All A Heart Needs B&N (26 page)

She gently pushed him away with a somewhat breathless smile. "Do I smell coffee?"

"Freshly made."

"Great." She walked past him and opened the cupboard, pulling out a mug.

He could see the tension in her body, the nervousness in her eyes, and when their eyes met, there was an intimate awareness of just how close they'd been the night before.

He wanted to make love to her again, hear her delighted cries of passion, feel her body against his, as they took each other higher than they'd ever been before. He'd loved watching her let go of the control she always had over her life, her emotions. She'd been free and wild and incredibly beautiful.

She cleared her throat. "You're staring at me, Sean."

"I can't seem to take my eyes off of you," he admitted.

She caught her breath. "You musicians always know the right thing to say to a woman. You know the words we want to hear."

"I wasn't thinking about what you wanted to hear; I was just speaking the truth." He paused. "I'm sorry that my nightmare changed the tone of this morning. I had a lot of plans before shower time."

A wash of red colored her cheeks. "You are bad."

"You liked that last night."

"I did, but it's morning now, and we have to face reality. Nothing has really changed. You're still you, and I'm still me, and there are still all those reasons we don't work as a couple."

"I'm having a hard time remembering what those reasons are."

"They'll come back to you once we leave this apartment, once you're back in the band making music with your friends, signing autographs for the groupies, hitting a club at midnight on a Tuesday, and signing up for a tour that will take you to seven cities in seven weeks."

"Nice of you to wrap up my life in a jaded, cynical bow," he said, unable to hide his annoyance.

"Am I wrong?" she challenged.

He couldn't say that she was, at least not about the life he'd led, but he'd changed. Things were different now and not just because of her, but also because of him, because he wanted more than what she described. But she didn't want to hear that, because she was looking for reasons to split them apart.

"That's what I thought," she said when he didn't answer.

"It's not that simple," he protested.

"Why are you arguing? You don't want me either. I'm tied to your family, and my life doesn't mesh with yours. We don't need to rehash everything. Let's just move on before we hurt each other."

"The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"I feel the same way. So I'm going home now." She grabbed her keys. "Call me when you get back from Lana's."

"Let me walk you to the house so I can check things out."

"No," she said decisively. "I'm okay. If anything looks out of place, I'll call the police."

He shook his head in bewilderment. "How did everything change so fast, Jess?"

She shrugged and gave him a sad smile. "The sun came up."

After returning to the house, Jessica did a quick check of all the rooms, feeling only marginally better when she was done, but breakfast and coffee put her in a better, more determined mood. The break-in had made her feel like a victim, but today she was back in control. She was going to attack the day, starting with the attic.

As she climbed the stairs, she felt some pretty wonderful aches that reminded her of the night she'd shared with Sean, a night she'd been trying to put out of her head since she'd gotten out of Sean's bed and into a cold shower. But now the memories refused to be shut out.

Sean had been so passionate, demanding and yet also generous. Her body tingled with a longing that she didn't think was going away any time soon. How on earth would they go back to being just friends? How could she see him and not want him? It was going to be impossible.

She was in love with him. She wanted him in her life and in her bed. But she had Kyle to consider. She couldn't love someone who wouldn't be good for Kyle, too, and all those memories of men walking in and out of her childhood made her scared that Kyle would see the back of those same doors.

On the other hand, she knew that Sean was not like those men. He would never hurt Kyle or her if he could help it. But could he help it?

She couldn't ask him to be someone he wasn't or to give up a career that made him happy.

So where did that leave them? Exactly where they'd been before. Only now she was going to have to deal with not just her imagination of how great they would be together but also with her memories.

She was in trouble, big trouble.

But she couldn't think about all that now. She had to focus on the attic, on making sure her house would be safe for Kyle when he eventually came home.

For the next two hours, she went through boxes. She started at one end and worked her way toward the middle. An hour later, she had filled three bags with trash and set up two piles, one to discuss with Helen and the other to go to charity.

