Love Captures the Heart (Sully Point, Book 3) (17 page)

"Yeah, I guess we do have some talking to do."

"Let alone, wedding planning. There is so much to think
about."

"Wedding plans."

He shucked the ears of corn mindlessly, thinking of how much
planning a wedding could take. And he wondered just how much negotiating there
needed to be.

"I'm so excited," Betsy said, coming over to hug
him around the shoulders.

"Me too, hon, me too."

* * * *

Anna sent her son off to play with her husband, Sam, and
turned to Holly who was sitting glumly at her father's kitchen table. Holly was
supposed to be tearing up lettuce for a salad, but Anna took the bowl away from
her after taking one look at the half-hearted job she was doing.

Holly reached for the knife to cut up some celery, but Anna
took that from her also, and put a drink in her hands instead.

"You need to have your drink and let me do the salad.
What on earth has got you so down?"

Holly sighed. "Nothing."

"I'm betting this is about Jason."

Holly's head jerked up to stare at her sister. "What do
you mean? What do you know about Jason?"

"I know that you two have been involved. That much is
obvious."

"We were just supposed to be, you know, friends with
benefits. Nothing was supposed to happen. We agreed on it."

Anna laughed softly. "Oh, Holly. What made you think
that would work?"

She watched as Holly's back straightened and her shoulders
squared.

"You wouldn't understand, but it is possible to
regulate your life. To not deal with all kinds of messy emotions."

"Really? I can see how well that's working for
you."

"Damn it, Anna! I know that it got screwed up. I have
feelings now, feelings that I shouldn't have."

"Why shouldn't you have them?"

"Because of the agreement Jason and I made. No falling
in love, no commitments, we'd just have a good time. End of story."

"Aha, but it's not the end of the story is it? Why aren't
you talking to him right now? Maybe he feels the same for you?"

"He doesn't."

"But you won't know until you talk to him."

"I know what he feels. Believe me."

Anna chopped celery and carrots in frustration, beginning to
be worried. She'd thought after her talk with Jason that he would talk to
Holly. Clearly, that had not happened. They'd both be at the party tonight at
least. There was bound to be a way to push them at each other then.

* * * *

Julia and Cody were sitting on the couch in the living room
of the Grainger house, talking in quiet voices to Sam.

"Let me get this straight," Cody said.
"Basically everyone here today knows about Jason and Holly? But they don't
know that we know?"

Julia huffed. "I don't see why we're the last ones to
hear about it."

Sam grinned at her. "It's all just come together today,
I think. Maggie filled me in, then I found out Anna had talked to Jason
and--"

"She talked to him? What did he say?" Julia asked.
Then she glanced up and shook her head as she saw Jason enter the room.
"Hello, Jason. How're you tonight?"

"I'm fine," he said with a frown. "Anyone
seen Holly?"

"I saw her earlier talking to Anna in the
kitchen," Cody offered.

They all saw Jason blanch, before he turned to dash to the
kitchen.

Sam chuckled. "Looks like he's afraid Anna will spill
the beans."

"Shh," Cody said.

They all watched as Holly came in from the other side of the
room and looked around.

"Can we get you anything Holly?" Julia asked.

"Have you seen Jason...or Maggie?"

"They're around somewhere. I think Jason just went to
the kitchen looking for you," Sam said.

Holly's face perked up. "Oh. I'll see if I can find
him." She left the room quickly.

"Maybe they're going to talk and figure things out.
Anna said all they need to do is have a big talk to solve everything," Sam
said. "Oops! Where did that kid run off to?" He jumped up and headed
into the hall.

Julia and Cody looked at each other. "He never did tell
us what Anna found out," Julia complained.

Cody chuckled. "This should be interesting to watch,
tonight."

"Definitely."

* * * *

Everyone stood in the living room as Frank gathered them up.
He was pouring champagne in glasses Betsy was handing out. He chuckled as he
heard different ones whispering about what might be happening.

