Edith’s fingers curled into tight fists. “A judge will set the record straight. And then you’ll never see Mary again.”
Jamie’s mom left as quickly as she’d arrived, leaving Becky trembling with anger, regret, and sadness for a little boy who could never be enough for his mother.
Instead of taking the rest of the flowers inside, she stumbled into the workroom and turned on the kettle. She needed a hot cup of tea and a good cry. Then, after she felt calmer, she’d call her lawyer and tell him to expect more correspondence from Edith’s lawyers.
Sean studiedthe vases in the antiques store. He wanted to buy Becky a gift, but he’d struggled to find anything that would have a special meaning for her.
“Are you sure you want to buy her an old vase?” Matthew asked. “It’s not very romantic.”
He glanced at his brother. For someone who’d wanted to surprise his fiancée with a secret wedding, he could be incredibly dense. “Becky’s gran collected vases. As soon as Becky started working, she did the same thing. They’re important to her.”
“And I thought Ashley’s collection of old typewriters was weird.”
Sean choked back a laugh. “I wouldn’t tell your fiancée what you think. It might lead to a lot of things that don’t include a wedding.”
“My opinion about her typewriter obsession won’t change how she feels about me.”
“Just keep it to yourself. Once you’ve been married for forty years, break the news gently.” His gaze settled on a vase sitting on a shelf behind his brother. “I’ve found it.”
“Thank goodness. I thought we’d be here for hours.” Matthew followed Sean to the shelf. “It’s blue.”
“You never fail to amaze me with your intelligence.”
A woman walked toward them with a smile on her face. “Hi, I’m Kelly. I own the antiques store. Can I help you?”
Sean pointed to the vase before his brother said something dumb. “Can you tell us about the vase?”
“Of course, I can. It’s a vintage art deco ball vase from the 1930s. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Matthew frowned. “Is it made from glass?”
“It is.” Kelly pointed to the raised pattern. “It’s a lovely example of opalescent pressed glass with soft blue reflections. It only has a diameter of seven inches, so it’s perfect for a shelving unit or a coffee table.”
Carefully, Sean picked it up. He was surprised at how light it was. Most of Becky’s vases were ceramic or porcelain. She’d love this one because it was different. “I’ll take it.”
Matthew coughed into his hand. “Don’t you want to know the price first?”
“Not really.”
“Don’t worry,” Kelly assured Matthew. “It’s half the price of what you’d pay for something similar in a large city.”
That didn’t seem to reassure Matthew.
“It’s one hundred twenty dollars,” Sean told his brother. “I saw the sticker on the base.”
Matthew’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say anything.
After they left the store with the gift-wrapped vase, Matthew broke his silence. “I wonder how much Ashley’s typewriters are worth. There was one in the antiques store that was selling for two hundred bucks.”
“They’ll be worth a lot more to her.”
“You’re probably right. Next time I want to buy Ashley something, I’ll come to you. Have you made any headway on the dating front with Becky?”
“We’ve been out a few times.”
“On your own?”
“If you’re meaning Molly, she hasn’t come with us.” Sean opened the back door of his truck and placed the vase on the floor, on top of a blanket. Hopefully, the extra padding stopped it from moving around.
