An hour ago, a half hour ago, she had never even considered the fact that she might be adopted. It was not something that had ever crossed her mind. Now she was recalling a whole other history of herself, a back story she’d never known existed that was already sending out repercussions through the years.

There was too much here, too much to sift through. She couldn’t think about it all right now. She needed time to sort things out.

She arrived once again at The Shire. She’d walked around the block, and she pushed open the door and went into the bookstore. Josh was with a customer, a Doug Henning look-alike, but he excused himself and hurried over when he saw her, a worried frown on his face. “Are you all right?”

She smiled weakly. “I’m fine. Go back to your customer.”

“He can wait.”

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. Biological relation or not, he was her brother, the only brother she’d ever known, and while he might be a flake and a screwup in many ways, she was lucky to have him, and she couldn’t ask for a better or more caring sibling.

She reached out, hugged him. “I love you,” she said, the tears rolling down her cheeks. “I love you, Josh.”

He hugged her back, held her tight. “I love you, too.”

Matt was waiting on the porch when she arrived home.

Her first instinct was to drive on, not stop, keep going and not return until he was gone, but though her hands were shaking and she felt like jelly inside, she forced herself to park the car, get out, stride purposely up the walkway. She fixed the most angrily resolute expression possible on her face.

Matt moved down the steps toward her. “Laurie—”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she said firmly.

“I came to apologize.”

“You are no longer in my life, there is no connection between us, you have no reason to apologize to me.”

“Yes I do, because—”

“Please leave,” she said. She took out her key, unlocked and opened the door.

“Laurie!”

She turned to look at him. “Obviously, you don’t know me at all. Even after all that time together. Let me spell it out for you: I don’t forgive and forget. We’re not going to be friends; we’re not even going to be acquaintances. At this point, we do not have any relationship at all. It’s over. You get one chance with me, and you blew it. I don’t give second chances.”

He stared up at her.

She glared back.

“Then I guess here’s your key.” He looked at her dejectedly with that hurt, wounded expression that had always made her feel sorry for him and want to mother him, but she refused to fall for it this time, refused to give in.