AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Poor Clive the butcher. He doesn’t stand a chance.”
“No, she comes back, though,” Jamie said. “She comes back to Clive. We know that because of the photos I found in the inn. They were together after 1928.”
“Until he died in 1936, right?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Jamie said.
“So she came home and did the right thing,” I said. “Even though it cost her.”
“It appears so.”
“Can you love two people at the same time?” I asked. “It doesn’t seem like something I could do.”
Jamie smiled. “Not you, no. But maybe Annabelle.”
12
JAMIE
Darby kissed me before he left, and for a moment, I imagined us on the beaches of Florida, falling in love as I was sure Bromley and Annabelle had.
“Good night, beautiful,” Darby whispered in my ear before leaving me.
I stood inside the door, listening to his steps down the wooden hallway to his place. What had we done? Opened ourselves to hurt? Or was there something here? A connection that went beyond the physical? I didn’t know.
Although late and the morning would come too soon, I decided to read just one more journal entry.
It is my second day here in Florida, and I began my day by measuring the bride-to-be. She is a slim, flat-chested young woman and has asked if I could make a dress to flatter her lack of curves. I assured her that the modern dresses with the drop waists would make her seem more substantial than she really is. I will use lace on the bodice to distract the eye from her small bosom as well.
I finished with her and went back to my room to sketch out a few designs to show her. I'd promised at least three options for her to choose from. Whatever I don't use, I'll be able to save for future brides or to use for patterns.
My stomach growled at midday, so I wandered downstairs to the dining room. Elsa, the housekeeper, had told me that breakfast and lunch were informal meals and served buffet-style so not to expect to have to sit down with the family. She'd rolled her eyes and muttered something about unruly hooligans and the beach.
Thus, I didn't expect anyone to be there when I went into the dining room. I was wrong. Bromley Hunting was already seated, facing the large picture windows that looked out to the sea.
He greeted me with a nod of his golden head. I said hello and then went to help myself to cold sandwiches set out on a tray as well as a lump of potato salad and a glass of lemonade. I would not starve here, I thought, even if the food wasn't as good as Lizzie's.
I joined him at the table. "I'm sorry to have missed dinner last night," I said. "But I was tired from my journey and happy to have something in my room."
His blue eyes sparkled at me from across the table. "I'm sorry you weren't there. You may have saved us from a family fight."
"Oh, dear. I'm sorry." A family fight? What did these people have to fuss about? They were rich and lived by the sea.
"My niece and her mother don't always agree about the wedding plans." He lifted his sandwich and took a bite from the corner. "I'm beginning to regret my extended stay." He explained that he'd come for six months. “I needed to get away for a while. You know, the nasty end of my marriage and all.”
"Where do you live when you’re not here at the beach?” I asked.
"I'm up north. In Boston. Most of the time."
"That's where I grew up as well." I told him of my childhood in south Boston and the move to Colorado when I was in my late teens. "My sister had married a man with five children and sent for Mother and me. We were very poor. Quinn, my sister, went out there to teach school and save our family. My father had died, leaving us in dire trouble."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
We reminisced about Boston for a few minutes, then moved on to what life was like in Colorado. "My husband was already there when I arrived," I explained, before describing the butcher shop he runs with his brother. "It's a simple life but a good one. We've only just built a new house. The one of my dreams."
"Because of your business?" Bromley asked. "You've been very successful. I’ve learned just how much since we met yesterday.”
"It was the patterns that did it mostly," I said. "I can only sew at a certain pace, but they allow me to sell my product to more people."
