The outlines of the room blurred, and he closed his eyes.
Thank you,God.
When he could finally see again, he typed in a response.
I said at lunch that you could set the terms, and I meant it. Just name a date and time and I’ll be waiting to welcome you home. Love always, M
He hit send. Pocketed the phone. Continued toward the door, spirits lifting.
They weren’t out of the woods yet. Far from it. And problems could yet arise.
But if they did, this go-round he’d listen to Diane’s concerns and fix them.
Whatever it took.
And as long as he lived, he’d never stop being grateful for this second chance with the family he’d almost lost forever.
32
Another one-on-one with Devyn hadn’t been in his plans.
But how was a man supposed to say no when a beautiful woman texted and said she had important information to share that could affect him?
Even if the location she’d specified for their meeting was rather odd.
He parked on Main Street, slid out from behind the wheel, and surveyed the bench in front of what used to be Howard’s Hardware.
It was empty.
Then again, he was a tad early.
Like by fifteen minutes.
But summer Saturdays could be busy in Hope Harbor, and being late because he had to circle around searching for a parking place wasn’t an option.
He wandered down the street, trying to convince his galloping heart to decelerate.
It refused to listen.
No surprise.
It had been ignoring him since he and Isabel had run into Devynand her sister at the tearoom last week, thanks to the images of her that kept scrolling through his mind ... and his dreams.
Man, she’d looked sensational in her silky blouse and single strand of pearls. Just as beautiful, elegant, and appealing as she had the day they’d gone to the wedding.
The day she’d kissed him.
The day he’d kissed her back.
He dropped onto the bench, electricity thrumming through his veins.
There’d been serious chemistry going on between them. The kind that could have led to something deeper. More permanent.
If she’d been planning to hang around.
But she wasn’t.
So even if Isabel was right and it was already too late to protect his heart, keeping his distance had been prudent.
