Kitabı oku: «The Good Mother», sayfa 3

Chapter Five

“Watch your toes!” Evie cried to Missy as the toddler pulled herself up onto a big rock and scrunched her tiny toes in the powder-soft sand next to Evie’s towel and umbrella on the edge of Cascade Beach. “The sand’s hot!”

“Hop,” Missy mumbled, squishing her toes again in the sand before plopping down on her bottom.

Evie rolled to one side and watched her baby girl giggle as she scooped up a handful of sand and looked at it in her palm before letting it flow through her fingers. “Oh, Missy. You bring me joy.”

“She’d bring anyone joy,” Tanya said from her left. “Missy is such a sweetheart.”

Evie couldn’t deny it. From the moment Missy had been born, she was Jenna’s polar opposite. Easygoing, sleepy at night, happy with life. Evie could only imagine what life would have been like with two Jennas. Most likely, she’d have white hair and be talking with a stutter. “I’m lucky.”

“You are that. You have two adorable girls while I’m still trying to find Mr. Right.”

Thinking about John, Evie now knew there was a whole lot more to people than labels. “‘Mr. Right’ isn’t as easy to find as you might think. Actually, ‘Mr. Right’ might not even exist.”

Tanya’s shoulders slumped. “I suppose not. But, still…”

“But still…I know.” Evie knew what Tanya meant. It would be nice to find someone who was as good as his first impression. Someone who lived up to expectations.

As Tanya stretched out her legs on the beach towel, she smiled at Missy and her handful of sand. “She’s so adorable, she makes me want to have a baby.”

“Be careful what you wish for. Missy’s a good girl, but she had me up for almost two days straight when she was getting her front teeth. You may like sleeping.”

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

“I have a feeling there’s a lot about raising a kid that you might not have thought about,” Evie said with a smile.

“Maybe so.” Tanya chuckled. “I do like eating adult food…not things with cartoons on their containers.” As she picked up a bag of fruit snacks, she shook her head. “I can’t believe you eat these.”

“I don’t, Jenna does.” Well, Evie had been known to eat through a whole box when there was nothing else in the house. “And speaking of Jenna, I hope she’s not driving my mom batty at the grocery store.”

Tanya winked. “I bet she’s only asking for one thing in each aisle.”

“You do know my daughter.”

“I learned a thing or two from my visits to Texas over the years.”

Tanya had visited her and John at least one weekend a year from the time they’d both graduated college. Every time, their friendship had seemed to pick up exactly where it had left off. Consequently, Tanya had been the only person who hadn’t been surprised when Evie announced her separation.

Laughing, Evie said, “If my mom only has to deal with food requests, she’s getting off pretty easily.”

Still rummaging in the beach bag, Tanya pulled out a box of Goldfish. “Now these, I like.”

“You’d look at them as a gourmet treat in no time,” Evie commented. “You’d have a good feeling about juice boxes, too.”

“I would if I could add a shot of vodka on occasion. Hey, speaking of drinks, we’re probably due for something cold and wet, too.” Tanya popped open the cooler she’d brought from home. “I’ve got Diet Coke or iced tea. Which one?”

“Sweet tea?”

Tanya looked properly horrified. “Is there any other?”

Evie smiled at their old joke. “Tea, then, please.”

Tanya unscrewed the top of a large glass jar, poured out two cupfuls, added some ice out of a plastic baggie, and handed the cup to Evie, who smiled appreciatively. “You are a sweet tea genius.”

In a ridiculous Elvis impersonation, Tanya bowed. “Thank you, thank you very much.” After closing the cooler, Tanya sat down next to Evie. “So, you’ve been here two days. Are you relaxing yet?”

“Getting there. My body’s going through shock, I think, from getting so much rest and relaxation.” Not wanting to discuss her health with one more person, she sipped her tea and turned the tables. “What’s new with you?”

After handing Missy a juice box, Tanya shrugged. “Not much. I’ve moved next to my mother and teach ballet at her old studio.”

“Do you like that? You always had dreams of going to New York.”

Tanya smiled. “I think every dancer has that dream. To answer your question, I do like it, but I don’t love it. I’m not the teacher my mother was.”

“You might be.”

“I’m not. My mother was a born instructor—I wanted to perform. The two are pretty different entities.” Curving her legs underneath her, Tanya said, “I’m having to learn a lot about patience.”

