Page 53 of Devlin

However, it was pointless to go down that road. Her mother's choices had changed her life, and they hadn't all been bad. She'd longed to live with her dad, but her mother had done her best to fill that empty space. She'd been very attentive, and they'd been close through the years. But now she wasstarting to realize that she'd gone from living her father's life to living her mother's life. She probably would have lived Gary's life if he hadn't broken up with her. It was time to choose what she wanted for herself—all on her own.

She couldn't help noticing when Devlin and his grandmother left their table. Not just because he was no longer lurking in the corner of her eye, but becausehis grandmother's infectious laugh no longer flowed through the room.

She didn't know Fiona, but she'd always seemed like a sparkly and fun person. But then, all the Blackthornes were bigger than life. She'd always envied the family, not for their money or their power, but for all the love she'd seen between them.

The brothers and cousins had ruled King Harbor in her youth, and whilethey might have been wild boys, they'd also been good guys. They'd had tragedy in their lives. The cousins had lost their parents. The brothers had lost their aunt and uncle. But the kids had all been truly loved, which was certainly a tribute to Claire and Graham, as much as she didn't want to give Graham any credit.

As an only child, she'd wished desperately for a sibling, especiallywhen her parents were fighting. It would have been great to have someone in the middle alongside her, someone she could talk to, who would understand what it felt like to watch your parents splitting apart. Thankfully, she'd had her girlfriends. It hadn't been the same, but it had definitely helped.

"This was great," Jessica said, as they paid their bill. "It's so nice to have you here,Hannah. You should come back more often."

"Definitely for my wedding at the end of summer," Caroline said.

"And for mine next fall," Jessica added.

"Looks like I'll be making a lot of trips here."

"Or you could just stay," Caroline suggested. "We have realty companies here, you know. And there are lots of new homes going up. King Harbor is even more popular than itused to be, so the prices are going up, up, and up."

"Something to think about," Jessica put in. "Real estate aside, we still have the incredible ocean in our backyard, and that's hard to beat."

"I will think about it. I've actually been feeling like a change would be good for me. But it's a big decision. Shall we go?"

They made their way out of the hotel, saying good-byein the lobby, with hugs all around, and then Jessica and Caroline headed to their cars, while she decided to walk around the downtown before heading home. It was four o'clock now, and there were plenty of tourists out and about on a Saturday afternoon.

As her friends had said, King Harbor had definitely grown since she'd been a kid. There were more high-end boutiques, restaurants boastingboth farm-to-table and sea-to-table selections, gourmet markets offering organic foods, gift shops, antiques, and a fabulous two-story bookstore with reading groups for both adults and kids. The Center Theater where Caroline worked was still in the town square but had seen a massive remodel, and next to it was a new Irish pub touting after-theater Irish coffees.

She meandered in and outof the stores for over an hour, enjoying the fact that there was so much more shopping now. If all these boutiques had been here a decade ago, her mother might have stayed.

When she saw the sign for Mendelson Realty, her steps slowed. There were a number of flyers on the display window, and she paused to look at a two-bedroom cottage located on the ocean bluff. Her pulse leapt. It was oneof the houses she'd seen from Devlin's boat the other day. The diamond-paned windows glittered in the light, and the veranda with Adirondack chairs overlooking the sea, as well as the lush garden complete with a trickling rock waterfall, was right out of her dreams.

The price was pretty perfect, too. The description mentioned rustic charm, which probably meant the interior needed work,but that wasn't all bad if the bones of the house were good, as long as the location was as great as it appeared.

Was this a sign?

Caroline's words rang through her head. She'd said she didn't believe in fate or signs, but she could almost feel a hand on her back, urging her to go inside, get more information, maybe take a look at the house.

And then she saw another imagein the window, the figure of a man right behind her. She whirled around, looking into Devlin's curious eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, feeling breathless.

"I was at the hardware store." He tipped his head to the building across the street. "Didn't you hear me call your name?"

"No, I didn't. Where's your grandmother?"

"She went home. I had some errands torun. Did you have a nice time with your friends?"

"It was great to catch up. I'd forgotten how well we all got along."

"It looked like you were having a good time."

"It sounded like you were as well. Your grandmother has a very infectious laugh."

"That she does—sometimes fueled by the flask of Blackthorne Gold she keeps in her purse."

She smiled at the tenderamusement in his eyes. "I didn't know that. However, you still must have been very entertaining."

"She actually finds herself quite amusing, too. But it was fun. So, what were you looking at that had you so captivated you couldn't hear me calling your name?" He moved around her to gaze at the flyer on the window. "One of your pretty hill houses."

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