This Much is True - Tia Louise Page 0,42
putting a hand on my hip. “I didn’t realize we were taking such a long road trip. JR told me, but, you know…”
“Yeah, we, ah, got our wires crossed, Gran.” Scout jumps in as Jesse lays his last card down.
JR groans at his handful of cards, but his son laughs loudly.
“Sometimes I don’t listen.” I do my best to look contrite. “JR’s always saying I should listen better.”
JR hasn’t said a word. He’s leaning back in the chair studying me in a way that makes my stomach squeeze and tickle. We know I’m lying, and he’s not helping me at all.
“Well, don’t you worry. You’re here now.” Alice pats me on the arm. “I’ll ask Regina if her daughter has anything you can borrow.”
Regina? I look at JR. He’s shuffling the cards for Jesse’s demanded rematch.
“My friend Regina Winthrop owns a bed and breakfast in town.” Alice continues. “She said you could stay there as long as you need.”
“That’s so nice…” I start to ask more when she takes my arm.
“Now come sit and have your dinner. Boys, put away those cards.”
Scout carries a bowl of fettuccini pasta while Alice produces a platter of mouthwatering marinara with fresh boiled shrimp. It’s spicy and delicious, paired with the crispy, warm French bread and generous glasses of red wine. It’s the nicest meal I’ve had in a long time, months probably.
An hour later, we’re stuffed and Jesse is asleep with his head on his daddy’s shoulder. Scout’s turning back the bed in Alice’s guest room, and I look around, wondering where JR is going to stay.
“Regina said she left a few things for you to have if you want them. She said coffee is in the cabinet, but the fridge is empty. You’ll have the whole house to yourself.”
JR is still at the table holding a sleeping Jesse. His large hand is on his little boy’s back, and he hasn’t stopped hugging and petting him since we arrived. They’ve both been so attached, it almost hurts to watch, knowing how they were separated for so long and without any warning.
“Give him to me.” Alice reaches for her grandson, and the reluctance in JR’s eyes makes my chest ache.
He stands as she takes him. “What time does he leave for school in the morning?”
“Seven, but he’ll be home at three. You’ll see him every afternoon.”
He winces ever so slightly. I might not have seen it if I hadn’t been watching his face all evening. Alice steps into the hall, and I go to where he’s now standing. I want to slip my hand in his like I did in the tent, but I’m not sure he wants it.
“Are you okay?” My voice is quiet.
He looks at me for the first time since dinner, and when our eyes meet, he seems to relax. Still, something is troubling him.
“You two get going. Regina said there’s a bottle of wine in the refrigerator.” Alice gives me a wink, and my cheeks heat.
We’re both staying there? Alone? My bottom lip slips under my teeth.
JR goes to his son’s room, and I follow quietly, waiting at the door. The room is all little boy stuff, with Iron Man illustrations and football stickers on the walls. Jesse is the cutest thing sleeping all tucked under his Iron Man covers. It’s so clear how much he’s loved.
JR slides his hand over his sleeping son’s head, checking the blankets around him, making sure he’s completely comfortable.
Alice watches with a smile. “He’s good. Time for you to get some rest.”
Reluctantly, JR steps away, and when our eyes meet in the yellow light of the hall, his expression worries me. It’s like a warm hello and a sad goodbye all mixed up in one.
“Ready?” He takes my hand, and a niggle of hope squirms in my chest.
Maybe things haven’t changed between us? I just wish I knew why he seems so grave.
“She left cookies.” I stop at the table just inside the kitchen of the gorgeous old home where we’re spending the night. “They’re still warm!”
The kitchen is all stained pine and red and white checked everything. It’s very farm-country, with a tin rooster in one corner and a milk churn in the other. A note on the table reads, Enjoy your stay! And a bouquet of colorful flowers is beside it.
“Regina has owned this place since I was a kid.” JR steps up beside me, lifting the note and reading it briefly.
He was quiet the whole drive over, and my body is