Letters to Gabriella by Patricia Paris (Glebe Point #2)

LETTERS TO GABRIELLA Copyright Š 2015, 2017 Patricia Paris

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published by Windswept an imprint of BHC Press Library of Congress Control Number: 2017941242 ISBN-13: 978-1-946848-28-4 ISBN-10: 1-946848-28-X Visit the author at: www.authorpatriciaparis.com & www.bhcpress.com Also available in eBook Edited by S.M. Ray Book design by Blue Harvest Creative www.blueharvestcreative.com Interior illustration by Alli Kappen

also by patricia paris A Murderous Game Run Rachael Run THE GLEBE POINT SERIES This Time Forever Return to Glebe Point The Cottage THE BONAVERAS Lucia Caterina

CHAPTER ONE

G

abriella Forelli didn’t get out of bed that chilly May morning, with the sun high and her nervous heart full of hope, with the intention of ruining everyone else’s life.

She held her tongue and tucked away her bruised feelings while Lil pummeled her with pleas, warnings, and veiled accusations.

“How can you take Chloe away from us? Bruce would never have wanted this!” Gab’s mother-in-law punctuated her objections by throwing out the guilt card.

It would do no good to try to reason. Gabriella had tried reasoning with her in-laws for years. Bringing Gab’s dead husband Bruce’s wishes into the mix had become Lil’s modus operandi every time they disagreed. But it wasn’t just Lil. It was Benny, and Lizbeth, and Tugger, and all the Forelli cousins…and Lil’s sister Meg…and her bridge club.

Her in-laws meant well, but she’d suffocate if she had to live the rest of her life under the thumb of her dead husband’s family. She was moving for Chloe as well, before her little girl could be molded into another Forelli princess.

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“I know this is hard for you.” Gab took hold of Lil’s hands, cradling them in her own. “But Chloe and I need to get on the road. If not for me then for her sake, put on a good face, okay?”

She gave Lil a gentle tug toward the front door and softened her tone. “Come out to the car and give Chloe a hug.” The longer she stayed the longer they would argue. Sometimes the kindest way to break a heart was to just walk away.

Two months ago she had received a ticket out of town from the last person she would ever have expected. She was taking it anyway.

TRAFFIC CLOGGED the length of I-95 from Connecticut to Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It took ten hours instead of the eight Gabriella estimated to reach their destination. She found the marker she’d been looking for and turned into the driveway.

Gravel crunched under the car tires, adding to the sense of remoteness as she coasted up the tree-lined approach. Squinting, she peered through the front windshield. After a couple of hundred more feet, the car’s headlights reflected off a large white house. She slowed to a stop and considered the place in silence.

Things always looked worse in the dark, she thought, and tried to focus on the positive. It had a wide front porch. She’d often imagined having one some day. Her dream porch had a riot of pots clustered everywhere, with colorful flowers spilling over the rims in cheerful abandon. And a swing, where she and Chloe could sit together and drink fresh, cold lemonade on hot summer days.

Gabriella glanced over her shoulder and took in her daughter, asleep in the back seat. The girl’s head rested against the door frame, her soft, snuffling snores going straight to Gab’s heart. A jumble of emotions clattered for attention. Despite the knot of nerves twisting her gut, she was anxious to build a new life in a place where the shadows of their past didn’t dangle over their heads like rusted chimes, no longer in tune. She prayed she hadn’t made a mistake, or

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that the shadows she discovered here would be worse than the ones she’d left behind.

She got out of the car and glanced around, unaccustomed to the deep, halting silence of the country. The air was different. Lifting her nose, she sniffed, her nostrils filling with unfamiliar smells. An owl’s call broke the still. She’d never heard a real one before, but the low hoo hoo hoo was so distinct it couldn’t be anything else.

Opening the car’s trunk, she retrieved a small suitcase and the large black trash bag into which she’d stashed their pillows, some clean sheets, and a blanket, just in case. The rest could wait until tomorrow. She’d been told nothing had been moved out of the house, so they should at least have a bed to sleep on tonight.

After mounting the porch, Gab set the suitcase and garbage bag down so she could fish her keys out of her pocket. With no idea what to expect, she took a deep breath, fit the key she’d received a couple of weeks ago into the lock, opened the front door, and walked over the threshold.