The confession made Evie realize that they’d all given up some dreams at one time or another. Obviously, that was what growing up was all about—picking and choosing the path to take. “August told me you’re helping him, too.”

“I am…well, I work at the resort as much as August asks me to.”

“Asks you? What’s up with that? The Tanya I know takes what she wants when she wants it.”

“We both know I haven’t been that demanding in years. Besides, I’ve been trying to give August some space. He’s still trying to get over his breakup with Erin and, well, he feels a lot of responsibility for Silver Shells. It makes him grumpy at times.”

Erin. For a second, Evie thought about asking about August and Erin, but decided against it. She focused on the easier subject instead. “Grumpy, that’s hard for me to imagine.”

“Oh, he’s not mean, August just likes things how he likes them, and forgets to ask for help. But with Silver Shells doing such good business, he can use all the help he can get. Especially with Mom. She can be trying at times.”

Remembering August’s frequent glances at his mom while they were setting the table, Evie nodded. “August seems worried.”

“He is. We both are. Neither of us wants to see her go through some of the procedures my dad was subjected to.”

Thinking of Beverly’s robust laugh at the barbecue, Evie said, “I thought she looked great.”

“She does. All those years of ballet have helped her bones. But her cholesterol’s off the charts. She’s ornery, too.” Tanya shrugged. “I don’t want to bore you, but taking care of someone who doesn’t want to be taken care of gets tiring, especially now that I’ve moved next to her. Sometimes I just want to tell her to remember her age.”

That sounded like trouble. “Maybe she’ll settle down soon.”

Tanya laughed and stretched out her legs, flexing her poor, calloused toes. “Maybe she will. And maybe one day the perfect man will appear out of the surf and take me away.”

After righting Missy’s lopsided juice box, Evie scanned the horizon. “I’ll be on the lookout.”

“Believe me, he hasn’t had the nerve to come around yet. I’m kind of ornery myself.” After a moment, Tanya said, “I’m kind of surprised you aren’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“After everything you’ve been through, you don’t seem bitter or angry.”

“That’s because I’m not. Just tired,” Evie replied, telling the truth. All she wanted to do was sleep and sit on the beach and watch the tide come in and out.

“Luckily, you have someone lying in wait.”

Evie glanced at the horizon again. “You’re completely confused, T.”

“Stop. You know who I’m talking about.” Tanya batted her eyes at Evie. “I mean my brother would love to be your knight in shining armor, and I bet you might just let him be that again.”

“Again?” As close as they were, August was the one subject Evie never discussed with her friend. Just how much did Tanya know about their past?

“Yes, again.”

For a split second, Evie recalled their frantic phone calls when her period had been late and his vows that he’d take care of her.

The sinking feeling she’d had, not wanting to be taken care of. The relief when she’d called him and told him that everything was fine and there would be no need to plan futures again…or, at least not for four more years.

“There’s something, Evie. August doesn’t just pop over to your parents’ house for breakfast any day of the week.”

Evie bit back a wave of irritation. Suddenly everyone around her was expecting she and August to take up from where they’d left off. “I don’t know why August came over.”

Tanya kept talking. “There always was something special between the two of you. Could be again.”

“No chance. I can hardly take care of myself and the girls. I couldn’t take care of a boyfriend, too.”

“I don’t think August is going to want to be taken care of. Probably the opposite. If I know him, he’s going to want to take care of you.”

“Then that worries me, too. I never want to feel obligated to a man ever again.”

Tanya curved her arms around her bent knees. “Maybe you should, just a little. I always thought you were a little too standoffish around John.”

Evie stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She kept her gaze on Missy, who was using a beach chair to pull herself up.

“Sure, you do. Remember when I came out to visit when Jenna was two and you had a cold?”

Evie remembered. John had wanted her to go to the doctor and get a strep test. She’d pretty much told him to mind his own business. Tanya had had trouble keeping her mouth shut.

“I don’t want anyone taking care of me. Besides, August lives here and I’m in Texas. Getting involved in a long-distance relationship would be a pretty dumb move on my part, if I was looking to get into a relationship.” Which she wasn’t.

“I suppose.”

Suddenly, Missy tumbled and fell, taking in a mouthful of sand. Spitting and crying, she rubbed her mouth and eyes, which of course got more sand and salt in them. Then the wailing began.

