Just because her brain knew that things were going downhill fast for her and Danny didn’t mean that her heart had a clue. She felt as if she had a hole in her chest, the ache there so deep it went right through her.
“Come in,” she called, raising her voice as she hurried down the stairs to open the screen door.
An unseasonably warm breeze filtered into the living room as Jack’s fiancée, Alicia, let herself into the gatehouse. Fair-haired and beautiful, Alicia Le Blanc carried a small basket under one arm, a bright yellow tea towel covering whatever was inside. She wore jeans and an apricot-colored sweater that added to her healthy glow.
“Hi.” She passed the offering to Stephanie just as her eyes went to the bistro table where the plates of untouched eggs still sat. “I brought you some breakfast, but it doesn’t look like you need it with the spread you have here.”
Stephanie took the warm basket and peeked under the towel to find fresh blueberry muffins.
“Thank you,” Stephanie managed to respond, too hurt inside to make small talk with someone she didn’t know very well, even though she recognized the thoughtfulness of the gesture. “Danny and I...” She didn’t know where to go from there, unsure where they stood or what had happened. “He left and—”
When her voice broke, she didn’t bother trying to finish the sentence.
“I’m sorry,” Alicia said into the silence, taking the muffin basket and setting it on a kitchen counter. “Maybe I shouldn’t have intruded. I just saw Danny moping around the main house and thought you could use a friend.”
She reached a tentative hand to clutch Stephanie’s arm. It was as if the sympathetic pressure squeezed out the tears she’d been holding back and she had to wipe away the proof of her sadness.
“That’s thoughtful of you, but I’ll be okay. I was just packing my things.” And feeling sorry for herself.
“I don’t have any intention of prying, and I don’t know what happened,” Alicia began hesitantly, but her words picked up speed as she spoke. “But I wanted to share just a couple of insights about the guys in this family—things that might not sway your decision, but then again...”
Stephanie was touched by Alicia’s uncertainty. Her mother gave advice without asking all the time. Instead, Alicia offered to shed light on the situation without preaching. A simple but refreshing twist on the way Stephanie was used to being approached.
“I’m listening.” She gestured to the chairs at the counter. “Have a seat. I could at least get us some coffee. It’s already made.”
“Let me.” Alicia waved her away from the coffeepot. “I’ll be less nervous if I have something to occupy my hands.” She smiled sheepishly. “I know it’s bold of me to march over here when we only just met yesterday. But I remember so well the way it hurt when Jack and I fought. Seeing Danny torn up this morning just made me want to run down here and give you a hug.”
Stephanie reached for a napkin as another tear spilled down her cheek. Could Danny be hurting as much as her? Far from soothing her, the notion only made her sadder since her independence was one area she couldn’t cave on.
Unless she really was just pushing him away? She hadn’t given much thought to his accusation yet, because she didn’t want to believe that about herself.
“It just hurts so much because I was thinking about telling him how I feel this morning. Over breakfast, in fact.” She looked toward the uneaten eggs and wished she could wind back the clock on their relationship. “I was ready to be vulnerable to love. Ready to work around his career, which takes him away for so much of the year. But I won’t relegate control of my life to strong-arm tactics.”
Alicia passed her a mug of coffee along with a dish of sweetener packets and creamer.
“Of all the Murphys, Jack and Danny are most alike. That’s not just my observation, that’s generally accepted family wisdom.” Alicia stirred cream into her coffee as she spoke. “They’re less social. Quieter. Stubborn.”
“I know they’re close.” She hadn’t seen Danny in many social settings after having dominated his time and attention at the party where they’d met. But he’d intimated last night that his family didn’t expect him to socialize much. “Jack joined the navy with Danny, right?”
“Yes.” Alicia slid into a seat at the counter beside her, her beaded necklace clacking against the granite. “In fact, Jack and I were dating at the time, and he dumped me unceremoniously to go into the service.”