But the first time shed held her tiny son in her arms, the realization had finally hit her. Pierce wasnt coming back. Shed counted on him for everything, depended on him to take care of her, but he was gone. Suddenly she had no one to rely on but herself.
Max had given her life new purpose. Not only had she been both mother and father to her son, but shed taken over Pierces antique business, learned everything about it there was to learn, and it had continued to grow into a thriving concern.
Shed accomplished a lot in the past five years, but those accomplishments had demanded restitution. Shed changed, so much so that sometimes when she stared at her reflection in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself. There wasnt a trace of the old, dependent Jesse. She didnt need anyone anymore. Certainly not a man who had walked out on her five years ago. For whatever reason.
Her hand tightened on Maxs. She felt his fingers squeeze hers back in response, and Jessicas heart melted with love. She would do anything, anything to protect her little boy.
Together they slipped through the opening in the thick hedge that divided the two properties. Sharon sat on the back porch steps, watching Allie and Snowflake romp in the shady grass beneath an elm tree.
I knew you couldnt keep Max away, Sharon called gaily. Might as well come have a cup of coffee while the two of them torment poor Snowflake up a tree.
Max, come watch! Allie squealed as she enticed the kitten with a ball of twine. Her squeaky laughter peeled across the yard, an irresistible invitation, but still Max hung back, hugging his mothers leg.
Go play, Max, Jessica urged.
He looked up at her. I want to stay with you, he insisted.
Sharon reached over and ruffled his hair. Whats the matter, Superman? How come so shy all of a sudden?
Theres a strange man at our house, Max announced solemnly, as if that explained everything.
Sharons cornflower eyes widened as she lifted her gaze to Jessicas. One brow lifted. How interesting.
Jessica could see the curiosity in her friends eyes, but didnt bother to explain. How could she, when she didnt understand it herself? Can Max stay over here for a little while, Sharon? Its really important.
Well, of course. You know hes always welcome. She turned to Max and grinned. Allies been trying to teach Snowflake a new trick. I think she could use a few pointers from Superman.
That did it. Sharon knew exactly how to appeal to Maxs male pride. He took off toward Allie and the kitten, his red cape billowing in the wind.
Sharon returned her curious gaze to Jessica. You want to tell me whats going on?
Jessica sighed. Im not even sure I know. I just need some time to deal witha problem.
Sharon shrugged. You know where to find me if you need me, she said, and Jessica knew her friend wouldnt pry any further. Sharon had learned a long time ago that Jessica wouldnt talk about anything until she was ready.
Jessica turned back toward her house, stopping for a moment to take one last look at her son. Sharon had joined the kids, and all three of them were shrieking with laughter as the kitten rolled and tumbled and became hopelessly entangled with string.
As Jessica stood watching them, she had to fight the overwhelming urge to join them, to try to return her world to the nice, sane place it had been that morning when shed gotten out of bed. But there in her friends backyard, with the sound of childrens laughter filling the air and the scent of spring flowers drifting on the breeze, the realization hit her full force.
Her world would never be the same again.
* * *
Pierce? Jessica called tentatively, feeling the strangeness of the name on her tongue. She felt a ripple of anxiety in the pit of her stomach, as if saying his name provided irrefutable proof that the stranger in her house was indeed her dead husband.
Jessica shoved open the swinging door to the dining room and stepped through, then went on into the living room. The room had been completely renovated nearly three years ago. The dark paneling Jessica had always hated had been replaced by Sheetrock painted a cool robins-egg blue and decorated with Allenburg watercolors shed acquired through the shop.
Light from the French doors gleamed on the hardwood floors and highlighted the thick Aubusson rug shed splurged on just last month. A grouping of chintz-covered sofas and oversize chairs flanked the brick fireplace, and the carved oak mantel held dozens of photos of Max, all lovingly displayed in antique pewter frames.
The pictures looked rearranged, Jessica thought, as if someone had picked them up one by one and hadnt bothered returning them to their original positions. Her eyes moved to the curved staircase, upward to the sunny landing and beyond. Her bedroom was at the top of the stairs, a huge suite which took up most of the second floor except for Maxs bedroom. The third floor contained only a converted attic, which Jessica was in the process of turning into a game room.
