“What did your parents say when you told them about the new evidence?”
“I haven’t told them.”
“Have you talked to them about anything that’s happened?”
“No.”He didn’t need to see Barbara’s face to know she was shocked.“Not everyone has a close relationship with their parents.”
“I know, but I assumed you’d want to share the good news with them.”
“It won’t make any difference to how they feel about me.”
Barbara leaned the bike on the wooden rail.“What’s stopping you from calling them?”
Her softly spoken question brought a lump to his throat.He loved his parents but, sometimes, he wished his life had been different.“My parents aren’t like your mom and dad.They’ve always spent more time at work than with us.”
“Maybe they didn’t have a choice.Your parents have stressful jobs.People’s lives depend on them.”
“Everyone has a choice.”
Barbara slipped her backpack off her shoulders.“Do your brother and sister feel the same way?”
“I don’t know.We used to be close but, over the last few years, we’ve been too busy with our own lives.We call each other occasionally, but don’t get together as often as we could.”Theo scuffed his running shoe over the hard-packed trail.“Maybe we’re more like our parents than we think.”A chocolate bar appeared in front of his nose.
“Eat this.As well as giving you energy, it will make you feel better.”
He took the bar and read the wrapper.“Honeycomb and almond brittle.”
“It’s from Sweet Treats.Brooke made it yesterday.”
“I didn’t know you have a sweet tooth.”
Barbara’s grin lifted some of the melancholy from his shoulders.“I’m a sucker for anything covered in chocolate, although I try to keep my treats to a minimum.”She waited until he’d taken a bite before opening her bar.
“It’s delicious.”
“It’s one of Brooke’s bestsellers.You should call your parents now.”
He stopped chewing.
“Come on, Theo.If your parents won’t make the first move, you’ll have to.”She slid her cell phone out of her pocket and dangled it where the chocolate bar had been.“You’re always telling other people not to take no for an answer.”
“Where did you hear that?”
A blush lit Barbara’s cheeks.“I might have read it somewhere.”
When Theo realized where she’d seen it, he groaned.“Please tell me you didn’t read the article inThe New York Times.”
“I might have skimmed through a paragraph or two.”
The “Twenty Most Promising Professionals” article had appeared in the entertainment section just before he’d published the story about Steve McGibbons.He’d begged the editor not to include him, but she’d laughed and told him to get used to the publicity.
“It was a nice photo of you.”Barbara was enjoying every ounce of his discomfort.“Did the number of friends on your Facebook page increase after the story was published?”
“You can probably guess.”
She took another bite of her chocolate bar.“That’s what I thought.So, are you going to call your parents?”
His eyebrows rose at the challenge shining from her eyes.“You don’t think I’ll do it, do you?”
