Page 104 of This Time Around
He looked down to see an old cigar box in her lap. “Are those the love letters?” he asked. “The ones your dad told you about?”
“Actually, no. They belonged to my grandmother. I was kind of hoping I’d find something referencing the money.”
“Any luck?”
She shook her head. “No, but I did stumble over some interesting stuff. Apparently she worked as a go-go dancer before she met my grandpa.”
Jack laughed. “No kidding?”
“Nope. I’m not even sure my parents knew about it. Also, she may or may not have had an affair with Ernest Hemingway sometime in the late forties. I’m still reading to figure it out.”
Jack let his gaze stray to the trunk, and he felt his smile starting to fade. “I guess you’ve got a lot of secrets buried up here in this attic.”
He stared at the trunk for a few more seconds, hoping she’d get the message. Hoping she’d acknowledge the need to do the right thing, the legal thing. She had to know that was her only option, didn’t she?
But Allie wasn’t looking at him. She was looking down at the box in her lap, a pair of lines creasing the fair skin between her brows.
“Allie?”
“Yeah?” She looked up, and Jack watched the mask fall into place. Her expression was completely bland, so devoid of emotion she seemed almost serene. She looked so convincing, he almost believed she was just fine.
But Jack knew better.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked.
He reached up to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear. She was beautiful like this with no makeup and her cheeks flushed from the cold air. He expected her to blow off his question, or to tell him she was just tired.
Instead, she took a deep breath and glanced at him again. “You remember what you were saying last night? About honesty and trust and open communication?”
Jack nodded as a slither of ice crept down his arms. “Yes.”
“I want that, too.” Her gaze dropped to her lap again. “Moving forward. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. Anything else kept hidden in the attic.”
Jack glanced at the trunk again, but something told him that’s not what she meant. Seeming to read his mind, Allie shot a glance over her shoulder.
“It’s not about the money, Jack. I’ll deal with that later.” She paused, probably waiting for him to chide her for the undefined later. Jack held his tongue, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“So what is it?” he finally asked.
She looked up, and something in those dark green eyes made his heart stop cold. She held his gaze for a moment, and it seemed as though neither of them was breathing.
“There’s something else I need to tell you.” Her voice was barely audible, less audible than the sound of her swallowing. “Something that happened sixteen years ago.”
The ice floes in Jack’s veins turned sluggish, and he felt like he’d stopped breathing altogether. He knew in his soul that whatever came out of her mouth next would be bad. A game-changer. He’d had the same feeling that day she’d walked into the living room and stared down at him sitting on their old futon. She’d leveled him with a look that chilled him to the bone, even now, all these years later.
As he looked into those dark green eyes now, he had the distinct sensation of sinking.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s hear it.”
Chapter 16
Allie’s pulse pounded so hard she thought her brain might explode. Her hands started shaking, so she pressed her palms together and slid them between her knees. She couldn’t look at Jack. Couldn’t meet his eyes at all if she wanted to get these words out.
“Allie?” he said. “What is it? What did you need to tell me?”
Something about his tone told her he already knew it would be bad. She just had to say the words. Just had to put them out there so he could know everything and they could put it behind them and move on.
She wasn’t sure where to start, so she took a deep breath and dove in.
