I took off down the street, abandoning my car and choosing to go on foot. The Hardys were just a couple of blocks away, and I hoped I could sweet-talk Frank into letting me borrow his truck to get the credenza back to the workshop behind The Catch. There was a slight pang in my chest at the thought. I used to bribe Frank to help me load and unload whatever furniture piece I’d purchased, but since his stroke, he just wasn’t stable enough. But he was getting stronger every day, and I had to hold on to that fact.

I jogged up the familiar brick path and rang the doorbell. The door swung open, and Kara beamed at me. “Bell! Get in here. You have been far too absent from this home lately.”

I stepped inside and into Kara’s warm embrace. “Sorry, Kara, things have just been crazy.”

“I can only imagine.” She kept a hold of me, whispering into my ear. “I didn’t know he was coming home. I wouldn’t have stopped it, because Lord knows I want my boy as close as I can have him, but I would’ve given you a heads-up so you could prepare.”

Her surprise confession had me sucking in a pained breath. This woman knew me so well. Understood that I’d be hurting, might have even felt betrayed. But, of course, she hadn’t known. She was too kind, too empathetic, to let something like that come to pass without talking to me. “Thanks, Mama K.” I hadn’t called her that in years, but it seemed fitting now. “I’m glad you have him back.”

I was happy for her. She’d been without Ford close for too many years. There was a fluttering in my chest, a hint of longing. The knowledge that I wanted Ford back in my life, as well. But I was too damn scared to reach for it.

Kara released her hug but held on to my shoulders. “Love you as if you were my own, Bell.”

My voice hitched. “Love you, too.”

“What’s all this blubbering and fussing going on out here?” Frank asked as he emerged from the living room.

Kara waved a hand in front of her face. “Oh, hush, you. We’re just telling each other how much we love each other.”

Frank rolled his eyes heavenward but wisely said nothing about our teary expressions. He turned back to me. “You here for me to whip you in gin rummy for the millionth time?”

I laughed and cracked my knuckles. “I wouldn’t mind a round or two, but I really came to see if I could bribe you out of your truck for about an hour.”

Frank’s expression brightened. “You find a new piece?”