Read Online Ever After by Jude Deveraux - Free Book Online

lower back. The bed was too small for one person, much less a former football player and her.
    She tiptoed up the stairs to her own bedroom and took a shower. When she went back down, Jamie was in the kitchen, his hair damp. As usual, he was covered in clothing from neck to ankles. Hallie had on a sleeveless top, cutoff jeans, and sandals.
    “I think I’m going to go into town this morning,” she said, avoiding his eyes, as the memory of last night was too clear in her mind. She needed some distance from him. On the otherhand, exploring a new town on her own wasn’t going to be a lot of fun. “Want to go with me?”
    “No,” he said, his voice firm, as though he didn’t want to be questioned any more. He ran his hand across the back of his neck.
    She put a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him. “Are you all right?”
    “Just…dreams,” he said as he picked up his cup of coffee.
    She sat down across from him. “What kind of dreams?”
    He hesitated, but then looked at her. His eyes were hot, intense. “If you must know, they’re about you.”
    “Oh,” Hallie said and got up to refill a cup that was already full. “Hazards of working together,” she mumbled. Or sleeping together, she thought. All in all, it probably would be better if they spent some time apart. “Tell me again when your relatives will begin to arrive.”
    “I’m not sure what day. If I know the sprouts, they’ll come running as soon as the ferry docks.”
    “And who are the sprouts?”
    “I have a brother and sister, twins, who are seven years old.”
    “How wonderful!” Hallie said. “What are their names? Tell me about them.”
    The tension that had been caused by Jamie’s mention of his dreams was broken and they ate breakfast while he told of his family. The twins, Cory—a nickname for Cordelia—and Max, were going to be in the upcoming wedding and they were very excited about it.
    As Hallie watched him talk of his family in such a loving way, she again wondered why he hadn’t stayed with them for his therapy. Why go to Nantucket where he knew so few people? Why isolate himself with a stranger? Hallie knew that if she had a loving family, nothing on earth would get her away from them.
    When she said she needed to change to go to town, Jamiesaid he had another story to tell about the twins. She listened, then said she was going. But when Jamie came up with yet another story, she realized he didn’t want her to leave.
    How flattering! she thought, but she still excused herself and went upstairs to change. She put on a pretty flowered dress with a matching cardigan and her pink sandals.
    When she went downstairs, Jamie was waiting for her. “Wow! You look very pretty. I was thinking that we should keep looking for the key to that room. We didn’t check the attic. Or maybe we should spend the day in the garden and plan how to improve it.”
    “When I get back, we’ll search some more and talk about the garden. Anything you need from town? And it’s not too late to go with me.”
    “No, nothing,” Jamie said and stepped away from her. “Go. Have a good time. I’ll call my brother or something.”
    He sounded so sad that Hallie almost said she wouldn’t go, but that was ridiculous. If he was a man who hated to be alone,
why
had he left the company of his extensive family?
    But no matter how much his eyes seemed to be pleading, she didn’t give in to him and left the house. She walked to the end of the lane, took a left, and went to beautiful downtown Nantucket. The old buildings, the wonderful little shops, were all fascinating to her.
    As she wandered about, in and out of the stores, she kept thinking of Jamie. She went up the stairs to a shop called Zero Main and looked around. The clothes were beautiful, but as she started to leave, it hit her that she could afford some new garments. Ever since her father and stepmother had died, Hallie’d had to work, sometimes at three jobs. She’d had to support Shelly, then