Sentimental Journey (16 page)

"How are the children?" she heard herself ask.

"Fine. Julie has to wear braces on her teeth, which infuriates her. I can remember…"

But Jessica didn't bother to listen to the rest. She was wondering where Brodie was and whether there was any way she could get in touch with him to let him know that she couldn't go out with him tonight. Somehow she had to prevent him from coming, but she didn't stop to consider her motive.

"Jessica, did you hear me?"

Startled, she looked up. "I'm sorry. I guess I was daydreaming. What did you say?"

"It doesn't matter," Jordanna laughed, a pleasant, warm sound. "Who is this new man in your life? Anyone I know?"

"He'd better not be," a familiar voice declared from the doorway as Tom Radford walked into the kitchen, saving Jessica from answering the question. She hadn't mentioned Brodie to any of her family except her uncle. She wasn't sure what their reaction would be, especially her sister's. "Hello, Jessica. You're looking more beautiful each time I see you," Tom greeted her.

"I think that's because she's in love," Jordanna teased.

"I do believe she's blushing," Tom observed, joining his wife to gang up on Jessica.

Deliberately she ignored both remarks. "It's good to see you again, Tom," she greeted her brother-in-law, a tall, good-looking man with brown hair and a few extra inches around his waistline. "Even if I wasn't expecting you. When I discovered the door unlocked I almost called the police. I thought someone had broken into my apartment," Jessica lied.

"It was Jordanna's idea. I wanted to call to let you know we were coming, but she thought it would be more fun to surprise you," he explained.

"It certainly was a surprise," she admitted. "Does Justin know you're coming?"

Jordanna explained that they were going to surprise her brother, too. Then Tom related their plans for New Orleans, the sight-seeing they were going to do, and the relatives they were going to visit. Jessica felt the minutes ticking away, yet she still wasn't able to think of a way to contact Brodie.

"Do you have any bay leaves, Jessica?" Her sister was opening cupboard doors, looking for spices.

"The one on the left side of the sink," Jessica directed.

But Jordanna paused at the adjoining cupboard. "There's a bottle of bourbon here. Can you believe that, Tom? My baby sister has liquor in her cabinets!"

"I've grown up, Jordanna," she responded patiently.

"You certainly have," Tom agreed, "And there's absolutely nothing wrong with good bourbon. Fix me a drink, Wife," he ordered.

"How're mom and dad?" Jessica asked to change the subject.

"Fine. Tom took dad out golfing with him in January, and now dad has the bug. He has his own set of golf clubs and he's talking about buying a golf cart," Jordanna answered as she opened more cupboards until she found the glasses.

Jessica's nerves were stretched to breaking point as she listened to her sister tell about the seat cushions their mother was needlepointing for the dining-room set. It all seemed so unimportant.

The doorbell rang. Jessica's heart leaped into her throat. "I'll get it," she mumbled, and had to fight her trembling knees to make it into the living room.

This time she didn't open the door wide to Brodie. She opened it a foot and blocked his entrance. Her complexion was pallid, her breathing shallow. She had difficulty meeting his curiously inquiring gaze.

"Something's come up, Brodie. I'm afraid I can't go out with you tonight," Jessica rushed, keeping her voice low.

A frown darkened his rough features. "What is it? What's wrong?" His hand came up to push at the door. For a minute, she tried to hold it before realizing she was no match for his strength.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just that I have some unexpected company," she explained as he stepped inside the doorway. "I would have let you know, but I—"

"Jessica, do you have any mushrooms?" Jordanna walked into the living room and stopped abruptly.

Brodie's gaze swung to her, his expression slowly lightening into a smile of recognition. Jessica watched the transformation and felt sick inside.

"Jordanna! It doesn't seem possible, but you're more beautiful than I remembered." he said. His voice husky and caressing.

"Brodie?" Jordanna stared at him uncertainly. Her head tipped to the side. "Brodie Hayes? It can't be!"

