Chamber of Commerce or the pair of tits who mops the floors?”
“Did Norma know about this?”
“Of course she did. He was so obvious it was painful. She also knew that I did everything I could to discourage him.”
“Did she ever confront him about it?”
“She promised me she’d talk to him, but she never did. She was too afraid of antagonizing him. Norma had a lot of insecurities, you see. To do with her weight and all. She couldn’t help me, wouldn’t help me. So I put up with it. I could deal. I’ve had horny guests hitting on me ever since I grew breasts. It’s an occupational hazard if you’re in the hospitality business. I just had to avoid being caught alone in a room with him.”
“When the power went out last night, you were alone in the cellar with him.”
“I know.” Jory’s plump lower lip began to quiver. She bit down hard on it.
“Jory, did something happen down there?”
“Not physically, no. He just… he told me I was in his dreams every night. And he got kind of specific about those dreams. I’d really rather not go into the details, if you don’t mind. Every time I start to think about them I feel like throwing up.”
“Mitch told me that Jase seemed worried when he found out Les was down in the cellar with you.”
“He knew how Les felt about me,” Jory said, nodding. “But I always told him it was okay, I could take care of myself. The old creep was basically harmless.”
“Firing a chef for taking you to the movies is not what I’d call harmless,” Des said as she devoured her sandwich, which was delicious.
“I’m with you there, Des. All I meant was that he’d never actually try to rape me or whatever. He just wanted to imagine things about me and then… say them out loud to me. That’s how he got off.”
“Did you know that Les was seeing another woman?”
“Martha Burgess, sure. He told me all about her.”
“What did he say?”
“That the affair was all my fault. That the only reason he was having sex with Martha was because he was so aroused by me.”
“Last night you told Spence that you’re involved with someone yourself.”
Jory lowered her eyes, gazing down at the sandwiches she’d just made. “I did, that’s true.”
“May I ask who he is?”
“There’s no one,” she replied faintly. “I’m not actually seeing anyone.”
“You lied to Spence?”
“I did,” she admitted.
“Why would you do that?”
Jory shot a glance at the dining room doorway, then leaned across the table toward her. “Des, could we keep this between us?”
“If I can, I will.”
“I didn’t want to scare him off, okay?”
“Not okay. I’m still not following you.”
“God, this is so embarrassing to say out loud,” Jory confessed, clearing her throat. “The awful truth is that I’ve been hopelessly in love with Spence Sibley ever since high school. He was my very first, Des. When it happened, I led him to believe I was a woman of vast experience when it came to sex. I wasn’t. I’ve always tried to be the woman he wants me to be. No clinging, no promises. Nothing but good, frisky fun. For years I’ve been telling Spence that I’m not looking for anything serious, when the truth is that all I think about day and night is marrying him and having his babies. For me, there’s never been anybody but Spence. Someday, he’ll realize he feels the same way about me. I believe that in my bones. But I also believe that if I pursue him too hard, I’ll scare him off. So I’ve been careful to hide my true feelings. And patient. I’ve been so patient.”
“And he has no idea how you really feel?”
“He’s a man. They never know how we really feel, do they?”
“Girl, you’ll get no argument from me there.” Des flashed a smile at her. “Only, Spence claims he’s mad about someone in New York.”
“Who, Natalie? She’s nothing. A brief infatuation. That’ll blow over. Believe me, there’s only one woman in this world for Spence, and you’re looking at her. When he called me to say that the studio was sending him up here for Ada’s tribute, I was ecstatic. We hadn’t seen each other since last summer and I’ve really, really missed him.”
“Last summer?”
“Well, yeah. Supposedly, he was coming out to Dorset to sail. But he ended up staying here with me for the whole week instead. Des, that was the most romantic, perfect week of my entire life.” Jory studied Des carefully from across the table. “He didn’t mention it to you?”
“No, he didn’t,” Des replied, wondering why Spence had purposely downplayed how deep into Jory he was. Not that she’d expected him to tell her the whole truth. No one ever actually did that. Still, this was an awfully choice morsel to omit from the telling.
“He stayed here with me for a whole week.” Jory sounded tremendously hurt now. It bothered her that Spence had neglected to mention their idyllic interlude. “Every morning we woke up in each other’s arms.”
“How did you manage to pull that off? Without Norma getting hip to it, I mean.”
“He slept out in the cottage with me. Norma hadn’t a clue. No one did.”
As Des thought this through for a moment, she realized that there could actually be no doubt in Spence’s mind that Jase knew all about him and Jory. Jase did share that cottage with Jory, after all. Again, Spence had been less than straight with her. Why? “How does Jase feel about him?”
“Who, Spence? He’s fine about him. He always worries, naturally.”
“About what?”
“Losing me. Not that he has any earthly reason to worry. I’ve told him a million times that no matter who I marry he’ll always have a home with us. Jase knows that. It’s written in stone. Still, he worries. Do you have a brother or sister?”
“I’m an only child.”
“Well, then it’s hard to explain. But there’s a bond between Jase and me, a blood thing. And that bond can never, ever be broken.” Jory stirred herself and transferred the sandwiches from the cutting board to the platter. “I’d better deliver these. Spence seemed awfully hungry.”
“Sure. I just have one more question.”
“Absolutely. What is it?”
Des polished off the last of her own sandwich, leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath before she said, “Who slipped the digoxin into Norma’s cocoa-was it Les or was it you?”
CHAPTER 15
“Eight ball in the side pocket,” Mitch announced as he proceeded to sink it. “That’s game.”
“Yet again,” Aaron grumbled sourly. “This means I must owe you… how much do I owe you now?”
“Well, you’d climbed your way up to a hundred sixty dollars. Double or nothing makes it three hundred twenty, unless my basic math skills went out the window when I got whacked on the head.” Actually, he felt fine, aside from the steady ache. “Mind you, that’s only if we’re playing for real money.”
“Oh, we are,” Aaron assured him, shooting a nervous glance over at Carly and Hannah, who were seated in charged silence together before a kerosene heater. The two women in Aaron Ackerman’s life were behaving very snappishly toward each other. Clearly, Aaron was concerned that a full-fledged bitchfest was about to break out.
Spence, seemingly unaware of the tension, sat there with them while he waited hungrily for Jory to bring out a fresh supply of sandwiches from the kitchen. Des was apparently asking her some follow-up questions while she made them. Mitch didn’t know what about. He did know that he sure could go for one or more sandwiches
