“I meant later.”
“I’m sure we’ll have lots of discussions. He told me he wants a relationship with me, but we haven’t figured out the logistics.”
“I can stay with Jade, and you can move to California.”
Aurora laughed at her daughter’s absurd suggestion. “I have my job to consider. And I would never tell you to move to go be with someone just because they liked you. There needs to be a compromise. You want stability in case something goes wrong. I wouldn’t want you in a strange area with no support system if things went south.”
“Do you think things will turn out badly?”
“No … but I went through a lot before I found your dad. I need that safety net for my sanity, and I want it for you, too, when you get into relationships.” They rode in silence for a while. “And it’s weird to think about dating again,” Aurora added.
“Why’s that?”
“I loved your dad. I feel like if I fall for someone else, I’m leaving him behind. And I have you to consider.”
“Duncan seems to like me.”
“True. Duncan is also a father.”
“How many kids does he have?”
“He said he has a nineteen-year-old son, Ryder, who lives with his ex-wife.”
“Cool. I could get a stepbrother!”
Whoa, Nelly. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, Katie.” Aurora turned off onto the highway. “My heart is still confused.”
“Why?”
“It’s not every day your secret high school crush confesses his love for you.”
“Mom! Youdidhave a crush on him!”
Aurora sighed. “Okay, you caught me.”
“He confessed his love for you?”
“Yes, and I’m so conflicted. I still love your dad, but he’s gone.”
“Do you love Duncan?”
“Isn’t it a little early?”
“Mom, how old were you when you met?”
“Twelve.”
“Then definitely not. You told me you knew you loved Dad after three dates. Why can’t you say you love Duncan after thirty years?”
“We’re not the same people we were thirty years ago.”
“Well, no. But that doesn’t mean you can’t feel that way.” Katie thought for a moment. “Tell me about who Duncan is now.”
Aurora clicked off the radio. “He’s romantic, as you can tell. He cares so much about the environment that he went out to California and started a hemp plastics company. He has no issues following a woman’s direction. In fact, he credited me with running the decorating. And he also took over the last of it when I pulled my back. Then he took care of me—got me a drink and my purse so I could take some medicine. When we went swimming, he shielded me from a dumb kid doing a cannonball too close to us …”
“Okay, now tell me about him in middle and high school.”
“Oh gee. First day of sixth grade, the teacher sat us next to each other. I wanted to like this cute boy I’d never met before, but he was a jerk. He teased me a lot. Once he tried to trick me into a truce with a handshake, but when I looked at his hand, he had covered it with glue!”
