Anything for You (Blue Heron #5)(43)

All that being said, she had faith that Honor had hired someone competent.

“Davey, do you want to go to O’Rourke’s for dinner tonight?” she asked.

“Can I have nachos and chili?” he asked. Somehow, he’d never really put two and two together and didn’t realize that his archenemy owned the restaurant. He loved Colleen. All men did. Either he didn’t realize Connor worked in the kitchen, or it was an out of sight, out of mind thing. Jessica wasn’t about to ask.

“Sure,” she said. “There’ll be a bunch of us. The Hollands are taking me out. I got a promotion today.” And a raise. A significant raise. The thought still made her flush.

“What’s a promotion?”

“It means I have my own office,” she said, swallowing some ibuprofen. “You can come see it this weekend, okay?”

“Okay. So a promotion is good?”

“Very good. It’s your boss saying you’re doing a great job, so now you can do other stuff, too.”

“Will I get a promotion? I do a great job.”

“You probably will, then.” Jess would have to ask Petra, the manager at Keuka Candle, to give Davey—and all the special-needs workers—a certificate or a sleeve of stickers. The company was great that way.

“I need another picture of you,” she said, smoothing back his blond hair. “I have to decorate my office a little bit.” Not with a ficus tree and a couch, but with something.

“I can decorate your office!” he said. “Wait right here!” He ran up the stairs.

“Put on a clean shirt!” she called. Thumping noises came from his room, then he pummeled down the stairs—honestly, it always sounded like he was falling.

“Ta-da!” he said, beaming, and he was so stinkin’ cute with that smile and those lashes. He held up his offerings: one of his Beanie Baby stuffed animals. Prickles the Hedgehog, and a candle. “This is for your new office,” he said. “A decoration. And a candle, so it will smell nice.” He got defective candles free.

“Oh, Davey, thank you! Is this Vanilla Sugar Cookie? My favorite!” She hugged her brother and kissed his forehead, then smiled at his sweet face. “Hey, guess what? You know Ned Vanderbeek, right?”

“He’s my best friend,” Davey said. He had a lot of best friends.

“Well, he was wondering if he could stay with us for a while. In the spare bedroom.”

“Where the boxes are?”

“Yes. What do you think? Would that be okay with you?”

“Does he have a bed?” Davey asked.

“I bet he does.”

“Then sure! I love Ned! We can watch movies together!”

“Great. We can tell him at dinner. Come on, honey-boy. I’m starving.”

* * *

THE HOLLANDS COMMANDED not just a table, but an entire section of the restaurant. Davey and Jess got there last. Davey had wanted to take his Flip the Cat Beanie Baby, which, after an extensive search, turned out to be buried under his beloved Wonder Woman comic books.

Marcy had gone in a few steps ahead of them. She hadn’t held the door, either. She was just now being assisted out of a very gorgeous and expensive-looking brown leather coat by Jeremy Lyon, who had the manners of a prince.

“Hi, Jeremy!” Davey said, waving Flip at him. Jeremy was Davey’s doctor. Jess’s, too, not that she went too often.

“How are you, Davey?” Jeremy asked. “Hi, Jess.”

“He’s incredibly hot,” Marcy murmured to Jess.

“Gay.”

“Of course.”

She caught a glimpse of Connor through the pass-through window in the kitchen. He didn’t see her.

Good. She guessed that was good, even if it felt like she’d swallowed a stick.

“Our guests of honor are here,” Honor said, standing up. “Let me make the introductions, Marcy. I know you’ve met some of us, but I’ll just go through the list. My grandparents, Goggy and Pops, rarely known as John and Elizabeth Holland. My dad, another John, and my stepmother, Mrs. Johnson, sometimes called Mrs. Holland, but mostly Mrs. Johnson. You’ve met my brother Jack, and that’s his wife, Emmaline, who works with Levi there, the chief of police, and Levi is married to my sister Faith, and that little butterball on her lap is my beautiful nephew, Noah. And you met Tom already, and this is our son, Charlie.”

Jess winked at Charlie. She had a soft spot for the kid, who’d recently gone from miserable teenager, something Jess well understood, to pretty nice person.

“Next to Charlie is my niece, Abby,” Honor continued, “who’s home from college and seeking gainful employment for the summer. And where’s Pru? Oh, there she is. You met her this morning, right? And that’s Carl, Pru’s husband. Guys, meet Marcy Hannigan.”

“Excellent to meet everyone!” Marcy said. Her voice carried easily over the crowd.

“Sorry to overload you, Marcy,” Honor said. “A necessary evil, introductions. And guys, I think you all know our new director of marketing and her charming brother.” This brought a round of applause from everyone, and Jess felt her cheeks heat up with pride and embarrassment.

“Over here, Davey, my boy,” Ned said, though he was younger than Davey. “I saved you a seat.”