Hastily, Evie wiped down the baby’s face while Tanya searched through the humongous straw tote for baby wipes. Still Missy cried on.

“Uh-oh,” Tanya said, her face filled with panic. “What does she need?”

“To get cleaned off,” Evie said around Missy’s crying body, which had attached itself to her chest and neck like a giant starfish. “Get me some bottled water, please.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

After Evie got a bottle of Aquafina and practically drenched Missy’s face, the tears finally started to subside.

When she was sure she’d gotten all the sand out of Missy’s eyes she held her daughter close and murmured, “Poor Missy. I’m so sorry that happened.”

Missy’s thumb popped in her mouth in record time, her eyes slowly drifting shut. Now that the mini-crisis was over, Evie leaned back against the canvas chair, breathing a sigh of relief. “I think we’re all better now.”

“Barely all better. That scared the life out of me. I think I need a drink.” Tanya opened her cooler again, so quickly that Evie couldn’t figure out if she was teasing or not. “Maybe I have some beer in here.”

“It’s eleven in the morning! You don’t need a drink, you just need to breathe deep.”

“Breathing’s not working.”

“It will. This wasn’t a disaster.” Evie couldn’t hide the amusement in her voice. If Tanya could have seen her and the girls when she’d slit her hand open slicing a tomato and both girls in hysterics at the sight of all the blood, she’d know what a real state of emergency was.

“I can’t believe you were so calm,” Tanya continued. “I was freaking out.”

“That’s because you don’t have any kids.”

“Now I know why. I’m taking back everything I said about wanting a baby.”

Though Missy was now sleeping soundly, Evie wasn’t in a hurry to set her down. Instead, she shifted Missy and made sure she was protected by the umbrella’s shade before relaxing. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I suppose.”

Though outwardly calm, inside Evie could privately admit to being a little shaken up, too. For a moment, she hadn’t been able to remember where the bottled water and clean towels were and had been frustrated when Tanya simply stared at her instead of acting quickly.

Closing her eyes, she rolled her head and tried to loosen the knot that had formed along the base of her neck. Tried to pretend that she didn’t mind all the responsibility. Tried to relax. Once again, it was easier said than done.

Chapter Six

August was on the phone with his accountant, but all he could think about was Evie.

He’d started a list of activities to entertain her and her two girls. And before he deluded himself into thinking it was for old time’s sake, he admitted the plain and simple truth: he wanted to be near her.

In fact, there was no way he was going to be within a mile of Evie Ray and not do his best to be in her presence. There was still a spark between them that had him thinking about pulling her into the shadows and kissing her.

Looking at his calendar, August saw that she’d already been there a full week and he’d only seen her a few times. Though his schedule looked busy, there was nothing on it that couldn’t be changed for more fun activities.

Maybe Evie would want to take the girls to the putt-putt course.

“August, need anything else?”

August couldn’t recall the last five things his accountant had told him. “Nope. I’ll be in touch if I think of something we forgot to discuss. Thanks for the phone call, Steve,” he said before disconnecting the call as fast as he could.

When blessed silence surrounded him, he stared at his notes again. Maybe he’d ask Evie if she wanted to go on a cruise around the bay with the girls.

“August? August, you busy?”

He looked up to see his mom hovering outside his door. He stood. “What’s up, Mom?”

“My bridge game was over early. Pat Kampf is sick.”

August couldn’t even remember all of his mother’s friends who were in poor health. “How are you feeling?”

“Good.” She waved a hand. “I have some business to discuss.”

“Okay.” Slowly he sat back down as his mom crossed to one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Do you need something?”

“Money.”

This was unchartered territory. His mom had her own accounts, but had invested the bulk of her money in August’s name in case something happened to her. August had agreed to the arrangement reluctantly…only with the knowledge that his mother could have free and easy access to the funds whenever she wanted.

But this was the first time in two years that she’d ever asked. “Okay.” He got out his checkbook. “How much do you need?”

To his surprise, she looked taken aback. “You’re not going to grill me?”

“You’re my mother. Of course I’m not going to ask you questions about why you need money. Besides, we both agreed you were in charge of your own funds, right?”

“Right. But this might be different.” She hedged. “It’s a lot.”

August tried to keep his voice light, though inside he was really curious. What the devil was going on? “I assumed it was, since you saw the need to ask me and all.”

“This is hard. I don’t know how you’re going to react.”

