she didn’t want him to go.
“When are you leaving?” he asked.
“In the morning,” she said.
“Dinner?”
She gestured toward her in-laws. “Busy.”
“Breakfast?”
She gestured toward them again. “Busy.”
Simon nodded, as if accepting that he was being blown off.
“But I can walk you to your car.” She put her arm through his, and they strolled down the sidewalk. “Thank you for being here.”
“Thank you for letting me.”
“I’d like to stay in touch if that’s okay.”
Simon put his hand over hers. “That’s more than okay. Did you say you’re in Houston now?”
She bit her lip. “Well. Not anymore. I, um. I did something kind of crazy. I retired, sold everything, and am now living in my RV. So, technically, I live with my mother-in-law in St. Louis. But in reality, I’m a homeless drifter.”
Simon laughed. “That’s great, Caroline.”
“It is for now. I’m sure in another year or so I’ll find a place and replant some roots. For now, being on the move is keeping me going.”
He stopped in front of a silver sedan and pulled a card from his pocket. He scribbled on the back and held it out to her. “My cell. Call me.”
She looked at his scribbled handwriting and thought of another time he’d written his information on a scrap of paper for her. That time, it’d been his address when he’d invited her over to initiate their affair. This time, she didn’t have to hide the note. She had no one to hide it from. Taking her phone from her pocket, she texted her name to his cell phone, which dinged a moment later.
“Now you have mine,” she said. “It was really good to see you.” She slid into his embrace again, and he hugged her close. When she leaned back, she touched his cheek as she’d done when he’d first arrived. “Take care of my girl’s house, okay?”
“As if it was my own.” He planted a soft kiss on her cheek before climbing into his car. She stepped back, watching until he drove away. When she turned back to the house, she realized she had an audience. Her mom, aunt, and mother-and sister-in-law stood in the driveway without even bothering to act like they weren’t being nosey.
“Mind your business,” she warned them all as she approached.
“He’s cute,” Lara said.
“Cuter than the picture you showed us online,” Ellen said.
Carol rolled her eyes, knowing The Inquisition was about to begin. She looked to Mary for help, but Mary crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her brow.
The stern look lasted a moment before Mary chuckled. “Your aunt already told us all about him. I guess he’s okay since he’s the reason you ended up in St. Louis.”
Carol gawked at Ellen, who simply shrugged. “Hey, Lara, I’m going to need that tequila now.”
Fourteen
After seeing the Denmans off the next morning, Carol ushered her mom and aunt into another car. This one didn’t take them to Katie’s House, though. This time, they went to the cemetery where Frannie and Mark Bowman were buried. While her mom and aunt sat in the back seat of the car, Carol walked to where the map directed her until she found the wide headstone she was looking for.
The granite had their names and dates of birth and death, and her heart ached for them. They had been good to her. They had been the loving parents she’d never had. The moment John had introduced her to them, they’d made her feel wanted. That was so much more than she could have said for her parents back then.
Though she hadn’t seen them since she’d left Dayton, standing at their graves made her heart break for their losses. The world had been a better place with them in it.
“Frannie,” she whispered as she kneeled down. She pulled a few weeds from the base of the headstone and tossed them aside. “I’m sorry for leaving the way I did. I’m sorry for taking Katie and never giving you a chance to say goodbye to her. I know I must have hurt you. I never wanted that. I hope you understand I was broken and leaving was the only way out for me.”
She put her hand on the monument, looking at her former father-in-law’s name. “Mark, you saw through the façade. I know you did. You knew how bad John’s drinking was, but you never made us feel ashamed about it. I don’t know if that was the right thing or not, but I know confronting him was never easy. Thank you