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“Did you ever get inside when Stacy Snell lived there?” I ask. She shakes her head. “Jamie said you didn’t show him the secret passage to the boat house.”
“What secret passage?”
“The one under the garage.” How can realtors not know about this?
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says. “You’ll have to show me tomorrow.”
I stand up and stretch out my back before saying, “I’m going to lock up. Do you want to go out for a salad or something?”
“No, Chris is meeting me at home. We’re telling his parents about the baby tonight.”
“They’ll be thrilled,” I predict.
“His mom will probably burst into tears and declare it’s the end of the world,” she says. “You know that woman has never liked me.”
“That will end when her first grandbaby arrives,” I predict.
Anna closes her eyes and mumbles, “Dare to dream.”
She’s quiet for so long, I ask, “Are you falling asleep?”
Her eyes blink slowly. “I’m tired all the time. Seriously, getting dressed exhausts me so much I just want to go back to sleep.”
“It’s hard work growing humans,” I tell her.
She slowly stands up. “I better get going before I spend the night in your shop. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you.” Once she’s gone, I hurry to grab my purse and follow her out. After locking the door behind me, I decide to get takeout from Noodle House. The alternative would be nuking yet another frozen dinner—which would be my fourth this week— and I’m getting sick of those.
As I head in the direction of my favorite pad thai, I spot a familiar duo sitting in the park. Sammy’s head is leaning against her dad’s shoulder, and she’s looking like her world has just ended. I feel physically drawn to cross the street to see if she’s okay, but I force myself to resist the urge. Not only do I barely know the girl, but her dad appears to have the situation in hand. Also, I can’t imagine Jamie would appreciate my presence.
Sammy reminds me a lot of myself as a kid. Scared, excited, eager to please. I never had the self-assurance necessary to catapult me to popularity, but even so, I had a pretty decent upbringing. And after hearing about Sammy’s past social difficulties, I’m determined to help her start her Elk Lake schooling career with a bang.
There isn’t too much of a line at Noodle House, so it doesn’t take long to procure my food and get home. Once I’m through my door, I pull my dress over my head while walking to the bedroom. After slipping on my silky pink nightgown, I pour myself a glass of sparkling water and transfer my dinner to a plate. Then I sit on the couch to eat.
The number one thought that fills my brain is of Jamie Riordan. The man is impossible to read. On the few occasions we’ve met, he has seemed annoyed by my existence. Which makes the scene in the diner today stand out as very strange. Was it my imagination or was the man wrestling with an emotion other than irritation when he was holding me in his arms outside of the bathroom?
My entire body starts to tingle at the memory—the sensation starting at my toes and ending with my scalp feeling like it’s about to jump off my head. How can this man affect me so intensely when I’m pretty sure I don’t even like him? Especially since I feel confident that, despite the looks he sometimes gives me, he isn’t that crazy about me.
Which brings my thoughts to Tim. Tim is personable, funny, and easy on the eyes. If that isn’t enough, he’s clearly looking for a real relationship, which is a huge plus in the dating game. We laughed so much today that I can’t wait to see him again. The question is, do I feel romantic feelings toward him? Do I want to kiss him?
The vision that pops into my head causes me to gasp out loud in shock. It’s an image of me with my arms wrapped around a man, kissing the stuffing out of him. But that man isn’t Tim.
It’s Jamie.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
JAMIE
“Did you always want to be a dad?” Sammy asks on our way home from the park.
“Yes,” I tell her plainly. Although the truth is, I wasn’t motivated by actual parenthood so much as I was driven to create a family. A family that included kids, but also two parents.
“Did Beth talk about wanting kids before you got pregnant with me?”
This is a question I’ve thought about a lot over the years. And every time I try to navigate the minefield of memories, I’m shocked by what I recall. Beth didn’t talk about kids. She talked about all the things she wanted us to do, and in my head, I always assumed that children were part of that.
“Beth had a lot of plans for her life,” I tell my daughter. “But I don’t think having a family was at the top of her list.” I know this hurts her to hear, but I’ve never wanted to misguide my daughter regarding the reality of her mother. Better to have harsh truths than false hopes.
