Over You (21 page)

Jessica studied the ring in the palm of her hand for a moment before closing her fingers over it. Looking up at Alex, she smiled awkwardly. “I don’t want to lose it.” Then she slipped it on her left ring finger. “Just for safekeeping.”

He nodded, a hopeful smile on his face. After a moment he picked up one of the spoons. “Slide that dish over here.”

Jessica smiled, relieved at the change of subject. Pushing the bowl of chocolate mousse into the middle of the table, she picked up her spoon and scooped up some of the dessert.

“I thought you didn’t have room,” Alex said, laughing.

“It looks too good to resist.”
 

They finished eating, then Alex drove Jessica back to her house without further discussion of his proposal. He walked her up the porch steps and they stopped in front of the door. Jessica hesitated, wondering if he expected her to invite him inside. “Thank you for the lovely dinner, Alex.”

He reached toward her and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. His touch warmed her and she gazed into his blue eyes. Taking a step toward her, he locked his eyes on hers, slid his arms around her waist, and drew her close. Jessica followed his lead and wrapped her arms around his neck, then tilted her head up. His lips met hers with a feeling of passion and she responded to his urgency.

Recalling the incident earlier that day when Kyle had seen them kissing, she nearly pulled away, but then remembered that Kyle wasn’t there and allowed herself to be caught up in the moment.
 

“Why don’t we go inside?” Alex said as he loosened his arms from her waist.

Though she had enjoyed kissing him, she wasn’t ready to go beyond that. Her feelings were still too confused and she didn’t want to do anything that would complicate things further. “I’m actually pretty tired.”

“Oh,” he said, clearly disappointed. “Okay.”

Irritated at how fast he was moving, first with the proposal, and now with wanting to get more physical, Jessica ignored his disappointment. “So will I see you tomorrow?”

“Of course.” He smiled, apparently forcing away any frustration with her. “What about lunch?”

Fearful that he would press her for an answer to his proposal the next time they got together, she wanted to buy a little more time. “I don’t think that will work for me tomorrow. What about dinner?”

“Sure. Dinner would be fine. Six o’clock again?”

Nodding, Jessica turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. “Thanks again for dinner, Alex.”
 

“Remember, Jessica. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Though she wasn’t certain if she felt the same about him as she once had, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to say the phrase she had told him so many times in the past. “Good-night.”

Once he left, she locked the door behind him and went up to her room. Hudson was stretched out on her bed, evidently waiting for her to come home and pet him. She flopped onto the bed next to him and began petting his long fur.

“Guess what, big guy? Alex proposed to me tonight.” Hudson purred in response as Jessica held out her left arm and studied the engagement ring on her finger. “Now, I know it was just a couple of weeks ago that I told you he wasn’t good for us, but he really seems sorry for what happened, and I do care about him. Plus he really loves me.”

Hudson stood up and rubbed against Jessica’s outstretched arm.

“So why am I not jumping all over this proposal? What is it I need to think about?” Stroking Hudson’s back, Jessica chewed on her lip. “It’s Kyle. Of course it is. As long as he’s around I can’t move forward.” She sat up. “Damn him!”

When I go see Aunt Ellen tomorrow I’ll see what advice she has, Jessica thought. She usually comes up with an angle I haven’t thought of. And she’ll be so excited to read William’s letter.

Jessica moved to the nightstand and pulled open the drawer, but gasped at what she saw.

Chapter Twenty-Four

All the love letters, plus William’s letter and the newspaper photo, were gone.

Anger, disappointment, and fear competed to be the strongest emotion. Someone had come into her room and taken the letters, and now she wouldn’t be able to show her aunt. But most importantly, someone had been in her room. Could the thief still be in the house?
 

Jessica scrambled for her cell phone and punched in 911. When the dispatcher asked what her emergency was, Jessica forced herself to calm down so she could speak clearly. “Someone was in my house and I don’t know if he’s still here.”

“What is your address?”

