If I Didn't Know Better (The Callaways #9)(9)

"Have you lived here long?" she asked.

"Just two weeks. It's a rental."

"Oh, that makes sense. I thought an older couple lived here."

"Apparently, they moved out a few months back and decided to keep it as a rental."

She nodded and sat down at the table. He could see the questions gathering in her eyes, and it didn't take long for the first one to reach her lips.

"So I don't want to pry," she began.

"Ashlyn lost her mother two months ago. She's dealing with grief and trauma. Those emotions seem to have stolen her voice."

"I'm so sorry," she said, compassion entering her pretty blue eyes. "That's terrible. You both must be devastated."

"Ashlyn's mother and I weren't together," he said, realizing she'd jumped to the wrong conclusion. "I actually didn't even know I had a child until last month."

"Really? She didn't tell you?"

"No. Ashlyn and I have been together for three weeks, one week in San Francisco and two weeks here. She didn't have any other relatives to take her."

"Well, I'm sure she's lucky to have you."

"So far, she doesn't act like she feels lucky, but that doesn't matter. I just want her to get better, talk again, smile, laugh, and be a normal little kid."

"You'll get there," she said, as he sat down across from her.

He wished he felt as confident.

"So her mother never told you she was pregnant?" Mia continued. "Was your relationship over before she found out?"

"It wasn't a relationship. It was a hook-up: my twenty-first birthday, her spring break, a lot of tequila."

Mia nodded in understanding. "Got it. I'm surprised that she didn't tell you, though. It must have been difficult for her to be a single mother at twenty-one. What about her parents?"

"All I know is that they've been deceased for some time." He paused. "Justine put my name on the birth certificate, but she never tried to find me, and I doubt I'll ever know why."

"Would you have been difficult to find?"

"I was in the Army, so difficult, yes, but not impossible. I asked Ashlyn if her mom had told her about me, and she just stared back at me with those big brown eyes of hers that should be full of life but aren't. Anyway, she might not like me, but she seems quite drawn to you."

"I was always good with kids. As a teenager, with a not-so-great social life, I made a lot of money babysitting."

He had a difficult time believing she'd had any lack of a social life. She was pretty, friendly, and had a killer body that he appreciated even more now that she was sitting in his lighted kitchen. He tried to shake that thought out of his head. "So you said you're here to clean out your aunt's house?"

"Yes. Aunt Carly died unexpectedly in an accident. She was a world traveler and quite a collector. I haven't been in her house in years, but I remember it being filled to the brim with all kinds of things: statues, carvings, paintings, old books, and scarves. She loved scarves—she wore them every day. She loved jewelry, too—the older the better. I bet she has some pieces that are a hundred years old."

"Sounds like you're about to open a treasure chest," he said, seeing the light of anticipation in her eyes.

She smiled. "It feels a little like that. But I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I loved my aunt. She and I were soul mates. We had a special connection. She introduced me to art; she taught me how to paint. She inspired me so much. I am really going to miss her. The only thing that gives me peace is that she died having an adventure. She was always about living life to the fullest. She used to give me a hard time, asking me what I was waiting for, when I was going to start living…"

Her voice trailed away as a shadow entered her eyes. She looked at him with pain now in her gaze. "I don't know what I was waiting for, what I'm still waiting for. How do you decide when it's time to stay on the path of certainty or jump into the unknown?"

"Interesting question for a woman who had trouble coming down a ladder," he said. "For you, I think the path of certainty might be the only choice."

She made a little face at him. "I was speaking metaphorically."

"I find it's better to live in reality, not metaphoric possibilities."

"That's probably a good idea. I climbed up to the roof, because I was trying to be more bold, take more chances, not just wait for someone to rescue me."

"And yet—"

"I know you had to rescue me," she said, cutting him off. "But that wasn't supposed to happen."

"That's the thing with taking chances; you don't know what will happen. Most people would say that's what makes taking a chance exciting."

"I know my aunt would say that." She sighed. "I don't know why I just told you all that about myself. I guess five hours on the road with only myself to talk to has loosened my tongue."

"I don't know why I told you anything, either, but I guess living with a kid who acts like I'm invisible has made me appreciate conversation more than I used to."

"Be careful what you wish for. Once Ashlyn starts talking, she might never shut up."