The hair at the back of her neck prickled with unease. Somewhere in this house a stranger roamed, looking at her things, touching them, laying claim to them.
When Pierce had left, the only room that had been remodeled in the fifty-plus-year-old Georgian-style house had been the nursery. That same room had long since been transformed to accommodate a growing boys tastes and interests. Was Pierce in there now?
The thought unsettled Jessica more than she cared to admit. Her eyes lit on the phone, and suddenly she wondered if she should call the police, her brother, someone to help her deal with this situation.
She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. No one could help her. No one could even comprehend what she was feeling at this moment. Even she didnt understand. Because in spite of her fear, in spite of her questions and her doubts, one small part of her heart still rejoiced.
Pierce was alive!
The miracle shed prayed for for so long had finally happened. She should be down on her knees giving thanks, except for one small detail. Jessica had given up believing in miracles a long time ago. Resolutely she opened her eyes and started toward the stairs, halting when she noticed the powder-room door off the foyer stood open.
Pierce? There was no answer, but still she crossed the hardwood floor and entered the small washroom, assuring herself that everything was intact. And then her eyes fastened on the mirror, saw her reflection, and she knew. Pierce wasnt in there, but he had been. Hed gazed into that same mirror, saw his reflection, and hed learned the awful truth about himself.
Jessica backed out of the bathroom, frantic now to find him.
Pierce! She called his name as she stood in the hallway. Colored light filtered through the leaded diamond panes in the front door and spilled onto the polished planks of the floor. The wavering, jewellike shadows drew Jessicas gaze downward, then toward the source. The front door was closed, but the dead bolt had been drawn back, and now it was Jessica who had to face the truth.
Pierce Kincaid had walked out on her one more time.
Chapter Two
A little while later, Jessica sat on the window seat in the dining room and watched the street for her brothers car. How long had it been since shed cried? she wondered. Not since Max had been born. Not since shed decided that never again would she depend on anyone but herself. Not since shed vowed that she would never love again because everyone shed ever loved had left her.
Except Max.
She drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around them, hugging them close. It was an instinctive response to her pain and confusion. For the first few days in every foster home shed ever been assigned to, Jessica had similarly retreated into herself, had hugged herself tightly as though recalling the feel of her mothers arms around her. Finally, though, after so many homes shed lost count, she could no longer remember her mothers face, much less the warmth of her arms.
The orphanage had been better because at least there shed had Jay. The two of them had clung to each other those first few months after their older sister, Janet, had left them there. Their mother had died, their father had disappeared, and eighteen-year-old Janet hadnt wanted to be saddled with two kids, so one cold December morning, shed dropped Jessica and Jay at the state-run orphanage in Richmond.
After a year, twelve-year-old Jay had gotten lucky. Hed been adopted by an aging couple in Washington, D.C., who had always wanted a son and realized they were too old to begin raising an infant.
Jessica hadnt been so fortunate. Shed been plain and skinny with unruly hair and eyes far too big and too sad for her ten-year-old face. Shed been shy and sickly and had never developed much of a personality. No one had wanted such an unattractive child.
After Jay left, Jessica had been sent to one foster home after another. Shed bonded fairly well with the first couple, but when the mans job had forced them to move out of state, Jessica had been emotionally ripped apart again. After that, she kept herself aloof, sustaining herself on sparse letters from her brother and on the even sparser memories of her mother.
And then, years later, shed met Pierce. It was the summer shed graduated business school and moved to Edgewood, a suburb of D.C., to be close to Jay. Jessica had always sworn it was fate that caused her to answer the ad Jay showed her in a neighborhood newspaper about a bookkeeping position at an antique store not far from her new address. Fate, and perhaps a touch of desperation. She didnt expect the job to pay much, but shed been making the rounds at employment agencies for weeks with no luck.
Pierce Kincaid, the proprietor of The Lost Attic, had taken one look at her frail body, her faded blue dress, her scuffed shoes, and hired her on the spot.
Pity, shed accused him later.
Love at first sight, hed countered.
