Seth Hazlitt, physician and surgeon in Cabot Cove, a respected citizen, slammed down the newspaper article that had been clipped out and stood up to fix a drink for himself. Scotch with a splash of water wasn't sipped but nearly gulped. He polished off the tumbler then fixed a second drink. This one he did drink slowly as he had work in the morning.
He had gone to the library as soon as his office hours were over to pick up the articles the librarian always saved for him. She kept up with all of Jessica Fletcher's publicity notices and any articles that mentioned her name.
There were only four articles, not many since she had only been gone eight days.
Eugene McClendon! That bastard proposed to Jessica. His Jessica! Oh, she wasn't really his but he wanted her to be. No, famous playwright Eugene McClendon, rich, successful, and a friend of Jessica's invites her down to Savannah, Georgia and she rushes down to see him. Cancels their fishing outing last Saturday, promises to make it up to him, and then doesn't tell him Eugene proposed and she accepts! She could have phoned him with the news. Give him some preparation for when he sees her again.
The newspaper article didn't have details of their engagement, that part was glossed over with the revelation of the murder and of the accused. Of course, only Jessica would have gotten involved in a murder that took place in the house she was staying in. Murder follows her wherever she goes.
The second article was a publicity still concerning her latest book. The third and fourth were more of the same. Only the first article mentioned a bit of her personal life.
Seth paced in front of his desk. Engaged! He was supposed to pick her up from the airport tomorrow. He would have to school his features into something pleasant, something that says 'good for you'. He knew this day would come eventually. He hated when she left town to meet with friends that were richer, better looking, physically fit, and charismatic. He felt sick to his stomach.
It was like a punch to the gut, a sucker punch at that. He chastised himself for not saying something to Jessica sooner but every time he tried, the timing was off or he chickened out. Not having her in his life wasn't an option for him and it would be a huge risk to rock the boat.
Knowing he had to go to the hospital in the morning before driving to the airport, he finished his drink and went upstairs. He doubted he would get a good night's rest but he had managed before.
As predicted he tossed and turned throughout the night and only drifted off to sleep ninety minutes before he had to get up. He did rounds at the hospital before hurrying home and changing clothes. He gave himself a pep talk on the drive to the airport and cautioned himself not to get snarky when she told him about the engagement or gushed about the bastard.
He did a few relaxation techniques once he was close to the airport. As he pulled up in front of the terminal he spotted her immediately. She was wearing a smart light green pantsuit. He snorted. She would probably say it was celery, sage, or lime green. She looked up and he was mesmerized, as usual. The blue eyes that seemed to light up as she smiled noticed him. He parked and got out of the car to put her suitcase in the trunk. Her greeting was the same as usual with a light kiss on the cheek and a huge smile.
As soon as they drove away she began to chatter about her trip, the murder, the homicide detective that was attentive and actually listened to her instead of feeling affronted with her suggestions. It was a forty-five minute drive but it went quickly. It was only as he parked in front of her house that she took a deep breath.
"I've monopolized the entire conversation," Jessica said apologetically. "How are things with you? Are you free for dinner?"
Seth stared at her. She didn't mention her fiance or an upcoming wedding. Was she planning on moving to Savannah or was the bastard moving here?
"I'm not sure what I have in my fridge, Jess. Would you rather go out?"
"The diner? Sure, let's go there. Just let me run in and change. I'll be ten minutes." She began to open her door. Seth waited for her to enter the house before getting out of the car and unloading her luggage. He carried it into the house and left them at the bottom of her stairs. He waited by the front door for her.
Of course, ten minutes really meant twenty. He wasn't sexist, at least not too much in his opinion, but in his whole life, no woman was ever going to change clothes in ten minutes. He listened to her moving around upstairs. She walked between the bedroom and the bathroom several times.
"Come on, Woman. Don't gild the lily," he called upstairs. He was impatient to get to the diner and see if she was going to continue talking a mile a minute. Would she mention the engagement or wait for a quiet moment?
"I'm coming, I'm coming," she replied and a minute later she was at the top of the stairs. She had sandals on her feet now and she had removed the jacket of her pantsuit.
Seth motioned toward her outfit. "That's it? You removed your jacket and changed your shoes? That took twenty minutes?"
Jessica's blue eyes flashed. "There are some things that I've done that I don't care to discuss."
"Apparently," muttered Seth. He turned and opened the front door and ushered her out. After settling in the car, he turned to her before cranking the ignition. "Okay, what did you do? I didn't hear the toilet flush and your makeup looks the same."
Jessica looked at him, curiously at first, and then suspiciously. He rarely crossed boundaries with her unless she was possibly in danger.
"I changed my blouse. I had a long sleeved one underneath my jacket, not that you could tell."
