Ever After (Nantucket Brides 3)

“I won’t be there,” Jamie said. “I don’t want to ruin everyone’s good time.”

“You won’t,” Todd said, but he knew it was no use arguing. “Just so you know, though, if Raine makes a play for her, she’s on her own. I won’t tackle him even for my brother.”

Jamie gave a bit of a laugh, then waved his brother away.

Chapter Fifteen

Hallie awoke with a sense of panic. She hadn’t gone to Jamie at two A.M.! She was halfway out of bed before she remembered that he’d left with Uncle Kit after the dinner.

It was still early so Hallie lay back in bed, snuggled with her pillow, and thought about the dinner. It had turned into an evening of the Tea Ladies, as each one told all that he or she had experienced.

Jilly was a wonderful audience. She expressed shock or delight at everything that was revealed.

Hallie described her dream and showed the drawings that had been behind the big cupboard. “Have you ever heard of anything like that?!” she asked.

“Actually,” Jilly said, “Toby and Graydon…” She trailed off. “No, nothing.”

Jamie told of seeing the beautiful young ghost and of hearing “Juliana has died,” but he didn’t say that it had been Hallie who’d whispered it. That led to Jamie and Hallie telling Caleb’s story of why the young women were ghosts.

“I’d like to read the documents that tell the story,” Hallie said.

“I doubt there are any,” Jilly said.

The other three looked at her in interest, but she just smiled. “Kit said something about a box you found.”

Hallie got up and pulled the old wooden box off the shelf and set it down in the middle of the table. “I didn’t open it. Jamie was—” She broke off. There was no need to mention Jamie’s panic attack.

But to Jamie, they were family. “She didn’t have time to open it because I was coming apart and crawling across the floor in panic,” he said. “Same ol’, same ol’.”

Kit and Jilly gave him a look of sympathy—and that bothered Hallie.

“The oddest thing about Jamie’s attacks is that hugging and kissing are the only things that soothe him. I’m beginning to wonder if they’re real.”

Hallie was still standing and for a moment the three of them looked at her in shock. Kit was the first to laugh and Jilly followed. Jamie picked up her hand and kissed the palm.

After that, anything left of his bad mood was gone.

At dessert, Kit showed the card that had been inside the envelope with his name on it. FIND THEM was beautifully handwritten on it.

They passed the card around, but no one had any idea what it meant. “Find who?” Hallie asked.

“Who are you missing?” Jamie asked, but Kit said nothing.

The box was full of recipes, and they seemed to cover centuries and the world.

“Look!” Hallie said to Jamie as she held up a yellowed card. “This is for those cookies you like so much.” Her statement led them to talk about the wonderful teas Edith left for them.

“They’re very high calorie,” Hallie said, “but we eat them anyway.”

“Doesn’t look like it’s hu

rting you,” Jamie said. “That dress used to be tight.”

“I know. I think it’s all the work on your naked cousins. Digging into Raine’s muscles probably used a couple thousand calories.”

Jamie groaned. “See what I have to put up with?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Hallie saw Kit and Jilly smile at each other.