“Maggie, this is beautiful.” The change from when Angel had been at the Sorenson Farm earlier in the week was astounding. While still rustic, the inside supports of the barn had been painted white and fairy lights hung from the rafters. The overall effect was that of a winter wonderland.

“No kidding,” Dahlia said. “I had my doubts about your ability to pull this off, but I shouldn’t have.” Her eyes were wide as she took in the renovations. Beside her, her husband Garrett gestured that he was heading off toward the bar, and she nodded to him.

Gretchen slugged Dahlia’s arm.

“Hey, I said I was wrong to doubt her.”

Maggie glowed from the praise. “It’s okay Dahlia, I had doubts too.”

Jake came up behind his fiancé and put his arm around her. “I didn’t. I knew you could pull it off.” He kissed the top of her head and she snuggled into him.

Angel’s stomach lurched watching the obvious love and affection between the two of them. She’d thought that she might have that with Adam, but she’d been proven wrong. Not that she shouldn’t have expected that.

“Maggie, someone’s asking for you over there.” Jake pointed to a group of people at the back of the barn.

Maggie craned her head around to see who he was talking about, and her face lit up. “It’s my parents and their friends. They haven’t seen the place all done up yet.”

“Go, go.” Dahlia motioned for her to leave and the two of them walked away.

When the happy couple was out of earshot, she nudged Angel. “Why so glum?” She scanned the room. “Did Adam come with you, or is he coming later? Garrett almost didn’t make it because he has a deadline on his newest novel, but luckily he finished up in time.”

Gretchen hissed, “Dahlia.”

“What?” Dahlia looked back and forth between her two friends. “Did I miss something?”

Angel stared at the ground. “He’s not coming to the dance—at least not with me.”

“What happened?” Dahlia asked. “I thought you two were an item now.”

“We broke up.”

Dahlia gasped. “Why? I thought things were going so well.”

Angel looked longingly at the exit. “I thought so too until I found out that he’d been keeping the identity of my family a secret from me.”

“Seriously?” Dahlia asked. “I can’t believe Adam would do that.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t seem like him, but I guess you never really know people.” She turned to Gretchen. “Do you think Adam would lie to Angel?”

Gretchen’s face reddened and she spoke as though she were choosing her words very carefully. “I don’t think he would lie to anyone unless he had a really good reason for doing so.”

“Well, he did.” Angel jutted out her chin. “He told me so himself.” She scanned Gretchen’s face. “You knew, didn’t you?”

Gretchen hung her head. “I did. I’m so sorry, Angel. And Adam is sorry too. This has been eating him up since he found out.”

“Well, why was he lying to me then? I can handle it if my family doesn’t want to see me or whatever.” She toed the wooden planks lightly with the sole of her shoe, then stared at Gretchen and Dahlia, who now looked like they’d rather be anywhere but where they were. “You know, never mind. Just the fact that he lied to me is enough to make me know that he isn’t the right guy for me. And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me either. I thought we were friends.”

“But Angel—let him explain,” Gretchen pled.

Angel tossed her hair back. “I’m getting a drink now. This is supposed to be a dance, right? We should be having fun, not talking about the man who did me wrong, like I was the star of a country western song.”

“I’ll come with you. Garrett’s still over there too.” Dahlia grabbed her arm and walked with her over to the line for the bar.

As they waited for their drinks, Angel snuck a peek at Gretchen. She was now leaning against one of the barn walls, biting her lip as though trying to hold back tears. At that moment, Parker came in and made a beeline to where his girlfriend was standing. Gretchen immediately crumpled into him. Parker glanced over to Angel and Dahlia and then put his arm around Gretchen, leading her outside. Dahlia had her back to them and didn’t see the exchange, but Angel’s heart sank. She hadn’t meant to hurt her friend and she knew Gretchen hadn’t meant to hurt her either.

After they got their drinks, Dahlia set hers down on one of the round tables set up along the exterior wall of the barn and joined Garrett on the dance floor. Angel sat down, sipping her Merlot and watching her friends swirl happily around the dance floor with their partners. Maggie’s face was flushed as she and Jake danced by and she appeared to be having the time of her life.

Angel had actually been looking forward to going to this dance with Adam. She’d even bought a new dress especially for the occasion. Now, seeing how happy her friends were, she couldn’t take it anymore. She reached down to the floor to pick up her purse, but when her head emerged from under the table skirts, she realized she wasn’t alone.

