“I know.” His gaze held hers. “Listen, I’ll drive you home later if you want to have a beer or something. You’ve earned it.”

“You’re sure?” The thought of a cold one was tempting, particularly as the sun was setting and the first stars were going to come out any moment. With her belly starting to get full, she was feeling lazy and very chilled out.

“Of course. Enjoy yourself.” He got up and disappeared for a minute, then came back with a bottle of beer and put it by her elbow.

The kids took a jar and decided to try catching fireflies, and the adults lounged on the deck, simply chatting about life. Lizzie sat back and took it all in, enjoying the idea of being included even if she didn’t contribute much to the conversation. That was until Meggie piped up.

“Lizzie, we’ve been rude, only talking about ourselves. How are you liking the Cove so far?”

She smiled, turning the bottle around in her hands. “It’s lovely here. I can’t think of a nicer place to spend a summer. And Josh isn’t that bad of a boss.” She gave a half smile and everyone laughed.

“Josh said something about your mom being close to Springfield?”

She forced her face to relax. She tried not to think about the situation that much. Her last visit still stuck in her head, dragging her down. “Yes, that’s right. She’s in a care facility there. My dad looked after her as much as he could. I’m sure Josh told you she has Alzheimer’s.”

“Um … no, he didn’t. I’m sorry to hear that. Oh my, that’s so difficult.”

Sounds of sympathy passed through the group. Lizzie met Josh’s gaze. He looked apologetic, but she realized that despite her outpouring on the beach the night after her last visit, Josh had kept her confidence. She liked that about him. And for some odd reason, it didn’t seem so difficult to talk about.

“It’s been hard,” she admitted. “Especially with my dad gone now, too.” Attempting to lighten the mood, she smiled. “Which makes me want to say thank you again for inviting me tonight. I’ve missed this kind of thing the last few years. I had a—” Her throat tightened and she swallowed. “I had a happy childhood. It helps to remember that. And Charlie … well, she’s my best friend. I like being closer to her, too.”

Abby reached over and squeezed her hand. God, did the whole extended family have to be so damned generous? And speaking of Charlie, Lizzie really needed to have her over for lunch or take her shopping or something. Lizzie hadn’t wanted to run to her friend’s doorstep all summer, and lately she hadn’t wanted to face questions about Josh, either. Charlie knew her better than anyone. She’d smell a lie a mile away.

“Anyway,” Lizzie said, injecting a bit of brightness to her voice. “I didn’t mean to be a mood killer. Let’s talk about happier topics. Jess, when’s your due date?”

Jess rubbed her huge tummy. “Soon,” she grumbled. “Hopefully really soon. I’ve hit the ‘oh my God I have a basketball in my stomach’ stage. I can’t get comfortable at night and I’m up nearly every hour to pee because he’s sitting on my bladder.” She put on a sad expression. “And I miss seeing my feet.”

Everyone laughed. To demonstrate the point, Jess shifted in her chair. “I swear he’s kicking field goals in there.”

Lizzie saw Abby look at Tom and then Tom nod.

“Well, since Jess is due any day, this might be a good time to announce that there’s going to be a little Arseneault running around next spring.” Abby looked at everyone, her face beaming.

The deck went completely silent, and Lizzie saw Tom look at Josh and Josh look back, and something that wasn’t quite happiness passed between the two. It wasn’t anger, either. But it was definitely emotional, and Lizzie frowned.

“Well, congratulations!” Sarah went forward and gave Abby a huge hug. “I love spring babies! And yours and Jess’s will be close together. And Charlie’s, too. It’s wonderful.”

Abby squeezed Sarah back. “Thank you, Sarah.”

The talk then morphed into a conversation about how Abby was feeling and when the baby was due and a million other things, and Lizzie sat back, her plate empty and a pang in her heart. She’d never have a big family like this. And Josh wasn’t overly chatty right now, either. And then she remembered. Josh and Tom had history, and a history that centered around Josh’s wife. Did Tom’s news bring back memories or something?

Right now Josh was standing at the railing of the deck, looking down over the backyard and the smooth, black waters of the bay.

She got up and went to him, put a hand on his arm. “Josh? I’m getting a bit tired. Would you mind taking me home now?”

“Not at all.” As she suspected, he almost looked relieved. “It’s getting late anyway.”

He turned from the railing and interrupted the conversation. “Hey, everyone. I’m going to run Lizzie home. She’s had a long day.”

Lizzie smiled brightly. “But thank you for dinner. Particularly since I was so late.”

“You’re welcome,” Sarah answered, and Mark added, “Stop by anytime. Any friend of Josh’s…”

Josh went forward and hugged Abby. “Congratulations, to both of you,” he said, but there was a softness to his voice that told Lizzie the words were perhaps hard to say. When he released Abby, Tom was waiting.

Josh held out his hand. “So, you’re gonna be a dad. This’ll be fun to watch. Especially if karma has anything to do with it.”

It seemed like everyone suddenly held their breath.

Tags: Donna Alward Jewell Cove Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net