The Memory Keeper: A Heartwarming, Feel-Good Romance(25)

“I’m having fun with Grandma,” Noah said, his high voice like an angel’s. “We played on the beach.”

“That sounds like fun,” Liam said.

Noah nodded. There was an underlying sadness in his face that mirrored the one Hannah had seen in Liam’s at times, and she wondered about it.

“Who is the lady in that big hat?” she heard Noah ask, as Liam moved his phone closer to her. She only just remembered she was still wearing the sombrero. “She’s funny,” Noah giggled.

“This is Hannah. She was nice enough to come along with me on the trip home since I can’t take a plane. And this is Georgia.” He twisted his wrist to turn the phone around so Noah could see Georgia. “They’re my new friends.”

“Will I get to meet them?” Noah asked.

“Maybe,” he replied, diplomatically.

His answer caused Hannah to consider the fact that, after this, they would all go their separate ways.

“Can we?” the little boy pressed. “I want to meet Hannah so she can bring her hat.”

“You like this hat?” Hannah said, leaning into view. She grabbed a tortilla chip and scooped up some salsa, popping it into her mouth. Seeing the little boy’s face lightened her mood considerably.

“I want to wear it. Would you let me wear it?”

“I would, except I borrowed it from this restaurant. It’s my birthday today and this is the birthday hat.”

“Will you eat cake?” Noah asked.

“I did have some cake earlier,” she replied.

Noah’s eyes grew round, and he broke into a delighted expression. “What kind was it?”

“It was vanilla on the inside and chocolate on the outside,” Hannah replied. “Your daddy bought it for me.” The waiter came by and brought them waters. Georgia told him they’d need a minute more.

“Daddy, will you buy me cake one day?” Noah asked.

“Sure,” Liam replied, tilting the phone back in his direction so Noah could see him.

“What kind of cake did you have for your last birthday—can you remember?” Hannah asked, making conversation. It was easy to talk to the little boy. He seemed just darling.

“It was a white bread kind with the white icing on top,” he replied excitedly. “And it had special balloons with my name on them! I love balloons…”

“That sounds like a fun cake,” she said. “Did you pick it out? Or did your dad?”

“Daddy doesn’t buy me cake. Elise does.”

“Who’s Elise?” Hannah asked.

“My nanny.”

“Oh,” Hannah said. “So did she pick out your cake?”

“Yeah, she always gets good stuff.”

“It definitely sounds like it,” Hannah said.

“I ate two whole pieces at my birthday party!” he said.

Hannah laughed. “And how many did your daddy eat?” She grinned at Liam but he looked worried, withdrawn.

“He didn’t have any cake,” Noah said. “He works till after I’m in bed.”

“Hey, buddy, I’m going to go, okay?” Liam said. “I’ll be at Grandma’s to pick you up when you get home from the beach.”

“Okay,” Noah said, but he seemed more hesitant about that than excited.

“See you soon,” Liam told him.

“Bye, Daddy.”

It occurred to Hannah that when they’d talked about renting the car earlier, his reason for going to Franklin was to secure the real estate funding and collect his inheritance. Wouldn’t any parent have first said they were picking up their son? Certainly that would come above money, right?

Maybe it would be better to focus on her life instead of someone else’s, she thought.



As they resumed the journey home, Hannah alternated between pretending to read the book she’d brought for the beach and closing her eyes to give them relief. The latter won out, and not long into the second leg of their journey, she drifted off. When she woke, she realized that they’d driven well over half the distance to Franklin.

“I’m so sorry,” she said to Liam. “I was absolutely exhausted after yesterday and I zonked right out. I thought we were going to take turns driving.” She tucked the book she’d placed on her lap but had never actually read back into her bag.

Liam pulled into a parking space at a rest stop along the highway. “You looked too deep in sleep to interrupt you.” He cut off the engine and turned around. Georgia was also asleep in the backseat, with her headphones on and her crossword in her lap.

“Wild bunch you’ve got here,” Hannah teased, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Liam smiled. “Wanna lock her in and take Jerry for a quick walk to stretch our legs?” he asked.

“Sure.”

She pulled on her coat and zipped it up to her chin before she reached back to grab the leash and scoop up Jerry. She clipped on his leash and set him on the grass. The clouds had parted, revealing a bright-blue sky, the sun beaming down in long, glorious rays through the trees, but the temperature was still quite cold. Hannah paced beside Liam as they led Jerry across the yard at the rest area.

“We’re making good time,” he said, obviously trying to fill the silence with conversation, but the look on his face made her wonder if he had more to say. “We only have about two more hours left to drive.”