He stood with Betsy in the center of the circle he'd created
and said, "I have an announcement to make." Betsy nudged him.
"We do, that is. We're getting married."

"What?" Holly asked loudly.

"Congratulations," could be heard from everyone
else.

"When did this happen, Dad?" Cody asked. "I
wondered one time, but--"

"I knew about them," Julia said, smugly.

Sam looked surprised, but smiling, as he held out a hand for
Frank to shake. "Good job!"

"Thanks!"

Anna simply leaned in and hugged her father fiercely.
"I love you, Dad," she whispered.

Finally, he looked around and realized that Holly had left
the room. While the others talked to Betsy--planning already!--he went down the
hall to find her sitting alone in the dining room.

"Holly? What's wrong?"

She turned to face him, with tears running down her face.
"Dad, I don't understand. I thought you would always love Mom."

He sat down next to her and took her hand. "I will
always love your Mother, but she would never have wanted me to be alone
forever. Betsy is good for me and we love each other. We have for a while now.
Love isn't something you can only feel once and then it's gone, you know."

"But, how can you stand it?" she asked, wiping her
eyes. "You know how terrible it is to lose someone. How can you risk that
kind of pain?"

"Because love is worth everything. Once love captures
the heart, it changes us, makes us better, and even more open to all the love
in the world. A life without love--now, that would be an awful thing. The love
I have for Betsy is different from the love I had for your mother. But it's
just as special and valuable to me. If I'd closed up my heart, I'd never have
been open to Betsy's love for me, and look how much I'd have lost."

Holly was staring into his eyes, listening intently.

"You really believe that, don't you?"

"Yes, I really do."

"Oh, Daddy, I'm so mixed up!" Holly reached out
and threw her arms around his neck, crying on his shoulder.

"Well, part of that's probably my fault. But whatever
is wrong can be made right."

Holly sighed. "I don't think so. I think I let love
pass me by."

"But you aren't sure?"

"No...not entirely."

"Then chase after it, girl! Don't let it get
away!"

She laughed and lifted her head to look at him.
"Really? Should I?"

"Yes! Remember--it's worth everything."

She nodded.

* * * *

Holly watched across the room as Jason laughed at something
Maggie said to him. He leaned closer to her as Maggie used her hands to show
him what she meant. Holly stood frozen, heart twisting in pain, then turned and
quickly left the room. She walked down the hall, through the kitchen and then
out the back door. Standing in the back yard, arms at her sides, hands in
fists, she felt both anger and loss. Shaking, she didn't know whether to scream
or to cry, when Rob came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. She
jumped.

"Rob! Good grief, you startled me."

He looked at her steadily, and then she burst into tears. He
opened his arms and she came to him, crying against his chest as he hugged her.
"Holly, dear, you have to stop this."

"Stop crying? You're right. I only just finished crying
a few minutes ago."

"No, I mean, yes, please stop crying. But what I meant
was that you need to let Jason know how you feel."

"How can you say that?" She pulled away from him
and glared. "You saw him in there, didn't you? Hanging on every word
Maggie says? He's lost interest in me."

Rob shook his head. "No, that's not what I saw. But I
did see your face. You need to let him know you care."

"I don't want to hear it from him, that 'he just wants
to be friends' speech."

"I doubt that's what you would hear. But I guess you'll
have to figure that out on your own."

"Thanks for the shoulder to cry on, but yeah, I have to
get through my own way."

She turned and walked back up the steps and into the
kitchen.

* * * *

Jason walked quickly out the front door and got into his
Jaguar. He needed some air after what he'd just seen. He sped away from the
house and drove to the road that ran along the beach. As he felt the wind
against his face, he kept seeing them in his head--Holly and Rob Tremaine. He
was holding her in his arms! How on earth had this happened? Wasn't Tremaine
old enough to be her father?