Jessica grasped for her aunt’s address, but after a moment was able to come up with it and told the dispatcher.

“Are you in a safe place?” the woman asked.

“I think so. I don’t know. I’m in my bedroom.” Jessica walked to her door as she spoke and quickly closed it, then pushed one of the chairs in front of it.

“Is anyone else there with you?”

“No.”

“The police are on their way, but I want you to stay on the phone with me until they get there.”

“Okay.”

“Do you see or hear anything unusual?”

Jessica listened intently, but the only sound was Hudson’s purring. “No.”

The dispatcher continued talking to her and within a few minutes Jessica heard the wailing of sirens. She looked out the bedroom window and saw two police cars pulling up to the house. “The police are here,” Jessica told the dispatcher as she watched them get out of their cars and walk up the porch steps and out of sight.

She heard knocking on the front door. She shoved the chair out of the way, then opened her door and raced down the stairs. She flung the door open, relieved to have them there. After hanging up with the dispatcher, Jessica invited the officers in.

“I understand there’s been a break-in and you’re not sure if the intruder is still here,” one of the officers said.

“Yes. I was out this evening and when I got home I discovered that some letters were missing.”

“Was anything else taken?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t realize there had been a break-in until I saw the letters were gone.”

The first officer glanced at the other officer before looking back at Jessica. “If it’s all right with you, ma’am, I’m going to look around and make sure the house is secure. Officer Brighton will stay with you while you check to see if anything else appears to be missing.”

“Okay.” Jessica went into each of the downstairs rooms with Officer Brighton and looked around while he checked to make sure no one was hiding. Nothing else seemed to be missing, although some items seemed to be moved around, like someone had rummaged through things. But it wasn’t her house and she couldn’t be sure.

“The house is secure,” the first officer said as he found Jessica and Officer Brighton in the sunroom. “Did you find anything else missing?”

“No, just the letters.” She hesitated. “But, well I can’t be sure, but it seems like some things are out of place.”

“But nothing’s missing except some letters?” He paused. “Are you sure you didn’t just misplace them?”

“I remember putting them in my nightstand drawer this afternoon.” She was certain of it.

“What kind of letters were these?” Office Brighton asked.

“Well, they were, uh, just some old family letters.”
 

“Okay. Well, if you see or hear anything suspicious, give us a call.”

Jessica nodded and walked them to the door. They left a moment later and she had the impression that they thought she was just some flighty woman who had misplaced the letters. When she looked at it from their point of view she couldn’t blame them. After all, why would someone risk a breaking and entering charge just to take some old letters?

Jessica wondered who had taken them and how the person had gotten in. She was pretty sure she had locked the door when she and Alex had left for dinner, but she wasn’t positive. Thinking back, the last time she had seen the letters was when she had put William’s letter and the newspaper photo into the drawer that afternoon. Afterward she had taken her laptop into the sunroom and worked until Kyle left.

Kyle
, she thought. Could he have taken them? But why would he? As far as she knew, he didn’t even know about them. Could someone have paid him to take them? Who even knew about them besides her and Ellen? Had Ellen told anyone about them?

Agitated now, Jessica checked each door in the house that led outside and made sure each one was locked. She went into the kitchen and fixed herself a mug of hot chocolate. As the milk heated up in the microwave, she wondered if she would be able to sleep. The idea of someone being in her house,
in her bedroom
, really freaked her out.

Sipping the hot liquid, she stared into space and considered why someone would want to take the letters. Had word gotten back to Douglas Harrington that she was asking about his parents? Did he know that William was his father, but didn’t want the truth to come out? How did he know the letters existed? And how did he know where to find them?

Kyle, she thought again. He had been in her room when she’d put the letters in the drawer. Had he seen them? How long had he been standing there before he had made his presence known?

