dated would suggest they “test” their relationship by setting up house together. Naturally they always moved in with her—because they could no longer afford rent. Granted, that wasn’t the case with James, but she realized he was growing frustrated, although he was the one who’d initially wanted to wait. He’d resisted jumping into bed a few months ago, when she’d been willing. Apparently their views on this subject had been reversed. Imitating a game-show host, she blared, “Wrong answer.”

The vehemence in her voice made his head jerk back. “You aren’t interested in sex?”

She laughed spontaneously. “I didn’t say that.”

“Okay,” he said with reluctance. “Then what’s the problem? You were certainly ready to do it with other men. Why not me?”

Christie blinked at the physical pain that struck her at his words. She pressed her hand against her heart until it passed. Then she drew in a deep breath and slowly expelled it before she stood.

“I think it’s time I left. Thank you for the tea.” She carried her mug to the sink. Her hand shook as she set it down and she tried to swallow the constriction in her throat. She turned to leave and found James blocking the door.

“I didn’t mean that,” he said, sounding utterly miserable.

He wasn’t the only one feeling bad. “Sure you did,” she said, putting on a bright face. “And why shouldn’t you? It’s true. I was all too willing to give myself to other men. There were a lot of them, too. And then I was stupid enough to tell you everything, thinking—oh, I don’t know, thinking that if you knew, we could put it behind us. Thinking you’d understand how important a clean slate was to me. And let me remind you, James, you turned me down a few months ago.”

“Yes, but …” He sighed. “You can trust me, Christie. You know I’d never intentionally hurt you.”

“I used to think so,” she muttered. “Now …”

He closed his eyes. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s best to hold off on marriage. I’ll tell you what—you let me know when you’re ready to forgive and forget, and we’ll talk again.”

“Good idea,” she said cheerfully. “And you do the same.”

His brows shot up, and he stepped aside so she could exit the apartment.

Christie walked past him and was halfway down the stairs when he said, “I don’t suppose this is a good time to mention that I’m going away for a few days.”

She paused, her foot midway between two steps. The only reason he’d told her this now was to get her attention. For all she knew, it might not even be true. “When did this come up?” she asked without turning around.

“An hour ago. It’s business. Bobby and I have some meetings in L.A.”

Which explained why Teri hadn’t said anything earlier. Questions buzzed in her brain, demanding answers. She wanted to know exactly how long he’d be away. What kind of business? And why did he leave it until now to tell her? But making an issue of this would’ve been too much like the old Christie, the insecure Christie, the woman who required constant reassurance.

“Okay,” she murmured, although she clenched the railing so tightly that her fingers ached.

“Should I call you when I’m back?”

She gave a quick shrug. “Up to you. Have a good trip.”

He sighed loudly enough for her to hear. “I don’t think I can.”

She turned to face him with a tentative smile. “No, I mean it, James. I want you to have a good trip.” She felt his gaze follow her as she descended the steps and walked to her car. She didn’t look back.

As she pulled out of Teri’s driveway, she couldn’t help wondering if she’d just rejected a marriage proposal from the only decent man who’d ever asked her.

Six

On Thursday, Grace hurried into the Pot Belly Deli five minutes late. She’d arranged to meet Olivia for lunch at noon, but she’d had to deal with a patron’s inquiry. She didn’t like to keep her friend waiting.

Now that Olivia had finished her chemo, she was on the way to remission. She’d given herself the summer off to regain her strength before returning to the courthouse, where she was a family-court judge.

“Sorry I’m late,” Grace said, sliding into the chair across from her best friend.

“I took the liberty of ordering for you.”

Grace smiled. “Oh, good. What am I having for lunch?”

“Cream of potato soup and a green salad with ranch dressing on the side. No scone.”

Olivia knew her likes and dislikes, which stood to reason after forty-some years of friendship. “And you?” Grace asked.

“A salad and scone.”

Grace threw her friend an accusing look. Olivia was still far too thin; she needed more than just a salad.

Olivia grinned. “And a slice of double chocolate cake.”

“Excellent.”

“With two forks.”

“Even better.”

“So, are you ready for Rover?” Olivia asked.

Grace leaned back in her chair. After months of preparation, the Reading with Rover program was about to launch at the library. She’d worked hard to get it set up. Children with below-grade-level reading abilities could come to the library, where they’d be paired with a dog. The dogs made the reading environment nonthreatening; kids could read simply for enjoyment. With a dog—and a silent companion—as their audience, they didn’t risk being embarrassed in front of their teachers or peers. Children loved dogs, and the dogs loved them back. She’d learned about the program in a professional journal and been intrigued.

“Am I ready?” Grace said, repeating the question. “I think so. I won’t know until this afternoon. So far, I have two teenage volunteers and two adults from the community.”

“How many dogs?”

“We’re starting with six dogs and six children between the ages of seven and eleven. They’re all at risk schoolwise.”

“The superintendent’s on board?”

“Oh, yes. The superintendent herself told me she’s impressed with the idea.”

Olivia reached for her tea. “I’m absolutely enthralled with the whole thing.”

“Me, too, and I’m so glad they all came from the animal shelter.”

Olivia glanced up. “Aren’t they trained? I thought you told me they were.”

“Well, yes, they are. Beth Morehouse chose the dogs from the shelter and then trained them as therapy dogs. She does wonders with these animals. She’s been taking them into nursing homes and hospitals for the past couple of years.”

“Beth Morehouse? You’ve mentioned her, but we’ve never met. She wasn’t at the fundraiser, was she?”

“No, she was out of town, working with a dog owner in Seattle.”

“Tell me about her.” Olivia grimaced. “You’ve probably told me before but, you know—chemo brain.”

Grace was well aware that chemotherapy often resulted in a mental fog that could take months or even years to lift.

Grace nodded sympathetically. “She moved into the area a few years back. She’s a divorced mother of two and a dog trainer by profession. She already had three dogs of her own and then adopted the others … and it sort of grew from there.”

Grace had met Beth while working as a volunteer at the animal shelter. When she discovered Beth had therapy dogs, it seemed natural to use them in the Reading with Rover program. Grace had first spoken to Beth in early winter, and the other woman had immediately caught her vision and agreed to help.

“I’m excited about it,” Grace said. Not only did she love bringing new programs into the library, but this one had felt right from the moment she’d heard of it. Now, after months of planning, she was about to see it come to fruition.

“I know it’s going to go well,” Olivia said with unwavering confidence.

“I hope you’re right.”

“Do I detect a note of hesitation?” Olivia asked.

Having been friends all these years, Olivia knew her better than anyone, even Cliff. “Not hesitation, exactly. I’m a bit concerned about the two high school volunteers.”

The waitress brought their meals and they both started to eat.

“One is Tanni Bliss and the other is Kristen Jamey,” Grace said after a spoonful of soup. “Those two are about as different as any two teenagers can be. Kristen is a cheerleader and I understand she’s well liked. Tanni, on the other hand, goes out of her way to avoid hanging out with the popular crowd. I know from her mother that she’s had a rough time of it since her father died and pretty much isolates herself. I just hope Tanni and Kristen can work together.”

“What makes you suspect they can’t?”

Grace wasn’t sure how to explain it. “At the first volunteer meeting, I saw how Tanni looked at Kristen, like she thought the time I spent training Kristen was a complete waste. She as much as said so—she hinted that after a couple of weeks, Kristen would be gone. Kristen pretended not to hear, but she did and I could tell she was offended.”

Olivia paused with her fork next to her plate. “Why would Tanni take such a strong dislike to Kristen?”