Adam stood next to the table, wearing a nicely tailored black suit. He looked incredibly handsome, but Angel fought to push that thought away. There was no future for her with him.

“I was just leaving.” She held up her purse to show him and stood from the table.

He put his hand on her arm, his touch causing her stomach to flutter. “Please don’t go.”

“I wasn’t having much fun anyway. It’s not because you’re here.” She pushed her chair in and then hesitated, waiting to see how he would respond.

He took a deep breath. “Angel, I truly am sorry. I didn’t want to lie to you.”

She looked up at him. “Then why did you?”

“I did find out who your grandmother is. But she made me promise not to tell you—at least not yet.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “Okay, so who is she? Are you able to tell me now?” Even if he’d promised her grandmother that he wouldn’t tell her who she was, it still didn’t make things right.

He held up a finger. “Wait.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. She was giving him a chance to explain himself, and now he was walking away from her? “Never mind.” She walked quickly toward the exit. The sound of hurried footsteps followed her, and she quickened her pace.

“Angel, wait.”

She stopped and whirled around. Adam’s momentum caused him to crash into her, and she wobbled on her high heels. Before she could go down, he caught her by the waist, stabilizing her. Her skin burned where his fingers rested on the thin fabric of her dress. Caught off guard, she stared at him.

“What do you want?”

“Please don’t go yet. I need to show you something, or rather someone.” He peered into her eyes. “I know you don’t have any reason to trust me, but can you wait here for me? Just for a minute, I promise.”

She nodded and he strode off toward the barn door. Thoughts swirled in her mind. Why should she listen to him? And what was he talking about? Now didn’t seem like the appropriate time to meet new people—she wasn’t in the mood for it. She was just about to continue on her way home when Adam returned with an older woman in tow.

The woman hung back, but seemed to be assessing her. An odd sensation traveled up her spine. Was this her grandmother? There was something familiar about her, although Angel wasn’t sure whether it was the slight resemblance to her mother, or perhaps from a long-ago memory.

She looked at Adam for an introduction, and he put his hand on the woman’s arm.

“Mary, this is your granddaughter, Angel.” He turned to Angel. “And this is your grandmother, Mary Thomason.” His gaze alternated between the two of them.

Neither of the women spoke for a moment. Angel stared into her eyes, the same blue eyes that both she and her mother had inherited. This was her grandmother. She didn’t know what to say or feel.

“It’s nice to meet you.”She held her hand out tentatively and Mary shook it limply. She was trembling like a frightened rabbit.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Angel.”

“Well, I think the two of you have a lot to talk about. Maybe we could go sit down over at that table?” Adam pointed at the empty table where Angel had been sitting when he arrived.

Angel glanced at her grandmother and then back to Adam. At this point, what did she have to lose? She nodded, and they followed Adam over to the table. Angel and her grandmother took chairs that were several seats apart. Adam sat across from them, as if wanting to stay out of the reunion but be close enough in case they needed him.

Angel and Mary stared at each other, unsure of how to start.

“So you’re my grandmother,” Angel said slowly.

Mary nodded. “Yes.” She took a deep breath. “You have no idea how much I’ve been wanting to meet you. You’ve grown into such a beautiful woman.”

Angel bit her lip and stared down into her lap. “Thank you.” She brought her head up and peered at her grandmother. “Why did you never contact me? My mother and I were all alone in Los Angeles, with no other family around. You knew about us. You knew about me. Did you not care about me?”

Mary’s face crumbled and tears streamed down her face. “I wanted to see you. Please believe me, I did.” She plucked a Kleenex out of her purse and dabbed at her face.

“Then why? Why didn’t you come see me?” Angel was getting angry now. This woman, her grandmother, had known about her all these years and yet hadn’t bothered to make contact with her.

“Your grandfather was a strict man.” Mary clutched her purse tightly in her lap. “When your mother became pregnant at sixteen and refused to tell us who the father was, he was furious. After you were born, you and Erin lived with us for a few years, but he could never forgive her, and it caused a rift between them. Erin finally had enough and took you away. I didn’t even know where you had gone.”

“But you didn’t look for us.” How could her grandmother have known she was alive and not even bother to look?

“I know,” Mary whispered. Fresh tears appeared in her eyes. “Your grandfather was a very controlling man, and he ordered me not to make contact with Erin or you. He said it was your mother’s choice to leave.”