Inside, the house was pitch-dark, blacker than the night outside. It smelled forgotten…stale and lonely. Gabriella rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck from side to side. Not ready to think about what ghosts the old house held, she ran her hand over the wall until it brushed against a light switch. She flicked it on and off several times. Nothing. Rummaging through her purse, she fingered the small flashlight she carried for emergencies, clicked it on, and made a quick sweep with the light.

She spotted a staircase straight ahead. To the right was a couch in the middle of what must be the living room. She could put Chloe there while she made up one of the beds upstairs. That resolved, she went back to the car for her daughter and carried her into the house.

After settling the girl on the couch, Gab retrieved their belongings from the porch, locked the front door, and aiming the flashlight, followed the dim light up the stairway to the second floor. She chose a bedroom with a connecting bath and quickly made up the

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bed. Chloe could sleep with her tonight. She didn’t want her daughter waking up in a strange place and becoming frightened on their first night.

A few minutes later, Chloe stirred as Gabriella carried the girl up to the second floor. “Where are we, Mommy?” she asked around a sleepy yawn.

“Home, baby.” Gab kissed Chloe on the forehead. “We’re home.”

IT’S GOT good bones. Gab turned in a circle the next morning, surveying the large living room. The floor-to-ceiling windows were covered with heavy, olive green draperies that hung like walls of gloom, dark and depressing. One by one, she threw them open.

Light flooded the room, transforming it into a sunny, almost cheerful space. The oppressive window coverings would be one of the first things to go. That, at least, was an easy fix.

“It smells funny, Mommy.” Chloe wrinkled her nose. “Like Nana’s basement.”

“That’s because no one has lived here for a while, and the house has been all closed up, like a treasure chest. We,” Gab said, tweaking her daughter’s scrunched up nose, “get to be the ones to open it up!

Once we let the fresh air in and do some cleaning, the funny smell should go away.”

She eyed the orange wall-to-wall shag carpeting with disdain.

Getting rid of it should eliminate a lot of the odor as well, but she didn’t know a soul in Glebe Point to ask for help removing it. She would just have to do it herself. If she cut the offensive beast into strips, she could haul it out piecemeal and clean the floors before the movers arrived at the end of the week. It would be a huge job, but the thing had to go.

“Maybe we’ll even find a real treasure,” Chloe said, her eyes wide at the possibility. “Did pirates used to be in Maryland?”

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Gab was happy to turn their move into an adventure if it made the girl’s transition easier. “Maryland has lots of rivers and a big bay that connects to the ocean, the Chesapeake Bay, so there probably were pirates at one time.”

“What’s a bay?”

Gabriella wasn’t sure how to explain so that her daughter would understand, so she decided to keep it simple. “It’s sort of like a lake,” she said, knowing that would be something her daughter could relate to. “And it can be a big lake or a little lake that connects to another body of water.”

Chloe wiggled her mouth into a frown, and Gab could tell she was thinking hard. “Kind of like our hand is part of our body and it’s connected to our arm?”

“Yeah, kind of like that.”

Chloe nodded and Gab leaned close to the girl’s face. “Why don’t we do some more exploring to see what we find?” She brought a finger to her lips. “Shhh. Stay quiet and keep an eye out for pirates.”

She winked, grinning broadly so the girl knew she was teasing.

Chloe giggled, then cupped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. “Okay,” she whispered back, following suit.

Beyond the back wall of the living room was a study. Gab had already taken a quick peek and decided it would make a great office.

To the left was a dining room, which probably led to the kitchen.

“C’mon, mate, let’s see if the pirates left any booty stashed in the galley.” She took her daughter’s hand, and with exaggerated steps, the two tip-toed off in that direction.

The kitchen was huge, but hadn’t been updated in years. The cabinets were dark blue with dingy yellowing knobs, and the countertops, a faux marble, gray Formica. They might have been considered chic at one time, right along with avocado appliances and orange shag carpeting; but now, they just looked old and outdated like everything else. These appliances looked so ancient Gabriella worried they might

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not be safe. Since they couldn’t live on sandwiches or eat out every night, she’d need to replace them as soon as possible.

Refusing to let the overwhelming amount of work dampen her spirits, Gab continued scrutinizing the place with an eye toward the possibilities it held. A bay window with a deep bench seat took up a large section of the back wall. Like all the other windows in the house, heavy curtains closed off whatever lay beyond. Had her father been some kind of recluse? She shook her head and made for the bay. In one quick motion she flung the drapes apart.

