Page 28 of Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat
His spot-on observation shook her. ‘Wow. You don’t mince words, do you?’
‘Do you want me to?’
Fee shook her head. ‘I’m guessing you know what I do for a living?’
‘Yeah. Mary-Jo shared it with me and then your name registered. You do great work.’
She swallowed hard, taken abackat the unexpected compliment. ‘I suppose you Googled me and now there’s nothing of my life left hidden?’
‘Nope. I figured you’d tell me if you wanted to.’
This man with his huge, loving family could never understand her nomadic upbringing and solitary mentality. Maybe it was better to get it out in the open now. ‘My mother could never settle so we moved around all over the place.She always had a cause to follow and dragged me along in her wake.’ Fee tried to hide her bitterness. ‘Will Sawyer was the only one of Mum’s boyfriends who ever gave a damn about me and he gave me a cheap camera for my tenth birthday. I soon found out it’d never let me down.’ She could hardly bear the wave of sympathy flooding from Tom. Making him sorry for her was the last thing she’d intended.‘As soon as possible I left home and never went back. I haven’t seen my mother in almost twenty years and we rarely speak on the phone.’ She briefly considered mentioning Maddy’s recent phone call but that could wait for another day.’ A flare of shock tinged his warm eyes but he didn’t say a word. ‘Photo-journalism felt a natural fit for me and there’s very little I haven’t seen and documented overthe years.’
‘I’d imagine it gets to you in the end, doesn’t it?’ Tom murmured.
‘Rather like police work.’
‘Yeah. It sure makes relationships tricky.’
She clasped her hands together and looked straight at Tom. ‘That’s why I didn’t do them long-term until… Pierre. I’d learnt from my mother never to trust men’s promises—’ Fee held up her hand to him. ‘—please don’ttry to tell me otherwise. It’s the way she was and it rubbed off on me. I’ve never craved stability and family and all that entails.’ Her protests sounded hollow.
‘Pierre hurt you.’
The blunt statement sliced right through her. ‘I let Pierre into the one place I’d always kept private, my heart, and he ripped it in two and tossed it out with the rubbish.’ Fee fiercely wiped awaythe tears trickling down her face.
‘Do you want to sit with me?’ Tom whispered. Without speaking she moved over and lowered herself onto his lap. He settled her into the curve of his body and began to rock the chair again.
‘I’m sure Mary-Jo told you Pierre died in front of me.’
‘Yeah, she did, sweetheart.’ His voice thickened. ‘I wish like hell we didn’t have this in common.’Tom’s eyes glistened. ‘Gina was shot while we sat on our porch drinking coffee.’ He worked his jaw, as if he wanted to say more but couldn’t force the words to emerge. ‘It never goes away.’
‘At leastyouknow she loved you.’ He didn’t respond straight away and his hesitation made her wonder.
‘Why do you doubt Pierre loved you?’
‘Perhaps because the wife he’d never mentionedarrived at his memorial service showing everyone pictures of their beautiful baby son and their gorgeous house in Paris.’ She blinked back tears. In her head she saw the blonde, elegant Helene in her black Chanel dress giving Fee a sympathetic pat on the back and thanking her for being Pierre’s friend.
‘Shit.’
‘That about sums it up.’
‘You didn’t have to share all thisto make me feel better you know.’
‘Did it work?’ She struggled for a touch of humour.
‘Maybe.’ Tom toyed with the ends of her hair. ‘I ought to go.’
‘Why?’
‘My brothers are visiting and I kind of stormed out on them.’ Tom’s bashful expression touched her heart. ‘Can I see you tomorrow when they’re gone?’
‘You know where I am.’ She stood up. ‘Good night.’Fee turned away and walked back into her cabin, quickly closing the door behind her. She didn’t move again until his footsteps faded into the distance and she could trust herself not to run after him.
