Chapter Thirty
Annie and I talked for hours. I showed her around the manor and stayed close when we walked up the stairs. We changed for bed eventually, but neither of us were ready to say good night.
We settled in the sitting room, faces washed, with eyes swollen from so many shed tears.
I built a fire and brought her a blanket for her legs, then propped her feet on a stack of pillows. “I’m doing this for the baby,” I said, when she tried to push my hands away. “This isn’t for you, because you are a strong, independent woman.”
She laughed. “I’m sorry I’ve blamed you for mothering me and being busy. I was horrible for so long. I don’t know why you still talk to me.”
I sat on the floor and leaned against the couch. “You’re my sister.” I reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I mean, there were days I wanted to buzz your hair off while you slept, and I definitely complained to Mom more than I should’ve. But mostly, I just wanted us to be okay again.”
She released my hand to run her palms over her bump, looking exhausted, emotionally and otherwise.
“Have you called Jeffrey to let him know you’re okay?” I asked, wishing I’d thought of it the moment I saw her, instead of hours later.
“I tried when I got here, but there’s no cell service.”
I stretched my legs in front of me on the carpet, pointing my toes toward the fire. “We should walk up the lane and make the call. He’s probably worried sick. Cell service clears up about halfway to the sidewalk.”
“You’ve really been living here alone like this for a month?” she asked. “No cell service. No internet. No one to talk to. Aren’t you going nuts? I practically jump on Jeffrey every time he walks through the door after work, desperate for conversation. I want to stay home when the baby comes, because we can afford it. But I think being alone with a baby will make me feel even lonelier than I do now, if that makes any sense.”
I twisted on the carpet to face her. “Come back to work at the bookstore,” I said. “You can choose your hours, and we can hang out. Bring the baby with you. Then we’ll have time to catch up every week. Just us, no Jeffrey or Mom and Dad.”
Her eyes lit for the briefest of moments, then dimmed to the disgruntled expression she too often wore. “Babies are loud and demanding. People don’t want that when they shop for books.”
I smiled. “What if the bookstore wasn’t quiet anymore?” I asked. “What if it was bright and lively. With pets.”
Annie’s brows rose. Lover of all furry things, she sat upright, interest piqued. “Go on.”
“Ever wish you could put your degree in design to use?” I asked. “Your house is basically finished. Every room looks like a magazine spread. What if you took your talents commercial?”
She grinned. “Tell me more.”
“Be right back.” I hopped to my feet and headed for the hallway. “I made a murder board!”
Annie’s laughter followed me to the study, where I collected my whiteboard and stack of notebooks filled with research and ideas.
I returned a moment later and placed the notebooks on the couch at her side. I propped the whiteboard against the coffee table and opened my arms. “Voilà!”
She examined the materials for several moments before returning to me. “Oh my goodness, yes!”
I pumped one fist in the air.
Suddenly Olivia’s words echoed in my mind. When I first met her, she’d said, We share what we love with the people we love.
And I wanted to share my new bookstore adventure with Annie.
She scooted to the edge of the couch, examining the board more closely. “It’s brilliant.” She glanced quickly at me, then to the notebooks at her side. She set one on her lap and freed the pen stuck in the spiral binding. “Can I write in this?”
“Absolutely.” I took a seat beside her, where I could watch as she made notes and sketched. Everything about her energy screamed enthusiasm and joy. This was the youthful, happy Annie I’d left when I went to college. The one I’d been missing for years.
“Do you have any plain paper and other color pencils?” She asked without looking up from her sketch.
“Yep!” I hustled away with a smile. When I returned, Annie was on the floor with the whiteboard, moving my magnets and writing on the attached sticky notes.
“What if we partnered quarterly with rescues for pet adoptions?” she asked. “We could keep information at the counter for potential foster families, then throw themed events that would bring in business and get animals adopted. A day for homing black cats near Halloween, or a home-for-the-holidays weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe fundraisers in the summer?” She turned to face me, a pen caught between her teeth.
I hiked one eyebrow. “Did you say we ?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m not trying to take over, I swear. But I could help with event planning and logistics. Not just design.”
“You could be my partner,” I offered. “If you want. Even if you need lots of time off for the next eighteen or so years. I don’t have to own the store alone.”
