Rosewood Lane (Cedar Cove #2)(69)

“Did you know Grandma Munson died of the same form of cancer?” Olivia asked her brother. Charlotte had brought up that fact the day she’d been so worried, and Olivia knew she was terrified that history was about to repeat itself.

“I barely remember Grandma Munson,” Will said.

“Mom’s putting on a good face but she’s frightened.”

“She’s afraid colon cancer will kill her, too?”

“I think so,” Olivia told him. “She wants to be strong. It’s funny, but when she first told me about the cancer, I panicked. The crazy part is Mom’s the one who comforted me. She gave me the information she’d printed off the Internet.”

“Mom goes on the Internet?”

“Occasionally. One of the knitting ladies she meets with at the SeniorCenter took a computer class. As soon as Bess heard Mom had cancer, she invited her over. The two of them went on a search to find all the information available on colon cancer.”

“Mom’s certainly one of a kind,” Will said. “Remember all that business with the Yodeling Cowboy—how she removed his effects and hid them in her underwear drawer?”

Olivia laughed, and it felt good to be with her brother.

“How’s Grace doing these days?” he asked suddenly. “Any news on Dan’s disappearance? He’s never come back?”

“A couple of times Grace was convinced he’d returned to the house, but that was early on.”

“How would she know?”

“Working in the forests all those years, Dan smelled like evergreen. Twice when she returned from work, the inside of the house had the scent of a Christmas tree. The only way that could’ve happened was if Dan had shown up.”

“Anything since?”

“Not a peep. She thought he might’ve phoned on Thanksgiving, but eventually found out it was Cliff. He’s that friend of Mom’s Grace has been seeing on and off.”

“A friend of Mom’s,” Will echoed. “I’d think he was too old for Grace.”

“Oh, no—Cliff’s the grandson of Tom Harding, the cowboy actor.”

“Right. I’d forgotten his name.”

There was a silence and then Olivia said, “You know when we were growing up, I always thought you had a crush on Grace.”

“I did.”

“You never asked her out, though.”

“No,” he said, “but that’s because I was shy.”

“You!” Olivia didn’t believe it for a moment. “I know she would’ve loved it if you had asked her.” And maybe things would have turned out differently for both of you.

“You’re joking.” Will sounded surprised. “I think Grace is one of the most incredible women I’ve ever met.”

His admiration was sincere and equaled Olivia’s. “I do, too. Even through all this craziness with Dan, she’s been solid as a rock.”

“Does anyone know what happened to Dan? Any evidence at all?”

Olivia shook her head. “I wish there was, but no.”

“What about a calculated guess?”

“The truth?” She glanced away from the road long enough to gauge his reaction. “Everyone assumes there’s another woman involved. He bought a ring just before he disappeared and then later he was seen in town with a woman. It was almost as if he was flaunting his affair.”

“But that’s not what you think?”

“No,” she said. “It doesn’t add up.”

“How so?”

“Well, Dan wasn’t exactly Mr. Personality. He was never the same after Vietnam. Sometimes, for no obvious reason, he went into these depressions and closed out the world. He’d be completely unresponsive—sometimes even cruel. When he was like that, he made life miserable for Grace.”

“Why did she stay with him all those years?”

Olivia wasn’t entirely sure, but she had her own theory, based on her long friendship with Grace. “She’s an honorable woman. When she said her vows, she meant them. For better or for worse. But Grace got the worse a lot more often than she got the better—and a lot more often than either of us will ever know. Still, she loved Dan and in his own way, Dan loved her.”

Olivia exited the freeway at the second Cedar Cove off-ramp and drove toward her mother’s home. “When we get to Mom’s, beware of Harry. He’s pretty protective of her.”

Will chuckled. “Don’t tell me Mom’s got a man living with her.”

Now it was Olivia’s turn to smile. “Wait and see.”

Thirteen

While reading the February 7th issue of the Bremerton newspaper, Jack surreptitiously watched his son out of the corner of his eye. They’d just finished a dinner of microwave lasagna and ice cream. Immediately afterward, Eric had begun to pace the small, compact living room of Jack’s waterfront rental house as though he found it impossible to keep still. The boy had been getting on Jack’s nerves for weeks. They’d had more than one verbal confrontation during the months since Eric had moved in with him. Ironically, instead of driving them apart, their arguments seemed to have cemented their relationship as father and son.

When Eric had first arrived, they’d both been careful, each afraid of saying or doing something to upset the other. That awkwardness soon dissipated when what was supposed to be only a few days had stretched into nearly five months. There was definitely a degree of irritation, but at least it was honest and they’d finally moved beyond the superficial.