me here. When I saw her after we boarded, I couldn’t believe it, and it threw me for a loop. I’m sorry, Mom. I should have told you right then, or months ago, or last night. I thought I was doing the right thing, but then the way it came out couldn’t have been worse. I just kept thinking that a better moment would come around, ya know?”
Sadie put her pan to the side and placed a hand on his arm. She remembered Pete saying that Shawn didn’t owe her every detail of his life. She had to accept the fact that her boy could make his own choices and that she wasn’t entitled to know about each one of them. Lorraina was part of his story that had taken a difficult turn. Sadie didn’t want to make that any harder for him than it already was. It certainly helped that he was repentant, however, and wanted things to be okay between them. He looked at her hand on his arm, then into her face, and she could see the hunger for her reassurance in his eyes.
“I love you, and there’s nothing you could do that will change that,” she said quietly. “I hope that Lorraina will be okay and that you can continue building your relationship with her.”
Shawn looked away, but not before Sadie saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes. Maggie had said that Shawn’s relationship with Lorraina might have had some problems. But how could she ask about that right now? It would feel so self-serving.
“Thanks, Mom,” Shawn said. He rinsed his whole pan in the river and stood up. Sadie winced at the potential treasure he’d just washed away—two or three dollars’ worth of gold!
Raised voices a few feet away caused both of them to look upriver.
“I don’t need you to do it for me,” a redheaded woman said, standing with her hands on her hips as she looked down at a bald man crouched at the edge of the water with his back to her.
“I’m not doing it for you,” the man said, obviously frustrated. “I’m just showing you how to do it right.”
“Oh,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest, “because you’re an expert at panning for gold, now?”
“No, because I paid attention when they showed us how to do it. You have to hold the pan like this.”
Sadie was about to look away, embarrassed for them both, when the woman lifted one foot and kicked the man in the tush, upsetting his center of gravity and sending him face-first into the shallow water. He dropped his pan and spread his arms in an attempt to catch himself, but ended up spread-eagled in the muddy water.
An awkward hush fell over the rest of the gold-panners as the woman marched toward the shuttle parked several yards away behind some trees. One of the tour guides went after her while the man got out of the river, spitting water. He turned toward the woman’s retreating form as he wiped mud from his face. “For heaven’s sake, Tanice!” he said, storming in her direction.
Sadie watched Pete and another guide hurry in the man’s direction, intercepting him before he covered too much ground. Sadie stayed put, repeating the woman’s name in her mind. “Tanice,” she said aloud. “Like Janice but with a T.”
“What?”
Sadie looked up at a confused Shawn.
She stood, still holding her pan in both hands, looking at the place where the woman had disappeared into the trees. “The wine bottle Lorraina had last night had a gift tag on it for Ben and Tanice.”
“A gift tag? What gift tag?”
Chapter 13
“Didn’t Officer Jareg tell you about the gift tag? That’s why I thought Lorraina’s name was Tanice.”
“He told me about the wine but he didn’t say anything about a gift tag. Lorraina had someone else’s wine?”
“I guess so,” Sadie said.
“And that woman”—he nodded toward the trees—“is named Tanice? The same name from the gift tag?”
“Same name, yes. But I have no idea if it’s the same Tanice, though it can’t be a very common name. I’ve never heard of it before.” The pure coincidence that the Tanice and
Sadie put her pan to the side and placed a hand on his arm. She remembered Pete saying that Shawn didn’t owe her every detail of his life. She had to accept the fact that her boy could make his own choices and that she wasn’t entitled to know about each one of them. Lorraina was part of his story that had taken a difficult turn. Sadie didn’t want to make that any harder for him than it already was. It certainly helped that he was repentant, however, and wanted things to be okay between them. He looked at her hand on his arm, then into her face, and she could see the hunger for her reassurance in his eyes.
“I love you, and there’s nothing you could do that will change that,” she said quietly. “I hope that Lorraina will be okay and that you can continue building your relationship with her.”
Shawn looked away, but not before Sadie saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes. Maggie had said that Shawn’s relationship with Lorraina might have had some problems. But how could she ask about that right now? It would feel so self-serving.
“Thanks, Mom,” Shawn said. He rinsed his whole pan in the river and stood up. Sadie winced at the potential treasure he’d just washed away—two or three dollars’ worth of gold!
Raised voices a few feet away caused both of them to look upriver.
“I don’t need you to do it for me,” a redheaded woman said, standing with her hands on her hips as she looked down at a bald man crouched at the edge of the water with his back to her.
“I’m not doing it for you,” the man said, obviously frustrated. “I’m just showing you how to do it right.”
“Oh,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest, “because you’re an expert at panning for gold, now?”
“No, because I paid attention when they showed us how to do it. You have to hold the pan like this.”
Sadie was about to look away, embarrassed for them both, when the woman lifted one foot and kicked the man in the tush, upsetting his center of gravity and sending him face-first into the shallow water. He dropped his pan and spread his arms in an attempt to catch himself, but ended up spread-eagled in the muddy water.
An awkward hush fell over the rest of the gold-panners as the woman marched toward the shuttle parked several yards away behind some trees. One of the tour guides went after her while the man got out of the river, spitting water. He turned toward the woman’s retreating form as he wiped mud from his face. “For heaven’s sake, Tanice!” he said, storming in her direction.
Sadie watched Pete and another guide hurry in the man’s direction, intercepting him before he covered too much ground. Sadie stayed put, repeating the woman’s name in her mind. “Tanice,” she said aloud. “Like Janice but with a T.”
“What?”
Sadie looked up at a confused Shawn.
She stood, still holding her pan in both hands, looking at the place where the woman had disappeared into the trees. “The wine bottle Lorraina had last night had a gift tag on it for Ben and Tanice.”
“A gift tag? What gift tag?”
Chapter 13
“Didn’t Officer Jareg tell you about the gift tag? That’s why I thought Lorraina’s name was Tanice.”
“He told me about the wine but he didn’t say anything about a gift tag. Lorraina had someone else’s wine?”
“I guess so,” Sadie said.
“And that woman”—he nodded toward the trees—“is named Tanice? The same name from the gift tag?”
“Same name, yes. But I have no idea if it’s the same Tanice, though it can’t be a very common name. I’ve never heard of it before.” The pure coincidence that the Tanice and
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