“Oh!” Gab clasped her hands over her mouth and stared at the unexpected sight. All the time she’d have to spend making the house more livable suddenly seemed insignificant. They had inherited a treasure!

“Chloe, come here, come see this.”

Her daughter skipped to the window and scampered up onto the bench. “Wow! Can we go out there? Please, Mom, can we?”

Gab laughed, just as tickled to discover they would be living on the water. “Sure, let’s go.” Their game evaporated in a burst of excitement as Chloe jumped off the seat, ran for the back door, and throwing it open, darted outside.

“Wait up, honey,” Gab called, not wanting Chloe going too close to the water on her own. A narrow back porch ran the length of the house. Gab jogged down the three steps to the lawn. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth with a breathless laugh of delight. A front and back porch.

A gorgeous climbing rose adorned the porch post on her right and trailed along the roof, draping here and there with old-fashioned charm. June was still a week away, but the vines were already laden with large pink roses that faded to a soft, blushing cream. It was the only landscaping in evidence, a jewel among the otherwise neglected, overgrown yard.

Looking out over the expanse of water, Gabriella knew where she’d be spending most of her leisure time. The house was situated

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on a small inlet of sorts. Off to one side were marshes. They would be treated to a bounty of wildlife. Beyond the opening to the inlet was a small bay. It looked to be about a mile and a half or two miles wide and just as long. On the other side there appeared to be a river, which she guessed emptied into the Chesapeake.

Gab looked up and turned around. The sun was in the front of the house now, which meant west was on the horizon. They would have sunsets over the water. She hugged herself, delighted.

“Look, Mom.” Chloe pointed, her finger jabbing the air in exclamation. “Is that our boat? Can we take it out?”

“Slow down, sweetie. Let’s go take a look.”

They went down to the edge of the property, Chloe skipping ahead. There was a wooden dock that looked to be newer and in good shape. Large rocks hugged the length of shoreline except for an area about twelve feet wide where waves lapped against a small sandy beach. The rocks formed a wall of sorts, and Gab guessed they were meant to control erosion. Turned upside down against the rocks was an aluminum rowboat. At first glance it looked sturdy, but she’d need to give it a good inspection before they tried it out.

“Is this ours?” Chloe asked again, bouncing from one foot to the other on the small beach, her warm brown eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement.

“I guess it is.” Anticipating her daughter’s next question, Gab added, “But we’ll need to check it for leaks before we use it. And we need to get you a life jacket. You don’t know how to swim, and it wouldn’t be safe to go out on the water without one.”

“Will you teach me?”

“Well, I’m not a very good swimmer either, but I’ll see about getting us some lessons. In fact, we should both get life jackets since we’ll be living here now. What do you think?”

“Yeah!” Chloe pumped her fist.

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Gab ruffled her daughter’s hair. They hadn’t been there a full day, but she already sensed coming to Glebe Point would change their lives for the better.

“Let’s try to find our way into town.” Gabriella took Chloe’s hand as they walked back up to the house. “Since we don’t have any food here yet, we’ll find a place for breakfast, and then we can look for a mall and grocery store to get some of the things we need.”

“Like life jackets,” Chloe said.

“Yes, like life jackets,” Gab agreed, and smiled down at her daughter.

CHAPTER TWO

I

found a location for my practice,” Justin Morrison informed his twin brother, Blake, a month after moving back to Glebe Point from Washington, DC. “Doc Simpson’s old office on Main Street. I knew the minute I heard it came on the market that it would be perfect.”

“I always liked that building.” Blake leaned back on the kitchen chair he’d been sitting in eating breakfast, and crossed his arms over his chest. “It should be easy to convert. Is it still set up as a dentist office?”

“No, it’s been emptied out. I looked at it Tuesday and made an offer on the spot. The doc’s son accepted that night, and we signed the contract yesterday.”

“How long before you can get started?”

“We agreed to a thirty day settlement. If there are no glitches, I figure another month or so to get it the way I want it.” Justin rubbed his chin, mentally calculating the work and time it would involve. “I should be able to hang out my shingle in about two and a half, three months.”

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“That’s great, bro. Congratulations.” Blake studied Justin a moment. “And you’re positive this is what you want to do? I know you said you didn’t want any more of the rat race, but Glebe Point is a far cry from DC, and you’ve been away over eight years.”

“Yeah, I am,” Justin assured him. “I honestly didn’t realize how miserable I was until I got out of it. I was just too damn busy to think about how I felt.”