Absently twirling the pen in between his fingers, he looked his mother over a little more carefully. Now he was getting worried. Was she sick? “How much do you need, Mom?”

“Three thousand dollars.”

He dropped his pen. Warily, he raised his head. His mother was sitting there across from him, rigid and tense, obviously begging for a fight.

He was frightened enough to let her have one. Was her insurance not paying for her drugs the way they’d planned on? “What happened? Are you sick?”

She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, August. I’m fine. This money is for…personal reasons.”

Huh? “Mom—”

“You said you wouldn’t interfere.”

“That’s before I knew you wanted three thousand dollars.” And before she was acting so strange.

She bit her lip. “It’s not for me. Not, really.”

“What is it for?”

“A club.”

“What kind of club?”

“A social one. August, there’s no other way to tell you this but straight out.” She took a deep breath and plunged in, saying the words in a jumbled mess. “For your information, I’m joining Harmonious Haven.”

Harmonious Haven. The singles club advertised during late-night syndicated shows on Channel 12. Couple after couple were highlighted, each looking more fit, handsome and romantic than the last. The couples made the matchmaking Internet site sound like the best thing since sliced bread, but August knew it had to be a scam.

Falling in love was never that easy.

Before he could think twice, all of August’s good intentions about being supportive of his mother went out the window. “Mom—”

“Don’t you ‘Mom’ me. I know what I’m doing.”

“It doesn’t sound like it.” Before he thought better of it, he said, “What happened to Dad?”

“Your father is buried at Park Hill, thank you very much.”

August blinked, amazed at just how much her words could hurt. “He’s barely been gone a year.”

“He was sick for a long time before that.”

“And your point is?”

His mother jabbed one French-manicured finger toward him. “Watch your mouth.”

“Watch my mouth? You watch yourself.”

“I need companionship.”

Companionship? Was she talking about sex? For a split second, he recalled the last time he and Erin had gone to bed. When had that been? Two months ago? Three?

It felt like a hell of a long time. “It’s not my business if you want to join Harmonious Haven,” he said slowly, doing his best to try and forget about his own lack of love life and focus on his mother’s. “I just think this is coming from out of the blue.”

“For you, maybe. For me, I’ve been thinking about joining for a while. I’ve been surfing the Web site.”

“Surfing?” When had she gotten so computer-savvy?

She continued as though he’d never spoken. “I even called the number and asked some questions. HH is a member of the Better Business Bureau.”

Now that he thought about it, his mother looked…fresh. Like she’d gone somewhere besides Suzy’s Salon to get her hair done. Like she’d gone to one of those fancy counters at the mall and gotten her makeup refreshed. Like she got one of those BOTOX injections and was looking better for it.

It all made him a little squeamish. “You’ve got a heart condition.”

“But it’s still beating, August.”

“But—”

“I’m better, August,” she said more gently. “The doctors say I’m better. I feel better. I’m ready to do things again. That’s why I need to join now.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, August realized just how hard it must have been for his mom to have to come to him for money. And to tell him the truth. After all, she certainly didn’t owe him any explanations.

Picking up the pen again, he said, “Is three thousand enough?”

“It’s enough.”

August pretended he didn’t notice that her eyes were shining. That she looked…happy. Signing the check, he handed it to her. “Will you be mad if I asked you to be careful?”

Her eyes softened and she stood, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’d be sad if you didn’t care. Thank you, dear.”

When he was alone again, August picked up the phone and started dialing Evie’s phone number. Obviously it was time to take some risks.

Chapter Seven

Jenna looked her mother up and down, paused to consider the invitation, then very carefully shook her head. “I don’t wanna go.”

It was a losing battle, but Evie braced herself to try again. She wanted to go on the cruise with August, but she could admit that she was chicken enough to need reinforcements. “Jenna, if you don’t go, you’ll wish you did.”

Jenna gave her a look that suggested she seriously doubted that. “What about Missy?”

“Missy’s too little to go on a boat, you know that.”

Hugging Neena tightly, Jenna scooted closer to the television remote. “I don’t wanna go, Momma. Me and Neena like staying here.”

“All right.” In spite of herself, Evie couldn’t help but admire her eldest daughter’s steadfastness. Actually, Evie wished she could borrow a little of that quality for herself. Ever since her phone conversation that morning with August, she’d gone through the gamut of emotions. Surprise that August asked her out, happiness that she could still get a date. Then, of course, pure fright set in.

