Page 10 of If We Never Met

"I know. I'm not sure what's wrong with me."

"Maybe because it's Hannah. You two have been friends since you were kids."

"That might be part of it."

"Or you're burning out, trying to do too many things: selling real estate, running your shop, designing clothes... It's a lot, Keira."

"Says the woman who always does too many things."

"True. But I'm learning to delegate, mostly because Justin screams that word into my ear several times a day."

"How romantic."

Lizzie grinned. "He says other things, too. But seriously, he showed me how to prioritize the things that really matter. It may not always make the most practical business sense, but if it's part of my vision, my dream, then I just have to decide what else I can give up, because I can't do everything. And you can't, either."

"I know, but I can't let go of anything, at least not yet. It's not the right time."

"I get it. I wish I could help. You suddenly look exhausted. I'm tempted to tell you about Dante just to put the light back in your eyes."

She gave her a tired smile. "That was a fun distraction while it lasted. I should go."

"Why don't you just give yourself a night off? See how the dress looks in the morning."

"That's not the worst idea. I also need to go through the real-estate listings for a new client, an old friend of my mother's, although I had never heard of him until he showed up at our house last night. He said he's staying here at the inn, too. Mark Langley."

"Yes, he is. I didn't realize he knew your mother. He's moving here for his new job at the rehab center. He seems very nice."

"Does he? I thought it was weird that he dropped by our house without warning. I don't know how he got my mom's address. He didn't ask you for it?"

"No. If he had, I wouldn't have given it out. But he probably could have asked just about anyone in town." Lizzie paused. "What are you worried about? Do you think he's lying about their past? Did your mom recognize him? What does she have to say?"

"He's not lying. He came with a high school yearbook. My mom did not recognize him at first, but when he said his name, I could see the recognition run through her eyes. And then she smiled and gave him a big hug. She invited him in, and they talked for about a half hour. I didn't catch all of it, because I was on the phone with Brenda, walking her through some contract issues. But at the end of their conversation, my mom asked me to help him find a house."

"Surely you can pass that off to Brenda."

"I suggested it, but my mom was insistent I take care of it, since Mark is a personal friend. If he hadn't had the yearbook with him, I would have been more suspicious, but it was hard to argue when I saw them dressed up as a cowboy and a cowgirl at a high school Halloween dance. And when they started talking, they did seem to share the same memories."

"I thought your mom had trouble with her memory."

"She does, but she has been improving the last year. She has fewer and fewer lapses."

"Maybe Mark will be good for her. Remind her of things she has forgotten. He can fill in some blanks that no one else here in Whisper Lake can."

"That's true."

"But?"

"I don't know, Lizzie. My gut tells me there's something off about him."

"Well, I'm not going to argue with your gut."

As Lizzie finished speaking, the front door opened, and Keira heard voices. A moment later, she was shocked when her mom, Ruth Blake, walked into the room with the man she'd just been talking about. Mark Langley was a tall, silver-haired man wearing dark slacks and a button-down shirt. He was handsome, for an older man. Her mother looked unusually good, too. She had put on a floral shift dress that she had definitely not been wearing earlier in the day.

She got to her feet as her mother gave her a somewhat guilty smile.

"Keira, I thought you were on a date," her mom said.

"And I thought you were at home watching a movie."

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