mine. “Of course.”
Then he stepped backward. “I need a minute.” And walked away.
THAT WASN’T EMBARRASSMENT
I gave Lily a lemon square and left her with a coworker from accounting. Then I stood near the dessert table trying to convince myself nothing strange had happened.
A grieving child saw something familiar. That was all.
Except Gerald had reacted like a guilty man. His face hadn’t shown surprise. It had shown recognition — as if Lily had spoken the exact sentence he’d been afraid of hearing.
So I went looking for him.
He was standing near the pergola with Trent, his business partner. I slowed before reaching them.
Trent was laughing. “So you’re really doing it?”
Gerald said something I couldn’t hear.
“The whole second floor?” Trent continued. “You’re rebuilding all that space for a family?”
My steps stopped.
A family?
Gerald had never married. No children. His parents lived out
