Ever After (Nantucket Brides 3)

They had thick tuna melt sandwiches and Jamie ordered a dozen doughnuts to go. On the way to the car, he offered her one. “Braden doesn’t like fat women,” Hallie said.

“You’re not fat,” Jamie said, “and any man who doesn’t like the look of you doesn’t like women.”

“You’re sweet.” She was smiling, but then said, “Oh, no! How do I get out of here?” Two pickup trucks were on either side of the borrowed car, both parked at an angle. There was little space on the driver’s side for her to get in the door. “We’ll have to wait for one of them to move.”

“Give me the keys,” Jamie said as he handed her his crutches. He hopped his way between the car and a pickup, opened the door as wide as possible, and managed to wedge his big body inside.

Hallie stepped back as he deftly maneuvered the car out. She tossed his crutches in the back, then got in the passenger seat. “Do you remember the way home?”

“I do,” he said, but when he reached the road, he turned right instead of left.

“Where are you going?”

“Actually, it feels good to drive. Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” she said and leaned back in the seat. There was a map of Nantucket in the glove box so she was able to tell him where to turn as they spent the morning exploring the island. Jamie had to drive using his left leg, but he did it with ease.

On the way back, they stopped at Bartlett’s Farm to load up on groceries. Jamie didn’t want to go in, but when Hallie said she couldn’t remember Braden’s favorite cheese, he went with her.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” he said.

“Oh, yeah. Next time we’re going there.” She nodded to the huge nursery full of plants.

“Let me guess, Braden loves flowers. Do they have any to match his superhero cape?”

“I was thinking more of matching his eyes.” She laughed at Jamie’s grimace. She’d never had a jealous boyfriend before and she was enjoying it. Not that Jamie was her boyfriend, of course, but whatever he was, she was liking this teasing.

When they got back to the house, the kitchen table was covered wit

h one of Edith’s glorious teas, this one all sweets. On the bottom plate of the tiered stack were little coconut tarts with tiny wild strawberries on top and three-inch apple pies with cheese oozing from the crust. On the top were squares of gingerbread with bits of apples and grapes sticking out.

“I bet she heard how her daughter-in-law has been bothering us and this is her apology,” Hallie said.

“Whatever the reason, I love the woman. I’m starving. Try this.” He held out a mini cupcake with bits of red, ripe cherries on top.

Hallie turned away. “I think I’ll just have a salad.”

Jamie groaned. “Not the caped crusader again! Did you know that you’ve lost weight since you got here?”

“That’s ridiculous. Edith’s pastries are nothing but calories.”

“So what’s this?” He stuck his finger into the waistband of her jeans and pinched a couple of inches of empty space.

The truth was that her clothes were a bit loose on her. She’d thought she wasn’t drinking enough water, but maybe that wasn’t it.

“Look, Hartley,” Jamie said, “between two workouts a day and all the energy you expend digging into me, you’re using more calories than you take in. And when you consider the work we’re going to do this afternoon—”

“I’m sold,” Hallie said as she took the chocolate cupcake and ate it in one bite. “Divine.” She sat down and began to pour the tea.

As always, they ate it all. After they washed the dishes, they made a little drama of beginning the project and went outside to the double doors that led into the old tea room.

“Maybe your ghosts cleaned it up during the night,” Jamie said, but it was exactly as they’d left it. In fact, the light was brighter so the place looked worse. Cobwebs, grime as thick as shoe leather, the air gloomy with floating dust.

“Okay,” Hallie said, “I think we should take everything washable outside and start hosing it down. What’s left inside, we’ll vacuum, then hand dust.”

“Good plan,” Jamie said and after they’d hauled the supplies from the car, they began. They put on white cup masks and opened all the windows and doors. Hallie began taking load after load of dishes into the kitchen to wash them, while Jamie tackled the pantry.

At first they worked in silence, but gradually they began to talk. Jamie asked her a lot of questions about her life. As she had earlier, she talked only about before her father married Ruby.