The House on Blackberry Hill (Jewell Cove 1)

Lord, she’d told them about the kiss last night, hadn’t she? Her face burned as she handed plates around and went in search of forks. “Yes, especially after the whole kiss thing,” she answered, her head stuck in cardboard as she dug at the bottom of a different box.

“What whole kiss thing?”

She froze, her fingers on the coveted utensil tray and her butt sticking straight up in the air as his voice came across the kitchen and everything else went silent.

“You’re just in time for pancakes,” Sarah announced, covering the quiet.

Abby dug herself out of the box and came up with a smile, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face. “Good morning.”

He stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips. He looked good, better than she remembered. Today he wore a dark gray T-shirt with the usual jeans. He was all lean hips and broad shoulders.

“Good morning. To you too, cousins. Surprised to see you here.” He addressed them all, but his gaze was glued to Abby, and a little crooked smile on his lips told her he was happy to see her.

“Slumber party,” Abby announced cheerfully. “I got back last night.”

He looked in the sink and saw the empty wine bottles. “Indeed. No one fit to drive, I assume?”

“Oh, Sarah wasn’t drinking. She—”

The startled look on Sarah’s face stopped her. “She was, uh, drinking club soda. She planned on driving, but I convinced them to stay. We were having too much fun.”

Sarah hadn’t told everyone yet. And since she’d put off making the announcement, Abby knew it was Sarah’s news to tell, not hers.

Sarah had recovered and shook her head at Abby. “It’s okay,” she said. “I might as well start telling people anyway now that the cat’s out of the bag.” She looked up at Tom. “I’m pregnant.”

Abby’s heart melted even further as a soft smile spread across Tom’s face. He hugged Sarah, lifting her off her feet. “Congratulations. Now you be careful, you hear? It took you long enough to get this way. Don’t want to shake anything loose.”

“I will, promise. Let me down.”

Tom was looking at his cousin with such affection that Abby had to look away for a moment. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, hearing the whole story last night about Erin changed things. She got out a fourth plate and fork and handed it to him. “Have a pancake.”

Sarah plopped one on his plate and smiled, but Tom held Abby’s gaze. “What whole kiss thing?”

Of course he wouldn’t let that go. “Oh,” she covered, hoping she sounded convincing. “Just a movie we watched last night, that’s all.”

The gleam in his eyes made her think he wasn’t convinced, but she turned away and grabbed her own breakfast. If he didn’t believe her, he’d have to prove she was wrong. And blood ties or not, she got the feeling that Sarah and Jess would back her up.

But Tom let the subject go and the four of them took the simple meal out to the sun porch on the back of the house. Abby couldn’t help but stare at Tom’s arms as he wrestled with the tight windows, easing them up and letting in the early summer air. The chatter was deliberately light and Abby praised the work he’d done in her absence. “I like the mirror. It should stay,” she said, sliding a sideways look at him as he cut his pancake with the side of his fork.

“And you don’t mind about the chandelier?”

“No, I’m glad you found someone. Does this mean we can start on painting the upstairs now?”

“Yes. We don’t have anything else until the cupboards and countertops come in. The painting crew is coming later this morning.”

“We should get going so you can get to work,” Sarah said, picking up plates.

Breakfast had definitely filled a hole, but Abby knew she’d kill for a cup of coffee and she was out of both grounds and milk. “I’ll get that, Sarah.” She turned to Tom. “Is there anything you need in town? I know I can’t use the kitchen much, but I’d like to get a few things to tide me over. Like coffee.”

“I wouldn’t say no to coffee,” he replied. “I didn’t bother with it this morning.”

In no time flat the girls had the kitchen tidied and Tom was already covering the furniture in the spare bedroom with sheets and taping off the trim. Abby left at the same time as Jess and Sarah, and when she came back, two more trucks were in the yard. She was a little relieved. After all she’d learned about Tom, she wasn’t sure she was ready for one-on-one time. She was still letting all of the information settle so she could make sense of it.

She’d misjudged Tom. He’d done the noble thing and stepped aside when all was said and done. If he’d loved Erin—and he must have—it couldn’t have been an easy thing to do.

Abby put on a pot of coffee and gathered up some gardening materials she’d found in the garage. She poured a cup for herself in an insulated mug and then called into the hall, “Hey, Tom, coffee’s on. Help yourself.”

She stepped outside into the moist summer air that smelled of grass and leaves and rosebuds.