Rosewood Lane (Cedar Cove #2)(67)

“No—this time I got a call from Joe Mitchell. He’s the medical examiner. Recently a man died while staying at the Thyme and Tide bed-and-breakfast.”

Cliff remembered reading about that in The Cedar Cove Chronicle. It was a strange story, one that didn’t make much sense. Apparently the man hadn’t been identified yet. “He was carrying false ID, right?”

“Yes. Joe said the dead man had gone through extensive cosmetic surgery, too.”

“He’d altered his appearance?”

Grace nodded. “Joe noticed he was about the same age as Dan and had a similar build. He was playing a hunch when he contacted me.”

Understanding came in a flash. “The medical examiner thought it might be Dan?”

She briefly closed her eyes and Cliff realized how traumatized and upset she must’ve been to receive such a call. “Joe thought I might be able to identify him.” She gave a perceptible shudder. “Going to the morgue was awful. Just awful…”

Cliff slipped closer to the edge of the chair cushion. “But it wasn’t Dan, was it?”

Grace lowered her gaze and shook her head. “No.” She swallowed tightly. “God forgive me, I wish it had been—not that I want him dead but I need answers. I need to know why he left and if he ever intends on coming back.”

Her knuckles were white, and it was hard for Cliff to stay where he was. The urge to hold her grew stronger by the minute.

“First the calls on Thanksgiving and now this. It’s almost as if—”

“Calls?” Cliff repeated. “There was more than one?”

“Actually there were three, and every time we answered, all we heard was static. I felt the eeriest sensation, and I knew it had to be Dan. It had to be. Who else would phone not once but three times and then say absolutely nothing?”

“Wait a second.” Cliff raised his hand, his thoughts swirling frantically. “Who else?” he echoed. “What about me?”

“What?”

Cliff cleared his throat. “That was me.”

“You phoned—and didn’t say anything?” Her voice was raised in accusation.

“Remember the blizzard I told you about? I tried to call you all day, and I did manage to get through on three different occasions. But the first two times, the only thing I could hear was static. The third time no one picked up and I didn’t leave a message.”

“That was you?” Grace pressed her hands to her lips. “But I thought…I believed it was Dan.”

Tears filled her eyes, and Cliff didn’t care what she thought, he had to hold her. Moving onto the sofa beside Grace, he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry. I would’ve mentioned it earlier, but I didn’t know.”

“I felt as if Dan was reaching out to me—as if he was saying how sorry he was. A year ago, we’d had a wonderful Thanksgiving and this year…this year it was only Maryellen and me and…”

Cliff brought her closer still and rested his chin gently on her head. She felt warm and soft in his embrace. More than that, it seemed so right to hold her. He savored these moments, treasured them. He yearned to tilt her face toward his, to lower his mouth to hers, but he didn’t want Grace to turn to him in grief. When they kissed again, he wanted it to be in discovery. In mutual passion. In shared affection.

The front door opened suddenly, which shocked them both. Grace jerked away and inhaled sharply. “Kelly…”

Her youngest daughter stood in the room, holding Tyler in a baby carrier, her eyes huge and angry. “What’s he doing here?” she demanded.

“Kelly, this is Cliff Harding, the man I told you I was seeing,” Grace said, recovering quickly. She left the sofa and crouched down to look at her grandson. Little Tyler was sound asleep.

“Your mother invited me to lunch,” Cliff added, wanting it understood that he hadn’t stopped by without a reason.

Kelly remained tense, standing there, glaring at them both.

“Please, sweetheart, sit down.” Although her daughter was clearly furious, Grace remained courteous.

Kelly did as her mother asked, but reluctantly. “Why didn’t you tell me about Maryellen?”

Grace sighed and looked away. “It wasn’t my decision not to tell you. It was Maryellen’s.”

“My own sister is pregnant, and I’m kept entirely in the dark?”

This was news to Cliff, too, but now didn’t seem the time to mention it.

“I suggest you take this up with Maryellen,” Grace said. “The last thing I want to do is get between the two of you. I will say that I didn’t agree with Maryellen, but the choice was hers.”

“She told you, though.” Kelly’s hurt was evident. “She didn’t trust me? She left me to figure it out for myself, like…like I don’t matter?”

“I’m sorry, but it was your sister’s choice,” Grace repeated.

“How many other people know? Am I the only one who doesn’t?”

“I guessed she was pregnant,” Grace admitted. “She didn’t tell me voluntarily.”

Cliff could see that Grace and her daughter needed to talk, and his being there wasn’t helping. “Why don’t I leave for a while?” he said, getting to his feet.