“I just realized…I don’t know her name.”
His eyes turned somber. “It’s Lenore, and she’s seventy-eight years old.”
She took a hasty drink of her cocktail. “And his other family?”
He told her about a deceased uncle, and her aunt living in Texas. It blew Shelby’s mind to realize her grandmother had had her first child at sixteen. She’d been married at an age when Shelby’s only thoughts had been about how to get random pimples under control or who might take her to prom.
“Hearing you have kin out there—even ones you’ve never heard of—does something powerful to you inside.” In this case, it simply made her sad and even more curious. Vander had told her she looked more like her daddy. Did these other relatives look like her too?
“I imagine so,” Vander said, fingering the edge of the napkin under his drink.
She paused, then said, “I mean, what could she tell us about our daddy? We don’t know much about him beyond that he loved to sing. How did he grow up? Did he learn how to fish when he was a kid? Did he play sports? What did he like to do?” She realized Vander was watching her intently as her voice rose in volume. “I’m sorry. I’m babbling, aren’t I?”
She took a breath as he laid a hand on her forearm. While it was a touch designed to comfort, they both started. He immediately removed it.
“Any time someone is abandoned, there are a lot of questions. It’s natural, Shelby. What you and your sister have chosen to do isn’t easy.”
She remembered him saying he’d lost his family—she’d thought about it all evening—but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask about it.
“It might not be easy, but it’s necessary,” she told him, reaching for her drink and taking a sip. “Let me talk to Sadie. I think she’ll want to meet our grandma too. I can’t be sure about my brother and sister, but we’ll ask them. Once we know, we’ll figure out when we can get to Memphis to speak with her.” Her mind was spinning at the mere thought.
His brow rose. “Ah…I wasn’t thinking you’d meet her at first. I was planning on going.”
Shelby sat back. “How could we not go? She’s our grandmother.”
He sighed. “Shelby, listen. You don’t know how you might be received. So far the case has been all about gathering information, and as hard as that’s been, meeting a member of your father’s family in the flesh…it’s a different ball of wax.”
“But she’s my daddy’s mama,” Shelby told him. “She birthed him, and that’s a powerful bond. She’ll know stories about him, even if she doesn’t know where he is.”
“I’m glad you realize she might not know your father’s whereabouts, but meeting her might be tough. She might not welcome you with open arms.”
But she might, and that was enough for her. She wasn’t sure her other siblings would agree. “We won’t know until we try. Whatever went down between my parents and Daddy’s family is in the past. I’ll tell her we McGuiness children want to start anew.”
His jaw locked, and he turned away from her, facing the bar again. “Shelby, why don’t we see how Lenore reacts to my questions about your father first? I don’t want to put you and your sister in a hurtful situation unnecessarily.”
This time she wanted to place her hand on his arm to assure him, but she knew better. The imprints of his fingers still felt burned into her arm. “We’re tougher than you give us credit for.”
He looked at her then, and his eyes were heated. “You work for Gail, which is evidence enough for me. I’m not so sure about Sadie, though. She has a soft heart, not that I’m saying you don’t.”
She took no offense. Sadie was a softer touch, and all the McGuinesses knew it. “Go on.”
“Your grandmother…”
“What?” she asked when he trailed off.
“My gut tells me your grandmother isn’t going to be an easy woman,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s just a
His eyes turned somber. “It’s Lenore, and she’s seventy-eight years old.”
She took a hasty drink of her cocktail. “And his other family?”
He told her about a deceased uncle, and her aunt living in Texas. It blew Shelby’s mind to realize her grandmother had had her first child at sixteen. She’d been married at an age when Shelby’s only thoughts had been about how to get random pimples under control or who might take her to prom.
“Hearing you have kin out there—even ones you’ve never heard of—does something powerful to you inside.” In this case, it simply made her sad and even more curious. Vander had told her she looked more like her daddy. Did these other relatives look like her too?
“I imagine so,” Vander said, fingering the edge of the napkin under his drink.
She paused, then said, “I mean, what could she tell us about our daddy? We don’t know much about him beyond that he loved to sing. How did he grow up? Did he learn how to fish when he was a kid? Did he play sports? What did he like to do?” She realized Vander was watching her intently as her voice rose in volume. “I’m sorry. I’m babbling, aren’t I?”
She took a breath as he laid a hand on her forearm. While it was a touch designed to comfort, they both started. He immediately removed it.
“Any time someone is abandoned, there are a lot of questions. It’s natural, Shelby. What you and your sister have chosen to do isn’t easy.”
She remembered him saying he’d lost his family—she’d thought about it all evening—but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask about it.
“It might not be easy, but it’s necessary,” she told him, reaching for her drink and taking a sip. “Let me talk to Sadie. I think she’ll want to meet our grandma too. I can’t be sure about my brother and sister, but we’ll ask them. Once we know, we’ll figure out when we can get to Memphis to speak with her.” Her mind was spinning at the mere thought.
His brow rose. “Ah…I wasn’t thinking you’d meet her at first. I was planning on going.”
Shelby sat back. “How could we not go? She’s our grandmother.”
He sighed. “Shelby, listen. You don’t know how you might be received. So far the case has been all about gathering information, and as hard as that’s been, meeting a member of your father’s family in the flesh…it’s a different ball of wax.”
“But she’s my daddy’s mama,” Shelby told him. “She birthed him, and that’s a powerful bond. She’ll know stories about him, even if she doesn’t know where he is.”
“I’m glad you realize she might not know your father’s whereabouts, but meeting her might be tough. She might not welcome you with open arms.”
But she might, and that was enough for her. She wasn’t sure her other siblings would agree. “We won’t know until we try. Whatever went down between my parents and Daddy’s family is in the past. I’ll tell her we McGuiness children want to start anew.”
His jaw locked, and he turned away from her, facing the bar again. “Shelby, why don’t we see how Lenore reacts to my questions about your father first? I don’t want to put you and your sister in a hurtful situation unnecessarily.”
This time she wanted to place her hand on his arm to assure him, but she knew better. The imprints of his fingers still felt burned into her arm. “We’re tougher than you give us credit for.”
He looked at her then, and his eyes were heated. “You work for Gail, which is evidence enough for me. I’m not so sure about Sadie, though. She has a soft heart, not that I’m saying you don’t.”
She took no offense. Sadie was a softer touch, and all the McGuinesses knew it. “Go on.”
“Your grandmother…”
“What?” she asked when he trailed off.
“My gut tells me your grandmother isn’t going to be an easy woman,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s just a
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