How Sweet It Is (24 page)

They snuck out, giggling the whole time as they tried to sneak to the car in the rain. They stopped to get a bite to eat and then they headed to Tuesday night drinks, at the South Street house by her request, because she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand the smell of the bar.

Jacqueline opened the door to them, smiling in welcome as she drew them in, linens at the ready for them.

“How did you know it was us?” Viola asked, handing Chloe a towel.

“I didn’t,” her mother admitted. “But I knew when you arrived, you’d need them because you likely forgot your umbrella.”

“Mum always does,” Chloe said, blotting her hair.

“Come in the study. Bea has a fire going, and Portia is making hot toddies.” Jacqueline linked her arm through Chloe’s and led her down the hall.

“Bea’s here already?” Vi asked as she followed.

“She left work early today.” Her mother gave her a significant look over her shoulder.

Not that she needed to, because the moment Vi saw her older sister she knew something was wrong. The hardness in her expression and the anger staining her cheeks was a dead giveaway.

She joined Bea on the floor by the hearth and hugged her. Her older sister heard the wordless question but she shook her head.

Vi nodded. Later Bea would talk to her, but she wasn’t ready yet.

Portia walked in. “Hot toddies all around?”

“I’ll have tea,” Vi said, feeling the nausea coming on.

Everyone gawked at her.

“You hate tea,” Portia pointed out, hands on her hips. “You never drink tea.”

She’d give anything for a cup now. The thought of drinking alcohol made her stomach churn even worse. “I’m acquiring a taste for it. Maybe mint?”

Jacqueline touched Portia’s shoulder. “Take Bea and Chloe to help you. There are also some ginger candies in the pantry that you can bring in addition to Fran’s shortbread.”

Bea gave Vi a questioning look, but she followed Portia and Chloe out of the study, leaving her with her mother.

Her mother strode to the hearth and kicked off her shoes before folding her legs under her. She took Vi’s hand. “When I was pregnant with Titania, I developed an unholy love for those ginger candies, at first because they were the only thing that helped the morning sickness, and then because I liked the spice. I wonder how much of those candies contributed to Titania’s spicy personality. Barring that, they might help you, too.”

She gaped. “What?”

Her mother smiled, tucking Vi’s damp hair back from her face. “The signs are obvious if you’ve gone through it six times. Does anyone else know?”

“You, me, and the doctor.”

Jacqueline frowned. “What about the father?”

She shook her head, biting her lip as tears flooded her eyes.

“Oh, darling.” Her mother took her in her arms. “You have to tell him, unless he’s an unsavory sort.”

“He’s the best of men, if an idiot,” she said sniffling.

“Dearest, all men are idiots. Even Declan can’t argue that.”

Vi choked a small laugh, which turned into a sob.

“Oh, my love.” Her mother stroked her hair. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“We had a misunderstanding, and he left.” She lifted her head. “I can’t tell him I’m pregnant. I want him to come back for me, not because he feels a duty to this child.”

Nodding, Jacqueline quietly wiped the tears from Vi’s cheeks with her thumbs. “Do you want him to come back?”

“I can be happy without him,” she said slowly, having thought about it in the dark of every night since he’d left. “But life would have more magic if he were here.”

Saying it out loud made her start to cry in earnest. Her mum held her tight and softly said, “
Trip no further, pretty sweeting; Journeys end in lovers’ meeting.
”

“Shakespeare?” she asked, wiping her face.

“From
Twelfth Night
.” Jacqueline smiled softly. “Trust yourself, Viola, and trust life to work out the way it’s supposed to.”

She pursed her lips, trying to keep the tears at bay. But then she thought about the impossibility of Finn, and sadness flooded her again.

Bea re-entered with a tray, but the sight of her crying made her sister stop abruptly in the doorway.

There were a couple masculine voices, and then Luca crowded behind Bea. Luca frowned at Vi, and then turned to Bea, glaring. “Fix this.”

Bea narrowed her eyes and shoved the tray of hot beverages at him before striding to sit on Vi’s right side. She glanced at their mother. “What happened?”

“Viola and I were having a chat about life.”

Vi nodded. “I was stupid again.”

