Page 111 of If We Never Met

"I can see how he might feel that way."

"I'm glad you can see that, because life is complicated, Keira. Most people aren't all good or all bad; they're complex and they're flawed."

"I know." She let out a heavy breath. "Is Mark going to tell his son?"

"I urged him to do that. He needs to tell Richard everything before Mandy does. His son should hear the truth from him. He agreed."

"What about the two of you? Where do you go from here?"

"You won't like my answer."

She gave her a tired smile. "You want to keep seeing him."

"Yes. I'm sorry if that makes you unhappy, but I've been alone for a long time. I've found someone I enjoy spending time with, and he feels the same way. We're not going to get married or live together. We just want time to get to know each other again. Can you handle that?"

"I guess I'll have to. I'm going to need to know a lot more about him before he gets my unrestricted approval."

"That's fair enough. Now that I've shared my plans, what about you? What's happening with Dante?"

"His arm is better, and he got the okay from his doctor to go back to pitching. He's leaving town on Saturday."

"Oh, Keira." Her mother gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

"I'll survive."

"I don't want you to just survive. I want you to live. I want you to have everything you've ever dreamed about. But, mostly, I don't want to be the reason you don't have the life you're meant to have. I'm good now, Keira. I can get by on my own or with a little help from my friends. You don't have to stay here with me. I am so grateful for everything you've done. But I love you more than life, which is why I want you to go and do whatever you want to do."

She blinked back a rush of emotion. "Are you trying to kick me out?"

"I'm giving you permission to leave, if you want to. You're so talented, Keira. If you want to go back to New York, you should. If you want to follow that handsome baseball player to Florida, you can. Brenda can manage the real-estate business. I'm sure you can find someone to take over the store. You just have to decide what you want, what you really want. And then don't think about anyone else. You've been generous for too long. It's time to be selfish."

"I love being with you, Mom. It's always been us. We're a team."

"A good team," her mother agreed. "We'll always be that to each other. But we both know you need to do something different. Whatever it is, I'll support you. And I want to be clear: this has nothing to do with Mark being in town. This is just about you and me."

"I got it. Thanks."

"Now give me a hug."

She got up and gave her mom a long hug, feeling like another turning point had arrived earlier than she'd thought.

"So, any idea what you are going to do?" her mom asked, as she took her coffee mug to the sink.

"Today or for the long-term?"

"Let's start with today. Are you going to the beach or out on a boat with your friends before the fireworks?"

"I'm not sure," she said vaguely. "I'm going to head down to the store and get caught up on some paperwork. After that, I'll see."

"It's a holiday; you can take a day off. Or are you trying to avoid Dante?"

"You think you know everything," she said with a dry smile.

"I do know you. He's not gone yet, Keira. Maybe you should take this time to find out how you really feel about him."

"Unfortunately, I already know."

Dante spent most of the day on a bike ride. He'd wanted to be outdoors, but he hadn't really wanted to be with anyone except Keira. He'd hoped she would call him, but she hadn't. By seven in the evening, he was tired of his own company. He headed down to the beach, where Lizzie was hosting a picnic dinner before the fireworks. He hoped Keira would be there, but even if she were, she'd probably try to avoid him.

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