Page 85 of The House on Blueberry Lane

“Yes, Jaye?”

“Good morning, Velvet. I just wanted you to know I’m going back to Birmingham and will be there until the end of next week. I was wondering if you’d grab my newspapers and mail.”

Of course she would. “No problem.”

“Thanks.” He turned to leave but stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. “I love you and have no reason to lie about it. Hopefully, one day you’ll realize that.”

She watched him sprint down her steps to his car. She closed her door, but couldn’t stop herself from peeking out the window to watch as he backed out of the yard. How dare he leave her in one hell of an emotional mess? An emotional mess brought on by a man who didn’t know the difference between love and lust.

The school day seemed to go by fast. She had gymnastic practice after school and before going home, she stopped by the Witherspoon Café and ate alone.

By the time she had pulled into her yard and gathered all her things to go into the house, she was in worse shape than she’d been that morning. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was missing Jaye.

“YOU’RE BACK ALREADY?” Dean sat in the chair across from Jaye.

Jaye eyed his brother. “Yes, I’m back.” Avoiding further details, he asked, “How did last night’s dinner with the mayor go?”

“Great. I think we’ve pretty much ironed out all the issues, but we’ll need another week here to be certain when we meet with several more city officials.”

Jaye attended back-to-back meetings that day and deliberately kept himself busy. It was late afternoon when he returned to his hotel suite and was tempted to call Velvet before getting into the shower—tempted to tell her again that he loved her. But he felt she needed time to think about the other times he’d said it, like just that morning before leaving for the airport. It was up to her to believe his words. Besides, he’d also use this time apart to consider everything she’d said and decide how to move forward. One thing was certain—he would not give up on her or their love.

At least he wouldn’t be bored this weekend. Franklin would be arriving in the morning. There was never a dull moment around his youngest brother. He definitely knew how to keep things lively—and that’s exactly what Jaye needed. There would be another meeting next Thursday with several city officials, so Jaye had no plans to return to Catalina Cove until after then.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he went to the window. He thought his view of the downtown Birmingham skyline was spectacular. The Colfaxes had made the right decision to open their first Alabama branch here. Now they were eyeing a Florida location. He was also eyeing something else. Putting the ring on the finger of the woman he loved.

He hoped when he returned to Catalina Cove at the end of next week that he and Velvet could talk again, and that the conversation would go better than the last.

VELVET SAT DOWN in her rocker and looked wistfully at the empty one beside her. Over the past few days, she had replayed what Jaye had said over and over in her mind. The one thing she couldn’t discount was that he had changed. She’d even mentioned that to Ruthie and Sierra. What he’d said was true. Each and every time they’d made love, she had initiated it. Not once had he suggested doing so, even those times when she’d known without a doubt that he’d wanted her.

I was determined not to sleep with you again until I proved to you there was more between us than sex.

She could no longer dismiss the fact that since she and Jaye had started sleeping together again, she’d been the one to limit their relationship to a sex-only affair. Another thing she couldn’t discount was the amount of time they’d spent together out of the bedroom. Doing things like jogging, sharing meals and sitting in these chairs. Rocking chairs that he had built for them. To enjoy the sunset together like her parents had done. And while sitting and rocking in these chairs, they had shared more than just the sunset. They had discussed a lot of things that they’d never talked about before. Including his mother.

And had he really bought Barrows Bank and arranged to move in next door, all to be near her? Was it manipulation, as she’d said, or was it the actions of a desperate man who’d realized too late that he’d made a mistake? Velvet continued rocking, knowing she still had her doubts about a lot of things, and because of those doubts, she was afraid of Jaye breaking her heart again. But what if he meant what he’d said? She took a sip of wine and knew she had a lot to think about. Though she missed him, she was glad Jaye wasn’t around. He would only cloud her thoughts.

She reached for her phone when it rang and was surprised when she looked at the screen to see it was Mr. Dunning. Why would her principal be calling her on a Sunday evening?

“Hello?”

“Ms. Spencer?”

“Yes, Mr. Dunning?”

“The reason I’m calling is to let you know that you need to appear at tomorrow night’s school board meeting at six.”

Velvet raised a brow. “Why?”

“I understand that they have a few questions to ask you about a possible conflict of interest.”

Velvet was even more confused. “What kind of conflict of interest?”

“Not sure, but I imagine it’s a misunderstanding that you can clear up quickly.”

There was definitely a misunderstanding if anyone thought anything involving her and her job was a conflict of interest. “Okay, Mr. Dunning. Where will the meeting be held?”

“In the auditorium at the senior high school.”

“Thank you and I’ll be there.”

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