Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,51

Let me see what he has to say, and then I'll fill Adam in."

"Okay."

As they walked out of the kitchen, the doorbell rang once more.

"Maybe Adam has already found out something else," Hannah said.

But it wasn't Adam on the porch this time; it was Hannah's mother, Katherine Stark.

He inwardly groaned. He hadn't had one conversation with Katherine since he'd returned to town, although he'd seen her in the distance a few times, but they'd both been happy to avoid each other.

"You," she said, her voice filled with anger. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't think that's any of your business," he said shortly.

Her lips parted in surprise, as if she couldn't believe he'd just said that.

"Jake is helping me with Brett," Hannah put in.

"Why?" Katherine asked.

"Because he is, Mom," Hannah snapped.

Katherine turned back to him, scorn in her gaze. "I told you to leave my daughter alone a long time ago."

"When did you tell him that?" Hannah cut in.

"Back when you were in high school. He came by to beg for your forgiveness, and I told him you would never ever forgive him, and he didn't deserve it."

Hannah appeared shocked at that piece of information. "You never told me that."

"I'm sure I did." Katherine gave him another searing look. "You still don't deserve forgiveness. You hurt my daughter."

He wanted to say she'd hurt her daughter far more than he had, but he thought it was better to just walk away. "I'm going to go," he told Hannah. "I'll be in touch."

She gave him a troubled look. "Let me know what Trevor says."

"I will," he said, then headed down the path.

He was almost to the truck when he heard Katherine say, "Seriously, Hannah, what are you doing with Jake?"

Unfortunately, he couldn't hear Hannah's answer. Maybe that was just as well.

Chapter Thirteen

"I asked you a question," her mom said, as they stepped into the house.

Hannah gave her a warning look. "Don't speak so loudly. Brett is asleep."

"I just don't understand why you would be with a man you hate," her mom continued, as they moved into the living room and sat down.

"It's complicated, Mom. Jake has been helping me with Brett."

"Why aren't your friends helping you?"

"My friends?" she echoed. "A better question might be why isn't my mother helping me? You're Brett's grandmother, and you wouldn't even see him yesterday."

Guilt moved through her mother's eyes. "Well, I was busy yesterday, but I'm here now." She paused. "I'd like to meet him."

"I told you, he's sleeping."

"He certainly takes a lot of naps."

"He's four. Do you want to come back later?"

"Maybe I should just wait."

"You want to wait?" she asked in surprise. "It could be a while. I'm sure you have other things to do. Why don't you go home, and I'll call you when he wakes up?"

"I'd rather stay."

"Well, I can't entertain you. I have to make three dozen cookies before tomorrow."

Her mom's green eyes lit up. "I can help with that. I'm great at baking."

She actually wouldn't mind her mom's help. "All right. But we're not going to talk about Jake."

"I can't make that promise. When I see something wrong, I have to say something."

"Since when?"

"It's part of being honest and staying well. If I keep things inside, they only get worse. You can't keep secrets and stay sober."

Her mom's words came straight out of her Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and while she wanted to say her mom had never really been that honest about anything, there was no point. Katherine Stark had a blind spot when it came to her own deficiencies. But she was trying, and she was sober. That was the most important thing.

"If we're going to be completely honest," she said. "Then you need to explain why you never told me Jake came by to see me after our horrible breakup."

Her mom's shrug was unapologetic. "I was protecting you. I saw how hurt you were, Hannah, and when he came by to apologize, I was afraid you'd take him back. Is that what you're doing now? Are you giving him a second chance?"

"I don't know," she said. "I haven't decided yet."

Her mother bit down on her bottom lip as if she was forcing herself not to say anything, which was fine with her.

"Okay," her mom continued. "We won't talk about Jake. What's happening with Kelly?"

She wanted to talk about Kelly even less. "The police are looking for her, but they haven't found her yet. That's really all I know." She didn't want to get into the boyfriend or what