The Weston family had been shattered once before and the fault lines had never mended. No matter how good it felt to be held by him, to kiss and be kissed by him, to indulge in foreplay that nearly crossed the line of consummated sex, she could not keep on, especially if it meant pretending to others that she was entirely innocent.

He was right about her saying yes without being brave enough to say it out loud.

That couldn’t continue.

“Take me back, Parr. Right now.”

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Mary Beth was back in Iminga. Judging by the way she behaved after the return from Brickell, no one suspected anything out of the ordinary had happened.

Hello. Yes, we had a lovely time. Thanks so much for asking. But there’s no place like home.

Which was exactly the same. The unchanging rhythm of a southern summer enfolded her. As far as their friends and acquaintances knew, she’d been her usual saintly self by agreeing to take her future mother-in-law upstate to see an old friend for a few days. Bobby Joe had gone fishing downstate. Parr had stopped by, not for long. Alma looked rested. That was about it for raging gossip.

And now, she had to plan Alma’s birthday party. It was going to be a surprise and that meant Howard wasn’t in on it.

Bobby Joe was showing a few houses today. She had the key to the office building that he’d given her. There was that little room at the top that she’d liked. She settled the strap of the huge tote bag over her shoulder to make it more comfortable. It was stuffed with art supplies and notebooks. She was going to get good and crafty where no one would bother her.

She entered, grateful that Bobby Joe had remembered to turn on the air-conditioning. The interior was cool as a cave but still sunny. She locked the door behind her and went upstairs.

First she took her purse out of the tote and set it aside on the little desk under the skylight. The small white box inside looked even whiter. She hadn’t given the necklace to Parr to have repaired. He hadn’t asked for it, either, just taken an abrupt departure from Sheila’s house that hurt his mother’s feelings more than a little.

Mary Beth got out the poster board. What she planned to do—splashy stencil art with rah-rah best wishes in marker—wasn’t exactly mindless but it was close. Doing something with her hands was easier than thinking about everything she and Parr had discussed. Besides, she wanted Alma’s birthday to be special after she’d been through so much.

Everyone who’d been at Mary Beth’s birthday party in the spring would be there, plus Sheila, who’d promised to drive down. Life went on. Events and milestones needed celebrating.