Ready for a break, she took the trash downstairs and out to the driveway. As she tossed the bags in the can, she saw Sally watering the plants along the driveway.

Sally saw her and froze, her hand shaking so much on the hose that she started to spray the sidewalk instead of the greenery. Jessica knew in that moment that she'd found her burglar. Anger ran through her. Sally had violated her privacy and made her afraid to be in her own house. Jessica was not going to let her get away with it.

"I'm glad I ran into you, Sally," she said briskly, walking down the driveway until they were only a few feet apart.

"Why is that?" Sally's gaze darted around as if she were looking for an escape route.

"Someone broke into my house last night and stole Robert's computer."

"Who—who would do that?" Sally stuttered.

"You," she said bluntly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then let me explain. I found emails on Robert's computer from you to him, suggesting that you might have information he'd be willing to pay for. I'm guessing you don’t want those emails to come to light and that's why you practically passed out when you saw we'd found the computer."

"You're crazy," Sally said, paling at Jessica's words.

"What information did you have, Sally? Something about his business? His family? What?"

"You must have misunderstood what you read."

"I don't think so. I also found photos of you and Robert together. You looked quite cozy. Were you two having an affair? Were you threatening to tell Lana? Was that the information you wanted Robert to buy?"

Sally's jaw dropped in shock. She put her hand to her heart. "Why—why are you asking me these things?"

"Because I'm tired of being in the dark. The first night I moved in here I heard you on the phone. You were worried about what I was going to find in the house. Now I know why you were worried. So it's time to come clean."

Sally drew in a breath, her lips tightening as she thrust her chin into the air. "You don't know what you're talking about. There was nothing between Robert and me but friendship. I can't say the same for some people."

"What does that mean?"

"You should mind your own business, Jessica."

"It's my business to clean out Helen's attic and to protect my home. I have a six-year-old, Sally. I will not allow anyone to put him in danger. I need to know what's going on, and I need to know now. What did you have on Robert?"

"Nothing."

"Then why did you steal the computer?"

"I didn't do that," she protested.

"I don't believe you. Maybe I should talk to Brett. Maybe he can tell me why you'd want that computer. You mentioned his name in your email to Robert. It sounds like Brett knows whatever secret you're hiding."

Sally stiffened. "Brett is the biggest liar of all. He's always had an agenda."

"That's what he said about you. I'm done playing nice, Sally. Did you know that Sean's brother-in-law is a police detective? He can pull prints off any surface—a window frame, a doorknob, a table," she said, mentioning all the places where Sally's hand might have come in contact with a piece of furniture. "I'm pretty sure he can figure out that you were the one who broke into my house and stole that computer."

"Robert's secrets were his," Sally hissed. "You had no business going through his computer."

"Is that a confession?"

Sally's husband's car pulled up out front, and panic flashed through Sally's eyes. "You need to leave, Jessica."

"Maybe I should meet your husband." Jessica realized she'd just found Sally's weak spot. "I can ask him about the computer, the emails, the photos of you and Robert. I'm sure it would be an interesting conversation."

"You will not speak to him. You have no idea what went on back then."

"I know what's going on now. So talk to me. Tell me the truth, and maybe I'll decide to keep your secret."

"I can't talk to you right now." Sally glanced at the car. Her husband was pulling his briefcase out of the back seat. "But he has a meeting later. I'll come over then."

"If you don't come by, I will find you," Jessica promised.

"I'll come. I'll tell you everything. Just don't talk to the police." Sally dropped the hose and moved down the driveway to turn off the faucet. Then she greeted her husband with a kiss. They walked across the lawn to the front door.

Sally's husband was a tall, thin man dressed in an expensive suit. He didn't give Jessica even a glance. Apparently, he was less interested in the neighbors than his wife was.

As she returned to her house, Jessica hoped she hadn't made a mistake in confronting Sally, but it was too late to take it back. And it seemed like the direct approach had worked. Sally had come very close to admitting she'd taken the computer. Now that she knew Sally was worried about anything getting back to her husband, Jessica had some ammunition to fight with.