“You’ve never been stupid,” Bea said, rubbing her back.

She arched her brow.

“Well, not that stupid,” her older sister said with a smile.

Portia and Chloe came in, followed by Rosalind and her fiancé Nick. They all stood frozen staring at her. Rosalind was the one who said, “Did someone die?”

Vi sighed. “Just the opposite. I’m having a baby.”

The silence was so profound a pin drop would have sounded like an explosion.

“No,” her mother said, her gaze fierce. “
We’re
having a baby.”

Nick clapped a hand on Luca’s back. “This is our cue to leave.”

“
Si
, exactly what I was thinking.” He set the tray on the low table near the fire and then leaned to kiss Vi on the forehead. “
Cara
, whatever you need, I am here.”

She smiled despite the tears that threatened again. “You’re so sweet, Luca.”

Bea made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort.

Luca shot her older sister a glare and then followed Nick out.

Eyes wide, Chloe came to sit in their huddle. She took Vi’s hand. “I always wanted a brother or sister.”

“You did?” She sniffed, love for her daughter flooding her chest.

Chloe shrugged. “Actually, I never thought about it, but it’ll be fun. Does this mean Finn’s coming back?”

“He doesn’t know,” Vi admitted.

Silence fell again.

“Shouldn’t you tell him?” Bea asked.

“She wouldn’t want him to be here out of duty,” Portia said, coming to the table to hand them all their drinks.

They all looked at their middle sister.

Portia pursed her lips. “What? It’s true.”

“It is,” she agreed.

“Still, he’s the father,” Bea pointed out. “He has rights.”

“I’ll tell him.” Eventually. She hadn’t gotten used to the idea herself yet.

“In the meantime, she has us,” Jacqueline said with a pointed look. “We’re all she needs.”

Vi nodded, even though she wondered if that was really true, because she felt like she needed Finn, too.

Somewhere in the house a door slammed. Loud clomping steps headed in their direction, and they all looked up from their seats.

Titania burst into the room with an armload of packages. She wore jeans and weatherproof boots with a puffy bright blue jacket. Her hair was mussed, as if she’d had a cap on. On her finger there was a large solitaire and in her eyes there were stars.

“Well?” She scowled at them all. “I come to save the day and no one’s going to help me?”

Rosalind and Portia got up, but it was Chloe who spoke. “You got my message?”

They all looked at Chloe, who shrugged.

“Of course.” She looked worried at Vi. “I’m not too late, am I?”

Vi frowned at the packages. “Are those condoms?”

“No. They’re a photo series I put together for your show. It’s called ‘Sisters.’ The kid said you needed a punch line to your narrative, so I made sure there were lots of photos of Portia.” Titania smirked and ducked Portia’s shove.

Vi faced her daughter.

Chloe looked worried. “But maybe Finn will still come through.”

It broke her heart all over again to see her daughter pin her hopes on Finn, too. She didn’t want Chloe to take it on, so she tried to smile and said, “I’m not sure that matters, when I have all of you.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

Before their first class, Chloe walked up to Hunter as he sifted through his backpack, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him aside. “I need your help,” she said quietly.

His forehead wrinkled, but he said, “Okay.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me what it is before you just agree?” She shifted her weight, confused. “What if I ask you to do something crazy?”

“You might ask for crazy, but you wouldn’t ask me to do anything bad.” He smiled at her. “Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Going to ask me to do something crazy?”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath and then said, “I want you to go to Paris with me.”

“Okay,” he said enthusiastically. “When do you want to go?”

“Right now. There’s a nine-thirty train.” She pulled out her mobile and checked the time. “We have just enough time to get to the station and get on board.”

He gaped at her. “Right now?”

“Yes.” She pursed her lips. “But it’s for a really good cause.”

“The science test is tomorrow,” he pointed out.

“I have that all figured out.” She stepped aside, out of another student’s way. “We’ll get there a little after noon, find Finn, eat something, and then come home. Even if we took the last train, we’d still get back in plenty of time to get home and sleep before the test. I’ve already taken Schrödinger to Rowdy’s, so we’re all set.”

He grinned.

