Tempting Janey

“We both know that we could sit here and throw blame around until doomsday,” he said in a softer and more conciliatory tone. “But what good would it do? We both have to move on.”

“Have you?” she snapped. “Moved on, I mean?”

“Have I healed completely? No. And I probably never will, but I’m not letting what Elaine and Keith did sour the rest of my life. You can bet on that.”

“I’m not, either.”

“Then prove it by calling a truce with me, if only for old times’ sake.”

“I was thinking more about Robin’s sake.”

“Certainly that, too. Whatever works.”

“We could just avoid each other, you know, like we’ve done for the past few years.”

“Only because you left town,” Dillon said bluntly.

Janey stared down at her now-cold coffee, then back at him. “And I’m not sure it was a smart move to come back.”

“Why did you?”

“Robin.” She paused, then went on. “You knew we went to Colorado at my brother’s insistence.”

“Allie told me.”

“Since our parents’ deaths, I always turned to Drew when the going got tough. I was so sure that being near him was the answer. But Robin was never happy there, though Drew did everything in his power to make us both feel at home.”

“What about you?” Dillon asked. “Were you happy?”

“Not at first, of course. Keith’s betrayal was still too fresh, and I was miserable.”

“I know that feeling,” Dillon admitted grimly.

She picked up on the pain mixed with bitterness, and questioned his honesty. Had he moved on, or was he kidding himself? Was he still harboring the pain of the past, the same way she was? Fearful of getting involved, she refused to dwell on his feelings.

“However,” she said in a rush, “I was able to use my marketing degree and get a really good job with a department store as their head buyer.”

“That’s great.”

“It was, up to a point. But I wanted to spend more time with Robin than the job would allow, so I was torn.”

“Still, you wouldn’t have left.”

“Probably not. Returning to Hunter wasn’t easy.”

“How did Robin persuade you?”

“She whined a lot.”

Dillon chuckled, which seemed to cut the thickness in the air in half. She released a pent-up breath. Maybe she would survive this ordeal, after all.

“That’s not exactly true,” she continued. “Though Robin did pull several ‘poor me’ stunts. Really, I guess Aunt Lois was the key.”

Dillon’s eyebrows lifted. “Ah, I’m starting to get it. Lois owned Sweet Dreams.”

“Right, but she wanted to retire. So one day, out of the blue, she called and asked if I wanted to take over the shop, said that it was mine. The catch was, I had to come back and run it.” Recalling that conversation, Janey’s lips eased into a smile. “Anyhow, Robin talked me into it, only I couldn’t sell the house or walk away from my job responsibilities at that point.”

“So you sent Robin on.”

“I did, which was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But she missed her friends badly and wanted to try out for that blasted drill team, so she talked me into letting her come ahead and live with Aunt Lois.” Janey paused, noticing that it had started to rain outside.

“Go on,” Dillon prodded.

“Other than being away from her, everything else was working out. Then Lois had a stroke and had to go into an assisted living facility. I had no choice but to come back, which meant I had to take a loss on the house.”

“That’s too bad.”

“I couldn’t take a chance on Robin moving in with Keith.”

“I can understand that,” Dillon added in a harsh tone.

“Have you run into him?” she asked hesitantly.

“Nope.”

“I guess that’s a good thing.”

Dillon shrugged. “At one time I would’ve decked the bastard, but now I wouldn’t bother. He’s not worth the effort.”

“So far, he’s left me alone,” said Janey, “but I worry about his influence on Robin.”

“Is he still drinking?”

“I’m sure he is, though Robin’s careful not to mention it around me.”

“At least Elaine and I didn’t have any children to get caught up in this mess.”

She picked up on that bitterness again and knew that even if he didn’t realize it, he was still smarting. “Speaking of Elaine, how did you manage to hold yourself together?”

He regarded her from beneath lowered lids. “You do what you have to.”

“Still, it must’ve been tough to continue living with her after she betrayed you.”

“Under the circumstances, what choice did I have? When I found out about the cancer, I couldn’t just desert her.”

“I couldn’t have, either,” Janey said, her voice shaking. “If I’d stayed around, that is. At one time Elaine was my best friend.”

“I know.” His tone was bleak. “Anyway, she didn’t suffer long. Her death six months later was a blessing.”