“I think so.” Dorothy tipped her head slightly.
“Okay, yes, I do love Leroy.” Brynna took in a quick breath. “It’s hard to admit it, but it’s true.” For some reason it was comforting to say it aloud.
“So back to my original question. Why are you leaving? And why do you say it’s for the best?”
“Can you also keep this between us?” Brynna asked.
Dorothy nodded, and Brynna tried to explain. “It’s fairly obvious that Luna and Gina aren’t overly fond of me. And I understand them feeling protective of their father, but I don’t like how my presence here pits them against poor Sophie.” She sighed, wondering if this even made sense to the older woman. “And then there’s Judithand the way Gina wanted to play matchmaker. It’s hard to admit, but I can see how someone like her fits better in Leroy’s world.”
“Leroy can barely tolerate that woman. In fact, I hear he’s sent Judith and her daughters packing.”
Brynna had seen Judith’s fancy SUV parked in Leroy’s driveway earlier that morning. “Really?” she asked skeptically. “You think they’ve gone?”
“According to my grapevine sources, they’re to be out this morning.”
“Well, Judith really wasn’t a major factor in my decision,” Brynna admitted. “It had more to do with Leroy’s girls.” She explained about the feisty sisterly feud she’d overheard yesterday. “And poor Sophie was trying to defend me. It just felt so wrong. All that fighting because of me.”
Dorothy threw her head back and laughed. “Oh my goodness. You never had sisters, did you?”
“No.”
“Well, those girls fight like cats and dogs sometimes. And Gina and Luna are often at odds with Sophie. There’s sibling rivalry and competition over all sorts of silly things. But trust me, those girls love each other. And if anyone outside the family goes against one of them, the other two will fight tooth and nail to protect their sister.”
Brynna considered this. “I understand what you’re saying, but I would still be the outsider. And even with Sophie’s support, Gina and Luna would be in opposition. The battle line’s been drawn.”
Dorothy waved a hand in the air dismissively. “Oh, they would get over it in time. They’re all intelligent girls with good hearts, though a little stubborn and spoiled perhaps. Leroy’s partly to blame for that. After Marcie died, he indulged them a bit too much.” She leaned across the little bistro table, looking intently into Brynna’s eyes. “Tell me true, do you really love my son?”
Brynna mutely nodded. Hadn’t she said as much already?
“Well, then I don’t see why you’re running away.”
“I know how much Leroy loves his girls ... how devoted they are to him,” she said slowly. “It’s really a sweet and lovely thing. I don’t want to be the outsider who steps in and messes that all up. In time I think they’d all hate me.”
“Oh, you might shake them up for a bit. At first, anyway. But Leroy needs you, Brynna.”
“I don’t know ... I get the impression he’s a very self-sufficient sort of guy.” She remembered the hard glint in his eyes when he’d turned away yesterday. After she’d hurt him. “It seems like he doesn’t really need anyone. I mean, outside of who he has already.”
“You’re wrong.” Dorothy reached across the table to grasp Brynna’s hand. “Leroy does need you.”
This act of kindness cut right through Brynna. Suddenly her eyes filled with tears and she was pouring out how badly she’d hurt him the day before and how worried she was that he could never trust her again. “And I don’t blame him. I’m sure he must think I’m indecisive ... untrustworthy ... undependable ... disloyal.” All the words that had been rolling around in her head throughout last night’s sleeplessness. “He called me a human ping-pong ball. I’m sure he thinks I’ve done all of this intentionally. Like I’m playing some nefarious heartbreak game. But I’m not. I never wanted to hurt him, but I did.”
“I’m sure you did.” Dorothy leaned back in her chair. “But you couldn’t have hurt him like that if he didn’t love you. And I’m fairly certain that he does love you, Brynna. Love isn’t something you can turn off and on. At least I know Leroy can’t.” She studied Brynna. “Can you?”
“No. I think after this summer, I will love Leroy for the rest of my life.” She went on to admit how she wished she’d never given up on him thirty years ago. “I was young and foolish.”
“Well, hopefully you’re not old and foolish now.”
Brynna felt like she was.
“I don’t like to interfere in my children’s lives.” She smiled. “Though they probably don’t agree with me on that. The onlytime I step in is when I think I see something they’re missing. And that’s how I feel about Leroy right now. Yes, I know hethinkshe’s washed his hands of you. Sherry said he made some speech to Gina and Luna early this morning, saying how he was finished with women and planned to be a bachelor for the rest of his days. But I know underneath all that bravado, he’s lonely. Gina and Luna will eventually marry and move on, Sophie will get even busier with her growing brood, and God knows I won’t be around forever. Someday Leroy will be all alone.”
Brynna felt torn and confused. “I feel badly, but I also feel like it’s too late,” she confessed. “I’ve burned the bridge between us. I seriously doubt that he’ll ever give me the time of day again.” She threw her hands in the air. “Who could blame him?”
Dorothy nodded with a faraway look. “Have you ever heard the Bible story about Ruth and Boaz?”
“I think so. Wasn’t Ruth the poor desperate woman who laid herself down at the rich landowner’s feet in the hopes he would take her in, or something to that effect?”
“Yes. But I never think of her as poor and desperate. I think she was wise, and I think she knew that Boaz was lonely and needed her. I think it was as much about him as it was about her. But Ruth was the one who had to humble herself and make the first move.”