Evie didn’t know how to date anymore. In her mind, dating was what she’d done in college. Those dates had involved bars and clubs, fraternity parties and walks on campus. It was fast-food restaurants and cheap movies.

She was pretty sure August knew how to date. She was fairly sure there was some dating ritual all current singles employed. They knew whether to open their car door or not. Whether to buy drinks or wait to be served. Knew the classy, happening clubs, listened to bands that didn’t cater to toddlers and wore the right shoes.

All Evie had been into lately was strawberry Quik, Kids Bop and a sturdy pair of Clarks.

Even though the battle was over and Jenna had come out victorious, Evie tried one last time. “I bet we’ll see lots of pretty fish.”

“Grandma’s taking me to the aquarium tomorrow,” her daughter volleyed right back. “Remember?” There was that tone again, the one her daughter had mastered mere months after learning to talk. Authoritative. Sure. Borderline bossy.

Desperation set in. If she didn’t have Jenna as a buffer, Evie was going to have to deal with this cruise as an actual date. Even though she knew it was a lost cause, she started thinking bribery might be in order. “What if—”

“Evie, honey, stop.”

In unison, Evie and her daughter turned to Jan in surprise.

“I didn’t see you there,” Evie mumbled.

“Obviously not.” Pointing to the kitchen table, her mother said, “Come sit down for a second, dear.”

As obediently as when she was ten, Evie crossed the living room and sat down at the kitchen table next to her mom. Jenna watched her with a glint of satisfaction, then clicked on the remote, smiled when she saw Dora the Explorer was on and went back to playing with Neena.

After opening the Tupperware cabinet for Missy, Jan pressed her hands on her thighs. “Here’s the deal, Ev. Jenna and Missy don’t want to go sit on a boat. I can’t say I blame them, either. Boats and children really don’t mix. They’re going to want to get off after twenty minutes and that won’t be an option.”

“Jenna might really enjoy it.”

Her mother laughed. “Jenna might really enjoy having pizza for dinner. She might really enjoy making a new dress for her doll. She will not enjoy a cruise.” Leveling a look at Evie, Jan said softly, “You know I’m right.”

She knew. Her mother was absolutely right. But that didn’t mean she had to give in gracefully. “Maybe.”

“You’re a good mother, and therefore you know what I mean when I tell you that all good mothers need to pick their battles. You could force your eldest to go, but I think you’d regret it. Jenna in a power play isn’t pretty.”

No. No, she wasn’t. Jenna in full battle mode was pretty much a remake of The War of the Worlds, complete with chaos, destruction and unceasing screeching at high decibels. It wasn’t for the faint of heart. “I guess you may have a point.”

Jan didn’t even try to not look smug. “I know I do.”

All this maternal advice was wearing Evie out. It had been a long time since she’d had a heart-to-heart with her mother about anything, never mind raising her girls.

And all this advice made Evie uneasy—didn’t her mother realize she made decisions regarding her daughters all the time?

Unable to sit still for a moment longer, Evie hopped up from her chair. “I’ll go ahead and call August to tell him no, then.”

“Evie Ray Randall, you’ll do no such thing. You need to call him up, thank him for the invitation and say you’d love to go.” Now her mother was giving her dating advice?

This was suspiciously starting to feel like high school. “But the girls—”

“Will stay here with me and Dad, and we’ll all get along just fine.” And with that, her mother smiled brightly, just like Carol Brady.

But they were not on a TV sitcom, and her problems were not about to be solved in thirty minutes. Nope. Evie didn’t trust her own judgment, didn’t know what she wanted and, furthermore, she was not going to do what her mother wanted and brightly smile and wait for the announcer to say tune in next week. “Mom, I don’t know about that.”

“That’s because you’re thinking too hard. Just enjoy yourself.”

Enjoy herself. Hmm. Evie glanced at Missy, who was chewing on a plastic lid with the tenacity of a teething pup. “You’re going to have teeth marks all over your Tupperware, Momma.”

Jan grinned. “I’m going to love every one of them. It’s been too long since things got a little mussed up. Now, go call August. Go say yes and be done with all this angst.”

Angst? With some dismay, Evie realized her mother was right. She was inserting more drama into this situation than the average thirteen-year-old.

It was certainly disconcerting to be corrected by both her daughter and her mother. Evie stepped toward the phone, but not before pointing out the obvious. “This isn’t technically a date. I’m not dating, period.”

