“I’m sorry.” He tried to grab her hand as she passed, but she pulled it out of reach. “I didn’t want to stress you out until I knew for sure there was something to it.”

“You don’t think this is stressful?” Her neck muscles strained with the pressure of shouting indignantly in a whisper.

“There was no way I could know he would show up like this.”

She realized her fists were clenched and forced them to release. She shook out her hands. Part of her understood the reasonableness of what Jeremy was saying and the decisions he’d made. Another part wanted to wring his neck. Weren’t they supposed to tell each other everything?

Well. Maybe there were a few things she hadn’t been one hundred percent forthright about with him, either.

Her shoulders relaxed the slightest bit. “What do we do now?”

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but . . . I wish your dad was here.”

The corners of her mouth twitched. Jeremy caught her eye and smiled a sheepish half smile.

“See?” She chuckled. “He comes in handy once in a while.”

Jeremy gave an exaggerated sigh of exasperation. “Okay, fine. He might be good for something.”

“He’ll be thrilled to hear that.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t I?”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, tickling her side. “I’m not letting go until you promise not to tell him.”

She squealed and gasped for breath. “Okay, okay. I promise.”

“Should we ask Ken some more questions?” Jeremy reluctantly let her go and peeked around the corner again. “Offer him a glass of water or something?”

Bea gave him a sly grin. “So we can pull his fingerprints off the glass?” A low rumble caught her ear. “That’s Dad’s truck.”

She hoped he was in a good mood. Hoped he wouldn’t freak out. Hoped it wasn’t all a terrible mistake. She held her breath as an awfully long moment passed. Then they heard the front door swing open. She and Jeremy stumbled over each other to meet her dad at the door.

He clomped into the house, indicating the road with a jerk of his head. “Whose car is parked the wrong way out there?”

Her mind went blank of everything except the peaceful look on Grandma June’s face the last time Bea was at her house. She’d been happy. Content. Bea didn’t want to ruin that. Should they have left the whole thing alone?

“Uh . . .”

Jeremy stepped up. “Well, you see . . .”

Ken appeared.

Dad’s eyes registered a quick flash of surprise before his manners kicked in. “Hello, I’m Mitch.”

Ken took her dad’s outstretched hand and clasped it, hope and hurt and hesitation in his eyes. “Ken. Ken Thurgood.” His voice cracked. “I’m your big brother.”