204 Rosewood Lane - Debbie Macomber [87]
“A friend of Mom’s,” Will echoed. “I’d think he was too old for Grace.”
“Oh, no—Cliff’s the grandson of Tom Harding, the cowboy actor.”
“Right. I’d forgotten his name.”
There was a silence and then Olivia said, “You know, when we were growing up, I always thought you had a crush on Grace.”
“I did.”
“You never asked her out, though.”
“No,” he said, “but that’s because I was shy.”
“You!” Olivia didn’t believe it for a moment. “I know she would’ve loved it if you had asked her.” And maybe things would have turned out differently for both of you.
“You’re joking.” Will sounded surprised. “I think Grace is one of the most incredible women I’ve ever met.”
His admiration was sincere and equaled Olivia’s. “I do, too. Even through all this craziness with Dan, she’s been solid as a rock.”
“Does anyone know what happened to Dan? Any evidence at all?”
Olivia shook her head. “I wish there was, but no.”
“What about a calculated guess?”
“The truth?” She glanced away from the road long enough to gauge his reaction. “Everyone assumes there’s another woman involved. He bought a ring just before he disappeared and then later he was seen in town with a woman. It was almost as if he was flaunting his affair.”
“But that’s not what you think?”
“No,” she said. “It doesn’t add up.”
“How so?”
“Well, Dan wasn’t exactly Mr. Personality. He was never the same after Vietnam. Sometimes, for no obvious reason, he went into these depressions and closed out the world. He’d be completely unresponsive—sometimes even cruel. When he was like that, he made life miserable for Grace.”
“Why did she stay with him all those years?”
Olivia wasn’t entirely sure, but she had her own theory, based on her long friendship with Grace. “She’s an honorable woman. When she said her vows, she meant them. For better or for worse. But Grace got the worse a lot more often than she got the better—and a lot more often than either of us will ever know. Still, she loved Dan and in his own way, Dan loved her.”
Olivia exited the freeway at the second Cedar Cove off-ramp and drove toward her mother’s home. “When we get to Mom’s, beware of Harry. He’s pretty protective of her.”
Will chuckled. “Don’t tell me Mom’s got a man living with her.”
Now it was Olivia’s turn to smile. “Wait and see.”
Thirteen
While reading the February 7th issue of the Bremerton newspaper, Jack surreptitiously watched his son out of the corner of his eye. They’d just finished a dinner of microwave lasagna and ice cream. Immediately afterward, Eric had begun to pace the small, compact living room of Jack’s waterfront rental house as though he found it impossible to keep still. The boy had been getting on Jack’s nerves for weeks. They’d had more than one verbal confrontation during the months since Eric had moved in with him. Ironically, instead of driving them apart, their arguments seemed to have cemented their relationship as father and son.
When Eric had first arrived, they’d both been careful, each afraid of saying or doing something to upset the other. That awkwardness soon dissipated when what was supposed to be only a few days had stretched into nearly five months. There was definitely a degree of irritation, but at least it was honest and they’d finally moved beyond the superficial.
“Would you stop pacing!” Jack shouted when he could tolerate it no longer. He closed the newspaper and tossed it on the footstool as Eric glared at him from across the room.
“I can’t help it,” Eric muttered. “I think better on my feet.”
Jack expelled his breath in a rush, his patience in short supply these days. Briefly he wondered how Eric’s coworkers handled his bursts of nervous energy. He wished he had Olivia to distract him, but she was busy with her mother. If she wasn’t at the hospital, then she was entertaining her big brother. Jack hadn’t seen her in almost a week and damn it all, he missed her.
“What’s your problem now?” Jack barked.
Eric looked mulishly back at him and said nothing.
It went without