Page 25 of All I Want for Christmas

“We got me sorted out, so what’s going on with you and Jed? You refused to discuss it yesterday when I called. Does that mean you still haven’t told him?”

She turned back to her computer. “I have something else in the works.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What does that mean?”

A tight smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “I’ll tell you after it’s done.”

“Why do I not like the sound of that?”

Her cell phone rang, and she glanced at the screen, sitting upright in her seat before she answered. “Yes?”

That was weird. She didn’t usually answer her phone like that. She obviously knew who had called but wasn’t excited to talk to them. That or their call made her anxious, which led me to believe it was about Jed.

She was silent as she listened for a few moments, then said, “Okay. Thanks.” Then she hung up.

I watched as she placed the phone on her desk, then pretended to go back to work.

“Who was that?”

She forced a laugh. “I thoughtIwas the nosy one.”

“Was it about Jed?”

She glanced over at me and rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Rose.”

I considered pressing her, but I didn’t want to force it out of her. I wanted her to tell me because she wanted to. “Okay, but if you change your mind, I’m here and ready to listen.”

Releasing a groan, she got to her feet. “I’m gonna get some coffee at the coffee shop. You want me to get you something?”

“Sure.”

I gave her a look that made her face soften.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “It’s not personal. I just need to keep this to myself right now.”

“Okay,” I said. “I trust you.”

Something flickered through her eyes, but it passed too quickly to interpret. “Text me your order,” she said, rushing for the door, leaving me to wonder what I’d done to send her running. Why would telling her I trusted her upset her? My thoughts went to dark places, but I quickly shut them down. There was no way Jed or Neely Kate would betray me or Joe. There was no denying we’d all been part of the mess, some of usmore than others, but so far, our names had been kept out of it. She’d sooner go to prison herself than implicate any of us. So, what did she feel guilty about?

I grabbed my phone and texted her to get my usual drink plus a blueberry muffin. I’d just pushed send when the bells on the door rang. Had Neely Kate changed her mind about telling me what was going on? “I was just sending you?—”

My voice cut off when I saw Betsy Simmons walk into the office.

She gave me a tight smile. “Hello, Rose. I wondered if maybe we could maybe grab some coffee and have a chat.”

My chest tightened as I pushed my chair a few inches away from my desk. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

She took several steps closer to me. “I realize Joe isn’t interested in seeing me, and I’m trying to respect his wishes, but Rose…” She stopped in front of my desk. “I have a grandchild I saw for a mere few seconds when I dropped by your house on Saturday. I’d like to get to know her. She’s family.”

I stood behind my desk. “Because she’s blood?”

“Of course,” she said as though it was a foolish question.

I nearly snorted, but thankfully pulled it back before it escaped. Little did Betsy Simmons know that her grandchild wasn’t really blood. But there was no way I was going to tell her that.

“You need to speak to Joe about that, not me.”

“Rose,” she said, her voice softening. “Can we just speak, mother to mother?” When I didn’t say anything, she took it as an invitation to continue. “I confess that I’ve made mistakes. Quite a few of them, but what Joe doesn’t seem to remember is that his father had a hold over all of us. Me included. There were many things I didn’t agree with, but I had no choice in the matter. J.R.’s will ruled all.”

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