Page 19 of An Unexpected Match

“Oh. Well, good.”

She clutched the phone, wishing she could think of something else to say. Did he want to talk to his daughters? She closed her eyes, seeing him as clearly as if he stood before her. Keep safe, she thought fiercely.

“I’ve got to go. If I can, I’ll call later,” he said abruptly.

“Don’t worry about anything here. I’m responsible, remember? Good luck with the hostages.”

“Actually, Arden, you’d be surprised at all I remember.”

The connection ended. For a long moment she stared at her phone, trying to figure out just what he meant by that cryptic last remark.

“Are we going?” Hailey asked, running into the kitchen.

“I’m ready,” Avery said two seconds later, tagging along after her sister.

Arden smiled at the two girls, seeing their daddy in their features. She refused to get caught up in dreaming about Brendan Ferguson. He’d checked in to see how his daughters were and to apologize for the kiss.

Darn, she didn’t want an apology. She thought she might like another kiss.

“Yes, we’re ready to leave right now.”

She knew so little about Brendan, she mused as she drove to Ocean View. He missed his wife, that she recognized. But it’d been three years. Had he begun to put the past behind him? Had he started dating again or was he still too lost in grief to do that?

Maybe she’d talk to her aunts about him. They were wise and had experienced loss. Maybe they could provide some insight into Brendan’s feelings.

And help her avoid any awkward confrontations like that soul-searing kiss. She’d have to watch her impulsiveness from now on. Brendan was not a child to hug impetuously when the mood struck.

As Arden suspected, the aunts adored the children. Hailey and Avery were quickly chatting away with Eugenia and Love without the normal shyness and hesitation children sometimes showed around strangers.

Eugenia Murray and Love Glover had their own small two-room apartment in the retirement complex, but it was tiny, so they insisted on using the common lawn area for visiting.

“It’s warm enough for it,” Eugenia commented as she lowered herself awkwardly on one of the white wrought-iron benches beneath a widespread oak. Arden could tell her aunt’s arthritis was bothering her. She wished there was something she could do.

Tall and thin, Eugenia’s white hair neatly framed her face. Her eyes were the same blue as Arden’s and she wore a simple print dress that looked elegant on her.

“We’ll get the cold soon enough come fall,” Love said as she sat on an adjacent bench. Also thin, Love wasn’t quite as put together as her older sister. Her clothes always looked the tiniest bit disheveled. Though always clean, it was amazing how fast they could get wrinkled once she donned them.

“Come sit with me, Hailey, and tell me all about having Arden coming to live with you. She used to live with us, you know,” Aunt Love said, patting the space beside her.

“I want you to come visit us often,” Eugenia said. “It’s not the same living apart as we’re doing now. I miss you.”

“I’ll come as often as I can get away,” Arden promised.

“Bring the children. I always loved to be around children. I regret your father didn’t have more. A son or two to carry on the name.”

“So you’ve mentioned,” Arden couldn’t resist murmuring.

It had always been a sore spot. Wasn’t she enough? Why had first her father, then her aunts lamented the lack of a son?

“Girls are special,” Love said gently, her gaze on Arden. “Your father adored you. You were always special to us from the first day you came to live with us.”

Arden smiled at her aunt, the old ache easing a bit.

Try as she might to smooth things out, Love couldn’t deny men seem to want a son to carry on their name. Arden had heard it enough growing up.

With two daughters, if Brendan married again, he’d certainly want a son as well. Maybe more than one.

Her friends, Patti and Doug, had discussed when to start their family. Doug wanted a son first, then a daughter.

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