Page 23

That Kanon was already looking after his stepsister, someone he barely knew, was remarkable. And rather sweet. Certainly, it was a good sign that the two of them might be able to get along. Patience hadn’t expected it to be that easy, felt a little guilty for assuming his return would be a bad thing.

“If I ever went off to meet a strange man, I suppose we’d have to set something up.”

“What does that mean? You only date people you know?”

“I don’t date anyone at all.”

A slight pause suggested she’d surprised him. “Why not?” he asked. “How long have you been divorced?”

“Five years.”

“What are you waiting for?” He lowered his voice. “Don’t tell me you’re still in love with your ex…”

“No. But if I was, he’ll soon be available.”

“They’re splitting up?”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Not after what I overheard at the coffee shop, I guess. Although, it is Christmas. You’d think they’d wait for a less festive time of year.”

“I mentioned that to Jack when he told me. But he said he’s done with her, couldn’t take her back regardless.”

“So now Glenda doesn’t have her best friend or her husband.”

“True. She’s in the same boat I am.”

“How’s that?”

“You just said it. She’s without her best friend and her husband. That was me five years ago, when she married my soon-to-be ex.”

“If she made her move that fast, she wasn’t much of a friend.”

“I wish I would’ve figured that out sooner. I thought she was everything. I thought he was, too. I would’ve hung on to my fraying marriage possibly forever, even if I wasn’t happy. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a quitter,” she said with a weak chuckle.

“It’s what your father would expect of you.”

That was true, she supposed. She was nothing if not well-conditioned to what Carl would and wouldn’t approve of. “I don’t think he was too sad when I came home. He never liked Jack to begin with.”

“Let me guess… Jack didn’t attend church.”

“No. They could never see eye to eye on religion.”

“Got it. But if it’s been five years, why haven’t you moved on?”

It wasn’t that easy to pick up the pieces and find someone else, not in such a small town. There weren’t a lot of single people her age. “I have moved on,” she insisted, setting her computer aside. “I just…don’t date.”

“Because…”

“Because I have a fourteen-year-old daughter, and I don’t want to put her through any more drama.”

“You’re worried about your daughter.”

It was a good answer, the one she always gave. No one else had ever questioned it—and yet she could hear the skepticism in his voice. “Ari, yes,” she insisted.

“Okay.”

More skepticism—he wasn’t convinced. “What does that mean?”