Suddenly One Summer (9 page)

She looked him straight in the eye. “Yes, the person I loved very, very much.”

Her words hit him harder than they should have. He barely knew her; he didn’t have any right to care about whom she’d loved, or how much. Maybe her husband wasn’t alive, wasn’t the one she was scared of—but he still knew that she was hiding. She was far too skittish.

“It’s a funny thing about grief,” he commented. “It doesn’t make you scared—it makes you brave, because the worst has already happened. When you lose someone you can never get back, it makes you not care what happens to you. But you don’t act like that: you act like someone who is terrified of los
ing, and is fighting as hard as she can to stay alive.” He paused. “Or maybe you do still have someone to lose—Lexie. She asked me if it was all right for a man to hit a woman, for a daddy to hit a mommy.”

“She didn’t ask you that,” Jenna said in disbelief, fear in her eyes.

“Yes, she did. Did your husband hit you?” A new image formed in his head. “Did you hit back, Jenna? Did you kill him? Is that why you’re on the run? Because the police are after you?”

Her breath quickened. “I didn’t kill anyone. You have quite an imagination; you should be writing fiction.”

“I could be wrong, but you’re lying about something. I’d bet my life that you’re on the run.”

“It’s not
your
life you’d be betting. Just leave us alone. Please.”

She moved away from him, walking over to Lexie. She tried to put her arm around the little girl, but Lexie shrugged it off and moved away. Jenna wrapped her arms around her waist, in almost the exact same stance as her daughter, and as Reid watched them stare out into the night, he thought he might be looking at two of the loneliest people in the world.

Make that three…

For long minutes he stood there, waiting for the fog to roll in over the bluff, waiting for Lexie and Jenna to turn around and go home, waiting for his feet to move—but he couldn’t seem to take a step forward or backward. He was caught in limbo, in a place where
he didn’t know who he was anymore, or what he was meant to do, what he was supposed to want.

All his life he’d had one focus, one goal, and then it was done. He was no longer the hotshot reporter breaking big stories, but he also wasn’t going to be satisfied writing puff pieces for a tabloid. He’d thought he could do it for the money, that he could go on not giving a shit about anything in the world.

But Jenna and Lexie were making him care, making him want to be the old Reid Tanner. Could he go back, even if he wanted to? And
did
he want to?

“Lexie, it’s time to leave,” Jenna said, interrupting his thoughts.

“The fog isn’t all the way in,” Lexie returned.

“It’s late. We’ll come again another day.”

“You always say that, but we never do.”

“Lexie.” Jenna tried to catch Lexie’s arm, but the girl jumped away.

“Leave me alone,” she cried. “I don’t want to go with you. It’s not our home, and I don’t want to play your stupid games. I don’t want to pretend anymore. I want my mommy!” She burst into tears.

Reid stared at them in shock.
Lexie wanted her mommy?

Jenna swung the sobbing girl into her arms and ran past him. He was too stunned to stop her.

Jenna wasn’t Lexie’s mother? Then who the hell was she?

Jenna knew Reid would follow her; she was just surprised it took him an hour to get to the house. She’d been tempted to pack their suitcases and hit the highway as soon as she got Lexie home, but Lexie was hysterical and exhausted, and after crying her eyes out, she’d finally fallen asleep. She looked like a very small angel in her white nightgown, her golden hair spread out like a halo on the pillow behind her head. Her eyelids were puffy and her cheeks red. She was a very sad little angel, and Jenna didn’t know how to make it better.

The knock at the front door came again, persistent and determined. She shut Lexie’s bedroom door and walked out to the living room. She looked through the peephole, relieved to see Reid was alone. At least he hadn’t called the cops.

She opened the door and stepped back.

He entered without a word.

They stared at each other for a long, silent minute.

“What took you so long?” she finally asked. “Did you go to the police?”

“Should I have?” he challenged.

“No.”

His gaze held steady. “Who are you?”

“Do you already know the answer to that question?” she countered. “Are you really in Angel’s Bay looking for angels, or were you sent here to look for me?”

“Is someone after you?”

“Yes. Someone who wants to hurt me and Lexie.”

“I’m not working for that person, whoever he is.”

“I’d like to believe that. But I called
Spotlight Magazine
and the receptionist never heard of you.”

“That’s because I’ve never been inside the building. I’m a freelancer. But I’m not here to talk about me, and you know that.” His gaze drilled into hers. “You’re not Lexie’s mother, are you?”

She drew in a long breath and blew it out.

When she didn’t reply, he said, “Maybe I should just ask the police,” and headed toward the door.

“Wait.” She would have to give him some part of the truth. “All right. I’m not her mother.”

He turned back around. “Keep going.”

“You’d better sit down.” She would have to find a way to get Reid Tanner to keep her secret, and that would take more than a minute.

She walked into the living room and sat down in an armchair. Reid took a seat on the couch, his dark eyes never leaving her face. He had the most intense gaze of anyone she’d ever met, and it rattled her even
more. She stared down at the hardwood floor, trying to collect her thoughts.

“Did you kidnap Lexie?” Reid asked abruptly.