She grinned. “I might get bored after the transition is complete and your event calendar is set. But I can definitely help you make these changes and get ready to promote the daylights out of it. You’ll probably want rid of me after that anyway.”
“Probably,” I agreed.
Annie laughed.
My heart swelled as I watched her work. “Hey. You know what we need?”
“Whiskey?”
“No. A hot chocolate bar.”
“That sounds amazing.”
I made another trip to the study for art supplies, then stopped in the kitchen to see what I still had on hand for the chocolate bar.
Not much. Davis and I had made short work of the leftovers from my sweets charcuterie with Cecily.
I delivered the paper, markers, and colored pencils to Annie. “Will you be okay if I run to the market? I’m low on all the good toppings. Or do you want to do this later? I guess it’s gotten kind of late.”
Annie furrowed her brow. “You can’t offer a pregnant lady hot chocolate, then take it back. Plus, I’m all worked up now. I need to get my thoughts on paper before I forget.”
“In that case, I won’t be long. Benefits of a college town? Lots of things that literally never close. Do you want me to call Jeffrey while I’m out? Or do you want to walk up the road together later? Because I think he needs to know you’re okay.”
She pursed her lips, shamefaced. “Will you let him know I’m here and safe? And sleeping?”
I nodded. “Got it. All is well, and you’ll be in touch tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
I grabbed my purse, keys, and phone, then stopped again. “You parked behind me.”
“Keys are on the table. And we need to talk about the hottie who dropped you off tonight when you came home,” she called. “No wonder you wanted feedback on your outfit for that date.”
“He wasn’t my date,” I said. And I didn’t have the emotional energy to unpack my Davis Sommers drama tonight.
All that mattered until morning was Annie. My love life, or continued lack thereof, could wait.
I smiled at my bouquets as I turned for the door. “Thank you again for all these incredible flowers.”
“No problem,” she said. “I would’ve sent more than those three, but the extra medical appointments are eating into my pocket money.”
I stared at the fat arrangements of honeysuckle and daisies for an extended beat, then swung my head and shoulders through the archway to the sitting room. “You sent the bouquets of hyacinth and peonies.”
Annie didn’t bother looking up from her work. “Mm-hmm.”
Apology bouquets.
The last few deliveries had been different. Honeysuckle and daisies. Flowers denoting affection.
“Are you leaving tonight?” she asked, spearing me with a tarty glance. “Or are you waiting to make those drinks after the baby arrives?”
I grinned and ducked back into the foyer. “Already out the door.”
A few moments later, my phone popped and dinged with a dozen missed calls, texts, and messages from Cecily, Mom, Jeffrey, and Davis. I scanned the most recent first.
Davis: Can we talk? Please?
Davis: I can bring breakfast tomorrow for you and your sister
I responded quickly to put the mess behind me, at least for now.
Me: No thank you. I need this time with her
I sent one more message before swiping the app away, not quite ready to revisit my romantic failure.
Me: I’ll reach out when I’m ready to talk
Perhaps via IBOOM, I thought dryly. Since that was where our relationship had begun.
I returned Jeffrey’s call first as I motored down the driveway in Annie’s car on my way to the all-night grocer.
The mysterious flowers on my foyer table also had to get in line for my attention, but I knew I’d lie awake at night thinking about them.
The call connected, and I worked up a bright smile I hoped he could hear across the line. “Hey, Jeffrey,” I said. “Annie’s with me. She’s okay, and she’s already in bed for the night, but she’ll call you first thing in the morning.”
“Oh, thank God.” The rush of air from his lungs brought tears to my eyes.
“I should’ve called sooner. I’m sorry.”
A soft sob crossed the line.
“She’s okay,” I repeated, infusing my voice with promise. “And for the first time in a long time, she and I are okay too.”
“Really? You talked.”
“And cried. And talked some more,” I said. “It’s part of the reason I didn’t think to call sooner. I’m on a hot chocolate run now.”
He made another sobbing sound. “I shouldn’t have argued with her. I’m supposed to keep her calm and happy.”
“Yeah, but she can be a pill,” I said teasingly. “And you’re only human, though I’ve wanted to have you knighted for sainthood a hundred times over the years.”
