Though it was bad manners, Glory set her phone on the table right beside her plate. No way would she miss Kam’s call.
PB, being the best dog-ter ever, got comfortable, but every so often, she still issued a low, nervous growl. Thankfully, the storm quieted some. The rain continued in a steady downpour but without the accompanying fury.
Once Liz had served them both, she sat at the table across from Glory. “So. You and Kam?”
Despite her jitters, Glory noted the motherly way Liz asked the question. “He’s wonderful, isn’t he?”
“He’s not at all what I planned for you.” She glanced around the house. “None of this is—but then, Callie’s life isn’t what I anticipated, either.”
“It’s better,” Glory said, ready to defend her cousin.
“Indeed. The connections here are substantial. Genuine.” Liz forked up a bite of avocado salad, then paused with it held aloft. Both her voice and her expression displayed contentment. “Callie is happier than I’ve ever seen her. Who knew feeding goats and petting chickens would be so good for her?”
Callie knew.“This is where she’s meant to be.”
Thoughtful, Liz said, “Frank and I were happiest here, when we were still planning our future. Things seemed so much easier then.” A quirky grin made her aunt look younger and far more carefree. “We were too busy surviving, living on tight budgets and getting our business off the ground, to worry about what anyone else thought.” Sighing, she added, “And now we’re back, and we’re both more content than we’ve been in years. We’re closer, too.” After a moment, she said, “I think Frank was meant to be here as well.”
“And you, Aunt Liz?”
She gazed across the table at Glory. “I feel younger, rejuvenated even.” Her lips tipped up in a smile. “Addie feels like a lifelong friend. Heaven knows, she doesn’t hesitate to correct me. You know what’s equally nice?”
“What?”
“She accepts me for who I am, and she loves me as a friend. She told me so.”
“Well, of course she does.”
“I’ve made so many mistakes, but Addie told me all moms are flawed and she pointed out how amazing you and Callie are. She said that’s to my credit.”
Nodding, swallowing back a few tears, Glory said, “It’s true. You gave us so much and showed us how to be strong women. How to be independent and smart about our choices.”
Liz’s gaze softened. “Now I just need to learn how to respect those choices.”
They smiled at each other, and Glory decided that Hoker really was the place to be—for all of them. “You don’t approve of Tanner?”
“Of course, I do. He makes my daughter happy, and I’ve never seen a harder working man.”
Coming from Liz, that was high praise. “And Kam?”
Being brutally honest, Liz shrugged. “He’s not what I would have chosen for you, but for such a muscular young man, he has a gentle heart. I see it in how he treats Addie, how he cares for the animals, and the respect he shows to Frank and me. Plus, he’s steady and levelheaded, certainly determined, and... he clearly loves you.”
Glory’s heart felt big enough to burst. “Yes, he does.”
“There’s one more thing.” Liz took her time, taking a bite of her chicken salad sandwich before explaining. After a drink of lemonade, she patted her mouth with a napkin.
“Well?” Glory asked, her curiosity ripe.
Liz leaned in to whisper, “He is an extremelygorgeousyoung man.”
For a few seconds, her worries were forgotten. “That he is.”
As they ate, Glory checked her phone often, but she hadn’t yet heard from Kam.
Both women were silent when PB made it clear she had to go outside. The rain continued, and Glory didn’t look forward to getting soaked, but she couldn’t ask her aunt to handle the chore.
When PB whined again, she knew she shouldn’t wait any longer. The dog was nervous and she might have an accident. Glory wouldn’t be able to clean it, and no way could she ask Liz to do so. Just serving a meal was more than her aunt was used to. Plus, PB had been really great about her house training and Glory wanted to build on that, not lose ground.
Excusing herself from the table, and taking her phone with her, Glory went to the couch to attach the dog’s leash. Kam probably hadn’t even made it to the park yet, and once he got there, he’d be busy. Even if the police didn’t arrive at the park right away, he’d have Tanner for backup. She had to believe that it’d be okay.