Her head came up in shock. “God, no! How could you think that?”

“She said she was tired of pretending you were her mother. She said she wanted to go home.”

“I’m her aunt. Lexie is my sister’s child. My older sister, Kelly.”

“And where is Kelly?”

Jenna drew in a breath for strength. “She’s dead. She died a little over two months ago.” Saying it aloud made it even more horribly real. She’d been so busy protecting Lexie that she hadn’t given herself a minute to grieve, and she couldn’t do that now. She had to keep her wits about her.

“Why the pretense? Why ask a seven-year-old to go along with such a deception?”

“It’s complicated.”

“If you tell me the truth, maybe I can help you.”

“Or maybe you won’t want to.”

He considered that, a thoughtful tilt to his head. “Try me.”

“I can’t tell you everything. But I can say that my sister was a beautiful, kind, gentle person. She was murdered, and the person who killed her will kill me and Lexie if he finds us.”

“Why?”

“I can’t go into it.”

Reid shook his head. “Why don’t you go to the
police and ask for protection? If your sister was murdered, they must be looking for her killer.”

“They’re looking in the wrong place. They’ve been sent to look in the wrong place.”

“By the killer?”

“Yes.”

Reid stared at her with a sharp intelligence that made her worry. He was a smart man. If she gave him enough pieces to the puzzle, he would put it together, and she couldn’t let that happen.

“Where do the police think Lexie is?” he asked.

“I’m not sure.”

“I know you’re talking about Lexie’s father. He’s the murderer, right? Lexie already suggested to me that she saw her father hit her mother. It doesn’t take a huge leap to guess that the violence escalated.”

Jenna was shocked by his statement. “Did Lexie really tell you that?”

“In a manner of speaking. Is that what happened? Did your brother-in-law kill your sister?”

“No one seems to think that he did it.” Jenna paused. “I don’t know exactly what Lexie remembers, and she never ever talks about it. I can’t believe she said something like that to you. You’re a stranger.”

“I’m a good listener. Come on, Jenna, give me his name.”

She bit down on her lip to stop herself from saying too much. Reid
was
a good listener. His warm gaze invited her to confess all, but she had too much
to lose. “I can’t. The more you know, the more danger you put Lexie in.”

“Maybe I’ll be protecting her,” he argued. “All I have is your word for what happened. You might have stolen Lexie from the supermarket or the school-yard, made up a story, asked her to pretend to be your daughter, told her that her father killed her mother.”

“It didn’t happen that way,” she said quickly. “I am Lexie’s aunt. You have to believe me.” Reid’s theories worried her, and what he’d do about those theories terrified her even more.

He remained unconvinced. “I don’t know what to believe.”

“You’ve seen me with Lexie. You know I love her, that I’d do anything for her,” she said passionately, desperate to convince him. “I’m not hurting Lexie in any way—I’m protecting her. And this isn’t your business. You don’t live here. You’re not a cop. You’re a reporter, who’s supposed to be writing a story about angels.” Suddenly it was all clear to her. “That’s it. You want a bigger story, and you think I’m it! That’s why you’re so interested in me and in Lexie.”

“That might be part of it,” he admitted.

His agreement stung. “How dare you poke your nose into my business? Press is the last thing I need.”

“It’s not about what you need. It’s about the truth.”

“The truth? The truth is that the little girl who wants the angels to bring her mother back to her is in danger. And media attention will only bring that danger closer.”

“Again, I only have your version of the story.”

“It’s
not
a story.” His cool attitude made her crazy. He had no idea what was at stake. To him it was just a news article, but to her it was literally life or death. “You need to back off,” she said flatly. “Sometimes the truth hurts the wrong person.”

“Lies hurt people, too,” he said with a ruthless note in his voice. “As well as cover-ups, pretenses, and betrayals. You wouldn’t be the first person who gave me the wrong version of a story, pleading her case with sad, earnest eyes, while lying every second.”

There was bitterness in his voice now, and the darkness she’d seen in him earlier came back in full force.

“Who are you talking about?” she asked.

“It doesn’t matter.” He abruptly stood up.

She jumped to her feet, not sure what he intended to do, not sure what she wanted him to do. She put a hand on his arm. “Don’t. Please.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t tell anyone I’m not Lexie’s mother. Don’t use me to get a story. Just leave me alone and forget you ever heard what Lexie said tonight. Walk away. Please.”

He stared at her for a long moment, but instead of moving away, he took a step closer. His eyes were filled with shadows, and she had no idea what he was thinking.

“I’d like to walk away,” he said finally. “I spent the past hour trying to talk myself out of coming over here. I quit hard news almost a year ago. I told
myself I was done digging into other people’s lives. I was done with giving a damn about the truth. And then I met you—a woman who jumped into the bay to save a stranger’s life, not only at the risk of her own, but also at the risk of her secrets being discovered.”

Reid shook his head. “I thought I could walk away from you and Lexie and pretend that whatever was happening was none of my business, but it turns out that I can’t.” He reached out and ran his finger down the side of her cheek.

She caught her breath at the intimate caress. Things had suddenly become very personal.

