Soon they were at Lizzy’s, and it turned out that Jessica was right on time. Austin greeted both of Lizzy’s parents, then hovered in the entry way, watching Jessica chatter excitedly with Lizzy and two other kids.
“She’ll do great,” Brad said. “You’re welcome to stay or come pick her up in two hours.”
Austin nodded. He’d never taken Jessica to a birthday party before where the parents left. It will be okay, he told himself. “Great, I’ll be back at the end. You have my cell if you need anything.”
“We do,” Brad said with a nod.
Then Austin was on his way back to the hotel to pick up his parents. They were in the lobby when he pulled up. They came out and climbed in to the truck, his mother taking the front seat, and his dad settled in the rear.
Austin asked, “How was the drive? Did you get my texts?”
“I didn’t see the texts until after we arrived,” his mom said. “You know that texting and driving isn’t safe.”
“But both of you weren’t driving.”
His parents were silent, and this only told Austin that they’d probably been discussing Everly.
“Look,” Austin said. “Tonight is a big deal for me, and I was worried that something had happened on the drive. I knew that Jessica would be sad to miss her party too.”
His mother sniffed. “I’ve talked to some of my neighbors to find out when their grandkids will be visiting. I’ve already arranged a play date for Jessica for next weekend.”
“That’s great,” Austin said, although he was feeling peeved. The point he’d tried to make last Sunday was having Jessica grow up in a family neighborhood where friends were a natural occurrence.
On the way home from the dinner tonight, after they met Everly, he planned to break the news to them about the house he was interested in. Maybe tomorrow they could all tour it as well.
But when he pulled behind the craft shop, his mom said, “Where are we going?”
“Everly lives in an apartment above the craft store.”
His mom clicked her tongue. “Really, Austin. I thought you were smarter than dating a gold-digger. This town is quaint, but you’re a college educated, successful—”
“Mom,” Austin cut in. “Everly went to college, and she’s an amazing artist.” He didn’t admit that her time in college was a year, and she hadn’t graduated, but that didn’t matter to him.
“Marnie,” his dad said. “We should just meet her. I’m sure Austin wouldn’t date a gold-digger.”
Thanks, Dad, Austin silently said. He pulled to a stop in the nearest parking spot by the back door.
“Is it the sex, Austin?” his mother said, her tone faint as if the word was distasteful to speak. “I understand that you’re probably in need of . . . something, but bringing a woman into Jessica’s life is another matter.”
Austin clenched his jaw. “Mom, I’m an adult, and it’s none of your business. But for your information, we’re not having sex, and I’ll never base a relationship on that again.”
His mom’s eyes popped wide. “I don’t need to know about all the women . . .”
“Marnie,” his dad cut in.
“Look.” Austin rubbed at his temples. “You need to know something. Both of you. This is probably not the best timing to have this conversation, but since I’m now dating again, maybe it is the best timing.”
Both of his parents stared at him.
“Rachel and I . . . Well, things weren’t going so well,” he said. “I had reservations when we were getting married, but my loyalty kept me committed. She didn’t have such loyalty.”
Still no response from his parents. The night was a velvety black, and the only light coming into the cab of the truck was the moonlight.
“Remember her friend Taylor she talked about? The one she stayed with once in a while?”
His mom nodded, and his dad said, “I remember.”
“Taylor is a man, and they were lovers,” Austin said bluntly. “I assumed she was a woman until I got a phone call a month after the funeral from Taylor himself. He wanted her stuff out of his apartment but didn’t want to throw it away. I felt sick with suspicion, and Taylor confessed.”
“Oh, Austin,” his mother said, covering her mouth with her hand.
“It wasn’t just an affair, though,” Austin continued. “She was planning on divorcing me when Jessica was in first grade. Which would have only been about six months later. But then she got cancer.”
Austin’s voice had thickened, and although it had been nearly two years since that conversation with his wife’s lover, he could feel the edges of the dark pain it had brought him.
His mother sniffled, and his dad reached across the seat for her hand.
“So for you, or anyone, to imply that my relationship with Everly is based on something it’s not, is dead wrong. And I’ll never put Jessica in a situation that would have her heart broken like I’ve had mine. Rachel’s betrayal was worse than her death.”
Neither of his parents spoke for a moment, and Austin was pretty sure he’d shocked them.
“I’m sorry about Rachel,” his mother said, her face flushed. “We had no idea, and . . . of course you can date and not be drilled with questions.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
“We’d love to meet Everly, son.” His father placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
His dad might be a man of few words, but when he did speak, everyone paid attention.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, although he could have just called Everly to come down. He felt like he had to give her some sort of head’s up. Climbing out of the truck, he inhaled the cooling summer air. It felt good to be out of the small space with his parents, as terrible as that sounded.
The back door was unlocked because the craft store was still open. He went through, then hesitated at the Do Not Enter door that led to Everly’s place. He texted her, then opened the door.
She appeared at the top of the stairs, fiddling with an earring.
“Hi,” he said. “Sorry for barging in.”
Her smile was easy. “It’s okay, I’m ready. I just need to grab my purse.”
“Purse? You mean . . . oh.” She did have a small purse.
