“I ran into Octavia—that’s her grandmother—down at the beauty parlor and she mentioned you’d been over.”

“Is that right?” John said.

“I didn’t realize she was Tiffany. I mean, I introduced myself and she didn’t give me her name, just looked shocked and pointed out Mason’s apartment.”

“So you went visiting him?” He sighed wearily. “You’re a smart girl, Bliss. I hoped you’d learned your lessons with that one.”

“I have. But—”

Resigned, he waved off her excuses. “It’s your life. Just use your head.”

“Always do, Dad.”

“Oh, honey, I wish I could believe that.”

“Trust me.”

“She’s a grown woman,” Brynnie reminded him. “And I’m not so sure either you or I are the right ones to be handing out advice.” She struck a match and drew long on her cigarette.

John’s jaw hardened. “I just don’t want her to make the same mistakes I did.”

“Or Margaret did,” Brynnie said, shooting a geyser of smoke from the corner of her mouth.

“I won’t.” Rather than continue the no-win argument, Bliss headed for the den. She heard Brynnie defending Mason and her father going through the roof. The happiness he was certain he would find with his bride-to-be seemed to fade with each passing day, and Bliss doubted he’d find the peace he was so determined to have.

“You should never have sold out to him,” her father was saying as Bliss walked the length of the house.

“It was my right.”

“Like hell. I’ve half a mind to call the son of a bitch myself.”

“Now, John, don’t get all worked up. . . .”

Bliss closed the door to the den behind her and leaned against the cool panels. What a mess. It seemed that John and Brynnie were forever at each other’s throats. A match made in heaven, it wasn’t.

But her part in it would soon be over; then they could fight it out like cats and dogs if they wanted to. Bliss only had to put up with a few more weeks of living with all this tension. Then, the Good Lord willing and true love, if that’s what you’d call it, winning out, her father would be married. Bliss would return to Seattle.

For a reason she couldn’t name, the thought of heading back to her apartment overlooking Puget Sound settled like lead in her heart.

Because of Mason. Because you can’t forget him and because you haven’t had it out with him. Face it, Bliss, what you really want while you’re down here, is to find out why he abandoned you; why he ran away and why, when you cared for him so deeply, he didn’t return your love.

* * *

“All I’m saying, Lafferty, is that you had no right!”