Dream Wedding(135)

She didn’t know whether to scream or cry. Anger, sadness, frustration and pain from the thought of never seeing Joel again all welled up inside of her.

“I don’t want time,” she said. “I want it to be over. I want you to walk away from me without any regrets. I want you to find someone else and experience a little passion of your own. It will change your life forever.”

She slid out of the booth and tried to smile. She had a feeling she failed pretty badly. “Goodbye, Joel. Good luck.”

Then she turned and walked away.

* * *

A KNOCK AT his office door interrupted Ryan. He called “Come in,” without turning away from his computer screen, then remembered that Cassie had left for the afternoon an hour or so before. He glanced up in time to see an attractive fiftysomething woman step inside.

She was about Cassie’s height, with sleek dark hair pulled back into a fancy bun. Tailored clothes emphasized her trim body.

“You must be Cassie’s aunt Charity,” he said, rising to her feet.

“Yes. I just thought I’d poke my head in and say hello.”

She crossed to his desk and handed him a cup of coffee. As she held another mug in her hand, he figured she was expecting an invitation to join him for a few minutes.

“Have a seat,” he said, motioning to the empty chair next to her. Like Cassie’s sister, her aunt wanted to check out the man Cassie worked for. He appreciated that her family was so concerned about her well-being.

“Thank you.”

Charity sat down and set her coffee on the desk. He did the same.

“Is Sasha asleep?”

“Yes. She was a little hyper from playing,” Charity said as she crossed her legs and picked up her mug. “I supposed a game of tag in the backyard wasn’t a clever idea right before her nap, but I wasn’t thinking.” Her easy smile returned. “It comes from not having had children of my own. By the time I moved in with Cassie and Chloe, they were far too old to play games or need naps.”

“You’re their aunt on their father’s side?”

“That’s right. So I don’t have any connection with the town of Bradley.” She took a sip of coffee. “Has Cassie told you that one of her relatives actually founded the town?”

“She mentioned something about it.”

“It’s quite extraordinary for me to imagine having roots that go down that deep. I’ve always been something of a wanderer.” Her well-shaped eyebrows drew together. “Come to think of it, I’ve lived in Bradley longer than anywhere else in my adult life. I came here when the girls were nearly eighteen.” She paused, then gave a small gasp of surprise. “That was more than eight years ago. Time does get away from us all, doesn’t it? Eight years. Who would have thought?”

“There is something pleasant about Bradley,” he said. “I’d planned to be here a month or six weeks at most, but now I find myself considering a longer stay.”

“Really?” Dark brown eyes regarded him thoughtfully. “There’s a lot to like here.”

He wondered if she was still talking about the town or something else. Had Cassie told her aunt about what had happened the previous night? He studied the older woman sitting across from him, but he couldn’t be sure.

Charity set her mug on the desk. “I moved in with the girls as soon as I found out about my brother’s death. Unfortunately, I’d been in remote sections of the Far East, so it took the family lawyer three years to find me. I couldn’t imagine staying in a small town where the neighbors knew one another. Living with two teenage girls was also a shock. I couldn’t wait to leave.” Her expression softened. “But slowly, the town and the girls worked their magic. Cassie and Chloe have both urged me to resume my travels, but I find I miss them less and less with each passing year.”

She smiled. “I stayed at first to make sure the girls got through college. Then there was always some excuse to keep me around. Now I want to stay to see Chloe’s baby born. I’m beginning to suspect I’ve lost the travel bug. Still, I saw a great deal of the world.” She paused, and leaned forward slightly. “Is Bradley anything like where you grew up?”

“Not really. My mother, my brother and I lived in different parts of Los Angeles.”

“What about your father?”

“John, my older brother, had a different father. His dad left when John was three or four. My father ran out on my mother when he learned she was pregnant.” Not much of a legacy, he thought grimly. How could any man turn his back on his child?

“That must have been difficult for all of you,” Charity said. “Your mother sounds like a very strong woman.”