Ultimate Cedar Cove Collection

Then it sounded as though Kelly burst into tears.

Sunday afternoon, Olivia stood inside the main terminal of Sea-Tac Airport, awaiting her brother’s arrival. She glanced at her watch; Will’s flight was due at three o’clock and she had plenty of time. After several telephone conversations, it was agreed that he’d fly in for their mother’s surgery, which was scheduled first thing the following morning.

Olivia had a good relationship with her older brother. They’d kept in frequent touch through the years, and he’d lent a willing ear during that terrible summer back in 1986. Will had been as shocked as Olivia when Stan remarried so quickly following the divorce. Lately, though, it seemed that with their busy careers, brother and sister spoke less often. They’d started e-mailing each other, but usually those e-mails were just a means of passing along jokes, news articles and statistics; they conveyed little that was personal.

Charlotte’s cancer had badly shaken Olivia. Her mother had always been healthy, vigorous, full of energy. In the last few months, she’d watched Charlotte decline right before her eyes, but she’d been so caught up in her own life that she hadn’t realized the seriousness of what was happening. She’d attributed her mother’s growing frailty to old age.

At precisely the time he was expected, Will came through the secure section of the airport. He paused to look around. When he saw her, his eyes lit up and she walked into his warm embrace.

“You’re as beautiful as ever,” he said.

“And you always were a liar,” she returned. Already she felt better, knowing that Will would be with her on Monday. “How’s Georgia?” Her brother had been married for more than thirty years. Georgia was a career woman—an advertising executive—and hadn’t wanted a family. Will had reluctantly agreed, but Olivia wondered if he regretted that decision. If so, he’d never mentioned it to her.

“Like me, my wife leads a busy life.”

The oddly stilted words bothered Olivia, as did his detached tone. She suspected trouble in the offing, but this wasn’t the time to ask him about it. She sensed that Will was not okay, or at least his marriage wasn’t.

Once they’d collected Will’s luggage and paid for parking, they headed out of the airport and toward the freeway that led to Cedar Cove.

“My, my,” Will commented when they turned out of the airport parking lot. “Where did you get that bracelet?”

Olivia had hesitated before wearing the diamond tennis bracelet Jack had given her, fearing it might invite questions. “It was a birthday gift from Jack Griffin.”

“The newspaper man? Mom told me you were seeing him.” He glanced at her pointedly. “From you, however, I’ve heard almost nothing on the subject.”

Olivia hadn’t fully identified her feelings toward Jack and wasn’t sure what to say about their relationship. “Actually I like him quite a bit.” She felt her brother studying her and briefly let her eyes leave the road in order to meet his.

“If that bracelet is any indication, he feels the same way.”

“I hope he does.” Feeling more comfortable about discussing Jack, she added, “His son’s living with him just now and that’s been a challenge.” Eric seemed to be in constant turmoil, miserable one moment and elated the next.

“I’m glad Justine is happily married,” Will said. “Not so long ago, Justine laughed in my face when I mentioned the word marriage. She claimed she wasn’t interested.”

“Not only is she married, she’s pregnant.”

“You’re joking! As I recall, her laugh got a whole lot louder when I suggested she might want a family one day.”

Olivia beamed at him. “I’ve never seen her happier. I love Seth all the more because of that. Oh, Will, I want you to meet him.”

“And James’s marriage is going well?”

She nodded. “Stan and I were shocked at how quickly it all came about, but I’ve met Selina and she’s a good match for him. I’ll bore you with the latest pictures of Isabella Dolores the minute I get a chance.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

They entered the freeway, and Will reached for his cell phone. He punched in a number, held the phone to his ear for a moment, and then clicked it off. “I thought I’d let Georgia know I’ve arrived. She must be out.” He said it as though he wasn’t surprised, but Olivia wondered why he didn’t leave a message. Later, when Charlotte’s operation was over, she’d talk to him about it.

“Is Mom emotionally ready for this surgery?” Will asked.

Olivia couldn’t tell. Judging by outward appearances, Charlotte was calm and confident. A few days earlier, however, Olivia had gotten a glimpse behind the mask and for a few fleeting seconds witnessed raw fear.

“Did you know Grandma Munson died of the same form of cancer?” Olivia asked her brother. Charlotte had brought up that fact the day she’d been so worried, and Olivia knew she was terrified that history was about to repeat itself.

“I barely remember Grandma Munson,” Will said.

“Mom’s putting on a good face but she’s frightened.”

“She’s afraid colon cancer will kill her, too?”

“I think so,” Olivia told him. “She wants to be strong. It’s funny, but when she first told me about the cancer, I panicked. The crazy part is Mom’s the one who comforted me. She gave me the information she’d printed off the Internet.”

“Mom goes on the Internet?”

“Occasionally. One of the knitting ladies she meets with at the Senior Center took a computer class. As soon as Bess heard Mom had cancer, she invited her over. The two of them went on a search to find all the information available on colon cancer.”

“Mom’s certainly one of a kind,” Will said. “Remember all that business with The Yodeling Cowboy —how she removed his effects and hid them in her underwear drawer?”

Olivia laughed, and it felt good to be with her brother.

“How’s Grace doing these days?” he asked suddenly. “Any news on Dan’s disappearance? He’s never come back?”

“A couple of times Grace was convinced he’d returned to the house, but that was early on.”

“How would she know?”

“Working in the forests all those years, Dan smelled like evergreen. Twice when she returned from work, the inside of the house had the scent of a Christmas tree. The only way that could’ve happened was if Dan had shown up.”

“Anything since?”

“Not a peep. She thought he might’ve phoned on Thanksgiving, but eventually found out it was Cliff. He’s that friend of Mom’s Grace has been seeing on and off.”

“A friend of Mom’s,” Will echoed. “I’d think he was too old for Grace.”

“Oh, no—Cliff’s the grandson of Tom Harding, the cowboy actor.”

“Right. I’d forgotten his name.”

There was a silence and then Olivia said, “You know when we were growing up, I always thought you had a crush on Grace.”

“I did.”

“You never asked her out, though.”

“No,” he said, “but that’s because I was shy.”

“You!” Olivia didn’t believe it for a moment. “I know she would’ve loved it if you had asked her.” Andmaybe things would have turned out differently for both of you.

“You’re joking.” Will sounded surprised. “I think Grace is one of the most incredible women I’ve ever met.”