“Didn’t want to scare your parents off with my giant bag,” she said, coming down the stairs toward him.
Her dress was red with white paisley print, and it swished just above her knees. When she reached him, he smiled, the hard conversation with his parents starting to ebb.
“Hi,” he said again.
Her hazel eyes studied him. “You already said hi. Is everything okay, Austin?”
“It is now,” he said, and he meant it. Lifting his hand, he ran his fingers along her jaw, then lightly down her neck. “You look beautiful.”
Everly still watched him, her brow furrowed. He pressed a kiss to her temple, then drew back and grasped her hand.
“Have you changed your mind about me meeting your parents?” she asked.
“Not at all,” he said. “But I wanted to give you a head’s up about my mom. On the drive over here, I told them about Rachel—the truth. All of it. So, they might be a bit, um, subdued.”
Everly’s eyes widened. “Goodness. That must have been a shock. And you thought you should tell them moments before meeting me?”
Austin’s face warmed. “Yes. It was because my mom has been acting so possessive about Jessica, and so . . . I don’t know how to say this . . .”
“She sees me as a threat because I live in Hidden Hollows, and you don’t,” Everly finished. “And if things keep progressing, then maybe you’ll be so charmed by this small town, as well as a certain woman who lives in it, and decide to move here. And your mom will lose daily contact with her granddaughter.”
He was pretty much speechless. “Wow. How did you guess?”
Everly lifted a shoulder. “I’m a woman, and I also have a mom who’s a worrywart.” She squeezed his hand. “Come on, I don’t want to keep t
hem waiting.”
Austin nodded. “Right.” As they headed into the back portion of the shop, he said, “Have I scared you off?”
Everly stopped and turned, lifting her chin to meet his gaze with a soft smile. “You’re going to have to try harder than that, Mr. Architect.”
Austin chuckled, then despite not wanting to mess up her lip gloss, he kissed her anyway. The kiss was over too soon, and Everly wiped the sheen of lip gloss from his mouth.
“Better?” he said.
“Yes, better.” She nudged him. “Your parents are going to think we’re up to no good. Better keep walking.”
“We can’t have them thinking that,” he said with a wink.
Which meant that Everly’s cheeks were flushed when they stepped out into the summer night. She was also still holding his hand, which he liked, very much. He led her to the back door so she could sit on the rear bench with his dad.
After opening the door, he made the introductions, and Everly climbed into the truck, then shook each of his parent’s hands.
By the time they reached the restaurant, Everly had told his parents about her family and her job. His mom had been mostly quiet, but his dad had asked questions, so Austin was at least grateful for that.
“Well, this is it,” Everly said as they pulled up to a restaurant. “Chez Villiers is our fanciest restaurant in town. You’ll love the owner. He’s a crack up. His real name is Luis Waters, but since opening his restaurant, he insists on being called Louis Villiers.”
“Is he French?” his dad asked.
Everly laughed. “No, but he sort of adopted himself into the culture. He’s an excellent chef, although now he’s hired other chefs since he’s busy with running the place. Tonight will be busy with the Fourth of July tourists, so I made a reservation.”
“Sounds nice,” his mom said, although Austin couldn’t read her tone.
They headed into the restaurant and were soon seated at a table for four. The flameless candles on the tables were a nice touch, and the soft Italian music playing added to the ambiance.
“Everly, darling,” a dark-haired man said, striding toward them. He wore a double-breasted suit, and he was nearly as round as he was tall.
Everly rose to her feet and embraced the man. Then she turned and introduced everyone to Louis Villiers.
Everly was right. He did speak with a French accent, although Austin was pretty sure it was manufactured. He refrained from laughing at the guy and decided that his colorful personality matched the restaurant.
Otherwise, the food was excellent, and even his mom was complimentary.
“Austin says you run the local craft fair in your city,” Everly said to his mom. “That must be a tremendous undertaking.”
His mom was hesitant at first, but with Everly’s continued questions, his mom started to open up.
“You should come to our fall festival,” Everly said. “We have vendors from all over the state.”
This piqued his mother’s interest as she asked about the various vendors who attended. “My mother is on the committee, so I’m sure you’ll have a lot to discuss when you meet.”
His mom’s brows arched at that.
“In fact, she asked me to invite you to her Sunday brunch,” Everly continued. “We meet almost every week for a meal. Sometimes my other relatives will come, too.”
“Perhaps,” his mom said, at the same time his dad said, “We’d love to come.”
His mom shot a glance at his dad, but this time his dad didn’t go into his quiet mode. “Jessica has talked about your mom . . . What’s her name again?”
“Lydia,” Everly said.
“Ah,” his dad said. “She kept saying Iddy, so I was curious.”
“That’s a new one,” Everly said with a smile.
“So, Everly,” his mom said as the waiter filled their water glasses, then cleared their main dishes. “You work at a craft store, and you’re also an artist?”
“I’m a former artist,” Everly said. “I was tired of painting and not selling anything.” She shrugged and glanced at Austin with a sheepish smile.
He grasped her hand which was resting on the table.
“Austin thinks I should take it up again, but I don’t know.” She paused. “I mean, I don’t want to be the proverbial starving artist.”