Seth grunted. "That might take two minutes. What else?"
"Seth!"
"What's the big secret?" he demanded. You're definitely keeping a big secret from me, he thought.
"What's going on, Seth?" She appeared confused.
He didn't answer. He started the engine and pulled away from the curb. It was a silent drive to the diner. He parked and turned off the engine. "I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't sleep well last night."
"Excited because I was coming home?' She teased lightly. She didn't want to argue with him on her first night home.
"Yes," answered Seth honestly. "You seemed to have enjoyed yourself while away."
Jessica nodded but didn't say anything else. Seth got out of the car and went around to open the door for her. The diner was busy and several people greeted them but no one mentioned the engagement and several weren't even aware she had left town.
Seth was disgruntled. Apparently she was keeping things close to her vest, for now. Well, he wouldn't say anything yet either. He had to admit to a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He thought they were close enough to share news of that sort. He didn't linger over coffee after dinner and ushered her home. He told her she was probably tired after traveling, made his excuses and said goodnight. Jessica stared after him. Did something happen while she was away?
Jessica sat at her kitchen table drinking a cup of tea. She was staring off into space. She couldn't put her finger on it but something had changed and it had to do with Seth. It wasn't depression but there was an air of sadness, or something close to it, around him.
True, he was working long hours but he didn't come over last evening when the opportunity arose. They had dinner together last week but he was quieter than normal. When she joked with him, he dutifully smiled but he didn't often tease her in return anymore. She would have to ask him the next time she had the chance. If something was wrong she might be able to help.
Her attention turned to her newest novel. She was several chapters into it now and was hitting snags. She needed to go to the library this morning to do a little research. She put an apple in her bag and got on her bike and headed toward the library. The breeze blowing through her hair felt wonderful and she knew it was going to be another lovely day. She decided to limit her time at the library to a couple of hours. The beautiful day deserved more than the occasional glance out the window. It needed to be appreciated and not taken for granted.
She greeted the librarian quietly and told her she would be at her usual table for a couple of hours. She scoured the shelves and chose a couple of books to take to her table. An hour passed quickly without any interruptions. She jotted down notes and scribbled comments on her writing pad.
"Excuse me, Jessica?"
Jessica looked up. "Yes?" The librarian was standing in front of her table.
"I just wanted to congratulate you. I thought you were keeping it secret so I waited until no one else was in the room."
"What are you congratulating me for?" asked Jessica, curiously.
"Your engagement?"
"My what?" Jessica was shocked.
"In the paper it said you were engaged to your fiance, Eugene McClendon," the librarian answered calmly.
Jessica dropped her head on the table. She wasn't usually so dramatic. "It was only to help flush out a murderer," explained Jessica.
"Oh, did Doc Hazlitt know? He never said anything so I guess so. Sorry to disturb you." She walked away before Jessica could comment again.
Jessica picked up her pencil again before slowly putting it down. Seth's feelings were obviously hurt for not being told about the 'engagement'. It never dawned on her that anyone would find out about it. She packed away her things and stood. If she hurried she could reach Seth's practice at the start of his lunch hour.
She rode her bike thinking about what to say to Seth. He had hinted before that she was off gallivanting around the world and meeting eligible bachelors. He said it in a joking manner but it always came off a little bitter.
As she approached Seth's office on her bike she saw his nurse, Beverly, drive toward town. Seth was probably already eating his lunch. Only he wasn't. He was standing in front of his desk, staring at the wall.
"Seth?" She walked through the doorway of his office and stood near him.
Seth turned around slowly. "Jess, what brings you here?"
"I wanted to speak with you." Jessica remained standing. It wasn't like Seth not to offer her a seat.
"You don't have to tell me." He sighed and looked her in the eye. "I read about it in the papers."
"Eugene did ask me to come so he could propose but it was for a marriage of convenience. He believed he was dying and wanted me to look after the play he wrote and was about to produce." She touched his arm. "I turned him down immediately, Seth."
He looked at her sharply. Her words held the ring of truth clanging loudly in his ears.
"When I suspected his nephew's wife was poisoning him, I suggested we pretend we were marrying the next day to give her the opportunity to try to poison him once more. She tried again that very same night."
Seth's shoulders sagged in relief. He felt Jessica's hand on his shoulder now.
"I didn't even know it had been written in the newspaper until today," mentioned Jessica.
"It isn't any of my business," interjected Seth. He wasn't going to admit how badly it affected him.
"What are you saying, Seth Hazlitt? If you got engaged I would certainly hope you would tell me right away." She turned him to face her. "I am sorry you thought I was keeping news from you. I can see your feelings have been hurt."
"No, my feelings aren't hurt," he gruffly denied. "You don't have to tell me everything."
