“Can you... elaborate a little more on what’s going on with Connor?” Shay asked.
“He has a full life. His job, his family, his friends. But it’s a unique road he’s traveling, as my caregiver. I don’t know a single person in his circle who’s in the same boat as he is. He’s in his boat alone.”
“I understand.”
“He loves art. But he spends every spare minute in that studio. I don’t believe that’s purely because he loves it. I think he’s trying to fill the hours. And maybe process his emotions? His sorrow over my health. His heartbreak.”
“Heartbreak?”
“He reminds me sometimes of a person who’s given their heart away and now their heart’s living outside their body.” Penny poured hot chocolate into two matching Christmas mugs. “Here you are.”
Shay accepted her mug and they sat opposite one another at the kitchen table.
“It’s not as sweet as it should be because I didn’t have quite enough sugar,” Penny said. “Which is why I sent Connor on an emergency grocery store run.”
Shay took a sip. It was like drinking a chocolate bar. “It’s perfect.”If it were any sweeter it would be syrup.“I do agree that Connor has given his heart away.”
Penny set down her mug. “Yes. To you?”
The question took Shay aback. Her perceptions shifted slightly on their axis. His mom thought Connor had given his heart toher? “No. To someone else.” Wait. Was she Molly?
No. That was wishful thinking. If she was Molly, Connor would simply have asked her out. He wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of a ruse like this.
Penny looked perplexed. “He gave his heart to someone else? Who?”
“He hasn’t told me. I’m helping him prepare, though, to ask her out.”
“Mm,” Penny murmured in an unconvinced tone.
Had there been a time in the past when Connor liked her? She wished she’d noticed! And yet... She had to cut herself some slack. She’d been a kid. Her taste in boys had been haywire. “Why did you think it was me who he’d given his heart to?”
“He was enamored with you when you were younger.”
“He was? He told you that?”
“He’s never been the type to confide in me about romance. But I could tell he adored you. It was all over his face. More than once, I drove him to cross country meets when you were running. That was back in the day before he had his own license.”
“Really? I had no idea.”
Just then, she heard the front door open and close.
Connor entered the kitchen from the hallway. He was dressed more casually than usual, in track pants and a long-sleeved athletic tee. A slow, tender smile moved across his mouth as he took her in. “Hey.”
In response, desire curled through Shay like a satin ribbon. “Hi.”
“More sugar,” Connor said to his mom, setting a grocery bag on the counter.
“Thank you, darling. Hot chocolate?”
“I’ll have some later.”
“Were your ears burning?” Penny asked him. “My nativity angel and I were just talking about you.”
His brows immediately lowered with concern.
“It was all good,” Shay hurried to say.
“Your nativity angel is actually here to christen my new painting,” Connor said to his mom.
