If We Never Met (Whisper Lake #5) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,13

senior year."

"What happened?"

"Oh, nothing really." She waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Just kid stuff. I think I saw him at a party with another girl and jumped to conclusions."

"He cheated on you?"

"We weren't serious, Keira. We were teenagers."

"And you haven't seen him since high school?"

"Actually, I saw him at our ten-year reunion. I had forgotten about that until he reminded me. That was the last reunion I went to." Shadows filled her eyes. "I was upset that weekend. I wanted your father to go with me, but he refused. He didn't want to stand around while I caught up with my friends. It really bothered me, because we spent most of our life with his friends. Anyway, Mark was very nice to me that night. He made me feel a lot better."

She frowned, wondering if anything else had happened that night when Mark was being so nice, but there were some things she didn't discuss with her mother and one of those things was sex.

"Once you get to know Mark, you'll like him," her mom added. "Will you have a chance to look at some listings today, or should we get Brenda involved? I know Mark is eager to find a more permanent place to live."

"I'll do it. In fact, I'll talk to Mark today and find out exactly what he's looking for."

Her mother gave her a sharp look. "All right, but be polite, Keira. I don't have that many friends. I don't want to lose a new one."

"You have lots of friends."

"Not from my high school years. Just give him a chance. Now, let's change the subject. Let's talk about that very attractive man you were speaking to at the inn last night."

"There's nothing to say about him."

"There must be something."

"Fine. I'll say this. He has a girlfriend."

Her mother frowned. "Well, that's disappointing."

"I don't even know him. We had a brief conversation. That's it." She refused to admit that she was also disappointed.

"What about your date last night? How was that?"

"Not worth talking about. I need to get to work."

"Can I make you some breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry." She finished her coffee, then put her mug in the sink. "I'll take a look at the listings and get in touch with Mr. Langley today. I assume you have his number."

"Yes, I'll text it to you. I know he's working at the rehab center today. He's setting up his office and getting up to speed on his job, but I'm sure he'll make time for you."

"Okay."

"And you can call him Mark."

"Mark," she repeated, even though his name still left a bad taste in her mouth. She couldn't say her gut was always right, but sometimes it was. She would have to figure out if Mark was after more than friendship with her mother. Her mom had already bought whatever he was selling, so she would have to protect her mom without her knowing. "I'll see you later."

She was almost at the kitchen door when her mother called her name.

"Keira?"

"What?" she asked, seeing a thoughtful look in her mom's eyes.

"As much as I love it being the two of us against the world, I wouldn't mind if you found a man to share your life with. I don't want you to miss out on anything because of me."

"I'm not missing out."

"I hope not. Maybe you should find out how serious Dante is about his girlfriend."

"I'm not going there. So, get that idea out of your head." She left the kitchen, knowing she needed to take the advice she'd just given her mom.

Dante spent time Saturday morning with the two therapists who would be overseeing his treatment plan. When they'd finished with their initial assessment at noon, he felt both tired and frustrated. He'd believed he was doing better than he actually was, and the simple exercises that he could not accomplish pushed a dark reality in front of him, one that he couldn't ignore. The therapists had assured him that improvement could come quickly, so he needed to focus on the positive, not the negative.

On his way out of the building, he decided to stop at the smoothie bar in the lobby, which was located in a wide-open and spacious atrium, with skylights and large windows overlooking the lake and the mountains. In addition to the smoothie bar, there was also a caf茅 and a lounge area with tables, sofas, and couches. There were only a few people around today, as the rehab center was not yet fully open. In