“So you’re cool about giving up your grossly overpaid position and ridiculous perks that went with it?” Blake gibed. A grin tugged at the corners of his brother’s mouth and Justin took no offense.

“I’ll manage,” he said, and added jokingly, “and if I fall on my face and go broke, I’ll just move into my old bedroom and sponge off you and Delaney.”

“Fat chance. Your old room’s getting turned into the nursery.

We might consider letting you bunk out in the garage, though.”

“What’s this about bunking in the garage?” Blake’s wife Delaney strolled into the kitchen.

“Hey, gorgeous, you ready to dump this guy yet and take up with me?” Justin winked at her.

Blake rolled his eyes. “It never ends, does it? I thought once I got her knocked up I wouldn’t have to worry about everyone trying to steal my wife.”

Delaney punched Blake on the shoulder as she passed him on her way to the refrigerator. “You didn’t get me knocked up, Blake! We, decided to have a child together, remember? And you don’t have to worry about anyone trying to steal me away, love. With this big belly of mine they wouldn’t be able to get within three feet of me.”

Blake grinned. “I think you look prettier than ever, sugar.”

Delaney glanced back at him and smiled, her heart in her eyes.

Justin looked between the two of them and wondered if he’d ever be lucky enough to find the kind of love they shared. Maybe someday, but when his brother found his son Ben a couple of years ago, he’d hit the jackpot with Delaney as part of the bargain. Jus-

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tin couldn’t be happier for Blake. After discovering he had a son he never knew existed, his twin had spent almost a year trying to find the boy. In the process, he’d almost lost Delaney. Fortunately his stubborn brother had wised up before it was too late.

Justin hadn’t been so lucky in love. His last relationship ended a few months ago, when he found out the woman he’d been living with for almost a year had tried to advance her career by sleeping with their boss. He should never have gotten involved with someone from work. They’d been two rising stars, and he realized now the only thing they’d had in common was a misguided drive to reach the top, to become part of the coveted inner circle at the firm. All he’d had left to do to get there was sell his soul.

Ben charged into the kitchen with his dog Hunter, his ever-constant companion, close on his heels. “Hi, Uncle Justin.”

The boy skipped over to him and wrapped his arms around Justin’s legs in a hug.

“Hey, buckaroo.” Justin gave Ben a head rub. “I hear you caught yourself a rockfish last week.”

“Yep!” Ben’s boyish grin twitched with pride. “Daddy said it was a whopper! We ate him for supper. Mom got all grossed out when we took it off the hook, but Daddy said that was because baby Kate must not like fish.”

“Well, baby Kate doesn’t know what she’s missing yet. Wait till she’s big enough to taste it, and she’ll want us to teach her to fish, too, so she can eat it all the time.”

“I’ll teach my daughter how to fish, thank you,” Blake piped in.

“I don’t want to be making any more trips to the emergency room than necessary.”

“Oh Christ,” Justin spouted, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. “I hooked your aaa..ahh butt once,” he quickly corrected for Ben’s sake.

“And I’m not even sure it was my fault anymore. Maybe you were just standing too close to me, or the wind caught my line.”

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“The wind? Really, Jus?” Blake smirked. “Give it up, bro. You’re just lousy at casting.”

“I’ll teach you how to cast, Uncle Justin,” Ben offered, as seriously as a six year old could. “Daddy says I’m almost as good as him.”

“Thanks, buddy, but I think I’ll leave the fishing up to you and your dad. Now that I’ll be living nearby, though, I can teach you how to pitch. I was better with a baseball than a fishing rod.”

“Now that’s something I’d trust you to teach my kids.” Blake glanced at his son. “Your uncle had the best slider on the Eastern Shore, Ben. He almost became a professional baseball player.”

“Really?” Delaney looked from Blake to Justin.

Justin nodded. “I was approached by a couple of scouts when I played college ball. They invited me for a tryout, so I thought what the hell. A couple of teams were interested, but after I got over the flattery, I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

“Wow.” Delaney looked impressed. “I never knew you almost became a professional ball player.”

“Long time ago,” Justin said with a shrug. “Now I’m just a boring, soon to be even more boring, small town lawyer.”

“You’re far from boring, Justin,” Delaney said.

“Wait a minute,” Blake objected. “What about me?”

“You’re far from boring either, honey. Now, if everyone is feeling sufficiently pumped up, Ben and I are going into town. I need to go to the post office to pick up some stamps.”