“And you work at a craft store instead?”
Everly laughed good-naturedly. “Right? I know it sounds like I’m whiling away my days not doing much, but I love working retail. I guess I’m an odd duck. My mother has a beautiful home, but we get along better if we live separately.”
His mom smiled, and it was genuine. “Of course. We’ve offered Austin a place with us multiple times. I know that Jessica would love it.”
This was an old, worn-out argument between him and his parents, but he’d had to put his foot down somewhere.
“Jessica is a sweetheart,” Everly said. “She’s the type of kid who will always bloom where she’s planted.”
And it was the first time all night that Austin saw his mom relax.
“She is a dear,” his mom agreed. “We’re very lucky.”
Everly smiled, and Austin squeezed her hand.
“So, what are your plans tomorrow?” Everly said. “I told Austin that you should come to the city breakfast at the park. There’s a hometown parade, followed by a carnival. And of course, fireworks when it gets dark.”
His mother nodded. “I’m sure Jessica will want to do all of it.”
Everly laughed. “I’ve no doubt.”
By the end of the evening, and by the time Austin was driving his parents back to their hotel after taking Everly home, he knew that his parents had warmed toward her.
Brad had texted him, asking if Jessica could stay one more hour since they’d all started watching Ella Enchanted.
So, this was Austin’s chance to have a heart to heart with his parents. He had to complete this step before talking to Everly. He didn’t want to make his parents feel like he’d alienated them.
“Hey, Mom and Dad,” he said as he pulled into the hotel parking lot, “Can we talk for a moment?”
His mom nodded, and his dad said, “Sure thing.”
“First of all,” Austin said, “Thanks for coming to dinner with Everly and me. She definitely enjoyed meeting you.”
“We enjoyed meeting her,” his dad said. “I thinks she’s a good person, and I can see that you care about her.”
“I do,” Austin said in a quiet voice. His mom hadn’t said anything, so he looked over at her. “Mom?”
She sniffled, and he realized she was crying.
His stomach plummeted. “What’s wrong?”
“Everly’s, uh . . .” His mom fished out a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her cheeks. “She’s . . . good for you, Austin. I can see it when you’re together. Your countenance is lighter, and you’re . . . happy. And I’m so sorry about misjudging and not knowing about Rachel. I can’t imagine your pain.”
Austin swallowed against the growing lump in his throat. “Mom,” he said, grasping her hand. “Rachel is firmly in the past. She gave us Jessica, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
His mom sniffled then nodded.
“Everly might not have a fancy degree or own a condo or house, but she’s a genuine person,” he said. “I’m happy with her, and I’ve felt things that I never thought I would.”
His mom squeezed his hand, then released him and used her tissue to blow her nose.
His dad rested a hand his shoulder. “I think you’ll do fine with her. And heaven knows, Jessica won’t stop talking about her.”
Austin chuckled, but his mom’s emotions still had him on edge.
She wadded up the tissue and put it back into her purse. “We’ve been hoping you’d find a woman to help you raise Jessica,” she said in a quiet tone. “But I never expected it to happen so soon, or to have such mixed feelings. I know that’s something I need to work through.”
Austin e
xhaled. “Mom, we’ve only been dating for a few weeks, so it’s a leap to say that she’ll be helping me raise Jessica.”
She reached over and patted his arm. “A mother knows these things, son.”
He could only stare at her.
“Of course, it will be your decision,” his mom continued, “and Everly’s. But the writing is on the wall.”
He glanced at his father, who only nodded.
21
Everly
“I can’t wait any longer,” Austin whispered in Everly’s ear as they sat behind her parents at the firework show.
The city park was filled with spectators. Older people sat back in lawn chairs, young families spread out on blankets, teens huddled in groups, and toddlers stared at the sky in fascination as colors exploded across it.
“For what?” Everly whispered back, goosebumps racing across her skin at his nearness. They sat on a blanket by themselves since Jessica was curled on her grandpa’s lap where they sat in lawn chairs that Everly had brought along. With Austin’s parents’ gazes glued to the fireworks, he’d been stealing kisses. And some of them had carried a bit of heat.
“To show you my surprise.”
Everly smiled. “You’ve been dangling that in front of me all day. I’m sort of over it now.”
Austin tugged her against him with a growl. “That’s cruel.”
She turned more fully in his arms, looping her arms about his neck. “You’re cruel for tormenting me with whatever this surprise is.”
“Let’s go then,” he said, resting his forehead against hers.
“What about your family?”
“Jessica wants to stay in the hotel tonight,” he said. “I’ll tell my mom we’re leaving, then we’ll head out.”
Everly folded up the blanket while Austin talked to his mom. She turned and gave Everly a little wave, and she waved back. Then Austin was at her side again, taking the blanket, then grasping her hand. They wove their way through the onlookers. It had been a full day, a great day, starting with the early morning pancake breakfast. At the parade, Mr. Hayes had reunited with his cousins, and a lot of stories from long ago were swapped. Jessica hadn’t seen Brock anywhere, and Brandy had texted both her and her mom that she was spending time at a bungalow on the beach about seven hours away.
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