She returned to the house, grabbed a water out of the fridge, and headed back to the attic to see what other secrets might still be lurking.

* * *

Sean knocked on Lana's door just before noon. He'd hit a lot of traffic on the way to Seascape and each minute that passed had made him wonder if he'd made the right move. But he was finally here. Hopefully his instinct was right, and Lana had more to tell him.

When Lana opened the door, she gave him an unhappy and unwelcoming look. "What are you doing here, Sean?"

"I need to talk to you."

"I thought we'd said everything there was to say."

"I'm afraid not. Can you give me a few minutes?"

"I have a lunch in an hour."

"It won't take that long," he promised.

She shook her head in bewilderment. "Why are you suddenly so caught up in the past, Sean?"

He hesitated and then gave her the truth. "Stacy talks to me in my dreams."

Her face went white. "I don't understand. What do you mean? What does she say?"

"A lot of things that don't make sense." He paused for a moment. "The dreams started right after the fire and went on for years. They came back when Jessica moved into your house. They're even more vivid, more demanding. I feel like Stacy wants me to do something, and yes, I know that sounds crazy. But that's why I can't let go of the past. Not until I've asked every question and had it answered."

"Stacy never comes to me in my dreams," she said, pain in her eyes. "Do you know how much I want to see her? Even if it's only in my subconscious?"

"I think I have an idea."

"All right. Come in."

They settled once again in the living room where they'd spoken two days earlier.

"So what do you want to know, Sean?"

He searched for a way to ease into the conversation, but he couldn't find anything that would make the question easier to hear. It was past time for bluntness. "Is it possible that your husband was being blackmailed by Sally Watson?"

Lana sucked in a quick breath of air, her hands gripping the arms of the chair she was sitting in. "Why would you ask me that?"

"I found Robert's computer, and there was an email on it from Sally to Robert. She wanted to meet him. She had something to tell him, and she didn't want you to know."

"Sally wrote that to him?"

He nodded, watching her reaction closely. Lana appeared surprised and yet she wasn't. Now there was anger filling her gaze.

"What kind of information did Sally have? Was it about his business dealings?"

Lana slowly shook her head. "No, it was personal. Do you remember the date of that email?"

"It was the day before the fire."

"Really? I thought she was bluffing." Lana got up and paced around the room.

"What was she going to tell him?"

"I don't want to get into this."

"You have to. This is no longer just about Stacy or the past; it's also about the present. Last night your old house was broken into, and the computer was stolen. It was the only thing taken."

She stared at him in confusion. "I don't understand."

"Obviously someone felt there was something on that computer that could hurt them. My guess is that it was Sally. I think she had an affair with your husband and was threatening to tell you if he didn't pay up."

Lana stared back at him, not giving anything away.

He had to convince her to help him. "Here's the thing, Lana. Jessica has a six-year-old son. If they're in danger, I need to know why so that I can protect her. And if there is anything else in that house that someone is going to want, I need to find it before they do. I believe you know more than you're telling me. Please let the secrets go. Don't let anyone else get hurt."

She sat back down on the edge of her chair. "All right. Sally was blackmailing Robert, but they weren't having an affair. Brett and I were having the affair." Lana shook her head in bemusement. "I can't believe I just said that out loud. I've never said it out loud to anyone."

"How long did it go on?" he asked, shocked by her revelation. He hadn't guessed that Lana was the one who was cheating. He'd had the whole thing wrong.

"About nine months. I was very unhappy in my marriage, Sean. Robert loved his job more than me. He'd go to work at seven in the morning and come home at ten o'clock at night. We rarely had a family dinner. We'd go months without making love. I was so lonely. And I was bored, too. Robert didn't want me to work. He liked me to be available for whatever he needed and for the kids. I was fine with that in the beginning. I liked having a man to take care of me. But as I got older, I realized my life was always about Robert—his dreams, his goals. I got tired of that."