Don't Say a Word - Barbara Freethy [60]
"And she told you that we disowned her?"
"That's what she said."
Susan shook her head in disbelief once again. After a moment, she asked, "Where do you all live?"
"San Francisco."
"That's so far. How did Sarah end up in San Francisco?"
Julia could only shrug. "She never spoke of her past. She said it was too painful. And she kept her silence up until the day she died."
"How did she pass?"
"She had breast cancer. She fought hard for two years before she lost the battle."
Susan's eyes teared once again. "My mother had breast cancer. They shared that, too." She paused for a long moment. "I'm glad Sarah got to be a mother, that she found love." Her voice was heavy with sadness. "I'm sorry she didn't want her father and me to be a part of her life. That I'll never understand."
Julia looked to Alex for help. She didn't want to say any more. It seemed as if every word that came out of her mouth only brought her grandmother more pain.
"Maybe we should go," he suggested.
"No, don't go," Susan said suddenly. "Not yet. I have so many questions to ask. Do you have any other photos of your mother?"
Julia nodded. "Yes, I brought several with me. I was wondering if you had any pictures of her when she was a little girl."
"Upstairs." Susan stood up. "I'll show you everything I have, and you'll tell me about your life together. And maybe somewhere we'll find some answers."
***
It was after midnight by the time they left Susan's house and checked into the hotel near the airport. Julia was exhausted but also wired. She'd seen her mother's bedroom as well as dozens of photographs of Sarah as a little girl. She'd learned about her grandfather, grandmother, and assorted relatives. They'd shared stories and tears. Alex had been as patient as a saint through it all. She glanced at him now as they took the elevator to the third floor and walked down the hall to their adjoining rooms, wondering what he was thinking.
"Are you going to go to sleep right away?" she asked. "I feel like talking."
"That's all you've been doing for the last four hours." He unlocked his door and opened it. "Aren't you talked out yet?"
"Not really. We probably bored you to death, didn't we?"
He shrugged. "It wasn't too bad."
"I guess I'll see you in the morning." She checked her watch. "Which is in about five hours. Good night."
"Good night."
She walked into her room and set her purse and a small overnight bag on the table. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she flipped on the television, but it was late and there was nothing on but infomercials. She turned off the set, knowing she should just go to bed, but her head was spinning with everything she'd learned. She smiled when she heard a knock on the connecting door. Opening it, she said, "Did you change your mind?"
"I can't sleep either." Alex walked past her and sat down on her bed. He stretched out his legs, resting his back against the headboard and patted the mattress next to him. "Why don't you sit down?"
She hesitated, her instincts telling her that that could be a dangerous move. They'd been so caught up in the search, she'd been able to ignore her attraction to Alex. But now they were alone in a hotel room, and the kiss they'd shared the night before was back in her mind.
Had that been only last night? So much had happened since then.
"What's the matter, Julia? You look worried."
"I'm engaged."
"Yeah, you've mentioned that a few times."
She sat down on the side of the bed, deliberately putting some space between them. "I should call Michael and Liz, too. They're both probably wondering where I am. And I have so much to tell Liz."
"I thought you left messages for them."
"I didn't say where I was, just that I'd be home tomorrow."
"Sounds like a good message to me. Do you really want to tell them over the phone?"
She thought about her options. With the time difference, it would be only nine o'clock in San Francisco. Still, what would she say? That she was in New York with Alex, that she was at this moment sharing a bed with him? That didn't