Page 31 of Tempting the Heart

“We’ll putter around there before heading back to London. Then we’ll go to Paris and spend the remainder of the summer there,” my dad added.

“Summer?” I asked. “How long are you going to be gone?”

My mom shrugged and looked at my dad fondly. “What was it, three months we planned on?”

“Three months?” Audrey shook her head in disbelief. “You wouldn’t even go to New York for more than four days because you worried about everything back home.”

“The time is right,” my mom announced. “I can feel it.”

And the thing about my family was that everything had to do with feelings and instincts. What did your heart say? What did your gut tell you?

The problem for me was that I was more practical. I liked setting goals, like opening a coffee shop, and seeing them through. Even when my instincts tried to kick in, I habitually ignored them.

Sure. There was no denying that my family had a touch of something that allowed most of us to navigate the world by believing in something other than ourselves. But with Amelia touching antiques and being plagued with ancient memories from whoever had owned it previously to Emily’s love affair with words and the books that spoke to her, I couldn’t help but wonder why I’d been skipped with this mystical power.

My grandma had always said we were a family full of mystics, but I was pretty certain it skipped over me and Brad.

I tended to jump on things that were plain as day, right in front of me.

Clearing my throat and glancing at my siblings, I asked the most obvious question.

“What about Dottie? Who’s going to watch her?”

Dottie was my mom’s pride and joy, a tan pug with constant snorts and a curly tail who roamed the antique store by day and snuggled by my parents’ fireplace by night.

Brad shook his head. “Can’t be at my place. Oscar hates Dottie.”

My brows arched as I chuckled. “Your cat hates everyone and everything.”

“I would never do that to our Dottie. Your cat is downright evil.” My mom frowned and turned to look at me. “I was hoping you’d be able to watch her.”

“My house barely fits me inside,” I said, laughing. “But sure.”

I recognized I was the obvious choice. Emily and Amelia were busy in their new relationships, while Audrey and Brad enjoyed singledom and tended to be out most nights of the week.

Then there was me.

“We’ll watch Dottie at the store,” Brad offered.

I nodded with a smile. “And I’ll spoil her at my home, but I’ll have to get one of those air conditioners for the window. Her flat face gets her all hot and bothered.”

My mom chuckled. “Already thought of it. We have one in the trunk.”

Living on an island always made our summers cooler than most of Washington, but not cool enough for a pug. She’d probably keel over if my little home heated up like a sauna this summer.

I was so baffled by the turn of events that I just sat and stared at the water. I couldn’t imagine my parents up and leaving for three months and coming back as retirees.

Did my mom really want to stop coming into the antique store?

“Is there something else going on?” Audrey asked, looking at my mom. “You’re not usually this impulsive.”

My mom shook her head as the server brought out the appetizers, drinks, and bottles of wine before informing usthe family-style dinner of chicken piccata, lasagna, and garlic prawns would be out shortly.

“No.” She sighed. “My friend Janet, you know, the one I went to high school with, and she moved to Arizona… her husband died. Just up and died out of nowhere. It’s actually her rental we’re taking over. Losing all that money is the least of the things she needs right now.” My mom shrugged. “Anyway, it got me thinking that maybe we should step outside our treasured antique store and live a little. Not to mention what happened with Grandma. Granted, she’s up and kicking now…”

My chest tightened at the thought. It was true. In recent months, we’d been reminded how precious life could be.

I nodded and drew a deep breath. “I’m excited for you two. It will allow you to escape from us and be a couple.”

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