LITMIR.BIZ

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worried about this protest rally she’s organizing. He’s going to be out of town next week, but he’s planning to call and give her his two cents’ worth.”

      Grace already knew he’d be in New Orleans. What Olivia didn’t know was that Will would be with her. She was a bit surprised that Olivia avoided mentioning his divorce, but she was probably waiting until it was final before she said anything, which was understandable.

      “I’d love to take a cruise one day,” Olivia said dreamily.

      Grace frowned. “A cruise. What’s that got to do with anything?”

      Olivia glanced at her. “My brother. He and Georgia booked a cruise this summer in the South Pacific.”

      It felt as if her heart had stopped beating. “Will’s taking a cruise with his wife?” she asked, just to be certain she’d heard Olivia correctly.

      “They’ve gone on several over the years. Will says it’s the only way to travel.”

      This was a mistake; it had to be. Will and Georgia were in the middle of a divorce. Will couldn’t have misled Grace like this, couldn’t have lied to her…not after the things he’d promised. She didn’t believe it. She absolutely refused to accept it.

      Somehow Grace managed to remain in one piece until she got back to the house. Buttercup was waiting for her as usual, but Grace ran past the dog and reached for the phone. Her hand trembled so badly she nearly dropped the receiver.

      No, she couldn’t just call him out of the blue like this. After all these months of communicating online, she didn’t even know his home number. He was always the one who phoned her. With finances so tight, she couldn’t afford lengthy long-distance conversations, and Will knew that. She needed to think this through before she made accusations.

      Perhaps it was all a big misunderstanding. Will didn’t want his family to find out about the impending divorce; that was it. Naturally, after all these years, it would be difficult for him to tell his mother and sister that his marriage was a failure.

      Of course, Grace reasoned, that had to be it. Instantly she felt better, but no matter how hard she struggled to find reassurance, she couldn’t sleep. At midnight, she got up, turned on the computer and went online; no new messages from him. At one, with a pounding headache, she took an aspirin and crawled back into bed. At two, she still couldn’t sleep. Nor at three. Doubts invaded her mind. The fact that Will had insisted she not let Olivia know they were talking online, the secrecy of it, had always bothered her.

      Olivia rarely mentioned her brother. He lived on the other side of the country, so his name didn’t often enter the conversation. He hadn’t lived in Cedar Cove since his early twenties. People changed.

      She had to know.

      At three-thirty, when the night was at its darkest and dawn only an unfulfilled promise, Grace picked up her bedside phone. She got Will’s home phone number from directory assistance. With the time difference, he would be awake, just getting ready for the office.

      The phone was answered on the first ring. A female voice, sounding depressingly cheerful.

      “Good morning.”

      “Is this the Will Jefferson residence?”

      A short hesitation. “Yes, this is Mrs. Jefferson. May I ask who’s calling?”

      “This is Grace Sherman from Cedar Cove, Washington.”

      “Oh, hi. My husband’s from Cedar Cove. I hope everything’s all right?”

      “Yes. Could I speak to Will?”

      “Of course. I’ll get him for you right away.”

      Grace thought she was going to be physically ill. She closed her eyes and concentrated on taking deep breaths.

      A moment later Will picked up the phone. “Hello.”

      “Hello, Will. It’s Grace.” She paused to let the words sink in. “You aren’t getting a divorce, are you? That was your wife who answered the phone!”

      “This isn’t a good time to talk. I’ll explain later.” He sounded annoyed with her.

      “An explanation won’t be necessary.”

      “I—”

      She didn’t give him a chance to respond. “Please don’t try to contact me again.” How calm she sounded, Grace mused. And yet her heart was racing and her mouth was dry. “I’ll return the plane ticket and if you ever try to get in touch with me again, I’m going straight to Olivia and your mother. Do I make myself clear?”

      Grace could hear his wife speaking in the background, worried that something was wrong with his mother. “I understand,” he said, and then quietly replaced the receiver.

      At eight o’clock, Grace phoned the library and reported that she was sick. It wasn’t a stretch of the imagination. Every flu symptom she’d ever experienced hit her, all at the same time. She fell into bed, pulled the sheets over her head, trying to shut out the world.

      She’d been so gullible, so trusting and naive. Will was her best friend’s brother and not once did she suspect that he’d ever do anything this underhanded or deceitful—especially to her. The fact that he’d lied was bad enough, but that he’d preyed on her heart was nothing short of cruel. He’d lured her to New Orleans, paid for the flight and planned an erotic, exotic weekend for the two of them. She wondered what he’d intended to do once she learned he wasn’t divorcing his wife. Apparently he’d assumed he could keep her dangling like this indefinitely. And he probably could have, except for a chance remark of his sister’s.

      So she was stupid, too… Because it was now abundantly clear that Will had no intention of leaving his wife, especially for her. With her high-school crush on him, Grace had been a willing victim.

      Even though she was dizzy and sick to her stomach, Grace turned on her computer and blocked Will’s name and e-mail address. Never again would he be able to contact her online. Anything he sent her would be automatically returned.

      Midmorning, Grace fell into a fitful sleep. She woke in the afternoon, and found Buttercup lying on the bedroom floor. “What is it, girl?” Grace asked. “Do you have a broken heart, too?”

      Buttercup didn’t respond, didn’t even wag her tail. Grace walked over to her, crouched down beside her, and immediately realized something was terribly wrong. Stroking the dog’s head, she grabbed the phone and called the vet.

      “I don’t know what’s the matter with her,” she told the receptionist. “But please get me in as soon as possible.”

      Luckily there was an appointment available that afternoon. Grace dressed in sloppy jeans, ran a brush through her hair and loaded Buttercup in the car, then drove to the animal clinic as fast as she dared.

      Weeks earlier, Cliff had mentioned that there might be a problem with Buttercup’s health. Why hadn’t she paid more attention? Why had she ignored what was right before her eyes? The answer was too painful to examine. Grace knew why. She’d neglected her dog because of Will.

      While Grace sat in the waiting area, she felt sick with guilt. She’d let her friend down. The door to the clinic opened and, to her dismay, in walked Cliff Harding. Tall, dark, ruggedly good-looking, he seemed to energize the compact waiting area. A woman with a large cat on a leash sat up straighter and smiled enticingly. An older man with a terrier grinned and exchanged a few remarks.

      Grace shrank as far as she could into the corner and prayed he hadn’t seen her. Looking as bad as she did, maybe he wouldn’t recognize her.

      “Hello, Mr. Harding.” The receptionist perked up. Cliff was obviously a favorite. “The medication you ordered is in.”

      “That’s what I’m here for,” he said, sauntering to the counter. He good-naturedly teased the girl, who blushed with pleasure. One of the assistants from the back must have

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