“And it has nothing to do with my journalistic ambition,” he continued. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I have no idea who you really are—an accomplished liar, or a desperate woman in terrible trouble.”

His finger moved to her lips, then he cupped her chin, tilting her face up to his. Her blood ran hot. Her nipples tightened. A wave of unexpected and reckless desire shot through her body. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, knowing that she should move, because nothing could happen between them. But when his gaze traveled to her mouth, her lips tingled in anticipation. He lowered his head so slowly that she had plenty of time to move, yet she couldn’t take a step.

She wanted to feel his mouth on hers. She wanted him to wrap his strong arms around her and pull her into his hard body. She wanted to lose her
self in him for just a minute…a minute when she didn’t have to be strong and protective and fierce.

She leaned into the kiss, her mouth opening under his. His tongue swept inside her mouth, tangling with hers. His hands fell to her waist, pulling her up against his hips. She pressed her breasts against his chest, and the spark that had flared at their first meeting turned into raging desire.

She’d never felt so needy, so wanton. She ran her hands up under his shirt, feeling the power of his muscles, the heat of his skin. She wanted to strip off her clothes and do the same with Reid’s. She wanted to make love to him. It was foolish, reckless, dangerous. Impossible.

In the end it was Reid who pulled away. His breath came sharp and quick as he gazed down at her. His fingers burned into the bare skin between her shirt and her jeans. He looked like he wanted to let her go, but couldn’t. She felt the same way. He was the wrong man at the wrong time. She couldn’t allow him into her life.

“Let go,” she whispered.

“I’m trying,” he said, a husky note in his voice. “What the hell was that?”

“Craziness.” She put her hands over his and slowly disengaged them from her body. “That shouldn’t have happened. I don’t usually act so impulsively.”

“Why start now?”

“I’m attracted to you,” she admitted. “I don’t want to be.”

“I’m not thrilled with the idea, either.”

She drew in a deep breath as silence fell between them. “So what now? What are you going to do?”

Reid gave her a long, hard look. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but his gaze grew cool as the seconds ticked by. Finally he said, “Did you think kissing me would put me on your side? That I would no longer question you? That I wouldn’t go to the police? Was it just another move in whatever game you’re playing?”

His suggestion infuriated her. “I’m not playing a game. But maybe I should ask you the same question. Did you think kissing me would make me want to tell you my story? Did you think it was your way into hearing my deepest and darkest secrets?”

Reid didn’t answer, his ragged breath matching the quickened tempo of her pulse. Then he abruptly turned on his heel and left.

For sixty seconds, she stood frozen in place. What was he going to do next? Would he go to the police? Would he start digging into her life? Or would he let it go? She fought the urge to run after him. She couldn’t leave the house; Lexie was asleep in her bed.

Jenna sank down on the couch, touching her lips with her fingers. One taste of Reid wasn’t nearly enough. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d lost her head so completely, been swept off her feet by a touch, a kiss. And by a man she didn’t even trust—a man who didn’t trust her. What a foolish, impetuous thing she’d done. She had to find a way to
fix things, but how? Reid was like a dog with a bone. He wasn’t going to give up.

For a moment she considered the thought that maybe she didn’t want him to. Maybe he could help her. But Kelly’s instructions had been so clear. She’d begged her not to tell anyone, not to trust, not to believe that anyone was a friend. Kelly had known what she was dealing with. Jenna still didn’t know. All she knew was that she had to do what her sister had asked her to do.

She looked up in surprise as Lexie padded into the room, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “Hey, what are you doing up?”

“I’m thirsty,” Lexie said, climbing into her lap.

“I’ll get you some water,” Jenna replied, glad that Lexie hadn’t walked into the room a few minutes earlier. “Do you want to get back into bed, and I’ll bring it to you?”

Lexie hesitated, her mouth trembling. “I’m sorry I told the truth.”

“I know, honey.” Jenna sighed. How messed up was Lexie going to be, when she had to feel bad about telling the truth? But she was alive. She was safe. That’s all that mattered for the moment.

“Maybe Mr. Tanner won’t tell anybody,” Lexie offered.

“Maybe not.” Jenna brushed the hair off Lexie’s face, tucking it behind her ear.

“I miss Mommy,” Lexie said sadly.

Jenna felt a wave of pain. “Me, too.”

“I wanted to ask the angels if Mommy was okay,
if she could maybe come back with them and see us sometime. Heaven is so far away.”

“Yes, it is.” Jenna gathered Lexie close. “But your mommy can see you no matter where you are, and she will love you forever. When she’s looking down from heaven, she’ll want to see you playing with your friends, learning things in school, and having a great life. She’ll want to see you laughing, having fun. That’s what she wants for you, honey.”

Jenna could hardly get the words out as she thought of how many moments her sister would miss—Lexie buying her first bra, having her first real kiss, getting her heart broken. Kelly would miss seeing Lexie graduate from high school and college. She wouldn’t be at Lexie’s wedding, wouldn’t get to hold her grandchild in her arms, wouldn’t get to share in her daughter’s life. It was so hideously unfair. Kelly should still be alive. Lexie should still have her mother. This was
wrong
—so wrong.