“It’s a boat cruise, dear. That’s dating in Bishop’s Gate.”

That’s what Evie was afraid of. She was afraid it definitely was a date…and something more. Evie knew if she was out alone with August without any family to buffer their conversations, their night wouldn’t feel simple and uncomplicated. It would feel like the beginning of something. The beginning of a relationship.

After giving Missy a washcloth to chew on from the freezer, Jan leaned forward. “Evie, have you gone out on a date with anyone since you know, you and John…” Her voice drifted off as if she was trying not to curse in front of her grandchildren.

“Divorced? Yes.”

“And?”

“Well, it was only one date.”

“And?”

Evie looked furtively at Missy before lowering her voice and telling the god-awful truth. “It sucked. I got set up with a friend’s brother.”

“Uh-oh. And since then? How come you haven’t gone out?”

“Mom, where am I supposed to meet men? Over the phone at the catalog?” What Evie didn’t say was that she didn’t know what she’d do if a man asked her out, anyway.

“I bet you might meet some very attractive men over the phone,” Jan said. “Although, I truly doubt that any of them would ever be as nice as you-know-who.” Picking up the portable phone, Jan handed it to Evie. “Now go out on the back patio and call August. I bet he’s just standing by the phone, waiting for your call.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Evie said, shaking her head as she did what she was told.

This whole situation was completely surreal. Imagine, she and August going on a tourist cruise. Getting nervous about it. The image of August eagerly waiting for her call.

That was the stuff of movies, not her life. Her life involved Lean Cuisines and dirty diapers and forgetting to do laundry.

Still not knowing what she was going to say, she punched in August’s cell phone number and stepped outside into the blazing hot sun so no one would overhear her.

August answered on the first ring. “Evie?”

Score one for Mom.

“Hi. Listen. The girls don’t want to go out on a boat,” she said before they could start saying a bunch of useless things about the weather and how hot it was.

“Oh. Well, okay.”

“But I do, if you want me.” As her words echoed back to her, Evie closed her eyes in mortification. That did not come out like she’d intended. “I mean, if you’d like just the two of us to go. Still.”

After a pause, he said, “How do you feel about that?”

“Good. I mean, okay. I mean, August, are you psychoanalyzing me?”

He laughed, rich and full and dear. “Never. There’s a cruise that leaves at seven and comes back at ten. They serve fried shrimp and grilled chicken and fruity drinks with umbrellas. What do you think?”

Heaven. It sounded like heaven, and so good that she couldn’t even bear to not think about grabbing hold of his offer with both hands. “I think if I’m going to drink anything with an umbrella, I’d best drink it with you.”

“We can walk to the pier, if you don’t mind a forty-minute walk. It takes just about that long to get there in traffic.”

“I don’t mind the walk at all.”

“I’ll pick you up at six. We’ll take our time. I’m glad you decided to go, Ev. Because, well…I do want you.”

And with that, he hung up. Making her feel all tingly and hot and bothered. Making her feel like she was at the top of the Ferris wheel and the power was off and she was swinging her legs like nobody’s business.

Evie glanced at her watch. It was four o’clock. Two hours to get ready or back out. Glancing toward the beach, she watched a family of four clean up next to a newly formed sand dune. The dad was shaking out a blanket, while the mom was corralling kids.

As for the children, they looked sunburned and tired and happy. Just like she’d been every time they’d come here so long ago.

The screen door snapped open. “Did you make a decision?” her mom asked slowly.

“August is picking me up in two hours.”

“I’m so glad. I always did think you and August had something special together.”

“Mom, I’m not romantically interested in August.” And she wasn’t even going to think about her Freudian “you want me” slip.

“That’s fine.”

“I’m not interested in dating.”

With a practiced eye, Jan looked to where Evie’s attention had been just moments before. “That’s a nice family. Reminds me of your dad and me. You and your brother never did want to go inside.”

“John and I used to do things like that.”

“Did you?” Her voice sounding faintly surprised, Jan said, “I seem to remember you talking about hoping you’d do things like that. Did you ever, Evie? Did you ever go on trips and sit on blankets and just be?”

Just like that, the dream evaporated as quickly as it had come. “No,” she admitted. “John would get busy with work or I would find a dozen excuses for us not to go away together. Before we knew it, we’d be planning to do something next year.”