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“Old Earl’s wife. She left him.”
This wasn’t the place, but I couldn’t wait to tell Pris about my hunch. We finally had a lead in the Lee investigation.
* * *
After dinner,we moved around to other tables to mingle.
“And then my best friend suggested a blind date,” Boone’s mother, Stella, said.
Anna, Jordan, and I listened with rapt attention.
Pris looked off in the distance, probably having heard this a million times. My phone rang in the purse I’d slung over the back of my chair. When I looked over, Boone was still talking with his father and brothers—the male cabal. Since I knew it wasn’t him calling, I ignored it, much more interested in Stella’s story.
Stella paused. “Aren’t you going to get that?”
I rummaged through my purse once I got it loose from the chair back, but didn’t find the phone before the ringing stopped.
I gave up and returned to the circle of girls. “Probably a marketing call. Everybody I know who knows my number is here.”
Stella nodded and continued telling us about how she and Boone’s father met. Eventually she reached the proposal. “And when the piece of cake came out,” she said breathlessly, “it had this…” She pointed at her engagement ring. “On it.”
I joined the girls, sighing over the story of their romance.
My phone came alive again. This time I didn’t need Stella prodding me to find it. It turned out to be hiding in a zippered interior pocket.
When I pulled it out, the name on the screen surprised me.Mom.Turning away from the group, I answered it tentatively. “Hello?”
“Angela, this is your mother.”
I started walking toward the side of the house for privacy. “Hi, Mom.”
“It sounds very lively where you are.”
“I’m at a wedding.”
“I didn’t know you were even engaged.”
“I’m not having a wedding,” I clarified. “I’m at a wedding.”
“I wan…” The rest of what she said was unintelligible because of the loud table I passed.
“I didn’t hear you. Hold on until I get to where it’s quieter.” I hurried, scooting around tables, and reached the corner of the house and the empty side yard. “Can you repeat what you just said? I couldn’t hear you.”
Her voice trembled. “I said, I’d love to have you come down and visit. If you want to, that is.”
My heart pounded. Maybe the champagne was making me hear things. “I thought—”
“Yes. Well, I felt terrible after our last conversation. I do love you, and I know you must hate me.”
“Never.” Tears welled in my eyes at hearing her say that she loved me.
“It took me a while to get up the courage, but I’ve explained things to John. He was very understanding.” She sobbed. “I never meant to cut you out of my life forever. It was your father I had to get away from, and—”
“Mom,” I said. “You don’t need to explain anything. I’d love to visit.”
She sighed, with the same sense of relief that I felt.
Boone poked his head around the corner.
