Where the Heart Lies by Susan R. Hughes Page B

first, she glanced back at the living room. The others were ignoring the pair on the patio—except for Sheryl, who glared at them over her cards, and then glanced away quickly when she saw Jordan looking.
    “Don’t worry about them,” Clay said. “Come on, it’ll drive Sheryl crazy if we disappear together into the night.” He grinned wickedly, his brows arching upwards.
    Jordan smiled. “How can I pass up an offer like that?”
    He grasped her hand to lead her down the path behind the house. Taken off guard as his fingers curled around hers, she didn’t resist, grateful for the guidance as the light from the house faded to darkness. On the lawn she saw the silhouettes of the girls’ tents, still and silent.
    With only the moonlight to guide them, they walked carefully over the hill where the gazebo sat, and then made their way down to the water. Jordan heard waves lapping against the shore as they drew nearer. A change in the texture of the ground told her they had arrived at the beach.
    “Let’s sit down,” Clay suggested, lowering himself onto the sand next to a large boulder.
    Jordan sat next to him, tucking her skirt under her legs. A cool breeze off the water touched her bare legs, making her shiver. Even so, she wanted to stay a while. It was so serene out here. A crescent moon hung over the bay, reflecting a pale glow on the gently rolling surface of the water.
    “You used to love coming to the beach at night,” Clay said. “Do you remember the time we spent the whole night on Spanish Banks?”
    “Yes, of course. You pointed out all the constellations to me.” She still remembered their names—Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Cygnus—though she’d be hard pressed to identify which was which now.
    “Well, I have to admit, I spent a good deal of time memorizing them beforehand so I’d sound like I knew what I was talking about. Just to impress you.”
    “And when you couldn’t remember the names you’d make them up,” Jordan said, laughing as she savoured the memory. “I liked it, it was sweet.”
    “You squeezed your eyes shut and made a wish on the North Star,” Clay recalled. “You refused to tell me what you were wishing for, even when I tried to tickle it out of you. It drove me crazy. I don’t suppose you’d tell me now.”
    “I don’t even remember,” she said, though she recalled it perfectly well. Lying warm and content in his arms, she’d wished she could hold that pure happiness in her heart forever.
    On impulse, Jordan slipped off her shoes and slid her toes through the cool sand. “What do the stars look like in Egypt or Greece?” she asked, gazing upward.
    “Pretty much like this,” Clay replied. “Only there never seemed to be much point in looking at them. All I could think about was that you should have been there beside me.”
    Jordan turned to look at him. “What about Kathryn?”
    He lifted one shoulder. “She wasn’t one to sit around watching the world go by. Or the sky, for that matter. Kathryn was constantly on the move, always accomplishing something. It made me dizzy sometimes.”
    So she wasn’t much like me after all , Jordan mused. It gave her a surprising sense of satisfaction to know the woman Clay had married hadn’t really replaced her.
    “You looked like you were having a blast with the girls this afternoon,” she remarked, changing the subject. “Molly’s been having so much fun.”
    “She’s a great kid. There was something I wanted to mention to you, though. I know it’s none of my business, but a while back when I spoke to Molly, she seemed pretty angry at Richard.”
    Jordan nodded. “Yes, well, she was pretty hurt by the divorce. In her eyes, it was Richard who abandoned us. But since she’s been to visit him, things have improved.”
    Clay looked genuinely relieved. “I hope for Molly’s sake that she and Richard will maintain their relationship.”
    “I hope so, too. I hope he still has time for her now that he’s found himself a