Jessica still remembered the exact moment when she first laid eyes on him. His assistant was about to turn her away when Pierce walked out of his office and changed her life with one heart-stealing smile.
Im Pierce Kincaid, he said, dismissing the assistant with a curt nod of his head. Welcome to The Lost Attic. What can I do for you?
Jessicas first thought was that he was the most handsome man shed ever seen. He had longish dark hair that curled at the nape, and dark, penetrating eyes fringed with thick lashes. He was casually dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt and a gray sport coat, and as he leaned against the counter, he gave her another smile, one that managed to look both mysterious and openly inviting.
IIve come about the job, Jessica stammered, her poise completely shattered by his attention.
Wonderful. How soon would you be able to start?
His enthusiasm caught her off guard. Now. Immediately.
As in today?
Today? But I
You said immediately, he reminded her, a subtle gleam in his eyes. Im rarely here, you see, and I need someone I can depend on to handle things while Im away. My previous bookkeeper up and quit without notice. Financial statements are due, tax payments are late, the bank is screaming about overdrafts, and Im due in Copenhagen tomorrow morning. Frankly, Im desperate. So can you start today, Ms.?
Greene. Jessica Greene. And yes I can, she added quickly, before he could change his mind.
He grinned. Great. Let me show you your office then.
But dont you even want to see my résumé? Shed worked so hard on it, had even splurged on a rental typewriter.
He shook his head. I know a good thing when I see it.
Nonplussed, Jessica gazed around the shop, admiring the treasures. You have a wonderful store, she murmured.
Do you know anything about antiques?
No. But I know a lot about bookkeeping.
He smiled, and Jessica felt a tingle all the way to her toes. Thats fine. I tell you what, Jessica. You teach me enough bookkeeping so that I know my way around a ledger, and Ill teach you everything I know about antiques. And then some. How does that sound?
It sounded wonderful. Too good to be true, in fact. Within days, Jessica had settled into the routine of her new job. When shed been working for Pierce for three months, true to his word, he began teaching her about antiques.
This is a Lowell, hed say as he showed her an exquisite glass sculpture. See the marking on the bottom? Lowells arent as famous as Steubens, of course, but the designs are original and highly detailed. Andrew Lowell died so young, there arent many of his pieces around and most of the ones that are documented are in private collections. But I found this in a little shop on the outskirts of Paris. The owner didnt realize what he had.
Jessica was like a sponge. She drank in every word Pierce uttered, exclaimed over the beauty of each and every piece he brought back from his treasure hunts. She loved being surrounded by beautiful things with fascinating histories, possibly because her own past was so dismal. She adored having Pierce spend hours talking to her, devoting his time solely to her. Shed never had so much attention before.
When shed been working for him for six months, he gave her a raise and added responsibilities. He began leaving her in charge when he went on his regular jaunts overseas. When he returned, hed tell her intriguing stories about the places hed been to and the people hed met as they pored over his findings.
Pop quiz today, Jessica. Tell me how we can be certain this is an authentic Allenburg watercolor? he would ask, a teasing glint in his dark eyes as he and Jessica unwrapped the paintings.
With a magnifying glass, Jessica would locate the tiny hidden water lily which identified the artists work, and Pierce would smile his approval. Excellent. Perhaps you deserve a reward, he would say, with that mysterious, sexy smile that always sent her heart racing. And then hed take her out to lunch at some little out-of-the-way place, which would have both excellent service and scrumptious food. And for the rest of the day, Jessica would feel special and pampered.
When shed been with Pierce a year, he began taking her on buying trips with him occasionally. Slowly but surely, under Pierces expert tutelage, Jessica began to blossom, to come out of her self-imposed exile. And slowly but surely she was falling madly, passionately, desperately in love with her boss.
When shed been with Pierce fifteen months, he asked her to marry him. They were in Paris, and at first Jessica convinced herself that the romantic ambiance of the city of light, the effusive flow of champagne at the Cochon dor had made Pierce impulsive.
If I were impulsive, he explained, staring at her over the flickering candle on their discreetly located table, I would have proposed to you the first time I laid eyes on you. Because I knew even then that you and I were meant to be, Jesse. You knew it, too, didnt you?