“And we’re gonna go to Curly Custard for ice cream after,” Ben added, which earned him a frown from Delaney.

Blake grinned and hiked a brow at his wife.

“So you need stamps, do you, darlin’?”

Delaney harrumphed. “Come on, Ben.” She waved for the boy to follow her. “Little traitor,” she mumbled under her breath.

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Blake laughed, his eyes glowing with humor as his wife and son walked out of the kitchen, and then looked at Justin and shook his head.

“What’s that about?” Justin asked.

“What she really needs is a vanilla soft serve with cookie crunch coating.” Blake gathered his breakfast dishes and stood up from the table. “She gets a craving for it almost every day now. That and Oreo cookies. I’m beginning to worry my daughter will be born with sugar running through her veins instead of blood.”

Justin studied his brother’s expression and felt a deep sense of happiness for him. He never would have pictured Blake so settled in the role of father and husband a couple of years ago. Now, he couldn’t picture him being happy any other way.

A SHORT while later, Justin drove into town to pick up some groceries. Although he’d found a building for his law office, he wasn’t ready to shop for a house. After he closed on Doc Simpson’s place, he planned to move into the second floor apartment until he could look for something more permanent. In the meantime, he was renting the cottage at their neighbor, Mary O’Meara’s, bed and breakfast.

Mary was like a second mother to him and Blake. She spoiled him with home-cooked meals and was always dropping off a pie or cookies. He adored the woman, but he didn’t feel right having her cook for him all the time, not when she wouldn’t let him pay her something extra for it.

The cottage had a small kitchen, so he ate half his meals there and the rest, he either gave in to Mary’s offers or went into town and ate at Mosey’s Diner. His condo in DC had a gourmet kitchen, and he’d enjoyed the rare occasion when he had time to prepare his own food. He was no culinary master like his sister-in-law, but he could throw together a respectable meal.

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As he approached the grocery store entrance a short while later, he saw an attractive woman and a young girl standing in front of the long row of shopping carts stacked against the side of the building.

The woman was trying to extract one, to no avail.

“Need some help, ma’am?” Justin offered as he came up behind them.

The woman looked over her shoulder at him and smiled.

Three things struck him simultaneously: she had a smile that radiated kindness; she had the bluest eyes he’d ever seen in his life; and she had an aura that told him, here was someone special. It was just one of those feelings you get about certain people from nothing more than a look. Instinct—and if his was correct, this woman was somehow unique.

“Thanks, I always seem to get one that’s stuck.” She stepped aside. Justin took hold of the cart and with a solid tug, dislodged it.

“There you go.” He slid it free and gave her an abbreviated bow.

“Always happy to help a damsel in distress.” He found it hard not to stare. She was stunning, and…he realized quickly, his steadfast ogling was making her uncomfortable. He stuffed a hand into his jeans pocket and then, grinning at his obviousness, backed away from the cart.

The corners of her lips twitched, lifting just enough to let him know she didn’t hold his male appreciation against him. “Thanks.

You’re my new hero.”

“Come on, Chloe.” She put a hand on the young girl’s back and steered her toward the front doors. Justin took in their departure with appreciative eyes. The woman glanced around at him as he followed them toward the entrance and gave him a parting smile.

“Can we get some Trix, Mom?” he heard the little girl ask as the two headed inside. They veered off toward the produce section.

The gentle sway of the woman’s slender hips set off an enticing rhythm in his brain, the memory of which he suspected would torment him for the better part of the day. He usually went for women

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with long hair. He knew it was a guy thing, but he liked it. This woman’s hair was short, super short, and dark as night. She was tall, with a pair of legs that went on forever and a pair of baby blues that would put a crisp July sun to shame. Justin clucked his tongue.

Too bad she was married.

He shook his head and ambled off in the opposite direction.

About ten minutes later he ran into the woman and her daughter again in the cereal aisle. She stretched her arm over the top shelf, trying to snag a cereal box that had gotten pushed to the very back, but even with her height it was beyond reach.

“Would you like me to get that?” he asked.

“Oh!” She spun around and slapped her left hand over her heart. “I didn’t realize anyone was there.”

“Didn’t mean to startle you.” He glanced at the hand on her chest and noticed her finger was devoid of a wedding band. Justin smiled broadly.

“I usually don’t have a problem reaching things, but the only large-size box is at the very back of the shelf.”

He retrieved it easily. “At your service, sugar,” he said with a drawl and a wink. She blinked. Man, her eyes were blue.

