Jess hung her coat on the back of the chair. “Of course I am. What’s the special tonight?”
Abby reached over and touched her arm. “Sarah filled us in on who she is. Sister of your ex, right?”
“Yeah.” Ex was such a mild word for Mike but it was the best one.
Mary used her straw to poke at the slice of lemon floating in her water. “Sarah said he left town when you broke up and hasn’t been back. Did you break his heart?”
This was what she’d tried to avoid. After the first month or so, the speculation had stopped. For a long time now it was almost as though people had forgotten about Mike.
But all it took was one awkward conversation outside a restaurant and she was forced to fabricate answers. She hated lying to her friends. Especially to Sarah. They shared a lot as sisters, but they hadn’t shared this. The sunshiny Sarah was just finally starting to come around again. Too much time had passed to open that whole can of worms.
“It was just weird, that’s all. And I think it’s worse because it’s the first time she’s been home in a long time and she’s sad and scared about her mom. I’m not going to worry about it.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. Now let me look at this menu so I can decide what to eat. I’m starving.”
She opened the menu and began scanning the items, even though she knew it by heart after all these years. If Pam was home, it was only a matter of time before Mike returned.
The idea of running into him on the street like she’d just run into Pam made her stomach turn sickeningly.
Once they’d placed their orders, Abby brought up her new door. “Hey guys, guess what? Rick Sullivan refinished our sun porch door and you should see it! He didn’t just refinish the wood, but the glass is all painted with blackberry bushes and blossoms. It’s gorgeous, especially when the sun hits it.”
“Wow!” Mary snagged a breadstick from the basket on the table. “Who did that for him?”
“That’s the funny thing. He did it himself. Turns out Rick’s been doing some painting in secret for a while now.”
A warm glow centered in Jess’s chest. Oh, good for him! He’d told them the truth, and she was absurdly proud of him.
“Painting? Rick Sullivan?” Sarah gaped. “You’re kidding. I can’t picture that guy with a paintbrush!”
“I know. Turns out he started doodling a bit when he was hospitalized, and then tried painting some stuff on glass. Don’t say anything, though, okay? I mean, we’re all family here, but I got the feeling he’s pretty shy about it.”
Mary laughed. “Rick? Shy? Right.”
“Art’s a pretty personal thing, when all’s said and done,” Jess said mildly, unfolding her napkin.
Abby peered closer at her. “You’re not surprised, are you?”
Jess picked up her water glass and took a drink.
Sarah’s eyes widened. “You knew?” She leaned forward in her chair. “When did you find out? You and Rick barely speak to each other!”
“They didn’t seem to mind dancing together at the wedding,” Abby pointed out.
“Though Rick did leave before Jess,” Mary said.
“I knew. But he swore me to secrecy. The door is beautiful, Abby. I saw it when he was working on it. He does really great work.” She smiled at everyone. They did not need to know about the kiss. No one needed to know. Not ever.
“You’re blushing.”
“I am not,” she insisted. “It’s warm in here.”
Sarah raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Jess grabbed a breadstick from the basket and tore off a piece. “Look,” she said, lowering her voice. “I’ve known Rick for a lot of years. But I dated someone with a drinking problem and I’m not about to jump into that again. Besides, Rick and I have always just been friends. More like a brother, really.” She dunked the bread into olive oil and balsamic vinegar and popped it in her mouth.
Sarah chuckled. “Right. That man’s never looked at you like a sister. Especially graduation night.”