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Slow down, Darcy! You saw him less than twenty-four hours ago!
“So he’s your boyfriend, huh? Good for you!”
“No, Mom,” Darcy insisted. “He’s not my boyfriend. We’re talking. Getting to know each other.”
“You need to invite him over for supper so I can meet him.”
“I will,” she promised. “Eventually. I don’t want to rush anything.” She picked up one of her mom’s homemade lemon bars and took a bite. “Yum. You still make the best lemon bars.”
“Thank you, but don’t try to change the subject. I want to hear more about him.”
“He’s sweet and easy to talk to.”
Mom placed her elbow on the table and her chin on her palm as if they were two girlfriends sharing secrets. “Handsome?”
“Very.” She moved her hand over her glass. “But he’s so much more than that. I feel this connection with him that I can’t explain.”
Mom’s blue eyes glimmered. “I’m so glad to hear that, Darcy. I know you’ve struggled since you lost Jace, and I’m thrilled that you’ve met someone. That is the best way for you to heal.” She patted her daughter’s hand. “You’ll never forget Jace, but it’s perfectly right for you to fall in love again. He would’ve wanted you to meet someone else.”
Darcy sniffed as a vision of Jace filled her mind.
“Oh no.” Mom scooted her chair closer and rested her arm around Darcy’s shoulders. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”
Darcy dabbed her eyes with a paper napkin. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I didn’t mean to make you sad. I just wanted you to know it’s okay to fall in love again.”
Darcy shook her head. “I’m not ready to fall in love again.”
“But that’s when it happens. I met your dad after my long-term boyfriend broke my heart. I had convinced myself to just concentrate on school and give up on love. And then—boom! Your dad and I bumped into each other at a party, and the rest is history.” Mom rubbed Darcy’s back. “You deserve to be loved, honey. Don’t forget that.”
Darcy sniffed and nodded, but she didn’t believe the words. She couldn’t imagine ever forgiving herself for Jace’s death. She rested her head on her mom’s shoulder. “Tell me about book club. You always hear the best gossip there.”
“Oh yes. Did I tell you that Doris’s son was dating that woman who has eighteen cats?”
Darcy nodded. “You did.”
“Well, turns out Doris’s son is allergic. How is that relationship going to work out?” she asked with a laugh.
As Mom shared the latest news about her book club friends, Darcy considered bringing up the Lost and Found website. Not today, she decided. She would save that news until she was able to tell her mother something, and who even knew if that would happen?
Chapter13
Thursday morning, Carter looked up from the 2013 Honda Accord he was working on just as Glenda approached the doorway. Smoky scampered in and disappeared behind the row of toolboxes before she closed the door behind her.
Carter swiped his hand over his sweaty forehead and once again wished they had air-conditioning in the shop. The late-May air was humid and heavy.
“Mrs.Deese is here and says she hears a noise in her car again,” Glenda announced.
Carter shook his head and focused on the Honda. “I’m in the middle of changing these spark plugs.”
“Can’t Dad take a look at it?” Gage came around from the side of a green Ford pickup truck. He’d been changing the CV joints.
“He ran to the pharmacy to pick up his prescription.” Glenda held up her arms. “Look, I know she’s a lot, but I need one of you to help her.”
Gage pointed at Carter. “It’s your turn.”
“Please, no,” Carter groused. “The last time she came in, she insisted her wiper blades were off-center by one-sixteenth of an inch. I spent thirty minutes trying to convince her they were just fine.”