“I really love her, Emma,” he said. “She’s everything I aspire to be, and I don’t want a world I can’t share with her and our baby.”
“You’re all going to be fine,” I assured him. “Why don’t you surprise her by driving up for a visit in the morning?”
“You don’t think that would be too much? I want to give her time, if that’s what she wants.”
“Call me a romantic,” I said, finally accepting that was exactly who I was. “You can never go wrong with a grand gesture.”
“Then I’ll be there,” he said.
The line grew quiet as I parked outside the all-night grocer.
“Did she tell you about the fall?” Jeffrey asked.
I turned off the car and sat in the darkness, save for the light from streetlamps along the nearby road. “Yeah.”
“I should have brought the basket down before I left for work.”
“Not your fault,” I said. “Things happen.”
“She could’ve broken her neck or lost the baby. Or both. I wasn’t there. She was alone, and I wouldn’t have known what happened until I got home that night.”
A shuddered breath leaked out of me at the scene he painted. “You can’t think like that. It’s not what happened. And you would’ve left work to check on her if you didn’t hear from her all day. You’ve probably been looking for her all evening, and you know she was fine when she left.”
He moaned. “You know me well.”
“I know you love her,” I said. “I would’ve done the same thing.”
“Keep her comfortable and insist she sees a doctor if anything seems wrong. She’s stubborn, but she loves that baby, so it won’t be hard to convince her. We only have six days to go.”
Gooseflesh rose over my skin as his words hit like arrows to my heart. “What are you talking about? Six days until what?” Annie wasn’t due for weeks. She’d just said as much tonight. “What might seem wrong? What specifically am I watching for?”
Jeffrey heaved a bone-weary sigh. “She’s been struggling with preeclampsia for a couple of weeks. She’s had some early contractions and bleeding. The doctors recommended a C-section, and it’s scheduled for next week.”
My ears rang, and my vision blurred. Annie was sick. The baby was in danger. And no one had told me. Not even Annie, after all the other confessions we’d just made.
Why would she keep that from me?
“Watch her closely for me,” he said. “She barely talks about any of this. It’s as if she’s so scared her only way to deal with it is to pretend it’s not happening. She gets mad every time I mention it. She’s supposed to stay calm, so I let her do what she needs to do.”
I whispered a few top-tier swears.
“She asked me not to tell you,” he said. “But you’re there now, and I’m not. Promise me you’ll take care of her tonight.”
A wave of nausea swept through me, strong and hot. I thought I’d be sick in my car. “Okay.”
“I’ll be there in time for breakfast,” he said.
I disconnected and went shopping. I dialed Mom while I filled a basket with hot chocolate toppings. She and Dad were equally relieved to know Annie was okay.
Jeffrey had gone to them in search of Annie as soon as he’d realized she left home. Dad had patrolled the parking lots of her favorite stores, salon, and spa, looking for signs of her car. Mom had kept a pot of soup warm in case Annie appeared on the doorstep.
They’d all sleep better tonight knowing she was okay.
I called Cecily on my way back to the manor and filled her in on the night’s Rini-family commotion. Then I asked her to share everything she knew about preeclampsia.
“It’s not rare, especially in a first pregnancy,” Cecily said. “It sounds like her doctors are monitoring her condition, which is good. She’s probably struggling with swelling and headaches. She’ll need to rest and to go home with Jeffrey tomorrow so she’s close to her hospital and medical team. Delivery of the baby is the only cure for preeclampsia.”
I turned onto the main road toward the manor, making good time without traffic and suddenly in a major hurry to be back. “Jeffrey said she has a C-section scheduled for next week.” Six days from now, and I was scheduled to leave Amherst in five. “The day after I get home.”
Had she planned it that way? Waiting for my return?
I pulled onto the gravel lane and breathed a little easier to be home.
“Cesarean births sound scary, and they are a major surgery, don’t get me wrong. But in Annie’s situation, it’s for the best. She’s in good hands, and delivering this way will put her doctors in control while reducing stress on mom and baby.”
I’d come to Amherst because I’d wanted to quit searching for a big, epic love. But I already had all that in front of me. And it was growing. One little niece or nephew at a time.