"But it is." He walked forward to take her hand and carry it palm upward to his lips, a gesture that came as naturally as shaking hands. "After all these years, I thought you would have forgotten me."

Jessica watched the pleased smile that spread over her sister's face at Brodie's open display of admiration. There was no sign of nervousness or feelings of intimidation. In fact, Jordanna looked quite attracted to him.

"I haven't forgotten you," Jordanna assured him. Neither of them appeared to notice Jessica standing several feet away, excluded from their reunion. "How have you been? Where have you been? What have you been doing?" She rushed with a sudden need to know everything about him.

"Jordanna, I found the mushrooms for you." Tom walked around the corner and stopped when he saw his wife with a strange man. "Hello." He didn't look the least bit upset, not even by the fact that Brodie was still holding Jordanna's hand.

"Did you ever meet my husband, Tom?" Jordanna asked with absolute unconcern. "Tom, this is Brodie Hayes. My husband, Tom Radford."

"I don't believe we've met." Brodie released Jordanna's hand to shake Tom's. "How do you do, Tom."

"I take it you're an old friend of Jordanna's," he said, smiling.

"That's right." He cast a look sideways at Jordanna. "I tried very hard to make it more than friendship, but she already had you in her sights at the time."

Jessica wanted to scream and stamp her feet and tell them all that Brodie was here to see her. The trouble was he had lost interest in her the minute he'd seen Jordanna. It was the very thing she had feared all along, only she had refused to face it.

"What are you doing here?" Jordanna asked curiously.

But it was Tom who put two and two together. "Are you the mysterious man in Jessica's life?" he joked.
 

"Oh!" Jordanna clasped a hand over her mouth in surprise. "Are you dating Jesssica?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we were supposed to have dinner together tonight." For the first time since he'd seen Jordanna Brodie glanced behind him to Jessica. It seemed like an invitation to join the circle. She walked stiffly forward, pride refusing to let the hurt show through. "Only now she tells me it's off."

"Jessica, you don't have to cancel your date just because we're here." Tom frowned.

"But you're only going to be here tonight. When else would I have a chance to talk to you?" Jessica rigidly defended her action.

"We never meant to upset your plans, Jessica," her sister apologized. "Stay for dinner, Brodie. I have a roast in the oven. There's plenty for all of us."

"No!" Jessica spoke without thinking how it sounded. She was conscious of Brodie's piercing gaze narrowing on her. With difficulty, she met it. "I know how busy your schedule is. I'm sure there's some place you have to be other than here."

"I took Drew's advice and rearranged my schedule so it wouldn't be so crowded," he told her. "There isn't any place I have to be until tomorrow afternoon."

"Well, I'm sure there are papers or financial statements you need to go over," Jessica tried to find a reason for him to leave.

"A man can't work all the time," Tom inserted. "Stay for dinner, Brodie."

"It seems you're outnumbered, Jessica," said Brodie, measuring her with a cool look. "That's two invitations for dinner."

"You're welcome to stays of course," she lied. She wanted him far away from here…and from her sister. "I just thought you might have something more important to do."

"Not a thing, I'm glad you want me to stay." A muscle jumped in his jaw as he uttered the last statement in a faintly sarcastic tone.

"How did the two of you meet?" Jordanna questioned, missing the charged look that passed between Brodie and her sister.

"I picked her up on a street corner about two months ago." Brodie phrased it so it was deliberately suggestive. When he saw the fire flash in Jessica's eyes, he smiled. "We bumped into each other quite by accident. When I first saw her I thought it was you, Jordanna. It was only after a few minutes that I realized the resemblance was superficial."

Jessica wanted to die—that he should actually admit he had mistaken her for her sister. It seemed the final humiliation.

"Excuse me," she murmured. "I think I'd better check on the dinner."

She retreated into the kitchen. Jordanna, despite her earlier protestations that she would fix it, stayed in the living room with Brodie and Tom. She could hear them talking and laughing. Jealousy seethed through her veins.

