Son of a Preacher Man - By Arianna Hart Page 0,43

get ice cream now?” Billy asked.

Mary Ellen looked at her watch. “Sure, honey. Then we better head home so I can start dinner. I didn’t realize how long we’d been here.”

Opal and Jemma gathered their kids as well. “How long are you in town for, Nadya?” Jemma asked.

“I’m not sure. I’m still trying to finalize some details.”

“If you’re still around on Wednesday, a bunch of us are going to Canton to the petting zoo and then out for lunch. I know it’s not exactly entertainment like you’re used to, but it’s a day out and we usually have fun.”

Nadya’s heart melted. “Thanks. If I’m around, I’d love to come. The only animals I see in the city are pigeons and squirrels.”

“Great. Maybe we’ll see you then.”

Billy tugged at Nadya’s hand and pulled her toward the Tasty Treat. “I like chocolate the best. Hunter only gets vanilla. What do you like?”

She thought about it for a minute. When was the last time she had an ice cream cone? “I like chocolate-vanilla swirl. That way I get the best of both worlds.”

Billy appeared to think about it for a minute. “I’m gonna get swirl too.”

Nadya smiled and knew she was a goner. Billy’s face was smudged with dirt, his knobby knees were skinned and there was a rip in his shorts, but he was the cutest thing she’d ever seen. Regardless of what happened with the property, she vowed to never let so much time go by without visiting Dale again.

Things got a little crazy at work around the holidays, but she’d definitely try to make it back down for Christmas. It might be fun to celebrate it with Mary Ellen and her whole family. The baby would be here by then, and it would be great to see the boys opening their presents by the tree. Growing up, it had only ever been Nadya and her mama exchanging gifts. Now that her mama was gone, she’d be alone.

A cloud of sadness darkened her mood. When she went back to the city, there’d be no more days in the park or ice cream cones.

“Come on, Auntie Nad, if we hurry we can be first in line.” Billy tugged her along. Nadya let herself be pulled to the window of the Tasty Treat.

It looked the same as she remembered, including a harried-looking teenager manning the cash register. Only this teen had his nose pierced and a hole in his earlobe big enough to fit a dime. Okay, so maybe some things had changed.

Nadya treated the entire Michaels clan to ice cream and tried to ignore the stares cast their way. Many of the people sitting at the picnic benches were way too young to have been around when she made her departure from Dale, so she assumed they were staring because she was a stranger. Still, the back of her neck prickled, and she wasn’t too upset when Mary Ellen hurried them all back to the van.

Hands sticky from rapidly melting ice cream, Nadya sat in the back seat between Billy and Hunter. Christmas was five months away. The boys would change so much by then. Would they even remember her? Billy would, but Hunter was so little, he’d forget all about her. Some of the joy was taken out of Nadya’s day at the thought.

Maybe she’d be able to take some time off around Halloween and come back down. She could help Mary Ellen out with the new baby and spend some time with the boys.

It struck her then that she was looking for ways to come back to Dale. After twelve years of avoiding the place, she was now making excuses for coming back in three months’ time. What the hell?

When she’d been forced to come down to Dale by Hornblower, part of her had resented having to spend her first real vacation in her former home town. Part of her had wanted to flaunt her success to the people of Dale, but more of her had wanted to avoid the place that contained so many painful memories.

The longer she stayed though, the more good things she remembered. Not everyone had hated her and her mother. There had been kindness here too. And friendship. As they drove back to Mary Ellen’s house, familiar memories assailed her from every corner. The high school parking lot reminded her of when Mr. Farley had taught her how to drive. The librarian, old Mrs. Quinlain, had taught her about research and helped her apply for