The Path to Sunshine Cove (Cape Sanctuary #2) - RaeAnne Thayne Page 0,19
determination to my partner.”
Yvette had a fantastic eye for design and fashion and they typically consulted together frequently. Jess would snap a picture of several of the items and send them to her to see if her instincts were right, that they carried resale value.
They spent a few more hours going through the clothing, with Jess taking pictures here and there of things that caught her eye.
She could tell Eleanor was tired, though the older woman refused to rest when Jess suggested it.
“We’re almost done with this room. It will be so nice to say we have two rooms done.”
“It would, but I need to stretch and I think Charlie needs to go out.”
Eleanor shifted her attention to her cuddly little dog, who was staring at both of them from the doorway with an intent look.
“You’re probably right.”
“I’ll take him out.”
“Thank you. I believe I could do with a snack. And I just realized Sophie should be coming home on the school bus soon. She usually hangs out here in the afternoons until Nathaniel comes home from work.”
How wonderful of Eleanor to be there for her granddaughter, Jess thought as she opened the door for the dog into the fenced area of the gardens.
Charlie finished his business then ran back inside quickly. When they both returned to the kitchen, she found Eleanor setting out a snack of fruits, vegetables and cheeses.
“This looks good.”
“I didn’t eat much lunch and realized I was hungry. Help yourself.”
She grabbed some grapes and a few cubes of what looked like a good Havarti and set them on one of the plates Eleanor pulled from the cupboard.
“We’ve been so busy this morning that I really haven’t had time to ask you about yourself.”
Jess tensed. She really didn’t like talking about her past. “Not much to tell,” she said. “I joined the army out of high school and then a friend and I started Transitions when we both got out.”
“I know that much. I’m more interested in what you did before that. Where did you grow up?”
She swallowed a grape then gave some of the glib narrative she had developed over the years. It was the truth, anyway.
“Our father was in the military so we moved around a lot.”
“You probably lived in some interesting places, didn’t you?”
Years later, they all tended to run together in her memory. “We spent some time in Hawaii, Germany, England. All over the place.”
“Would you say you consider any one of those home?” Eleanor pressed.
“Tough question. I don’t know. I liked Monterey quite a bit.”
“Who doesn’t?” Eleanor said with a laugh.
“Cape Sanctuary reminds me of that area. The same dramatic coastline and scenery.”
Eleanor nodded. “I’ve always thought so. The landscape here is a bit like the Monterey and Carmel area but without the crowds. The best of both worlds. Of course, we don’t have the same number of quality restaurants and art galleries but we do all right here.”
Better than all right. Jess knew her sister loved it here. Rachel had stayed through high school, hadn’t she? Even when Jess had tried to convince her to move to Southern California with her.
“Did you grow up in this area?” Jess asked. She was genuinely curious but was aware she also used the question as a diversionary tactic to keep Eleanor from probing too deeply into Jess’s own history.
“No. I was raised in Europe and Asia, mostly. Like you, I don’t have any one place I could call home. My parents were both in the foreign service.”
“That sounds exotic. I imagine you have fascinating stories.”
“I was in boarding school, for the most part. It was rather lonely, if you want the truth. I went to Stanford for university and ended up meeting Jack my senior year. He was the assistant professor for an English class I was taking. He was seven years older than I was and we both knew it was a completely inappropriate relationship but we fell in love anyway. It was quite scandalous, as I’m sure you can imagine. It was his first university teaching job and he was so afraid we would be found out. Lots of clandestine meetings at my apartment, hotels off campus, that sort of thing.”
Her dreamy expression gave Jess an odd feeling. Envy, she realized.
Why? She didn’t want that kind of passion. Ever. Her mother had clearly demonstrated how disastrous it could be to love someone that completely.
“Jack and I eloped the day after my college graduation,” Eleanor went on with a laugh. “It was the