“Umm, thanks again.” The woman glanced down at her daughter, who was looking up at him. The girl’s eyes were brown; otherwise, she was a miniature version of her mother.

Justin looked back at the woman. “You’re welcome, again.” He was about to introduce himself and ask her name when she took her daughter’s hand and said, “We need to get moving, honey, or we’ll never finish everything we have to do today.”

Already in motion, she gave him a parting, almost dismissive glance. “Have a nice day,” she said, then hurried off with the girl in tow.

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THAT NIGHT Justin made a simple supper of roasted chicken and salad. He ate on the patio behind the cottage and watched a great blue heron stalking along the bulrush that grew on the side of the marsh in search of its own meal.

His thoughts drifted to the woman he encountered at the grocery store. She had looked close to him in age, so if she was from Glebe Point or one of the surrounding towns, he probably would have known her. She could’ve been a few years behind him in school and he hadn’t paid her any notice, but even so, he would most likely have known her family.

Who was she? She’d attracted him at first glance, but when he saw the kid, he’d assumed she was married and didn’t act on it.

When he ran into her again and saw she wasn’t wearing a ring, well, that changed things. Unfortunately, she’d bolted before he could discover anything about her. If she was shopping at the grocery store in town, though, she must live nearby. He was bound to run into her again, and when he did, he’d make sure he didn’t let the opportunity slip away before satisfying his curiosity.

He forked in the last bite of chicken and leaned back to enjoy the view.

“Good evening, Justin.” He turned his head to see Mary come around the side of the cottage. “I made a carrot cake today. I know it’s your favorite so I brought you a couple of pieces.” Carrying a plate with three enormous pieces of cake, the innkeeper stepped gingerly onto the patio.

“You know, sweetheart, if you keep bringing me cake and cinnamon rolls, I’m going to need to shop for some bigger jeans.”

She waved a hand in the air. “You’re a growing boy.”

“I’m thirty-four, Mary. I think I’ve done all the growing I’m going to do, unless it’s out.”

“A piece of cake once in a while won’t hurt.” She brushed off his remark as if it were, as she liked to say, poppycock.

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Justin grinned. She loved spoiling him and, because it gave her so much pleasure, he usually let her. “I put a pot of coffee on before I came out here. Why don’t I pour us both a cup, and we’ll share this cake.”

“I’d love to, son. It’ll give us a chance to catch up.”

Justin went inside for the coffee and also grabbed a couple of plates and forks. When he came back out, Mary asked, “Did Toby Simpson accept your offer yet?”

“He did, and settlement’s set for June 28th.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. “It’s so nice you’re back in Glebe Point again. I know Blake and Delaney are thrilled, especially now with baby Kate on the way.

You’ll get to see the children growing up.”

They had an enjoyable visit over coffee and cake. When Mary got up to leave, Justin mentioned casually, “I ran into a young woman in the grocery store today…tall, short black hair, I guess you’d call it a pixie…blue eyes. She may have moved to the area sometime after I moved away. Ring any bells?”

Mary’s own bright blue eyes perked up. “I can’t think of anyone matching that description. What’s her name?”

“I don’t know. I was hoping you might.”

“Hmm.” Mary wrinkled her brow. “What else can you tell me about her?”

Justin scratched his head. “Nothing really, except that…well, she was real pretty. Oh, and she had a daughter, probably close to Ben’s age. Cute kid.”

“Sorry, son.” His neighbor shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m no help. I could ask some of my friends to see if any of them know her.”

“Don’t bother. I was just curious because I’d never seen her around before. It’s no big deal.”

He probably shouldn’t have mentioned anything. Everyone knew Mary was a world class matchmaker. If she thought he had

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the slightest interest in a woman, any woman, she’d start trying to fix him up with every available female from here to Oxford. He certainly didn’t need that. After what happened with Brin, he had no intention of jumping into another relationship anytime soon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Patricia Paris lives in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland with her husband John; a lazy, but lovable cat named Shiloh; and James Brown, aka JB, the baddest, but also, most lovable dog in town. When not writing, you’re likely to find the author exploring the Bay area’s small towns and waterways, which provide endless inspiration for her writing; battling the weeds that insist on invading her gardens; or, being an avid foodie, experimenting with a new recipe in her kitchen.

Patricia admits to being an unapologetic romantic, and she loves to give her readers that happily ever after, every time.