"I tell you everything that's important to me," she replied. "You, my friend, are very important to me."
"Don't you see? It's going to happen one day." Seth grabbed both her hands. "You're too beautiful, too amazing, not to have men tripping over themselves. Someone will bowl you over and you'll marry…" his voice trailed off.
"And leave you?" scoffed Jessica. She pulled him into a soft hug. "You, my dear friend, are going to be with me until the bitter end, whether you like it or not." She pulled away and kissed his cheek. "I hope you're going to offer me lunch."
She gave him a moment to collect his thoughts.
"So you came here looking for food?" He led her briskly toward the front door. "We better head over to the diner for burgers."
Jessica smiled and agreed. His mood had certainly picked up. He talked and joked while she encouraged it. It didn't dawn on her that he was in love with her until he opened the door to the diner. He wasn't upset that she didn't tell him she was engaged. He was upset over her possible engagement. She stopped in the doorway.
"Well, don't just stand there, woman," growled Seth, lightly.
Jessica smiled at him and went inside.
The next week passed pleasantly. Seth was in a great mood, well, he was back to his normal sensibilities at least. He groused about the tourists, the townsfolk, and young people today. The entire time Jessica walked around with delightful butterflies in her stomach. It's always nice to know someone loved you and was in love with you, especially when it was someone you cared about as well.
Jessica had always ignored the rumors about Seth being in love with her or about them being a couple. Why mess up a good thing? But now she couldn't pretend it no longer existed. Maybe it was time to mention the elephant in the room.
She knew she could easily fall in love with him if she allowed herself. She was halfway there already. It was only the profound feeling of a deep loss that held her back but she knew that was no way to live. Life was about chances and decisions. It was about love and joy, not fear.
She would have to discuss it with him when he came for dinner Tuesday evening. Four days, she could wait until then.
Jessica was upstairs brushing her hair when she heard her kitchen door open. She heard a pot being placed on top of the stove before the kitchen door opened and closed again. Seth was carrying dishes of food from the car into her kitchen.
He was early. She set the brush on her dresser and rushed to greet him.
Seth finished transporting their dinner into her kitchen and turned on the oven. He turned on the pot to simmer on a low heat and walked through the family room toward the staircase. He knew she heard him. He made enough racket.
"Jess," he called.
"Coming," she replied as she hurried out into the hallway and down the stairs. She tripped in her haste to reach the bottom and let out a yelp. Seth braced himself to catch her but couldn't prevent them falling back onto the floor. At least he was on the bottom and hadn't crushed her.
She was sprawled on top of him and he placed his hands on her back. "Are you okay, Jess?"
She nodded as the wind had been knocked out of her. Thank goodness she had been near the bottom of the stairs. She turned red as she realized she was on top of him but a second later she lifted her head and smiled at him.
"Woman, your dead weight is on top of me."
She wriggled to get comfortable. "This will save a lot of time."
"Time for what?" he asked.
For an answer she rose up slightly and dragged her body along his until they were face to face. Her lips were on his a moment later. She got an unexpected shock when she found herself enjoying the kiss as much as she did. Seth had been surprised but eagerly gave in to the kiss and then relaxed further into it by moving his hands up and down her back.
It had been a few years since she had been kissed, even longer if you counted how thorough their kiss was. They didn't stop for air even when his hands pulled her blouse up and began touching the bare skin on her back. In his callous youth during his military days the young men would brag about unhooking bras, and would actually practice on a mannequin in the barracks. The experience never left him and in just a twist of his fingers he had unhooked her bra and was moving his hands up her side.
They broke apart, breathing heavily. Staring into each other's eyes, she moved off him and sat up. "What do we do now?" he asked.
Her clothes were disheveled and she glanced at him quickly. Jessica smiled brightly at him. "Turn off the oven and stove and let's go upstairs and 'talk' awhile."
Seth's eyes lit up and he managed to get on his feet without assistance. Jessica was already heading upstairs. When Seth joined her in the bedroom she was already sitting on the bed with the covers pulled back.
"Should we talk?" he asked.
"What don't we already know? We love each other. We want to be together." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you having second thoughts?"
Seth shook his head determinedly. "This is a dream come true."
Their relationship didn't change so much as it deepened. If anyone cared to look hard enough they might have noticed how easily they moved around each other. They intuitively knew where the other was while in the same room. Seth had always been thoughtful and took care of her as much as she would allow. There were moments that they looked at each other and a silent message would pass between them.
They never did have that 'where is this going and what will we do?" talk. Both were content as they were. Occasionally the thought of marriage would enter one of their minds but neither deemed it mandatory or even necessary. Seth even stopped calling Eugene McClendon 'that bastard'.