30

Annie Fowler-Pringle glanced across the kitchen table at her daughter. Claire had shown up on her doorstep a few hours ago with an overnight bag in her hand and eyes that looked like she’d been crying a river of tears. She was still crying, sobbing out the reason why while rubbing her hands together.

“So, there you have it, Mom. Logan told me he loved me but I can’t love him back. I shouldn’t feel so awful about it, but I do. He’s such a nice guy. Someone any woman would want. But I can’t love him.”

“Why not, Claire?”

Her daughter raised a tear-filled gaze to her mother. “Mom, you know why. I haven’t gotten over Walter.”

Annie shook her head. She and her daughter should have had this conversation years ago. Maybe then, Claire wouldn’t be in so much pain now. Something had happened to Annie a few years ago that she’d thought was impossible. She’d found love again, after losing her husband over twenty years ago. The only thing she regretted was not having met a man like Timothy sooner. She didn’t want Claire to have a similar regret.

“If that’s true, don’t you think it’s time. Walter wouldn’t have wanted you to mourn him forever.” She leaned in closer to her daughter. “But I don’t think that’s it. In fact, I think you’ve dealt with Walter’s death, but you’re using him as an excuse, as a crutch.”

Claire gasped. “Mom! How could you say such a thing?”

“Because it’s the truth. And not only that, it’s not just about Walter. It’s also about your father.”

Claire lifted a bemused brow. “Dad? What does Dad have to do with anything?”

Annie took a sip of her coffee, grateful that Timothy had seen the need to leave and go visit a friend, giving mother and daughter privacy. Years ago, Annie had had to have the “get your crap together” talk with Asia, when she kept running to her, crying over David Crews and his mistreatment of her. Now it was time she had a similar talk with Claire, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be pretty. This was her headstrong daughter. The oldest. The one who had advice for everybody except herself. The one who’d been lying to herself for years about Walter Farmer.

“What I’m saying is that the two men you’ve loved most in your life, left you…not by choice mind you, but they still left you. Don’t you think I know how close you were to your father? You were a daddy’s girl more so than Asia because you were with him the longest. You had him to yourself for two years before Asia came along. You and Thomas had a special bond. Losing him was hard on you.”

Annie took another sip of her coffee as she remembered those days. “I recall one day, you came into my bedroom. When you caught me crying, you asked what was wrong. I told you how much I still missed your dad. You were about ten then, and I did something I probably should never have done--accepted comfort from a ten-year-old girl. You told me everything would be all right because Dad would want to know me, you and Asia were doing okay. But then you said something else--that you never wanted to grow up and get married because losing the person you love always makes you sad.”

Claire nodded, remembering that day. “Those were just the words of a ten-year-old, Mom. I did grow up, fall in love and had planned to marry.”

“Yes, and like your father, Walter was taken away from you. You’ve closed your heart off to ever loving again.”

Claire knew that much was true. “I believe I will fall in love again someday, Mom. I’m just not ready now.”

“Aren’t you? You can fool your sister, but you can’t fool me, Thomasina Claire Fowler. I’m too wise when it comes to my girls. You already love Logan. I don’t know when, where or how you fell in love with him, but you did. If you hadn’t, then you wouldn’t be here, crying your eyes out. Logan Montgomery means everything to you. That’s the first thing you need to admit to yourself.”

Claire didn’t say anything as she stared back down at her hands. She couldn’t deny her mother’s words. Nor did she feel the need to wonder about the when, where and how. The when was on this trip. The where was at the lodge in the Grand Canyon and the how was that night she’d had a bad dream and he’d come into her bedroom to hold her, comfort her and soothed her into believing everything would be alright. But still, she hadn’t been able to admit it to anyone, including herself, until now. Yes, she loved Logan.

More tears fell from Claire’s eyes. “Yes, I love him but I don’t want to, Mom. I could lose him.”

Her mom chuckled and Claire raised her head to see why she was amused. “That’s funny,” Annie said.

Claire frowned. “What is?”

“You’re so worried about losing Logan. How do you think he must have felt when he heard about the bombing? He was the one who could have lost you, Claire. What makes you think he will die before you? Do you have a pact with the Man above that none of us know about?”

“Of course not!”

“In that case, take a chance. Every day is a gamble. I don’t wake up every morning wondering if this is the day Timothy will be taken from me or if it’s the day I will be taken from him. We’ve learned to live our lives as if each day might be our last. That’s the pleasure in loving someone, Claire. When will you stop denying yourself?”

Annie got up from the table and moved over to the sink. Claire knew her mother was giving her time to think about what she’d said. “It might be too late, Mom.”

“Why?”

She glanced over at her mother. “Logan’s on his way to Paradise. Asia has arranged for him to meet someone--a sister of a client who she feels would be perfect for him. Asia’s playing matchmaker because I convinced her I didn’t care. That I didn’t want Logan.”

Annie frowned. “And? If he told you that he loved you, do you think he could switch off his feelings so easily?”

Claire shrugged. “I hope not.”

“I hope not, too. But I wouldn’t sit around and let another woman get a chance at my man,” Annie said, with more feistiness in her tone than Claire had ever recalled hearing. “If I were you, I would go to that island and claim Logan before another woman can get her hooks into him. He’s probably in a vulnerable state right now. Some women might take advantage of that fact.”

Claire’s eyes widened. “I can’t let anyone do that to him,” she said, quickly standing. “I need to go to him.”

Annie smiled. “Yes, I think you should.”