After all that he'd been thinking about, thinking of how
maybe they could get together for real, this felt like a body blow. Yes, he
knew she'd mentioned having dinner with Rob in one of their phone calls, but he
hadn't heard anything special in her voice about it. But then, why should she
have said anything to him yet? They didn't have a normal relationship, after
all. She didn't owe him any explanations. She probably planned to tell him that
she wouldn't be seeing him any more after this weekend. Maybe this was why she
hadn't come directly to the loft last night, like he'd expected her to do.

Suddenly, he gave a harsh laugh. "I guess this proves
it," he said aloud. "I am in love with her. Damn it."

He headed back to the Grainger house, hoping nobody had
missed him or seen him leave. The shock of seeing her with Rob had been too
much to stay there. Now, he'd gotten his head back together. His heart was
another story entirely.

* * * *

As Rob watched Holly go into the kitchen, he heard someone
walking up behind him.

"Ahem," a voice said.

He turned to see Marla standing there. "Ah, it's you.
Did you hear all of that?"

"Yes, I did. Hopefully, if she talks to him, they can
work it out."

"Hope so. They belong together."

"Yes, I think so too."

Rob cocked his head to one side and really looked at her. Her
nicely-styled gray hair swung forward to hang smoothly around her face at the
jawline. She was dressed in a royal blue jacket and pants with a pale green
blouse. She had the look of a professional, well put-together woman, with one
exception--her brooch. Sitting on the lapel of her jacket was a gold frog with
bulging green eyes. It didn't quite fit with everything else in her look. It
was, somehow, defiant.

He looked at the frog and then at her face, which was
watching him quizzically. "I like the frog," he said. "How long
have you been matchmaking, trying to get those two together?"

She said, "Since I met them both."

"How would you like to go to dinner with me, once
you're back in the city?"

He'd surprised her, he saw, with some satisfaction.

"I--yes, all right. I'm hoping to be back in the city
next week."

"Here, put your number into my cell." He handed
her the phone from his pocket after pulling up the contacts screen. She typed
in her number and handed the cell phone back.

Rob took it and said, "I got divorced last year. I
haven't been seeing anyone. You, though, you interest me."

"I'm a widow, of two years. I never planned to go out
with anyone. But there's something about you..."

He nodded. "Yes, there's a connection, isn't there?
I've seen you on the periphery, helping Jason through his tough time. I just
never had a chance to get to know you. I'll call you once I'm back in town to
arrange dinner, if you're amenable to that idea. In the meantime, let's go see
what Holly is up to."

She took the arm he offered and they walked up the steps
together.

* * * *

Lobsters were piled high in their bright red glory. Crabs
were splayed across a large platter, while two large bowls, one of pink steamed
shrimp and one of fried shrimp, sat at either end of the table. Broiled haddock
filled another serving dish, with a lemon sauce on the side. Tossed salad sat
on the sideboard along with baskets of fresh rolls from the bakery. A cup of
creamy clam chowder sat at every place setting.

"Frank, this looks divine," Gloria said as they
all entered the dining room.

The children had just gone to bed, and the adults were
suddenly ravenous upon seeing the bounty laid out before them. Everyone found a
place at the table, most of them making note of the fact that Holly and Jason
sat near the ends of the table, diagonally opposite.

Anna switched places at the last minute so that Maggie was
sitting beside Jason. Sam frowned at his wife, but she just gave him a slight
shake of the head and a serene glance.

Bowls were being passed around the table as people talked,
when the crash of a lobster onto a plate disrupted all the conversations. Into
the silence, Holly said, "That's it! You can laugh at her jokes and
whisper to each other all night, but not right in front of me!"

She was standing up and staring down the table at Jason. He
looked at her blankly, and then said coolly, "I have no idea what you're
babbling about."

"Babbling? I think I've been pretty plain. Either you
go or I go, but I'm not sitting at this table with you another second while you
flaunt your new girlfriend at me. And seeing as how this is my family
home--"

"Flaunting my girlfriend?" Jason said loudly,
standing up so quickly his chair banged over onto the floor. "What
girlfriend? I thought you were my girlfriend, until I learned different today.
How could you not tell me about him?"

All heads turned to Holly to see what she would say.