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“That doesn’t surprise me.” Warren cleared his throat. “Ruth’s letter mentioned you’re a teacher.”
“I teach fifth grade now. When I first graduated college, I taught second; that was where I did my student teaching, but I changed a few years ago.”
“And you graduated from Boston University, right?”
It looked like Warren Sherbrooke had done his homework.
“I got my undergraduate there, but went to UMass for my Master’s.”
Callie hoped her voice didn’t carry any of the impatience she felt. While she didn’t mind the personal questions, she wanted to discuss how her parents had met, and why he hadn’t tried to keep in contact with her mom instead. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how she could bring up the subject without seeming rude?
“Do you have a large class this year?”
Callie launched into a short description of her class and some of the interesting things her students had done.
Warren shifted in his seat and clasped his hands together. “Dylan told me you only recently learned about me.”
The mere mention of Dylan’s name brought back memories of the brotherly kiss on the cheek he’d given her the night before. Although it’d been innocent enough, it set her skin on fire and left her yearning for more.
Now isn’t the time to be daydreaming. There will be plenty of time for that later.
Callie nodded. “I always thought my father died in a car accident. That was what my mom told me. Her friend told me the truth after she mailed the letter to you. Mom asked her not to, but Helen felt guilty about keeping it from me. She felt it was only fair that I know.”
An unexpected stab of anger pierced her heart. Damn it. They’d always been so close. Knowing her mom had lied to her hurt like hell. She hated lies. For as long as she could remember, her mom drilled into her that lying was bad. That nothing good could ever come from lying. Too bad her mom hadn’t followed her you own advice.
Again, her father’s eyes filled with unshed tears. “I never knew Ruth was pregnant. She never said a thing to me.”
She’d been unsure of how to ask him about his relationship with her mom, but now seemed like the perfect time. Taking a deep breath, she slowly exhaled and hoped he wouldn’t think her question was too personal.
“How did you and Mom meet? I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it since I learned the truth, but I can’t come up with anything.”
Without saying a word, her father stood. Swaying slightly, he grabbed onto the back of his chair.
“Are you okay? Maybe you should sit back down.”
“I’m sorry. This food poisoning has taken a lot out of me. Would you retrieve the photo album on my desk?” Warren answered, sinking back into his chair.
Callie stood and she grabbed the large leather book on the desk. “We can do this another day, when you’re feeling better. It’s really okay.” The book in her hands was heavy, and she wondered how many years of memories were contained inside.
“No. I’ll be fine, Callie. Enough time has already passed,” Warren insisted, taking the book. “Growing up, I would spend several weeks here during the summer with my family. When I got old enough, I would often spend weekends and school vacations here by myself.”
“I was probably about sixteen when I first met your mother. She would often be working when I went into her parents’ store,” he continued. “Unlike a lot of people, she always treated me like a regular Joe. She never tried to impress me. Honestly, I don’t think she even liked me the first time we met.”
Pausing, he smiled, thinking of forgotten memories. “But we became friends.” Warren flipped through the pages of the photo album on his lap. Stopping at a page near the back, he removed a photo from its protective sheet.
“Whenever I was here, we spent time together. Things continued like
that for several years. Then the winter before my last year at Harvard, our relationship changed.”
Callie accepted the photo Warren held out to her. The picture had been taken at the beach. In it, her parents stood with their arms wrapped around each other’s waist. Both were smiling as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
“You started dating?”
Warren nodded. “Only my brother, Mark, and his girlfriend, Donna, knew. He took that picture. My parents weren’t here much that year, so they never had any idea. I planned on telling them when I saw them that fall, but in September, your mother just broke things off. She wouldn’t take my calls, and she returned my letters unopened.”
She knew the important parts of the story from there, at least from her mother’s point of view. “Did you ever try to see her? Talk face to face?”
“No, I let my pride get in the way of that. Now I see what a mistake that was.” A severe frown settled on Warren’s face, and Callie truly believed he was deeply saddened by the events of the past.
