touch.
He radiated confidence. How did he do that?
They passed the dishes around the table. Silverware clanked and clanged as plates were piled with food, food that, judging by the smell and appearance, promised to be delicious.
“Who was on the phone?” Luke’s question broke the silence with all the grace of an oversized ox.
Campbell cleared her throat and noticed the others stared in her direction.
“Lukey, leave the girl alone. She can talk to her boyfriend in private if she wants to.” Lila winked at her.
She shook her head and sipped her lemonade. “It wasn’t a boyfriend,” she said. “It was a friend of my mom’s. Same one who called earlier.”
Luke sat up straighter. Did she imagine his relief?
“I may have to go back tomorrow is all.”
Adele frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, hon,” she said. “You’ll never find what you’re looking for if you leave before you give yourself a chance.”
Campbell’s heart jumped. What was she saying? Did she know something?
“Adele’s right,” Jane said between bites. “If you leave, we won’t get to tell you about the scrapbook. Did you bring your pages, Lila?”
Lila nodded. “I thought Mama had thrown them away, but I found them.”
“Remember when Suzanne came over here with her nutso idea to start a scrapbook?” Jane laughed. “We all thought she was crazy.”
“She
was
crazy. She knew none of us were artsy like she was. And scrapbooking wasn’t exactly cool back then. I mean, who wants to sit in the house and scrapbook when we could be at the beach watching the boys pretend not to stare at us?” Lila’s smile faded at the memory.
“But your mom had a way about her,” Jane said, her expression wistful, as though she were remembering something. “Remember what she said, Lila?”
“She said, ‘You guys will thank me for it later. When we’re all old ladies and we come here with our grandkids you’ll take out this scrapbook and tell them stories of Sweethaven way back when and then you will thank me.’ ” Lila sipped her tea. “Then she carried that book around with her all summer. Every summer.”
“She was right. If she were here today, I would thank her,” Jane said. “Those silly scrapbooking parties became the highlight of our summers.”
“Speak for yourself,” Lila said. “I can think of a few other highlights, like the summer I won the Harbor City Pageant. The summer I got engaged.”
“All in the scrapbook,” Jane said. “I still scrapbook now for my kids.”
“You do?” Lila said, eyebrows raised.
Jane nodded. “They aren’t artsy like Suzanne’s, but they’re mine. And the kids love them. Seriously, Sam used to sit in his diaper on the landing of the stairs and flip through it, page after page of ‘baby!’ ‘baby!’ ” Jane stopped. “I never would’ve done those books if it weren’t for Suzanne.”
“It’s so nice hearing you talk about her.” Campbell set her glass on the table. “It’s almost like she’s still here.”
“Those scrapbook parties were something else,” Adele said. “I knew I needed to stock the fridge and prepare for a sleepless weekend.”
“Admit it, Mama, you loved having us here.” Lila winked at Adele.
“That I did, sweetheart. I had to or I’d lose my ‘coolest mom’ title.”
“There’s really nothing in the book about my father?”
Jane and Lila exchanged a glance.
“Hon, the scrapbook isn’t going to help you find your father,” Lila said. “Your mom didn’t put that in the book. We’re pretty sure about that.”
Campbell felt Luke glance at her, but she kept her eyes on the women across the table.
Suddenly she wished she hadn’t said anything. They could know she wondered about her father’s identity, but that was all. They didn’t need to know the hours she’d spent daydreaming about meeting him.
“You must have a list of people you all hung around with. Maybe it’s someone you all knew but didn’t
He radiated confidence. How did he do that?
They passed the dishes around the table. Silverware clanked and clanged as plates were piled with food, food that, judging by the smell and appearance, promised to be delicious.
“Who was on the phone?” Luke’s question broke the silence with all the grace of an oversized ox.
Campbell cleared her throat and noticed the others stared in her direction.
“Lukey, leave the girl alone. She can talk to her boyfriend in private if she wants to.” Lila winked at her.
She shook her head and sipped her lemonade. “It wasn’t a boyfriend,” she said. “It was a friend of my mom’s. Same one who called earlier.”
Luke sat up straighter. Did she imagine his relief?
“I may have to go back tomorrow is all.”
Adele frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, hon,” she said. “You’ll never find what you’re looking for if you leave before you give yourself a chance.”
Campbell’s heart jumped. What was she saying? Did she know something?
“Adele’s right,” Jane said between bites. “If you leave, we won’t get to tell you about the scrapbook. Did you bring your pages, Lila?”
Lila nodded. “I thought Mama had thrown them away, but I found them.”
“Remember when Suzanne came over here with her nutso idea to start a scrapbook?” Jane laughed. “We all thought she was crazy.”
“She
was
crazy. She knew none of us were artsy like she was. And scrapbooking wasn’t exactly cool back then. I mean, who wants to sit in the house and scrapbook when we could be at the beach watching the boys pretend not to stare at us?” Lila’s smile faded at the memory.
“But your mom had a way about her,” Jane said, her expression wistful, as though she were remembering something. “Remember what she said, Lila?”
“She said, ‘You guys will thank me for it later. When we’re all old ladies and we come here with our grandkids you’ll take out this scrapbook and tell them stories of Sweethaven way back when and then you will thank me.’ ” Lila sipped her tea. “Then she carried that book around with her all summer. Every summer.”
“She was right. If she were here today, I would thank her,” Jane said. “Those silly scrapbooking parties became the highlight of our summers.”
“Speak for yourself,” Lila said. “I can think of a few other highlights, like the summer I won the Harbor City Pageant. The summer I got engaged.”
“All in the scrapbook,” Jane said. “I still scrapbook now for my kids.”
“You do?” Lila said, eyebrows raised.
Jane nodded. “They aren’t artsy like Suzanne’s, but they’re mine. And the kids love them. Seriously, Sam used to sit in his diaper on the landing of the stairs and flip through it, page after page of ‘baby!’ ‘baby!’ ” Jane stopped. “I never would’ve done those books if it weren’t for Suzanne.”
“It’s so nice hearing you talk about her.” Campbell set her glass on the table. “It’s almost like she’s still here.”
“Those scrapbook parties were something else,” Adele said. “I knew I needed to stock the fridge and prepare for a sleepless weekend.”
“Admit it, Mama, you loved having us here.” Lila winked at Adele.
“That I did, sweetheart. I had to or I’d lose my ‘coolest mom’ title.”
“There’s really nothing in the book about my father?”
Jane and Lila exchanged a glance.
“Hon, the scrapbook isn’t going to help you find your father,” Lila said. “Your mom didn’t put that in the book. We’re pretty sure about that.”
Campbell felt Luke glance at her, but she kept her eyes on the women across the table.
Suddenly she wished she hadn’t said anything. They could know she wondered about her father’s identity, but that was all. They didn’t need to know the hours she’d spent daydreaming about meeting him.
“You must have a list of people you all hung around with. Maybe it’s someone you all knew but didn’t
Similar Books
