“I have my boys.”
“And they’re great—I love them, too, all three of them. But your little ones will be grown before you can blink. They’ll always love you, but the house will be empty. There’s nothing wrong with finding someone to share your life with.”
Jenna smiled. “And what about your plans if this rare earth thing pans out? Blake isn’t fooling me with his ‘need to take it slow’ talk. He’d swoop you up and marry you in a heartbeat if he wasn’t worried about providing for me and the boys. I see the financials, and I know how thin our margins are. My boy doesn’t even cash all his checks—he plows most of his earnings back into the business, and what he does cash, he spends on groceries around here.”
This time Paradise’s cheeks warmed. “I don’t want to get married until I find out what happened to my parents. It’s important to me, and if I start a new life, I’m afraid I’ll forget all about it.”
“Maybe that’s for the best, Paradise. You may never be able to get to the truth. I’d hate to see you put the brakes on your life while you’re searching for something you may never find.”
Paradise moved the breadsticks to a plate and carried it to the table. How would she feel if she never knew the truth? “I don’t know if I can live like that, Jenna. Never sure if the killer will strike at me next. Blake and I want kids. How could we bring children into a world where some nameless, faceless maniac might strike in the night?” She shuddered and hugged herself. “I have to find out what happened.”
“I get it, Paradise. I’ve suffered through my share of loss as well. When Blake’s father died, I was mad at God and bitter at life. I vowed never to go through that again, but if I’d let that fear paralyze me, I wouldn’t have had those years with Hank. The thought of more children terrified me, too, but Hank showed me each day is a gift and so is life. I should have been the one to go first since Hank was younger than me, but that’s not what happened. If we let fear control us, we miss out on the day-to-day things that make life rich and meaningful. Don’t let that happen to you. You and Blake are so good together.”
Paradise’s tongue felt stuck to the roof of her mouth. Jenna had put her finger on the past fifteen years of Paradise’s life. The fortress she’d built around her had been impenetrable to everyone but Blake, who knew how to scale the walls. She needed to dismantle them and welcome in whatever experiences God sent her way. But could she give up her quest? Maybe not even for Blake.
Chapter 17
The Red Firepot hid along a small walkable alley, which explained why Blake didn’t know of its existence in Nova Cambridge. Several candles emitting a patchouli scent fluttered from the breeze when he and Paradise stepped onto the tile floors of the shop. Colorful pottery lined open shelves and display cases throughout the small space. Pottery appeared to be sold here, not created.
Two women stood at the checkout talking to an older woman with red hair. Paradise nudged him. “That’s the woman who used to play cards with my mom. What luck!”
“We’ll browse while we wait for her to be free.” He wandered over to a display of blue mugs. “I like these.”
“Me too.” She picked one up and showed him the attached tag. “The owner made them. Trisha Miller. I remember that name now. Mom called her Trish, and her husband was Wes. He called her Red. Maybe that’s how she came up with the name of the pottery shop.”
He set the mug back on the shelf. “I don’t think I’ve met her.”
The two women carried their bubble-wrapped pottery out ofthe store with contented expressions, and Blake headed for the counter with Paradise. “Are you Trisha Miller?”
“Sure am.”
Paradise inched forward with a smile. “I’m Paradise Alden, Becky’s daughter.”
Trisha gasped and came out from behind the counter. “My goodness, no wonder you looked familiar to me when you came in. You look so much like your mom. She was a great friend, and Wes and I still miss playing euchre with your parents. Those were great days. I saw the newspaper article about you opening Pawsome Paws. I planned to bring my dog Buster in for a checkup.”
“I’d love to see him.” Paradise fidgeted, then straightened. “How long were you and Mom friends?”
“Gosh, honey, years. We went to high school together. Wes and your daddy played football at USA together.”
The University of South Alabama in Mobile played in NCAA Division I sports, so Granger Alden must have been a good athlete. And since the couple had been friends for years, Trisha might spill good information for Paradise. Blake kept quiet and let her lead the conversation, though he itched to pepper Trisha with questions. She might have an idea who killed Paradise’s parents.
Paradise laced her fingers together. “Then you might know about something I recently discovered. Mom gave up a son for adoption.”
The smile vanished from Trisha’s face. “I’ve never talked about that, and it’s not something I’m comfortable discussing. Your mom is gone, and there’s no reason to dig up dirt.”
“My parents aredead, Trish, and I have a brother out there. That’s a big deal to me. It’s not dirt on my mom—it’s about finding my family.”
“I promised your mom I wouldn’t talk about it, not ever.” Trisha moved back behind the counter.
“Do you know who adopted my brother? His name is Andrew. If Mom didn’t want anyone to know, why would she keep all the information in a box? I think she planned to tell me someday.”
“I doubt it. It would be too dangerous.” Trisha’s brown eyes went wide as if she wished she could call back the words.
“Dangerous? To whom?”
The older woman bit her lip. “Your brother’s dad came from money, and talking about it wouldn’t be wise. That’s all I can say.”
“I don’t have to know who Andrew’s father is—I just want to connect with him. Do you know where he lived growing up? Even a hint of how to find him would be wonderful.”
