But Grace had been dead set on following her dream and had gone to her father and asked that the money they’d put aside for her college fund be used to pay tuition to a dance school in New York.

Pete had refused, of course. Maybe he’d been a little harsh about it, but he’d meant it for the best. He was just being sensible, just looking out for his little girl. And Carol had agreed wholeheartedly. At the time.

But then Carol watched as her daughter had worked tirelessly, saved every penny, month after month. She’d been bound and determined to go, and seeing it, Carol had tried to nudge her husband into letting her.

He hadn’t budged, and neither had Grace.

She was barely nineteen when that slick-talking Jack Casey came around. And that was that.

She couldn’t regret it, not when Aubrey had come from it. But she could regret that the pregnancy, the hasty marriage and hastier divorce, had driven a thicker wedge between father and daughter.

But what was couldn’t be changed, she told herself and took Aubrey’s hand to lead her to the car. ‘‘You’re sure this car Dave has for you runs all right?’’

‘‘Dave says it does.’’

‘‘Well, he ought to know.’’ He was a good mechanic, Carol thought, even if he had been the one to hire Jack Casey. ‘‘You know you could borrow mine for a while— give yourself more chance to shop around.’’

‘‘This one will be fine.’’ She hadn’t even laid eyes on the secondhand sedan Dave had picked out for her. ‘‘We’re going to do the paperwork on Monday, then I’ll have wheels again.’’

After securing Aubrey in the car seat, Grace slipped in while her mother took the wheel.

‘‘Go, go, go! Go, fast, Gramma,’’ Aubrey demanded. Carol flushed when Grace cocked a brow.

‘‘You’ve been speeding again, haven’t you?’’

‘‘I know these roads like the back of my hand, and I haven’t had a single ticket in my life.’’

‘‘Because the cops can’t catch you.’’ With a laugh, Grace strapped herself in.

‘‘When do the newlyweds get home?’’ Not only did Carol want to know, she preferred to have the conversation veer away from her notoriously heavy foot.

‘‘I think they’re due in about eight tonight. I just want to give the house a buff, maybe put something on for dinner in case they’re hungry when they get here.’’

‘‘I imagine Cam’s wife’ll appreciate it. What a beautiful bride she was. I’ve never seen lovelier. Where she managed to get that dress when the boy gave her so little time to plan a wedding, I don’t know.’’

‘‘Seth said she went to D.C. for it, and the veil was her grandmother’s.’’