Page 70 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

She blinked. “What?”

“Last night . . . I know I shouldn’t have . . .”

Apparently she wasn’t the only one thinking about last night—and this morning. “You don’t have to apologize. It was a nightmare—completely out of your control.”

“Not that.” He glanced at her. “I shouldn’t have asked you to stay. That was crossing a line. Obviously I have some issues I’m still dealing with, but that’s not your problem.”

Anymore.“You’re not alone in that. We both went through a lot—and yet here we are...”

“Stuck together?” He tossed her a humorless smile. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. “What happened to Mike and Mallory was a terrible tragedy, and I’d do anything if I could undo it. But since I can’t... I wonder if anything good could come from it.”

Laurel weighed his comment. “I guess we both could use some closure.” Right, closure. That’s why she’d just been reminiscing about how it felt to be in his arms.

Gavin’s phone buzzed on the console, intruding on the moment.

“Can you check that for me?”

Laurel did so, and when she recognized the name on the screen, her heart gave a leap. “It’s Patty. Want me to answer and put it on Speaker?”

“Please.” He signaled and drifted to the exit lane while Laurel put the call on Speaker. When she was finished she gave him a nod.

“Hello?” Gavin said.

“Gavin? Hi, this is Patty Dupuis.”

“Hi, Patty. You have good timing. Laurel is here and I have you on Speaker.”

Laurel exchanged greetings, adjusting the volume. Emma was still sound asleep, and she wanted to keep it that way.

“I’m glad to talk to you both,” Patty said. “I’m sorry I haven’tcalled sooner. All of this has been a lot to digest. I’ve thought of nothing else since we talked.”

“We understand,” Gavin said. “The news was a shock to us all.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Patty,” Laurel said. “Mallory and Mike thought so much of you.”

“Thank you. Mallory loved you as well. She talked about you often.”

“I loved her like a sister.”

“It was clear she felt the same way. Can you tell me how Emma’s doing? I’ve prayed for her so many times the past two days, I think God must be sick of me.”

“She’s doing pretty good.” Gavin pulled off the street and into a parking lot. “All things considered.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Patty said. “She’s lucky to have you both. I understand this is a temporary arrangement though. And I’m afraid I wasn’t thinking very clearly when we talked on the phone Sunday, Gavin. There were some critical factors I neglected to mention, and I thought a phone call was in order.

“First of all, I haven’t fully made up my mind yet—I want you to know that right off. But there are some complications you might not be aware of. I don’t know how much Mallory has shared with either of you but... I’m engaged.”

Gavin put the truck into Park and exchanged an uneasy glance with Laurel. “Then you’re not the only one making this decision.”

“That’s exactly right. Robert and I are getting married in January. Like me, he was married before. He and his late wife had three children—they’re barely out of the house. Two of them are still in college. He wasn’t counting on raising another child.”

Laurel’s stomach sank like an anchor.

“On top of that Robert owns a business here in Tampa. Hedetails boats and yachts. That’s actually how we met—I hired him to clean my boat.”

Gavin winced. “There aren’t many boats in Riverbend.”

Patty’s mirthless laugh carried across the distance. “He’s worked hard to build his business, and it’s quite successful. He enjoys what he does, and he’s at least ten years from retirement.”

---