The Coltons: Fisher, Ryder & Quinn: Soldier's Secret Child. Caridad Pineiro
Chapter 7
The sticky buns became an after lunch treat as she joined Jewel and Ana in the shade at a patio table near the pool.
Jewel had opted to say little to the boys other than to assign them a mess of chores that would keep them busy until she intended to speak to them. That kept Sara with the other children rather than with her two new best friends. During their absence, the young girl retreated more deeply into her shell.
Ana’s face was flushed by the midday heat as she slowly lowered herself into a chair at the table.
Macy placed a tall glass of milk before her, but two iced coffees before her spot and Jewel’s. Then she set a sticky bun at each place before sitting beside Ana. Jewel came by a few minutes later after reminding the children in the pool about the rules.
Jewel’s face was also flushed from the heat and wisps of her short wavy brown hair curled around her face. Dark circles marred the fragile skin beneath her cocoa brown eyes.
“I’m sorry about last night. I know you couldn’t have slept well afterward,” she said.
Jewel nodded, her lips in a grim smile. “I didn’t. The call about the accident brought back painful memories.”
“You were in an accident?” Ana asked, leaning forward and examining Jewel’s features.
Jewel looked away and gripped the glass of iced coffee. With her thumb, she wiped away the condensation on its surface and said, “My fiancé and I were in an accident on the night he proposed to me. He was killed. Although I survived, I lost the baby I was carrying.”
“Perdoname. I didn’t mean to pry,” Ana replied and dipped her gaze downward to her own pregnant belly. Almost protectively, she ran her hand across the rounded mound.
“It’s all right, Ana. You couldn’t have known,” Jewel reassured her. “I was lucky to have Joe and Meredith Colton by my side, otherwise I think I might have lost my mind.”
“The Coltons seem like wonderful people,” Macy chimed in.
Jewel nodded emphatically. “They are which is why I’m so happy that with Daniels being exposed and jailed, Joe’s presidential campaign has taken off. His nomination seems like a sure thing now.”
“Definitely. I can’t imagine how Olivia must have felt when she regained her memory and realized it was Daniels who was trying to kill her,” she said and a sudden screech from the pool snagged her attention, but it was only two of the kids engaged in a splashing match.
Jewel had also whipped around at the noise, obviously on the edge. But when she realized it was nothing serious, she returned her attention to her friends. “Olivia’s lucky to have found Jericho only…How are you dealing with canceling the wedding? Are you—”
“Convinced it was the right thing to do. It wouldn’t have been right for me and Jericho to be together. Even though we love each other as friends, he deserves more from a marriage and Olivia will give him that,” she admitted. She grabbed her glass of iced coffee, light with milk and sweet with sugar and took a big gulp. The cool helped chase away some of the heat of midday.
“Do you think what happened with T.J. has to do with you and Jericho? That he’s angry about it?” Jewel pressed and then quickly tacked on, “Or is it about Fisher Yates?”
The heat that pressed down on her now came from Jewel’s inquiry and her own guilt about both the Yates men. “T.J. was upset with my decision to marry Jericho. He said he already had a dad.”
“And Fisher?” her friend repeated.
She recalled T.J.’s words about how maybe she should talk about it, but she still wasn’t ready to reveal the secret she had kept for so long. “That’s a complicated story. Plus, I don’t think that it has anything to do with the boys and last night.”
Taking another bracing sip of her drink, she met Jewel’s too perceptive gaze and realized her friend knew it was time to back off about Fisher. That she would talk only when she was good and ready. “I’m sorry about last night, Jewel. I’ve talked to T.J., but I feel as if he’s only telling me part of what really happened.”
“I’ve spoken with Joe as well, only…” Jewel hesitated and then picked up the sticky bun, tore off a piece. “There’s something not right about their story,” she finally said.
She nodded. “I agree, although I can’t put my finger on what’s wrong.”
“They say they dropped Sara off, but I don’t remember if she was home when I got the call. Do you, Ana?” Jewel asked.
Ana rolled her eyes upward as she tried to remember, but then shook her head. “I do not know. She was home later. When you and Joe came home.”
“So maybe Sara was with them when the accident happened?” Macy said and glanced over at the young teen, who deprived of her two friends thanks to their chores, was sitting alone on the edge of the pool.
“If she was with the boys, why didn’t the police see her?”
“And if she was with them, why would they lie about that?” Jewel wondered aloud.
“She has many secrets, I think,” Ana added and absent-mindedly rubbed her hand over her belly once again.
“If she doesn’t want to be found, she wouldn’t want to be involved with the police,” she said, considering the police were bound to discover who she was.
Jewel took another piece of sticky bun and motioned with it as she said, “But that doesn’t explain why they were speeding, does it?”
“T.J. said there was another car out on the road. One that was challenging them to prove their car was better.”
“A drag race? Joe says they didn’t realize they were speeding. That they didn’t see the other car until it was too late to stop,” Jewel said, but then she turned in her seat to glance at the pool and Sara in particular. “I don’t know what to believe, but my gut says it involves Sara.”
“Boys, cars and girls. A familiar mix, don’t you think?” she suggested, remembering her own teen years and the many times that mix had caused problems in town.
“I hope that’s all it is,” Jewel said, finishing off the last of her sticky bun and pointing at Macy’s, which remained untouched before her. “If you’re a true friend, you’ll eat that,” she said.
“Why is that?” she asked.
“Because otherwise I’m going to devour it and you don’t want me to get fat.” A hesitant smile spread across Jewel’s face and Macy realized she was trying to lighten the moment.
As another playful shout came from the pool, Macy grabbed her sticky bun and with a playful snort said, “Fat. Right. That’s why Deputy Rawlings is always making goo goo eyes at you.”
“Goo goo eyes?” Ana asked, slightly confused by the expression.
“That means he’s interested in Jewel,” she explained and Ana smiled broadly, nodded with some spirit. “Definitely. I’ve seen how he looks at you whenever he visits.”
The blush that now blossomed across Jewel’s face wasn’t from the warmth of the day. “I’ve tried my best to discourage him. I’m just not ready for another relationship.”
Neither was she, although she had been hard-pressed to forget about Fisher during the day thanks to their encounter that morning. “Me, either,” she chimed in and finished off the last of her sticky bun.
Ana was done as well with her treat and as Macy glanced at her watch, she realized their lunch hour was almost over.
“Do you want me to work with the older children on their study skills while Ana and the younger kids do some craft