The roast was out of the oven when Jordanna finally wandered in to help her. Jessica barely glanced at her as she took a meat platter from the cupboard to put the roast on. At that moment, she was trying very hard not to hate her sister.

"The table is already set;" Jessica told her. "You can get a bowl down for the potatoes and carrots."

If Jordanna noticed her waspish tone, she ignored it. "Brodie has certainly done well for himself, hasn't he?" she murmured as if speaking her thoughts aloud.

"Yes. Do you want to make the gravy or shall I?" Jessica didn't want to discuss Brodie with her sister.

"I will. Where's the flour?" Jordanna asked, and opened the cupboard Jessica pointed to. "He's really a very attractive man."

"You didn't used to think so," Jessica reminded her. She didn't give her sister a chance to reply as she carried the platter of moat to the table in the dining room. "Will you slice the roast, Tom?" she requested, and avoided looking at Brodie.

The meal was a miserable ordeal, listening to Jordanna and Brodie talking about the past. Tom had been a part of it, so he joined in the conversation. Jessica hadn't, and she wasn't a part of the dinner conversation, either. She was the fifth wheel and felt it all the way to her bones. She served the dinner, cleared the plates, brought the dessert and coffee, and was as ignored as a servant.

"It hardly seems that long ago, Brodie," Jordanna sighed, as she took the photographs she had shown him of her children and put them back in her purse. "Yet I have two children who aren't that much younger than we were when you came to my house wanting me to go for a ride with you."

"Yes, and you turned me down flat." Brodie recalled dryly. "I was the boy from the wrong side of town. It isn't surprising that you didn't want anything to do with me."

"I don't know." Jordanna seemed to consider the thought. "Where you came from didn't have much to do with it. If I hadn't already met Tom, I probably would have accepted your invitation."

Jessica didn't want to hear this. She rose abruptly from the table. "Excuse me. I think I'll wash the dishes."

"We can do them later, Jessica," Jordanna protested.

"I'd rather do them now," Jessica insisted tightly. "It's getting late and I—"

"Jessica's right. It is getting late," Brodie inserted. "I've intruded on your family gathering long enough. It's time I was leaving." He rose from the table and glanced pointedly at Jessica.

Courtesy demanded that she offer, "I'll see you to the door."

"Thank you." There was dry mockery in his voice. He took hold of her arm as if he expected her to change her mind and was determined that she would follow through with her offer. Jessica stood rigid in his grasp while Brodie made his good-nights to her sister and brother-in-law.

There was an electric quality to the air when they reached the door. Her features were frozen in a smooth mask of ice. Its thickness withstood Brodie's attempt to penetrate it. He reached in his pocket and took out a long, thin case.

"Here. I didn't have a chance to give it to you earlier," he said.

Jessica's fingers curled around the gift. She longed to throw it in his face or tell him to give it to Jordanna, but this late in the evening, she was well schooled in controlling her emotions.

"It's a strand of pearls," Brodie told her when she made no attempt to open it.

"I'll open it later. Thank you." A poor replica of a smile curved her stiff mouth.

His jaw hardened, his nostrils flaring in anger. Then his gaze flicked to the adjoining room and the couple who were doing their best to ignore the two at the door.

"I'll call you," he said, and it sounded like a threat. Jessica briefly inclined her head, but Brodie wasn't looking. He was opening the door and walking out, closing it behind him much too quietly. Jessica shuddered and turned away.

"Has he left already?" Jordanna asked the obvious, "What's that in your hand? A present?"

"Yes." Jessica stared at it. Her fingers were as white as the paper it was wrapped in.

"Well, open it. Don't you want to see what it is?" her sister urged, coming into the living room to join her. To make a negative reply would have invited questions Jessica didn't want to answer. Unwillingly she tore the paper off and opened the box. "Pearls!" Jordanna exclaimed. "They're beautiful!"