AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“An hour or so ago. I went to my parents' house then came here.”
He nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. “I bet your mom was excited to see you.”
I giggled. “That’s an understatement.”
We made small talk about the weather and the farm as we drove the short distance to Clawson’s. Once we parked, I hopped out of the truck and met Lincoln in front.
“After you.” He gestured with that dashing smile of his. My stomach flip-flopped, just like it used to back in high school.
I could feel the blush creeping over my cheeks as he followed me. When we reached the door, he opened it for me like the country gentleman his parents raised him to be.
Clawson’s was just as I remembered it. Wooden tables and booths, flags hanging from the ceiling, and random antique memorabilia adorning the red brick walls.
“Hey, Lincoln. Sit wherever you’d like, and we’ll be right with you,” greeted a waitress carrying a serving tray to a booth near the windows.
“You want to sit outside on the dock?” Lincoln asked.
I smiled. “Yeah, sure.”
I followed Lincoln out back to the waterfront dining area. Two men in business suits sat at one of the tables as well as two women with babies at another.
I wanted a table away from the others since we were going to be talking about personal issues, and Lincoln must have had the same idea because he headed to a table on the far corner of the dock.
A couple of minutes later, a waitress came out and took our order. Once she left, Lincoln smiled broadly at me. He seemed truly happy that I was back in town, which perplexed me. I hadn’t left on the best of terms, and he was not on board with our breakup, so I didn’t expect him to welcome me back with open arms.
“So how’s life been?” Lincoln asked.
I couldn’t help but sigh. I wanted to tell him how miserable I’d been since I’d left him and how my life hadn’t been the same without him. Instead, I answered, “Good. How about you?”
He gave me a look like he’d caught me with my hand in a cookie jar. “You ain’t getting off that easy, Liv. You gotta give me more than that.”
My lips curved up slightly. “What do you want to know?”
“Are you married?” he asked, glancing quickly down at my left hand, then back up to my eyes.
“No. Are you?” I regretted asking as soon as the words left my mouth. If he were married, the remains of my fractured, wilted heart would shatter.
And as I watched Lincoln’s Adam’s apple bob, I feared the worst. “No.”
I fought a smile. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but I didn’t pry. I was just happy that he wasn’t someone else’s husband. Even though I had no claim to Lincoln after leaving him, I still felt like he was mine.
“What about work? Did you get your dream job?”
“I did. I’m actually here for a work assignment.”
He arched a brow. “Really?”
“Yeah, I’m doing some research and work at the Coastal Reserve while I’m here. I’ll spare you the boring details.” I chuckled. Lincoln loved my passion for science and supported my dreams, but he didn’t have the same interest that I did for the subject.
“How long are you staying?”
“A couple of months or so, maybe longer. It all depends on how things go.” I didn’t specify whether I was referring to work or things with Piper.
Lincoln nodded and leaned forward to pull something out of his pocket. He unfolded a small piece of paper and set it in front of me.
I gingerly touched the paper as my eyes scanned the words of my daughter. I felt the burn of oncoming tears, but I didn’t want Lincoln to see me cry, so I took a deep breath to keep them at bay.
After reading the letter several times, I glanced up at Lincoln. “Do you really think it’s her?” I asked, barely above a whisper.
