Chapter Fourteen
S he had to find that recipe.
Jovi flipped through the pages of a borrowed cookbook, desperately searching for any combination of ingredients that might produce a similar sweet treat. It was a long shot, but maybe someone in Evergreen had tasted Grammie’s salted caramel chews and tried to replicate them.
Jovi eased onto the sofa, wincing as her sore muscles protested.
Skiing with the kids from church had been so much fun.
But today her whole body ached. Michael had never been interested in skiing and convinced her not to risk getting injured, so they had stuck to safer winter activities like hiking and snowshoeing.
Yesterday was her first time back on the slopes in over three years.
Just one more way she’d let him influence her choices. A knot formed in her belly. Why had she put aside her preferences and allowed him to dictate how they spent their free time?
Except a small part of her still missed him.
Pushing the notion aside, she shook her head and opened the vintage cookbook, then scanned the table of contents until she found the section featuring cookies, cakes and candy.
A movie about a big-city girl who moved back to her small hometown just in time to save the annual spring festival played on the television.
The plot sounded vaguely familiar. The heroine had to devise clever ways to raise money for the festival, and the hero, a single dad, grudgingly helped her.
Even though Jovi knew how it would end—spoiler alert: they save the festival and fall in love—she couldn’t help but get caught up in the story.
Eager for the happily ever after that came as a satisfying conclusion.
The actor playing the hero’s little girl in the movie wore bows in her hair that reminded Jovi of Darby Jane.
She quickly banished all thoughts of the small-town single dad and his adorable daughter living right down the road.
Yeah, okay, so kissing Burke had made her weak in the knees, and Darby Jane had been a hoot learning to ski with absolutely zero fear, but that didn’t mean they had a future together.
She dog-eared a page with a recipe that had potential, then set the cookbook aside.
Sighing, she eyed the other cookbooks stacked on Grammie’s coffee table.
Two she’d found on a shelf in the storeroom at the candy company, one she’d borrowed from a longtime member of the women’s group at church, another she dusted off the shelf here in the house, and another Mom kept in her kitchen.
Since her tense conversation with her mother in the workroom, she hadn’t spoken with her parents.
They’d texted an invite to a family dinner tonight, which she’d accepted.
Not that she relished the thought of getting together.
There would likely be some tense conversation, especially since her parents and Isabel didn’t sound pleased that she’d been seen in public with Burke.
And she wasn’t ready to accept their reasons for walking away from the candy company.
Financial security and a pleasant retirement were admirable goals, but the thought of selling their family’s legacy still turned her stomach.
She flipped through the next cookbook, recognizing names of families that had lived in Evergreen for ages.
Wow. The stories that one cookbook could tell just by ingredients and black-and-white photos.
They were like time capsules. Too bad none of the recipes featured anything close to the chews she was after.
She slapped the book shut and put it on the coffee table.
Massaging the ache forming above her eyes, Jovi reached for another cookbook when her phone pinged with an incoming direct message. She grabbed the remote, muted the television’s volume and fumbled in the squishy cushions until she retrieved her phone.
It pinged two more times in quick succession.
Weird. She didn’t spend much time communicating with people via DMs but as a traveler she’d met all kinds of interesting folks, and occasionally they became social media pals.
She opened the message. The woman’s name didn’t sound familiar, but maybe they’d worked together and she’d forgotten.
Or maybe it was spam. But she was invested now and couldn’t not look. She scanned the first message.
Hello. I know this will come as quite a shock, but I heard from a friend that you and Michael are planning to get married, and I felt like you should know that he has a child.
My baby is his, and I want to make sure that you are aware of our child’s existence and what that might mean for you and your future.
Blood roared behind her ears. “What?!” Her hands shook as she scrolled to read the second message.
I debated about whether to reach out, but during my recent conversation with Michael as we were working out visitation and coparenting plans, I got the sense that you were unaware that he even had a child, and I don’t think that’s fair to you.
If you’re going to marry him, I want to know that you are fully informed about what you’re stepping into.
Here’s my number if you’d prefer to text me…
“Oh, Michael,” Jovi whispered. “How could you?”
She dropped the phone on the couch without responding.
The woman would be able to see that she’d read the messages.
So she’d have to come up with a response.
Messages like that deserved at the very least a follow-up.
Michael had a child. Had he not known? Did he not want to tell her?
And what was all his talk about reconnecting with her?
Maybe even choosing his next post based on her location?
Did he think she’d never find out he was someone’s father?
Unbelievable.
Was this the reason why he’d called off the wedding? Had he found out about the baby?
The questions piled up. Should she confront him?
But the thought of calling now sparked more anger.
She turned up the volume on the movie, desperate to lose herself in the storyline.
An unfinished slice of toast and a cup of coffee sat on the table, getting cold.
She’d lost her appetite. The shock of this news had floored her.
What had Michael been thinking, concealing a life-changing secret?
Betrayal and heartache gnawed at her. Jovi buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
* * *
He’d left her a note. Two measly sentences.
Isabel’s hands shook as she reread Mason’s handwritten missive printed in neat block letters.
STAYING AT GARRETT’S FOR A FEW DAYS. NEED TIME TO THINK.
She stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the lime green square stuck to an envelope and propped against her favorite coffee mug. A sour taste rose in her throat. Fifteen years together and now he needed time apart?
Panic ballooned in her chest. She couldn’t move.
Couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. How could this be happening?
What would she do without him? Tears threatened to spill over as she stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.
Their love had always been unbreakable, but now she feared it was about to shatter into irreparable pieces.
They had shared everything—from their hopes and dreams to their darkest fears and insecurities.
Together they’d survived a painful miscarriage, and he’d supported her through the heart-wrenching decision to help move Grammie to the memory care place. But now, suddenly, he was gone.
What did he possibly need to think about? With a fierce growl, she yanked the note free, then stormed across the kitchen, opened the cabinet under the sink and tried to stuff the note inside. It stuck to her finger.
“C’mon!”
She shook her hand rapidly. The paper fluttered, but didn’t budge. Blinking back tears, she shredded the note into tiny pieces, then released the fragments into the bin. There.
Isabel stumbled to the couch and sank onto the cushions, feeling as if her world was crashing down around her. She had loved Mason since high school and never imagined being without him. Now here she was, alone and confused, unsure of what to do or where to turn.
The note had been infuriatingly cryptic. Had he been vague on purpose? Did he receive a job offer and needed to think about his response? Surely after all they’d been through, he’d at least tell her he’d gotten the offer. Right?
Or was he thinking about a more substantial decision? Like moving out?
She sobbed, her chest heaving, as she remembered their last argument.
She’d tried so hard to express genuine interest in the job he’d interviewed for in Juneau.
She’d even shared the options she’d found for herself there and taken the time to create a new spreadsheet illustrating how the cost-of-living changes and their projected salaries might impact their family budget.
But when he’d noticed that she hadn’t included any line items for baby and childcare needs, he’d gotten angry. And then very, very quiet. What if he had decided that staying together wasn’t worth it anymore? Isabel swiped at the tears on her cheeks. How could he leave without talking things out?
She needed to do something, to take some sort of action.
She got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen, trying to make sense of Mason’s sudden departure.
She had never felt so lost and alone. But amid the confusion and pain, she knew one thing for sure: they were going to have to sort out their issues.
Soon. Because she couldn’t stand living with all this uncertainty.