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“Wow. That’s a lot.”
“Yeah, and he wants to see Carly. So I’m telling her tonight.” Anita didn’t mean for the tears to fall. She hadn’t cried over Bobby in a long time.
“Hey,” Wyatt said in a soft voice. He walked around the table and pulled her into his arms.
She hadn’t expected him to hug her, and she hadn’t known how badly she needed a hug. Someone’s arms holding her, someone caring about how she felt, someone comforting her. It was nice.
“Sorry,” she whispered, wiping at her eyes. “I didn’t expect to blubber about it.”
He gave a soft chuckle. “You can blubber on me anytime.”
Anita drew away and met his gaze. “I’m sure you don’t mean that, but you’re very gallant for offering.”
Wyatt released her, smoothing a bit of hair from her face before stepping away. “Gallantry has nothing to do with my offer. I’ve been heartbroken before, so I want you to know there’s no judgment on my part. These things take time.”
IF CARLY HADN’T WALKED THROUGH the door at that moment, Anita would have asked Wyatt who’d broken his heart. She knew he hadn’t been married, so was it a serious relationship? At least wondering about it was a distraction from Bobby. As she watched Wyatt interact with Carly, and how she seemed perfectly happy right now, Anita steeled herself for that changing.
“Where do we start first?” Carly asked as she munched on an apple. Sassy had parked herself on Carly’s lap. “That’s a lot of phone calls if we call everyone on those lists.”
Wyatt tapped one of the lists. “I put an asterisk by the ones I think we should start with. See their residency dates? They’re the ones who lived in the town the longest.”
“Good plan.” Carly took another bite of her apple.
A memory stirred about Bobby as Anita watched her. They used to meet for library study sessions, and he always sneaked in snacks. It was a challenge for her to not get caught. She blinked the memory away.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Carly pointed at the first name. “Let’s call Mr. Leo Martin.”
Wyatt pulled the phone closer to him and dialed, then lifted the receiver to his ear. After several moments, he said, “No answer.”
Carly wrote “CB” next to the man’s name for “call back.” “What about Alice Martin?”
Wyatt dialed the next number. “Alice Martin?” he said into the phone. “This is Wyatt Davis and—” He moved the receiver from his ear and looked at Anita. “She hung up.”
Carly shrugged and wrote “CB” next to the woman’s name. “Maybe Mom or me can try her later. She probably thought you were one of those Kirby vacuum sales guys.”
Wyatt chuckled. “Probably.”
“Can I try the next one?” Carly asked.
Wyatt looked as surprised as Anita felt. “Sure. Go for it.”
She dialed, and as she waited for Marjorie Martin to pick up the phone, Wyatt met Anita’s gaze. “You okay?” he mouthed.
She couldn’t explain the expansion of her heart. “I’m okay,” she mouthed back.
“Hi, Mrs. Martin?” Carly said in a rather professional tone.
Anita raised her brows, very interested to see how this conversation was going to go.
“My name is Carly Gifford, and I’m helping my friend’s grandpa find a long-lost friend.” She paused, her nose wrinkling. “No, it’s not a school fundraiser. How old am I? Fourteen.”
Another pause. “I actually live in Seattle, but the friend moved to your city in 1919.” Carly nodded. “Yeah, I know it was a long time ago. The woman is Susan Martin, and she’d be about eighty-three right now.”
Anita smiled, impressed with her daughter, no matter the outcome of this phone call. Wyatt reached over and squeezed her hand, his smile wide, too.
“Oh, you do?” Carly said, reaching for a pencil. “But she moved away?”
Anita covered her mouth and stared at her. Did they already have a lead?
