When she was partway through filming, the PI she’d hired had located her dad in Louisville. Unable to wait, she called him from Ireland. Those first teary words after she’d identified herself were something that would stick with her for a lifetime.
“It went well. I finally got a chance to ask him all my questions.”
“Tell me.”
“There’s a lot I didn’t know. He was an alcoholic when he was married to my mom. Apparently they’d enabled each other. And it took him until a few years after the divorce to get sober. That’s when he started writing me.”
“How do you feel about all that?”
“Sad. And relieved, I guess, just to have answers.”
“Did he say why he didn’t try to see you after he was sober?”
“He said he didn’t feel worthy to be my father. And that when he never heard back from me he thought I didn’t want him in my life anymore. But he kept writing because he wanted me to know he loved me.”
“Well, that’s something, I guess.”
“He was so upset when I told him I never got his letters.”
“With your mom?”
“That too. But mainly he was distraught that all through my childhood I thought he didn’t care about me. He’s been keeping up with my career. He saves all the newspaper and magazine clippings. Isn’t that sweet? And he prays for me daily.”
“Did you tell him you tracked him down when you were eighteen?”
It put a lump in her throat just thinking about it. “Yeah. He got pretty emotional when I told him about that. About how it made me feel. He still has the same wife, Laurel. Those two children I saw that day are my siblings. Dylan is twelve now, and Jessica is ten.”
“Mia, that’s huge. You have a family.”
Her face broke out into a smile. “I know. He invited me for a visit.”
“That’s great. I’d love to go with you.”
“I’d love to have you along for moral support.” Mia took his hand, loving the way it engulfed hers. “Everything good around here? The inn? Your sisters?”
“Business as usual. Better than usual, actually. Revenues are up 24 percent for the year so far, even with the shutdown.”
“Levi, that’s great.”
“I’d love to credit my marketing plan, but I think we both know better.”
Word of the Carolina Breeze had spread once it sold at auction to a couple from Texas. Articles appeared in newspapers and magazines, detailing the jewel’s rich history, which, of course, centered around the Bluebell Inn. The publicity hadn’t exactly hurt the business.
“A couple more solid seasons, and we can think about putting it on the market.”
On one hand Mia thought that was kind of sad. On the other hand... She leaned back to look at him. “That means you’ll be free to pursue other things.”
“That’s what it means. I’ve already been scoping out commercial builders in LA.” He gave her a long, searching look. “Does that scare you?”
“Scare me? It thrills me to death. But what about that opportunity in Denver? I don’t want you to pass up something you love just because of me.”
He tilted her face up, gazing into her eyes. “You have no idea the things I’d do ‘just because of you.’”
He lowered his head and brushed her lips slowly. Mia placed her hand on the back of his neck, letting her fingers reacquaint themselves with the soft thickness of his hair.
A squeal sounded someplace far away. Quick footsteps swished through grass. Then the pier shimmied beneath them.
Levi sighed against her lips.
