1022 Evergreen Place - Debbie Macomber [113]
“Will, come and sit with us,” she said, impulsively touching his arm.
Will turned around. “Oh, hi, Liv. Thanks, but I’ve got Mom with me. She’s in the ladies’ room at the moment.”
“You brought Mom?”
He answered with a sigh. “She phoned at the last minute and said she needed a ride to the wedding and asked if I could take her. As it was, we missed most of the ceremony.”
“Where’s Ben?”
Will shook his head. “She didn’t say, but something’s up.”
Olivia wasn’t sure what to make of this. She’d talk privately with her mother when she had the chance. “It was good of you to drop everything and bring her here.”
“No big deal,” Will said, shrugging off her thanks. “I wasn’t that busy and Miranda Sullivan’s filling in for me.”
“Miranda Sullivan,” Olivia repeated. “I don’t believe I know her.”
“You probably don’t. She lives in Gig Harbor but she’s in town quite often. She’s friends with Shirley Bliss.”
“Oh.” Olivia would make a point of seeking Miranda out and introducing herself. She wanted to thank the other woman for taking Will’s place at the gallery so he could escort Charlotte to the wedding.
Olivia touched her brother’s arm again. “Will, is everything all right?” She’d rarely seen him so disheartened.
“Everything’s fine.” His answer was quick. Too quick. He must have realized it because he gave her a chagrined look. “Okay, if you must know, I had a bit of a surprise last week.”
“What kind of surprise?”
“Not a good one.” He sighed. “I made a point of letting Shirley Bliss know I was interested in her.”
Olivia was well aware of it; her brother had set his sights on Shirley and actively pursued her.
“You might recall that she and I went out a few times.”
After each outing Will had talked endlessly about Shirley. He’d asked Olivia to suggest a restaurant in Seattle, and then followed her advice and made a reservation. The next week he reported what a wonderful dinner they’d had.
“How is Shirley?” Olivia asked.
“According to Miranda, she’s in love,” he said despairingly. “And it isn’t with me.”
“Oh, Will, I’m so sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s my own fault. I introduced her to an artist friend of mine and then, next thing I know, the two of them are head over heels for each other, which Miranda was happy to share. A week ago they came to the gallery—and they thanked me,” he said sardonically. “Trust me, I can read the writing on the wall.” He stared down at his feet and shrugged again, trying to pretend it really didn’t matter.
Clearly this rejection had come as a shock to her brother. Women had always been interested in Will, and he’d been interested in them. It seemed that, in the past, Will could’ve had almost any woman he wanted. Grace was an exception, but that was a whole other story.
“The thing is,” her brother said. “I’m getting old.”
“Older, Will, not old.”
“Same difference.”
“Oh, come on. You’re as attractive as ever.”
He raised his eyebrows but didn’t respond.
Olivia was surprised by the fragility of her brother’s ego. She wanted to laugh off his concern, but she could see that he took this seriously. She supposed his inability to cope with rejection made sense, considering he’d received very little of it over the years.
“I’m afraid,” he said.
“Of what?”
He looked away. “Of growing old alone.”
She searched for the words to reassure him and would have spoken if not for the fact that their mother stepped out of the ladies’ room just then. Olivia knew immediately that Will was right; Charlotte was distressed about something.
“Mom,” Olivia said, meeting her halfway. She slipped an arm around her mother. “Come and sit with us.”
“You