right after I got down here. Kelsey flew here because I insisted. She’snot thinking very clearly right now. She wants to quit school and move back to New York.”
“And you disapprove?” He could read it in the set of her jaw and the tone of her voice.
“Strongly. Am I wrong?”
She gave him a surprisingly helpless look that made Luke want to fix this for her. He hardly had the right to even offer a suggestion, though. “Honestly, I don’t know,” he said eventually.
“Me, neither,” she admitted. “I don’t know if I have the right to push her to stay in school, or if it’s even the right thing to do. I’m out of my league with all this.”
“I don’t think any parent’s ever prepared for this moment.”
“Do you have kids?”
“Two, but they’re a lot younger than Kelsey. Thank God, I don’t have to worry about something like this for a long time.”
“Trust me, the time passes before you know it. A part of me still thinks of Kelsey in a frilly party dress, blowing out candles on a birthday cake, surrounded by a bunch of other toddlers. Instead, she’s this amazing young woman whose life is about to be turned upside down. If she were a different girl, if she’d been flighty or reckless, I could understand how this could happen, but she’s not. She’s always been very much in control of everything.”
The bathroom door opened and they fell silent. Kelsey looked pale and drawn, but she managed a wobbly smile.
“Sorry,” she said. She spotted the ginger ale and took a tentative sip. “Where’s Grandma Jenny?”
“She went upstairs,” Hannah told her.
“I think I will, too,” Kelsey said, avoiding Hannah’s gaze. “I know it’s early, but I’m beat. I’d like to sleep for a week.”
Hannah regarded her with disappointment. “I thought we could talk,” she said, though it sounded halfhearted.
“In the morning, Mom, please,” Kelsey said. “I’m just not up to it tonight.”
“Okay, sure.” Hannah was a little too quick to cave in, proving just how reluctant she was to have this conversation. “Get some rest, sweetie. I love you.”
Kelsey bent down and kissed Hannah’s cheek. “Love you, too. Good night, Luke. I swear I’ll be better company tomorrow.”
“Your company is just fine,” he said.
She grinned. “You actually said that with a straight face. I think I like you.”
Then she was gone and Luke was left alone with Hannah, who looked as if she were near tears.
“You’re not going to cry, are you?” he asked worriedly. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she did. He could handle combat better than he could deal with a woman’s tears. His wife had known that and used it to her advantage more times than he could count. The only time it hadn’t worked had been when he’d reenlisted in the army.
“It’s entirely possible that I’ll bawl my eyes out before the night’s over,” Hannah admitted. “You can run for your life, if you want to.”
Since she’d offered him an easy out, naturally he felt compelled to deny he wanted one. “Now, why would I do that? I’m just asking for advance warning, so I can get you some tissues. As for running me off, in general, let’s just accept that I’m here for the duration, okay?”
“You are gallant, aren’t you? Kelsey was right.” She dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. “Just for that, I will not cry. I’ll clean up these dishes and then make some iced tea. You want to join me for some on the porch?”
“Forget the tea,” he said. “I want some of that ice cream. How about you?”
Her eyes brightened perceptibly. “I’d forgotten all about that. What kind did you get?”
“Rocky road.”
She gave him a surprised look. “Was that a lucky coincidence or did you actually remember that was my favorite?”
He shrugged, his expression sheepish. “I remembered we ate an awful lot of it that summer I was hanging around here. It had to be somebody’s favorite.”
“Honesty. Wow, that’s
“And you disapprove?” He could read it in the set of her jaw and the tone of her voice.
“Strongly. Am I wrong?”
She gave him a surprisingly helpless look that made Luke want to fix this for her. He hardly had the right to even offer a suggestion, though. “Honestly, I don’t know,” he said eventually.
“Me, neither,” she admitted. “I don’t know if I have the right to push her to stay in school, or if it’s even the right thing to do. I’m out of my league with all this.”
“I don’t think any parent’s ever prepared for this moment.”
“Do you have kids?”
“Two, but they’re a lot younger than Kelsey. Thank God, I don’t have to worry about something like this for a long time.”
“Trust me, the time passes before you know it. A part of me still thinks of Kelsey in a frilly party dress, blowing out candles on a birthday cake, surrounded by a bunch of other toddlers. Instead, she’s this amazing young woman whose life is about to be turned upside down. If she were a different girl, if she’d been flighty or reckless, I could understand how this could happen, but she’s not. She’s always been very much in control of everything.”
The bathroom door opened and they fell silent. Kelsey looked pale and drawn, but she managed a wobbly smile.
“Sorry,” she said. She spotted the ginger ale and took a tentative sip. “Where’s Grandma Jenny?”
“She went upstairs,” Hannah told her.
“I think I will, too,” Kelsey said, avoiding Hannah’s gaze. “I know it’s early, but I’m beat. I’d like to sleep for a week.”
Hannah regarded her with disappointment. “I thought we could talk,” she said, though it sounded halfhearted.
“In the morning, Mom, please,” Kelsey said. “I’m just not up to it tonight.”
“Okay, sure.” Hannah was a little too quick to cave in, proving just how reluctant she was to have this conversation. “Get some rest, sweetie. I love you.”
Kelsey bent down and kissed Hannah’s cheek. “Love you, too. Good night, Luke. I swear I’ll be better company tomorrow.”
“Your company is just fine,” he said.
She grinned. “You actually said that with a straight face. I think I like you.”
Then she was gone and Luke was left alone with Hannah, who looked as if she were near tears.
“You’re not going to cry, are you?” he asked worriedly. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she did. He could handle combat better than he could deal with a woman’s tears. His wife had known that and used it to her advantage more times than he could count. The only time it hadn’t worked had been when he’d reenlisted in the army.
“It’s entirely possible that I’ll bawl my eyes out before the night’s over,” Hannah admitted. “You can run for your life, if you want to.”
Since she’d offered him an easy out, naturally he felt compelled to deny he wanted one. “Now, why would I do that? I’m just asking for advance warning, so I can get you some tissues. As for running me off, in general, let’s just accept that I’m here for the duration, okay?”
“You are gallant, aren’t you? Kelsey was right.” She dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. “Just for that, I will not cry. I’ll clean up these dishes and then make some iced tea. You want to join me for some on the porch?”
“Forget the tea,” he said. “I want some of that ice cream. How about you?”
Her eyes brightened perceptibly. “I’d forgotten all about that. What kind did you get?”
“Rocky road.”
She gave him a surprised look. “Was that a lucky coincidence or did you actually remember that was my favorite?”
He shrugged, his expression sheepish. “I remembered we ate an awful lot of it that summer I was hanging around here. It had to be somebody’s favorite.”
“Honesty. Wow, that’s
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