“But what about after he died? Couldn’t you have come looking for us then?”

“I could have. But I didn’t. That will be my greatest regret that I keep with me until my dying day.” Mary leaned forward, reaching her hand out along the table toward Angel. “If you will let me, I would like to be a part of your life now.” In a small voice, she added, “But if you want nothing to do with me, I will understand.”

Angel didn’t know what to think. She’d finally found her grandmother, but then learned that the woman had known about her all along and never tried to find her. Did she really want someone like that in her life? She looked back at the old woman.

“If you’ll excuse me, I would like to get some air.” She rose from her chair, rushing toward the barn door as quickly as she could without tripping in her heels. When she stopped at the door to look back, Adam had moved from his chair and was now sitting next to Mary, his head close to hers as if consoling her.

She leaned against the outside of the barn, gazing out toward Bluebonnet Lake but not really seeing it. She had a grandmother, right here in Candle Beach. Someone who had known about her for her entire life but had done nothing about it. And now she wanted Angel to forgive her and pretend like nothing had happened? How was that even possible? Too many years had gone by.

But wasn’t this what she wanted? She’d gone into this knowing that she may discover something she didn’t want to find. And her grandmother didn’t seem like a complete monster—just a scared old woman. In truth, it sounded like it had been her grandfather who had been the reason for her mother to flee from Candle Beach when Angel was young. But that still didn’t completely excuse her grandmother from disowning them as well.

She pushed away from the barn wall and walked down the slight incline to the dock that stuck out into the lake. A slight breeze caused the water to ripple in places, the moonlight highlighting its shimmering surface. What was the alternative here? What would she do if she didn’t accept her grandmother’s apology? Was there a future for her here in Candle Beach?

There were things that she loved about this beautiful town—her job at the Bluebonnet Café, the easy access to the ocean, and the friendly townspeople who had welcomed her into their arms. However, if she stayed, there would always be the ghost of a possibility of romance between her and Adam. And what would it be like to live in a town where she knew that her grandmother lived only a few blocks away and yet have no relationship with her?

She sat down on the rough boards of the dock, taking care not to tear her dress, and pulled her knees up to her chest. It was even cooler down here than it had been up by the barn, and she fervently wished that she had remembered to grab her coat on the way out. She hugged her legs and gazed out at the lake, allowing its beauty to draw her in. Was this what she wanted her future to look like? Living a lonely life when she’d been offered the chance to have a family nearby, the family that she’d always hoped to have.

She stood carefully and hiked back up the slope to the barn. Adam was waiting for her next to the door. He must’ve been watching her as she sat down by the lake. He tried to talk to her as she brushed past him, but she wasn’t ready to speak with him yet. For now, she had something else to do.

She approached her grandmother tentatively. The older woman had her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee, looking wistfully out at the dancers, much as Angel had done earlier.

“Mary? Grandmother?”

The woman turned slowly, tears coming to her eyes when she saw Angel standing next to her. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what to call you.” Angel sat down next to her at the table.

“That’s okay. I’m hoping that you will eventually call me Grandmother, but I’ll take anything. Please, please let me have a chance to get to know you. A chance to make things right with you.” She pressed her lips together, her eyes pleading.

Angel took a deep breath. “Okay. I’d like to try.” She reached for her water glass on the table. “Let’s start with something easy. Did my mother have a sister?”

Mary’s face lit up. “Yes, her name is Rilla. She has two daughters, one who’s a senior in high school, and another who is fifteen. They are wonderful girls. I think you’ll really like them.” She hesitated. “And I think they’ll like you too.”

“Do they know about me?” It seemed odd to think that she had two cousins that she knew nothing about, and hadn’t even known existed prior to two minutes ago.

“Yes, Rilla has told them about you. When Erin moved away, she was so angry at my husband that she broke off contact with everyone in the family. Rilla was heartbroken. I think she never quite forgave her father and me for causing her big sister to leave.”

So her aunt was on her mother’s side. “I’d love to get to know her too.” A rush of love came over her. She had a family—people who had known her mother and had loved her. A grandmother and aunt, even cousins to get to know. A tear dripped down her face and she swiped it away with the back of her hand.“When can I meet everyone?”

Mary smiled and took her hand. “I’ll call Rilla tomorrow morning and set something up.”

Angel nodded. “I’d like that.”

Mary hugged her and whispered, “Thank you for giving me a chance.”