Lilac Lane (Chesapeake Shores #14)(68)

“You’ve offered before, Dee. The other day the time finally seemed right. Letting go, even though I know they’re just clothes and shoes, was harder than I expected.”

“What did you do with her things?”

“I’ve kept all her jewelry for you. Not that she had much—she was never interested in fancy jewelry. I put aside a few other things I thought you might like. Most I donated to a shelter for women trying to get back into the workforce.”

“Mom would have loved that,” she said.

“About the picture, Dee. If you want, I’ll mail it to you.”

“Please, yes,” she said. “I really want to see it.”

“You were just a baby, remember. You’re not going to be able to tell if you resemble him.”

“Still, it’s something I should have when I meet him, to prove I am who I say I am, I guess. He might want proof.”

“I’ll mail it first thing tomorrow via overnight mail,” Ash promised. “When do you think you’ll go back?”

“Next weekend,” Deanna said, the impulsive words out before she could stop them. Now that she’d said it, it was a commitment of sorts. There would be no backing down.

“I know you’ve said you want to do it on your own, but I am willing to be there if you need me.”

“I know, and I love you for offering. I know none of this is easy for you, either.”

“All I want is your happiness, Dee.” He hesitated, then asked, “Do you know what you hope to get out of this meeting?”

“Answers,” she said simply.

Wasn’t that all anybody really needed from the past?





Chapter 16



“It was the perfect end to a perfect holiday,” Kiera said, eyes closed, her head resting against the passenger seat as Bryan made his way through the remnants of the Fourth of July traffic, which had been slowed to a crawl by an unexpected storm that hit with driving rain and a fierce wind just after the fireworks ended.

“I think the fireworks this year were the best yet,” Bryan said. “And it helped that God added a few bits of lightning in the night sky to put the man-made stuff to shame.”

“But the actual storm held off, thank goodness,” Kiera said. “I imagine most people got back to their cars without getting soaked.”

“If only we could say the same,” he responded. “I’m glad I keep a change of clothes at the pub, but you must be freezing with the air-conditioning blowing on your damp clothes. Want me to turn it off?”

“Absolutely not. I’ll be fine as soon as I change and get out of these wet shoes,” Kiera said. “They got the worst of it. I think we ran through every puddle downtown.” She grinned at him. “I think you chose that route deliberately. Were you the kind of boy who never avoided jumping in a puddle?”

He laughed. “I was, as a matter of fact. It drove my mother crazy.”

“Moira and her brothers were no better,” Kiera assured him. “I grumbled about it, but I couldn’t really blame them, especially on a hot summer evening when the splashing helped them to cool off.”

“It sounds to me as if their childhood wasn’t so rough.”

Kiera sighed. “I didn’t want it to be, so I encouraged some of the simple little pleasures that other mothers frowned on. Maybe that’s how my sons got the idea that it was okay to break all the rules.”

Bryan glanced over at her. “Will you ever tell me more about them?”

“One of these days,” she promised. “Not tonight. I just want to have a glass of wine and crash. As much fun as today was, I’m exhausted.”

“I should probably let you do just that, but I was thinking you might like to have that wine on my deck. The storm has moved on now and it’s cooler.” He held her gaze for a beat before adding, “I’ve missed our late-night chats.”

The admission made her smile and caused her pulse to leap. She glanced over at him, but his eyes were back on the road. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea. We’re still trying to sort things out between us.”

“A glass of wine and a little conversation, Kiera. It’s a good way to wind down after a long day,” he said persuasively. “Doctor-recommended, in fact.”

Kiera lifted a brow. “Really? What doctor is that?”

Bryan glanced over, a mischievous spark in his eyes. “I believe I found him on the internet.”

“An honest-to-goodness authority, then,” she said, laughing. “How convenient that you discovered him.”

“I think so.”

As torn as she was between what she wanted and what was wise, she said, “Honestly, Bryan, I’m not sure I’m up for changing, then changing again for bed.”

“Just put on a robe,” he said as if it were no big deal to arrive half-dressed at a man’s house. “No one’s going to see you or judge you. It’ll certainly be no more revealing than that blouse that’s plastered to you right now.”

Kiera glanced down and gasped. Her prim white top had become a revealing, see-through blouse. “Oh dear, I never thought to check to see if I looked a mess after the rain.”

“You don’t look a mess at all,” he said, a sudden spark in his eyes. “You look like exactly what you are, a very attractive woman.” He deliberately turned his attention away from her and took studious care with parking, then got out of the car and walked around to open her door. “Get dry and come over,” he said as if the matter had been decided. “I’ll have the wine ready.”