accompany her, but that wasn’t possible.”
“Anna Jane mentioned that to me,” Ariel said. “Something about a medical problem in the family.”
“Exactly.” He stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his feet at the ankles. “Those two were very close. Not that the situation would have been much better if Tracy hadn’t used a nanny. After all, Anna Jane lost her, too.”
“Tracy is your sister?”
“Yes.”
“I’m in an awkward position,” Ariel said. When he glanced at her, she shrugged. “Your niece told me a couple of things a few days ago. She didn’t ask me to keep them confidential and I don’t think she would mind me telling you, but I feel funny about it.”
“Do you want me to force it from you?”
Ariel smiled. “No, but thanks for asking. I guess I’m saying I’d like you to keep me out of any discussion you have with her about this. I don’t want her to feel I’m ratting on her behind her back, or that she can’t trust me.”
Again she surprised him. Her obvious concern for Anna Jane didn’t fit with the personality of a gold digger. “I’ll be diplomatic,” he promised.
Ariel nodded. “I’m going to have to trust that you know how. I guess you must, if you can run a business successfully enough that you live here. Anyway, Anna Jane is feeling very guilty. She misses her nanny more than she misses her mother, and she believes that’s wrong.”
“The poor kid,” he said. “What did you tell her?”
“That her reaction was normal. It’s okay to love more than one person. I tried to explain that she and her nanny had shared day-to-day moments, so it made sense she would miss those more than special occasions with her mother.”
“Did she understand?”
“I hope so, but I’m not sure.”
Jarrett rubbed his temple. “Just when I think Tracy made the right decision in leaving her daughter with me, something like this happens and I know I’m going to mess her up without meaning to. I have no training at parenting.”
“Neither do most first-time parents.”
“Yeah, but at least they start out with an infant. I’ve got a little person sleeping up there and I don’t know what to do with her.”
“Love her, Jarrett. Maybe you could talk about her mother and Nana B. and try to explain it to her again, so she knows it’s okay.”
“That’s a good idea.” He drew in a breath and smelled the salty spray from the sea. While he didn’t have to explain, a part of him felt obligated to make Ariel understand the unique relationship Tracy and her husband had shared. “Tracy and Donald weren’t like most couples.”
“In what way?”
“They loved each other to the exclusion of the rest of the world. When it was just the two of them, that was fine, but once Anna Jane came along, they still weren’t willing to come up for air. Then Donald was killed in a car accident. Tracy never recovered. In a way, Anna Jane has been an orphan since birth.”
“At least she had Nana B.”
“You’re right. Nana B. loved her as if she were one of her own children. That stability got Anna Jane through.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Ariel turned toward him, resting one knee on the wall and tucking that foot under her opposite leg. “Have you ever loved anyone like that?” she asked.
“No. Have you?”
She shook her head, then paused. “No, I haven’t. I’m sure of it. Of all the things I had to remember, why was it that?” She gave him a forced smile. “I would rather remember a great love I’d lost than to have never loved anyone. What a sad statement on my life. Don’t you think?”
“It sounds more sensible than sad, if you ask me.”
“Sensible? So you don’t believe in love?”
“I think it’s overrated.” Again his mind drifted to Charlotte. She’d been on his mind a lot these past few days. Something about these circumstances, he supposed, hoping she would again become a distant memory very soon. Whatever lesson he might
“Anna Jane mentioned that to me,” Ariel said. “Something about a medical problem in the family.”
“Exactly.” He stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his feet at the ankles. “Those two were very close. Not that the situation would have been much better if Tracy hadn’t used a nanny. After all, Anna Jane lost her, too.”
“Tracy is your sister?”
“Yes.”
“I’m in an awkward position,” Ariel said. When he glanced at her, she shrugged. “Your niece told me a couple of things a few days ago. She didn’t ask me to keep them confidential and I don’t think she would mind me telling you, but I feel funny about it.”
“Do you want me to force it from you?”
Ariel smiled. “No, but thanks for asking. I guess I’m saying I’d like you to keep me out of any discussion you have with her about this. I don’t want her to feel I’m ratting on her behind her back, or that she can’t trust me.”
Again she surprised him. Her obvious concern for Anna Jane didn’t fit with the personality of a gold digger. “I’ll be diplomatic,” he promised.
Ariel nodded. “I’m going to have to trust that you know how. I guess you must, if you can run a business successfully enough that you live here. Anyway, Anna Jane is feeling very guilty. She misses her nanny more than she misses her mother, and she believes that’s wrong.”
“The poor kid,” he said. “What did you tell her?”
“That her reaction was normal. It’s okay to love more than one person. I tried to explain that she and her nanny had shared day-to-day moments, so it made sense she would miss those more than special occasions with her mother.”
“Did she understand?”
“I hope so, but I’m not sure.”
Jarrett rubbed his temple. “Just when I think Tracy made the right decision in leaving her daughter with me, something like this happens and I know I’m going to mess her up without meaning to. I have no training at parenting.”
“Neither do most first-time parents.”
“Yeah, but at least they start out with an infant. I’ve got a little person sleeping up there and I don’t know what to do with her.”
“Love her, Jarrett. Maybe you could talk about her mother and Nana B. and try to explain it to her again, so she knows it’s okay.”
“That’s a good idea.” He drew in a breath and smelled the salty spray from the sea. While he didn’t have to explain, a part of him felt obligated to make Ariel understand the unique relationship Tracy and her husband had shared. “Tracy and Donald weren’t like most couples.”
“In what way?”
“They loved each other to the exclusion of the rest of the world. When it was just the two of them, that was fine, but once Anna Jane came along, they still weren’t willing to come up for air. Then Donald was killed in a car accident. Tracy never recovered. In a way, Anna Jane has been an orphan since birth.”
“At least she had Nana B.”
“You’re right. Nana B. loved her as if she were one of her own children. That stability got Anna Jane through.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Ariel turned toward him, resting one knee on the wall and tucking that foot under her opposite leg. “Have you ever loved anyone like that?” she asked.
“No. Have you?”
She shook her head, then paused. “No, I haven’t. I’m sure of it. Of all the things I had to remember, why was it that?” She gave him a forced smile. “I would rather remember a great love I’d lost than to have never loved anyone. What a sad statement on my life. Don’t you think?”
“It sounds more sensible than sad, if you ask me.”
“Sensible? So you don’t believe in love?”
“I think it’s overrated.” Again his mind drifted to Charlotte. She’d been on his mind a lot these past few days. Something about these circumstances, he supposed, hoping she would again become a distant memory very soon. Whatever lesson he might
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