by Sharon Sala
Aidan frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Elliot took a neat white square of handkerchief from his pocket, grabbed it by one corner, and popped it open before mopping the sweat from his brow. “I do not appreciate this heat,” Elliot said, then smiled. “About what I said…it’s nothing, really. Sometimes I just know stuff.” He bolted off the porch and down the steps before Aidan could push for more answers.
Aidan watched him as he darted across the street, walking in a little march-step, his snow-white hair gleaming under the late-afternoon sun, past the shade trees lining the sidewalk, and back into his house.
“Odd little fellow,” Aidan muttered, closing the door.
* * *
Lee pulled into the driveway, parked beneath a shade tree, and sat for a few moments, looking at their little frame, two-bedroom house. He was full of admiration for the way his mother had taken care of them on her own, never complaining, and making what little they had seem special.
He’d known since he was old enough to understand why his grandmother had moved away, why his father was missing. It hadn’t made it easier to grow up without a father, but he hadn’t held any resentment. He sighed, then picked up his duffel bag from the back seat and went inside.
He took his things to his room, then went across the hall to his mother’s bedroom. The worn hardwood floors were clean, her bed was neatly made, and the wall facing the headboard was lined with framed school pictures—from his kindergarten picture to a snapshot of him in his cap and gown at graduation.
Lee had just finished his first year of college and knew his mom would be proud of his grades, but she was going to be surprised that he’d given up his apartment and job to spend the summer in Blessings. His plan was to get a part-time job here and save all the money he made, instead of spending it on rent back in Savannah.
He sat down on the bed and picked up a framed picture from the nightstand. He took out his phone, pulled up the photo he’d just snapped in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly, and compared them.
His heart began pounding, his eyes welling with tears. He’d waited nineteen years for this moment, and now that it was facing him, he was scared. What if the story Lee had told himself turned out not to be true? What if Aidan Payne had found out he had a son and didn’t want him, after all?
* * *
Phoebe was tired when she clocked out and headed home, but the knowledge that Lee was waiting for her lifted her heart. Seeing the porch light on as she pulled up to the house was just like old times. Lee had done that since he’d been old enough to stay home alone, and she’d missed it. She grabbed her things, ran up the steps, and let herself into the house.
“I’m home,” she yelled.
“Me too,” he yelled back.
She laughed. Just like old times. She hurried into the kitchen and found Lee at the stove, heating up supper. He gave her a big hug.
“I waited for you,” he said. “Go change and get comfy. I’ll set the table while you’re gone.”
“Wonderful!” Phoebe said, and hurried down the hall to her room. She changed out of work clothes into a pair of shorts, an old T-shirt, and sandals, washed up, and hurried back to the kitchen.
“You cooked,” she said, eyeing the inviting food.
“I just added some baked beans and fries to the ribs and slaw. Sit, Mom. Let me wait on you tonight.”
“I won’t argue,” Phoebe said, smiling at him as he brought glasses of sweet iced tea to the table. After filling their plates, they talked as they ate.
“My grade point average for the year is 4.0, and I was accepted into an accelerated physics program next semester,” Lee said.
Phoebe beamed. “Oh, Lee, congratulations. I’m so proud of you. I know you didn’t get that from me.”
Lee took a deep breath. “Did I get it from my father?”
Phoebe’s smile slipped a little. The sorrow she lived with was once again evident on her face. “Yes. He was very smart.”
Lee ate a few more bites, then took his phone from his pocket, pulled up the picture, and pushed it toward her.
Phoebe’s smile brightened. “A new girlfriend?”
He shook his head, then waited as she looked down.
Her fork clattered onto the table. She pressed a hand over her mouth, but it didn’t muffle the moan.
He grabbed her arm. “Mom? Are you okay?”
“Where did you…oh my God. That’s the store parking lot.” She looked up. “You took this today.”
He nodded. “I saw him by accident. Wasn’t sure, so I took a picture, then came home and compared it to yours. He’s older, but it’s him, isn’t it, Mom? That’s my father.”
She nodded, starting to cry.
“Don’t cry, Mom. This is a good thing, right? You stayed in Blessings all this time waiting for him to come back.”
“Yes, I did. But he didn’t come back for me.”
Lee frowned. “How do you know?”
She swiped angrily at the tears on her face. “Twenty years. I waited twenty years for him.”
“But he’s here now,” Lee said.
Phoebe’s eyes narrowed angrily. “But he’s not here, is he?”
Lee was beginning to panic. “Maybe he just doesn’t know where you are yet.”
Phoebe wasn’t having any excuses. “I’ve been here a long time. All he’d have to do is ask, but I can guess why he’s here.”
Lee needed answers, even if they would make him sad. “Why, Mom? Why is he here?”
Order Sharon Sala’s next book
in the Blessings, Georgia series
Come Back to Me
On sale September 2018
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sharon Sala is a member of RWA, as well as OKRWA. She has more than one hundred books in print, published in five genres—romance, young adult, Western, general fiction, and women’s fiction. First published in 1991, she is an eight-time RITA finalist, winner of the Janet Dailey Award, five-time Career Achievement winner from RT Magazine, five-time winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award, five-time winner of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence, winner of the Heart of Excellence Award, as well as winner of the Booksellers Best Award. In 2011, she was named RWA’s recipient of the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2017, she received a Centennial Award from RWA for having published her one hundredth novel. Writing changed her life, her world, and her fate. She lives in Oklahoma, the state where she was born.
Also by Sharon Sala
BLESSINGS, GEORGIA
Count Your Blessings (novella)
You and Only You
I’ll Stand By You
Saving Jake
A Piece of My Heart
The Color of Love
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