I’ll just have to ask him about it tomorrow, she decided. She finished her drink, then went upstairs and got ready for bed. After closing her door and pushing the chair in front of it, she slipped between the covers and closed her eyes, but each time the house creaked or groaned her eyes shot open. After an hour she gave up. Turning on the bedside lamp, she propped up her pillows, grabbed a novel she’d left next to her bedside, and read until her eyelids grew heavy and she was able to fall asleep.

When she woke early the next morning and thought about what she was going to say to Kyle about the missing letters, her heart pounded. After showering and getting ready for the day, she booted up her laptop and began working. As she anticipated Kyle’s arrival, she found it difficult to concentrate, but pushed forward and got some work done.

When Kyle knocked on the door at his usual time, Jessica’s heart raced. She took a deep breath and slowly released it before walking to the door.
 

“Hi Jessica,” he said, a smile on his face.

His green eyes seemed to sparkle and it took her a moment to gather the courage to ask him about the letters. Opening the door for him to enter, she watched him walk inside and head toward the stairs. “Hey, Kyle?”

“Yeah?” He turned to face her.

“Do you happen to know a Douglas Harrington?”

A mild look of surprise flitted across his face. “Sure. I’ve done some work for him from time to time.”

“Have you spoken to him recently?”

Kyle’s eyebrows drew together. “Why?”

“Have you?”

“Yes. What is this about?”

This was the part Jessica had been nervous about. “Well, I found out some information about him and now something of mine is missing.”

“And?”

“Has he said anything to you or do you know anything about it?”

Kyle shook his head, a look of confusion on his face. “I don’t understand. Why would he talk to me about it and how would I know anything about it? What are you even talking about? What’s missing?”

Frustrated that this conversation seemed to be going nowhere, she sighed. “Look, Kyle. Yesterday you saw me put something in my bedside drawer. Now that something is gone.”

“What?! Are you accusing me of stealing?”

The anger in his tone made Jessica doubt her suspicion, and now she felt embarrassed for accusing him. “No!”

“Then what are you implying?”

“I’m sorry. Forget it.”

“Look, Jessica. I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, but you shouldn’t mess with Douglas.”

“What do you mean?”

Kyle glanced to the side before looking back at her. “Just be careful, okay?”

“Okay. I’m sorry if you thought I was accusing you.”

“Yeah, sure.” He turned and walked up the stairs.

Jessica watched him go, wondering what he meant about Douglas Harrington. Evidently she’d already messed with him, based on the fact that the letters were gone. She decided to go see her aunt and see what she thought.
 

~*~*~

“And you’re sure you didn’t just misplace them?” Ellen asked after Jessica had told her story.

“No. I’m certain I put them in the drawer.”

“Let’s talk about this while we walk.”

Ellen stood and they moved toward the door. Jessica reached out her left hand to open the door and Ellen stopped.

“Let me see your hand, Jessica.”

Jessica released the door and held out her left hand for her aunt to see.

Ellen studied the ring on Jessica’s finger. “It looks like we have many things to talk about. Tell me about this as we walk.”

Jessica held the door open again and they walked down the hall.

“I’m sorry, Ellen. I should have mentioned the ring first thing, but this whole letters thing has been on my mind.”

Ellen nodded and waited for Jessica to continue.

“Alex proposed last night.”

“Did he now? And what did you say?”

“I said I had to think about it.”

“And have you thought about it?”

“Truthfully, not that much. As soon as I discovered the letters had been stolen, that’s pretty much been my focus.”

“That tells me a lot right there.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you were crazy in love with Alex, I would think his proposal would be foremost in your mind.”

“I
do
love him. At least I used to. I think I still do.”

“Jessica.” Ellen regarded her with a look of understanding. “Either you love him or you don’t.”

“Is it really that simple?” Jessica asked as they left the building and entered the garden area.

“It can be. When it comes to the man you want to spend the rest of your life with, you shouldn’t have to think so hard about it. You need to listen to your heart. Now, who do you see yourself spending the rest of your life with?”

Kyle,
Jessica immediately thought. But when she looked at her aunt, she just shook her head, not able to speak for the sorrow she felt.