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“See? There you go. That’s settled.” Granny Liz turned to Charlotte. “Okay, you’re all set. Have a safe trip to Miami. See you sometime tomorrow.”
Charlotte exchanged amused glances with Austin. He knew as well as she that Granny Liz was trying to do a little matchmaking. And, for once, it was all right with her.
###
On the trip to Miami, Shane read through some papers he took from his briefcase, and then he turned to her. “I saw Dylan last night. He said you had a great time going to the Dali Museum.”
“It was an extraordinary day. I’m still thinking about some of Dali’s work.”
“He tells me you’re going out again.” Shane gave her a questioning look.
“Dylan said he’d arrange another day for us. He’s fun to be with.”
“Oh,” said Shane turning his attention back to his papers.
“What’s your meeting about today?” she asked.
“A family wants to adopt the foster child they’ve been caring for. I’m helping them go through the steps and meeting with the guardian ad litem volunteer about the case. Then I’m checking on Elijah. He has a summer job at the school, tutoring kids in math. What are you going to do while I’m busy?”
“I thought I’d do some shopping. Maybe have lunch.”
“I’d like to take you to lunch,” he said. “I should be through by then.”
“Okay. Nothing fancy, though. I’m not dressed for it.”
He chuckled. “I like the shirt.” She was wearing a denim skirt, and her pink T-shirt said: “Nope, Not Today.”
“You’re fine,” he said. “No worries.” His cell phone rang. Frowning, he clicked on the call. “Hello, Mother. Today? I’m not sure … I understand …” He let out a long sigh. “Okay, but I’m bringing a guest with me. No one you know.”
When he ended the call, he turned to her. “I need to ask a big favor of you.”
“Your mother?”
He nodded and let out another sigh. “I’ve been commanded to go to her house for a late lunch. It would be a big help if you went with me.”
“Okay. I’ll go,” said Charlotte, aware of his distress. Just who was this person who made her son so unhappy. “I’ll drop you off wherever you want and go shopping. I’m not meeting your mother like this.”
“I understand,” said Shane, confirming her suspicion that her appearance would matter. Curious about his mother, she wanted to make a first good impression.
Later, as she changed into a new sleeveless sundress that was both fun with bright tropical colors and business-like in style, she was pleased she’d found something suitable and more like her new image. She added a funky, multi-colored bead necklace she’d found on sale but left her diamond studs in place on her ear lobes. She’d received the earrings for an earlier birthday and wore them all the time because that’s what she’d been wearing when she’d decided to do as Gran asked and come to Florida. She thought of them as her good-luck pieces.
Shane called to say he was taking a cab to his condo and would meet her there. Then he’d drive them to Star Island, where his mother’s house was located.
Charlotte understood the nervousness in his voice. Star Island was impressive. A manmade island in Biscayne Bay, it was filled with huge waterfront homes that a few celebrities owned or used to own.
When Shane walked into his condo and saw Charlotte, he whistled. “You look great. Beautiful.”
She returned his smile, pleased.
“Okay, let’s go. One is never late for one of Mother’s commands,” he said wryly. “That always starts off any visit badly.”
“I know this isn’t easy for you, especially when you’re trying to deal with the past. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Shane nodded firmly. “It’s one of the things I have to get over. She’s my mother, and even though I don’t like her and never will, I respect that. After the divorce, she made sure Austin and I had a safe life. She didn’t love Ricardo Perez, but she was good to him, and he saw to it that she was well taken care of. A win-win situation for them both.”
“He’s deceased?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes. He’s been gone now for a couple of years. He lived a long life. A bit of a loner, actually, after building and then retiring from his import and shipping business. He regretted having no children of his own and was nice to Austin and me. My car was a gift from him and my mother a few years ago. He wanted me to have it.”
