“I can speak to him another time,” Theo said quickly.“I just wanted to make sure both of you are all right.”
“We’re fine, honey.Vicki said you were starting a radio station.Did you manage to get it up and running?”
“I did.I’ll email you the frequency.It’s a small community station, so there’s lots of news about Sapphire Bay.”
“Is that where you’re living?”
“It is.”He glanced at Barbara.“I’d better go.”
“We’ll call you when we get home,” his mom said quickly.“You can tell your dad about the station.”
Theo ran his hand around the back of his neck.“I don’t know—”
“Your dad loves you.We both do.If we can discuss what happened it might help us move forward.”
A sigh escaped his lips.“Okay.It will take me at least an hour to get home.”
“We’ll talk to you after that.Take care, Theo.I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.”He ended the call and dropped his head to his chest.Until now, he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed his mom.It felt good to hear her voice, to hear her tell him she loved him.He just hoped his parents still wanted to talk to him after the IRS and U.S.Attorney’s Office decided what they’d do.
Barbara handed him another chocolate bar.“How do you feel?”
“Exhausted.”He wiped the tears from his eyes and nudged Barbara’s arm.“Thanks for the chocolate.”
“You’re welcome.Are you glad you talked to your mom?”
“I am.”He stood and held out his hand.“The good news is that my parents are calling me tonight.The bad news is that we have to turn around and go home.”
A smile lit Barbara’s face.“That’s the best news I’ve heard all afternoon.I’ll race you to the bend in the trail.”
Theo didn’t wait for her to throw on her backpack and jump on his bike.Sprinting along the trail, he headed toward the bend, determined to shake off the adrenaline rushing through his body.
His heart lifted when he heard Barbara’s laughter.Everything would be all right.At least until his mom and dad called.
BARBARA YAWNEDas she opened the driver’s door on her mom’s truck.It had taken four and a half hours to drive from Sapphire Bay to Bozeman.For most of the trip, her sisters and Mom had talked non-stop.It was only when they’d stopped for breakfast at the Wagon Wheel Café in Drummond that everyone had concentrated on the food instead of Penny’s upcoming wedding.
“Remind me not to sit beside Mom on the way home,” Diana whispered to Barbara.“She keeps hinting about a Christmas wedding for Ethan and I.”
“You told her you were thinking about getting married then.”
“That was when Ethan asked me to marry him.Between our jobs and all the programs he’s running, we haven’t had a lot of time to talk about it.”
Barbara didn’t want to ruffle Diana’s feathers any more than they already were, but even she was curious about her wedding date.“So, Christmas is definitely out?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“Well, maybe today will inspire you to set a date.”
Katie looked at each of them.“What are you two whispering about?”
Diana lifted the strap of her bag onto her shoulder.“Nothing.We’d better catch up with Mom and Penny before they reach Emily’s boutique.”
They’d only walked a few feet when Katie stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.“Oh, wow!”She held her cellphone toward the heritage building on the other side of the street.“Emily’s boutique is gorgeous.Wait till I show my friends these pictures.”
Penny and their mom were standing under a powder blue porch shared by the boutique and three other businesses.Baskets of pink and purple flowers hung from beneath a rail, brightening the red-brick exterior of an already beautiful building.
Diana held her hand above her eyes.“It’s the perfect building and location for a fashion boutique.”
