‘David cried and squealed like a girl when I told him I wouldn’t put up with him seeing other girls and that getting stoned regularly was not an option,’ Liza informed them crisply.
Her comment made Clem laugh, and Jess just managed a smile. She pulled out a chair and slumped into it. She wished she could tell them Luke’s reluctance to get involved wasn’t a normal man’s fear of commitment, that it was rooted in his childhood, in his mother’s death, his father’s lack of love.
Jess looked up at Clem. ‘You were right, Clem. Heck, he was right... I shouldn’t have interfered.’
Clem shrugged. ‘He’ll come to realise that you did it out of love and he’ll forgive you.’
‘I doubt it,’ Jess replied.
David looked up from his sketch of Clem. ‘Did his cousin say anything about Katelyn’s paintings?’
‘Apparently they are all in the attic at her cottage. Janet didn’t realise that Katelyn was such an important artist.’
‘Is she going to sell them?’ Liza asked.
‘No, she said they are Luke’s, and she’ll leave them where they are until he decides what to do with them. If he decides to do anything with them,’ Jess muttered darkly. ‘The list of paintings was in the envelope with the rest of the documents.’
‘I’d love to see them,’ David said reverentially.
Jess picked up a fork and traced patterns in the bright tablecloth with its tines. ‘You and me both. But there is no chance of that, Dad.’
‘Keep the faith, darling.’ David patted her hand. ‘And if nothing happens with Luke, just remember that your mother has the numbers of at least three young men who’d like to meet you.’
Jess couldn’t smile at his joke. She doubted she’d ever date again. That was the trouble with meeting your soul mate—it was difficult to imagine, comprehend being with another man. Even if said soul mate wanted nothing to do with her.
Liza saw something in her face that made her step forward and run a hand over her head. ‘Forget your brothers. I have a good mind to beat him up myself.’
Jess looked up into her mum’s sympathetic face. ‘It just hurts so much, Mum.’
Liza wrapped her arms around Jess’s neck and Jess rested her cheek on her stomach. ‘I know, baby girl. I know it does.’
* * *
Later on that afternoon, not knowing that he’d missed Jess by a couple of minutes, Luke stood at her parents’ front door and met Nick’s cold grey eyes. He thought that the possibility of Nick’s fist rocketing into his jaw was quite high. Jess’s brother scowled at him, and the muscles in his forearms bulged when he folded his arms and widened his stance. Luke thought he could take him, if he had to, but if Nick punched him he wouldn’t retaliate. He deserved the punch and more.
‘You have five seconds to state your case before I rip your head off,’ Nick snarled, his grey eyes thunderous.
Luke thought fast and decided to keep it simple. ‘I love her and I want to marry her.’
Nick stared at him and Luke braced himself. Nobody was more surprised when Nick’s face cleared, his arms dropped and a huge smile split his face. ‘Cool. C’mon in. Jess isn’t here, though.’
Luke stayed where he was. ‘You’re not going to hit me?’
Nick looked amused. ‘Do you want me to?’
‘No, I’ll pass. But...why not?’
Nick swung the front door open. ‘You took nearly a week to realise that you are an idiot. I took a month. The point is you got there, and you are doing something about it. You are doing something about it?’ he asked.
‘Of course I am,’ Luke replied irritably.
‘Then why are you here and not at her place, grovelling?’
‘I’m not quite ready to see Jess yet. Well, I am—but there’s something I have to do first and I need help.’
Nick clapped a hand on his shoulder. ‘I’m your man. I can’t wait to watch the merry dance my sister leads you for the rest of your life, mate.’
As long as she’s dancing with me, I don’t give a damn, Luke thought. ‘I need you and at least one other of your brothers to help me transport something...’
* * *
Jess was at home and wishing she could stop waiting for Luke to call. She propped her feet up on the coffee table and sighed. She had a huge, Luke-sized hole in her life and a smaller St Sylve hole next to it. She kept telling herself that life had a funny way of sorting itself out, but the words weren’t sinking in. She had loved and lost. Millions had, and it wasn’t the end of the world...it just felt like it.