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“Your dad never mentioned that.”
“Because it hasn’t happened, but you didn’t know. You’d just shove kids off on anyone.”
“I know your dad. Plus, you seem like a responsible person. And I get that your business is important. I’m assuming that you have plenty of downtime where you have recreational activities that you enjoy.”
He inclined his head, as though agreeing.
“But none of that stuff will matter eventually. I bet you have a big empty house, a child that doesn’t live at home anymore, and there are a lot of children who could use a good home. You look like you’d be a good dad.”
She shook her head at herself, unable to believe that she was being so...pushy.
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure why I said all that, but... I guess I just know that there are a lot of kids who could use some help. I’ve been considering it myself.”
“Fostering children?”
She nodded. “I just sold my bed-and-breakfast, and I have plenty of money to live on. If I’m careful. My son showed me how to invest some of it, and I’m hoping that eventually I’ll be able to live on just the interest. In the meantime, yeah. There are so many kids who need a family, how can I just relax and enjoy my retirement when I could be doing something to change a life? Isn’t that kinda selfish of me?”
He stared at her, finally shifting from one foot to the other while he crossed his arms over his chest. “I like it better when we talk about what you should be doing and not me.”
She got the feeling that those were honest words, pulled from his heart. She appreciated the fact that he wasn’t trying to hide anything.
“But my life would have to change drastically in order for me to have time for children.”
“Well, this might be a good time for change,” she said, her chin lifted.
She’d probably never talk to Pierce again. So, it most likely didn’t matter that she was challenging him almost.
But just in case, she said, “And if you have any advice for me, I’ll certainly listen to it. I... I don’t usually push myself on people the way I’ve been pushing on you. I’m not sure why.”
“I guess everything happens for a reason,” he said, and he didn’t seem upset.
“I’ll keep an eye on your dad.”
“Let me give you my phone number. You can call me or text me if you notice anything. I... I’m not expecting you to check him every day, just as often as you normally do. If that’s okay?”
“It is,” she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
There was something about Pierce that made her feel...odd. That was the only way she could explain it. He made her remember that she was female. Not in an overly powerful way, just in a way that made her act out of character apparently.
Regardless, she typed in his number as he gave it to her, then sent him a quick text so he would have hers.
“Do you mind keeping me updated in case anything happens?”
“I don’t. I think Dad would want me to. I’ll let you know how the doctor’s appointment turns out next week.”
“Thank you.”
“Thanks for coming in with me. I didn’t want Dad to overhear that.”
“No. I didn’t want him to hear me telling you that I was concerned about him either. He... He is not going to get old gracefully, I assume.”
“No. It’s going to be a rough road. He’s so used to being independent. But... You made me think anyway.”
“All right. I suppose you’ve done the same for me. And by the way, thank you for the chocolate-covered espresso beans. I do truly enjoy them.”
He smiled, and she felt like most of the tension between them dissipated. Even though if she could do it over again, she wouldn’t have mentioned anything about fostering children or criticized him for his recreational activities when he could be using his time to be a blessing to people in the world. She didn’t usually push her ideals on other people, and this was an anomaly that she hoped she did not repeat.
They walked out together and sat down, talking to Joe for several hours.