“What?” she asked, frowning.

“I like that you scheduled in eating.”

She shook her head. “This is a serious operation. I don’t want my future little sister to think that her dad doesn’t love her, just because grownups are stupid.”

“You’re having a little sister?” he said, incredulous.

“Or a brother.” She’d thought about it a lot the night before, and she’d come to the conclusion that any baby would be cute. She could tell him or her stories, and about their aunts, and about science and life. This baby was lucky, because she (or he) had a nice father, who’d be sad if he didn’t know the kid.

She wasn’t going to let that happen. She looked Hunter in the eye. “Are you in or out?”

“I’ve been in since the first time I saw you, Chloe.” He took her hand. “Let’s go.”

They had to stop at Hunter’s home to pick up his passport, so they didn’t get on the train Chloe had planned for, which meant they arrived in Paris early afternoon. They transferred to the line that took them to Saint Michel.

When they ascended out of the metro stop, she looked around. “I think this is the way,” she said, pointing along the Seine.

“What’s his address?” Hunter asked.

She gave it to him. She’d found it the night before, after her mother had gone to bed. Chloe had gone through the papers until she’d discovered Finn’s last name. From there, it’d been easy to find his place in Paris.

She watched Hunter type the address into his maps app. He looked up, pointing at the street that paralleled the river. “You were right. That way.”

She’d told him what was happening and why she was coming here to see Finn. Most people would have called her mad and left her to her own devices. He held her hand through the whole explanation and then reassured her that her plan would work.

Holding on to his collar, she pulled him down to kiss him.

He looked confused for the briefest moment, but then his lips relaxed against hers and he kissed her back.

When they stopped, she sighed. “I like kissing.”

“I like kissing you.” Smiling, he kissed her one more time. “Let’s go get Finn.”

They arrived in front of the building. By the door there was a plaque that read
Phineas Buchanan, Menuisier
. “This is it,” she said, staring at the door.

“Awesome.” Hunter stared at it, too. Then he said, “What are we waiting for?”

“Courage.” She smiled at him and then pressed the buzzer.

No one came to the door, so she pressed it again, longer. She could hear the angry sound inside, persistent, but no one came to the door.

It hadn’t occurred to her that Finn wouldn’t be home. She glanced worriedly at Hunter.

He shook his head. “Try again.”

She did, and suddenly the door yanked open.

Finn stood in the doorway, his shirt untucked, paint splattered on it. He was barefoot, and his jeans dragged on the floor. His face was shadowed with dark growth, and his eyes looked defeated.

Chloe perked up for the first time since she’d found out about her new sibling. “Hello, Finn.”

He blinked as if he couldn’t believe he was seeing her. “Chloe?”

“I need to talk to you.” She pushed her way in, pulling Hunter with her. “This is my friend.”

Finn closed the door, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand what you’re doing here. Is Viola with you?”

The hope in his expression reassured her that she was doing the right thing. “Mum is in London. She’s miserable, Finn.”

His eyes narrowed. “Did she send you here?”

“Seriously, you think she’d let me come to Paris on my own? Or with a friend,” she amended, glancing apologetically at Hunter. “She doesn’t know I’m here.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t understand, either.” She folded her arms. “I thought you liked Mum.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Chloe, it’s complicated, and it has nothing to do with you.”

She rolled her eyes. “I live with her, and she’s sad, so it does have to do with me. Look, she told me what happened.”

“Did she?” He arched his brow as if he didn’t believe her.

“She said she messed up, and that she betrayed your trust, but she didn’t mean to.” She looked him in the eye. “Why can’t you forgive her?”

“It’s not that easy, Chloe.”

“I think it is,” she said. “I think if you wanted to, if she were important enough, you’d see that you couldn’t just give up on her. Are you perfect?”

“No one’s perfect.”

“Then why are you blaming her for making a mistake?” Chloe glanced at Hunter, who gave her a thumbs up. Encouraged, she went for the jugular. “Because from my viewpoint, Mum’s only crime was that she believed in you and wanted you to be successful.”

Finn scowled. “Are you studying to be an attorney?”

“No.” She smiled. “But I’m not that bad, am I?”