Treasure on Lilac Lane (Jewell Cove 2)

The hall was decorated for Christmas, with lots of paper snowflakes dangling from the ceiling and a little Christmas tree propped on a table in the corner. Jess thought back to Tom and Abby’s wedding in October and how so much had changed since then. Even though she’d been attracted to Rick before, if someone had told her they’d be practically living together six weeks later, she’d have laughed them out of town. With a slight shock, Jess realized that they’d first made love the day he’d brought over the ornaments, and that had been over three weeks ago. So much really had changed …

Over three weeks.

The cake in Jess’s mouth turned to sawdust and she fought to keep chewing. Susan returned with hot tea and Jess sipped it quickly, trying to wash down the crumbs before she began to cough.

“You okay, Aunt Jess? You don’t look so good. Is it the cake?”

Jess was getting rather good at pasting on fake smiles, and she treated her niece to one. “Of course I’m all right, honey. The cake is great. I just got a crumb down the wrong hole is all.”

“I hate when that happens.” Suzie’s ponytail bobbed. “I’ll get you some water.”

She darted off again and Jess took a few moments to count days. She distinctly remembered telling Rick not to worry about condoms their first night together. That the time of the month was wrong …

Except accidents happened.

She didn’t need to freak out. It’d been a stressful past few weeks, and she and Rick had been careful since then. But then there was the smell of the coffee, the way she’d been so tired lately, nearly falling asleep midafternoon during the most inane tasks. And her breasts were tender.

Then again, that could all be PMS, too. No need to go into an all-out panic.

Either way, the last place in the world she wanted to be was here.

She got up and touched Sarah’s arm. “Hey. I think I’m going to blast off. I need an afternoon of quiet before the week starts again.”

“You’re not coming to Uncle Pete and Aunt Barb’s for dinner? Everyone’s been invited.”

“I’ll call her. I’m just really tired, you know? With the festival next week, I need to finish up a few things.”

“You can’t take a few hours for family?”

Sarah wouldn’t give up. It was straining Jess’s patience. “Look,” she replied in an undertone. “I have the shop to worry about, and the workshop for the kids, as well as my food donations for the hall lunch. Cut me some slack, okay?”

Sarah had the grace to look guilty, which in turn made Jess feel guilty. “Okay, okay. Relax. You want me to save you some cheesecake?”

Jess wanted to scream that no, she didn’t want any damn cheesecake, but instead, she just shook her head.

“I’m good,” she answered. “I promise I’ll call and give my apologies. See you later, okay?”

She scooted out before Susan even made it back with her water.

The air was a Decemberish, raw cold that seeped into her bones, blowing in off the water with a relentlessness that made her ache. It took no time at all to drive to Josh’s. By the time she made it to his door it was open and he was standing in the breach. She must have looked terrible because his face was immediately drawn with concern.

“What’s going on?” he asked quickly. “Is it Mike?”

She hadn’t given Mike a single thought. “No, I haven’t seen him. I have a favor to ask.”

“Is it Rick? If he hurt you … I swear to God. I warned him about that.”

She couldn’t stop a small smile from tipping up her lips. “I love you, big brother, but it’s not that either. Not really, anyway.” She paused. “I need you to promise that no matter what, you don’t say a word to a soul about why I’m here today.”

“I swear. If you’re in trouble I want to help.” He stepped aside and let her inside the foyer.

A laugh bubbled out of her mouth as he shut the door behind her. Trouble was the clichéd word for it all right. “You have no idea.” She sighed, met Josh’s concerned eyes. “I came here because I need something … sensitive that I don’t want to go to the town pharmacy for. You know how everyone gossips there, and there’s no sense bugging Dr. Yang on a Sunday when you’re sharing an office anyway.” Jess paused, taking a deep breath. “Do you have pregnancy tests at your office?”

His eyes widened. “You think you’re pregnant?”

Hearing the words scared her to death, especially since she didn’t even know how Rick felt about her. She knew she loved him and thought he probably felt the same, but they hadn’t made any promises or declarations. “I might be. I’m late. We’ve been careful, but the first time…”

He raised an eyebrow. “We maybe weren’t as careful as we might have been,” she admitted.