There was one last note in the library, a folded paper on the sewing table she’d liked so much that very first day.
This room isn’t finished. I have a surprise for you.
A surprise? She spun in a circle, taking in the gleaming floor and polished furniture. It really needed a proper sofa, something that fit the décor but was functional, too. But what kind of surprise could he mean? They hadn’t talked about anything else.
Well, it wasn’t for her to figure out tonight. Right now she just wanted to crawl into a pair of sleep pants and a T-shirt and scrounge for something to eat.
She’d changed and shoved her hair into a messy bun when the phone rang, startling her in the silence. When she answered it, Jess was on the line.
“You’re home,” she said. “Tom said you were due back today.”
“I just got back a half hour ago.” Abby knew her voice held a touch of reserve. The last she’d spoken to Jess was the night of the party. They hadn’t left things on nice terms.
“Have you eaten?”
It was nearly eight o’clock at night and she could hear her stomach growling. “Not yet,” she admitted.
“Great. How about pizza?” Jess seemed like her usual self, as if nothing awkward had happened at all.
“Jessica, I—”
“If you’re calling me Jessica, you’re still mad.” In contrast to Tom’s inability to speak plainly, Jess was incredibly blunt. She was also perfectly sincere. “Honestly, Abby, I’m really sorry. We knew
Josh was having a hard time but we had no idea he’d still be so angry. He and Tom were super close growing up. We just thought it would help mend fences. Promise.”
“You still should have told me. I was so blindsided.”
“I know. You’re right. We were absolutely wrong to keep you in the dark.”
Abby wanted to stay angry, but she knew Jess meant every word. Jess didn’t feel the need to babble on, and her quiet agreement acknowledged Abby’s rights to her feelings. Abby’s hostility melted away. “Thanks for that. But as for pizza, I’m not really up to going out. I’m already in my pajamas. I’m just going to grab something from the freezer.”
“No you’re not, that’s gross.” Jess’s voice was loud and clear. “Have you got wine?”
“There’s probably a bottle kicking around here somewhere.”
“I’m bringing pizza to you. Is there anything you don’t like?”
“Anchovies,” she answered easily, knowing steamroller Jess wasn’t going to pay attention to any protests.
“Yuck,” Jess answered. “No worries there. Give me half an hour. And don’t eat.”
She hung up.
Abby went around all the rooms and made sure she had all the notes, tucking them into her purse for safekeeping. The last thing she needed was Jess seeing those bits of paper in Tom’s writing. She’d be sure to make something of it. Abby knew she should throw them out, but she secretly wanted to hold on to them. They were the closest thing to love notes she’d ever received. She was still mad at Tom, but the notes had gone a long way toward ameliorating her feelings. She would just have to keep a “fool me once, fool me twice” attitude about it and be smarter, that’s all. No more confidences. Definitely no more kisses in the foyer. Or anywhere else.
She found a bottle of pinot noir that she’d stored in the fridge before the crew removed the cupboards. If she took it out now, it would have time to lose some of the chill before they were ready to drink it. Then she wandered for a few minutes, wondering if and when she’d see Edith again. The house had had a face-lift, but there was still a weird feeling as she walked through the rooms. Like someone was waiting.
Forty minutes later Jess pulled into the yard. To Abby’s surprise, it turned out that it wasn’t just Jess getting out of the car; her sister Sarah had come too, and carried a large pizza box while Jess held a bag which appeared to contain more wine and bags of potato chips. Abby’s mouth watered at the sight of junk food. She could afford one night of splurging. Especially since all the cleaning and packing and moving had resulted in the loss of a few unexpected pounds.
“Hope it’s okay Sarah came. She doesn’t get out of the house much.”
“Jess!” Sarah swatted her sister’s arm. “Hi, Abby,” she said shyly, holding out the pizza box. “We come bearing peace offerings.”
Abby smiled. “Not necessary, but welcome just the same. Come on in.”
It was the first company she’d had at the house and she felt a little excited as she led them inside and down the hall, feeling like a real hostess. “Holy hell,” Jess exclaimed, her head twisted around as she tried to look at everything as they went through. “I’ve never been in here before. This place is huge.”
“You get used to it,” Abby replied. “And it looks a lot different today than when I left.”