Page 40 of Second Chance Saloon

She drew a thoughtful breath. “There isn’t much to tell, I’m afraid. All I know is that my biological mother didn’t want me. Well, these aren’t exactly the words my dad used whenever we’ve talked about it, but you know what I mean …” She paused, years of unspoken hurt coloring her irises. “My dad said he would raise me. He wanted to. He was already forty when I was born. She was in her early twenties. I don’t really know anything about her.”

Mitch reached for her hand, cradling it in his. “I’m so sorry, Jackie.”

She shook her head. “Thank you. But it’s fine. As I said, Sharon’s the best mom I could’ve wished for.”

“How old were you when …?” Mitch swore in his mind when his brain chose that moment to run out of words.

“I was three when Sharon married Dad. To be honest, I don’t remember her not being in my life. So, it isn’t a sad tale. I didn’t tell you this, so you’d feel sad for me. Because I’m not. I have amazing parents. I know all that.” A tendon in her neck twitched. “But sometimes, I feel like I don’t belong here.”

Jackie drew a sweeping circle with her hand.

“At the ranch?” Mitch asked.

“Yeah. Texas. The ranch … Mimi’s Sharon’s mother so I sometimes worry …” She let out an irritated groan. “I know how stupid it sounds, just so you know. Sometimes, I feel like I’m only half myself. When I got older, Dad offered to tell me more about … her.” She grimaced at the word. “But I’ve never wanted to know.”

“You don’t have to. It’s completely up to you.”

“That’s what everyone tells me. I don’t know, maybe one day I’ll change my mind.” She shrugged. “For now, I don’t care.”

Mitch tilted his head, watching her closely. “I can’t fathom how someone wouldn’t want to know you. It’s her loss.”

Jackie moved, settling on his left side. She dropped her head to his shoulder, her hand cupping his elbow. Her lips formed into a smile against his cotton sleeve. “Thank you.”

Maybe it was the remoteness of where they were, spread on the grass, enveloped in a quiet contentment. Maybe it was the knowledge they had both bared pieces of themselves, with only the moon as witness. Whatever it was, he knew, deep in his bones, that another layer of what made them both who they were was revealed.

Wordlessly, Jackie slid her hand down his forearm, reaching his hand and hooking her pinkie finger with his.

Mitch cast a smile at her, kissing her forehead.

Neither of them said anything but the four words they first said in Betty’s Hens echoed in the night.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jackie

Jackie wasn’t sure what she expected as she approached the beachside restaurant, butterflies flailing uselessly in her stomach, like they had forgotten how to fly over the years. She was both nervous and, if she was honest with herself, a little bit excited.

Deep down, she knew Mitch would be waiting for her. But a small voice reminded her that her assumption applied to the old Mitch. She didn’t know anything about the man sitting in the corner table.

He was resting his chin on his laced fingers, his head turned toward the sea. His elbows were propped on top of the white linen, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up.

Jackie gulped, imagining a wedding band on his left hand. It wasn’t there, but the ghost of it still lingered in the air. She wasn’t sure if he sensed her presence or if he got bored of watching the sun set over the calm water—either way, the moment her right foot connected with the first slab of the wooden decking, his head swiveled around, and his eyes found hers.

A waitress nodded to her as she walked past. “Miss van Moetlier.”

Jackie smiled at her, annoyed at herself for not remembering her name. She should’ve done—normally, she was good with names. But right now, her mind was blank. What was even her own name again?

Aware of every step drawing her closer to Mitch, Jackie’s heart rattled in her chest. Absolute traitor, she thought.

Was it her imagination or did Mitch not blink, not even once, until she’d reached the table?

She grabbed the back of the chair, her knuckles white. “Sorry I’m a bit late. My mom called.”

His eyes crinkled with a smile. “I thought you’d bailed on me.”

Her lungs clenched. He didn’t say “again” but the unspoken word festered between them, weakening her knees. She pulled out the chair and slid on it, crossing her legs at the ankles and hiding behind her menu.

She should look into reprinting the menus on a thicker paper, because this one did nothing to shield her from the heat of Mitch’s gaze. Every breath she took warmed her skin; she knew she couldn’t hide from him forever.