“Well, now that he’s home, maybe you two can let go of the past and see what your futures could hold? Maybe even together?”
Natalie gripped the counter as a still-too-vivid memory of a woman kissing Evan pricked her heart. She shook her head. “There’s no future for us. Evan’s moved on.”
“You don’t know that for sure. People do change. But let’s not talk about Evan. At least not right now.” She finished her cookie, then took a quick drink of coffee. “But I do have some news. That’s why I stopped by before going in to work.”
“What’s that?”
Willow brushed her crumbs onto her napkin, then slid it aside to fold her arms on the table. “Tuck called this morning. He talked with his dad and brother, and they said yes to the service dog project that will coordinate with their Fatigues to Farming program.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. Earlier in the week, I had shared the plan with him, explained partnering with Zoe, then mentioned your name. So once Tuck talked with Jake and Chuck, they were totally on board.”
Natalie grinned and threw her arms around her friend. “Wow! I can’t believe it. That’s the best news I’ve heard in a while. We’ve wanted to do a service program like this for so long.”
Still holding on to Natalie’s arms, Willow took a step back. “But this will mean you staying in Shelby Lake. I know you talked about only being here long enough for your dad to get back on his feet, but if we do this together, I can’t have you bailing on me in a month or so when his doctor releases him to return to work. Even though you live only an hour away, it’s tough enough with our schedules to coordinate time to work together as it is.”
Still grinning from the news, Natalie shook her head. “No, I promise not to bail on you. As much as I love living in that cottage and building my own business up there, I can move here, find a place for Aidan and me, then grow my business while helping my parents. Plus, Aidan loves being so close to them. And if it’s a success with the veterans in the Hollands’ program, then maybe we can expand our services. I’d love to get therapy dogs into the local schools. I’ve heard about programs that use them to help children get over their reading anxieties.”
Willow glanced at her watch, then drained her coffee. “With my dyslexia, you know I’m all for that. I want to talk more about this and make some plans, but I do need to head in to work early today. Can you meet with Zoe Sullivan and the Hollands on Monday after breakfast?”
“Yes, I’ll make sure everything is covered at the kennel and be there as long as I can get someone to care for Aidan.”
As if he’d heard his name, her five-year-old with dark tousled curls and bright blue eyes appeared in the kitchen doorway still wearing his Spider-Man pajamas. Rubbing one eye with a fist, he looked at her with a sleepy look. “Mom, can I have cookies for breakfast like Aunt Willow?”
She wrapped her arms around her son and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Sure, when you become a grown-up like Aunt Willow. For now, you can have something healthier like oatmeal or eggs and bacon like Grandpa.”
Aidan eyed the plate on the counter and sighed. “Fine. Can I have cheesy eggs?”
“May I?”
“Yes, you may.” He grinned, then giggled.
“Funny kid.” She gave him a playful swat on his bottom. “Please wash your hands, then tell Grandpa breakfast is ready.”
Willow’s phone chimed. She pulled it out of the pocket of her white coat and read the screen, her face twisting into a grimace. “Uh, Nat, Tucker just texted me.”
Natalie cracked two eggs in the skillet and scrambled them for Aidan. “Yeah? What’s going on?”
“Apparently Chuck talked to Evan during the party, and now he’s going to be a part of the project, too.”
Natalie’s hand tightened on the spatula. She closed her eyes a moment, then turned to face her friend. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Willow winced and shook her head. “Sorry. I wish I were.”
“What am I going to do now?” Natalie tossed the spatula on the counter, then yanked open the fridge and snatched the bag of shredded cheese. “How can I work with Evan?”
“It’s been more than five years. How long are you going to hold on to the past?”
“But it’s my superpower.” Natalie made a face and shot her friend a grin, but Willow’s raised eyebrow and stern look showed she wasn’t amused.
“No, it’s your protection against future pain.”
“I’ve had enough for one lifetime, thank you very much.” Pressing her back against the sink, Natalie buried her face in her hands. “No, Will, it’s not that. Evan is—”
The doorbell rang again, cutting off her words.
Forcing self-control she didn’t feel, Natalie brushed past Willow and headed for the living room.
Aidan raced ahead of her. “I got it, Mom.”
Before she could stop him, he whipped it open. “Hi.”
“Hey, how are you?”
That voice.
Natalie pulled the door even wider and stilled. “Evan.”
He was dressed in gray shorts and a white V-necked T-shirt that emphasized his muscular arms, wide chest and tanned skin, and she took in his damp dark hair that tended to curl when it grew longer and bright blue eyes rimmed in navy.
A flutter rose in her chest as her breath caught in her throat.
He stared at Aidan with an indescribable look on his face.
She pushed herself in front of her son, trying to block him from Evan’s view. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you and say hi to Coach since I missed seeing him yesterday. Dad told me about his heart attack and bypass surgery. I’m sorry to hear that.” Even as he spoke, his eyes drifted away from Natalie and zeroed on Aidan, who was trying to peek around her legs. He shot her a look she couldn’t quite decipher. “You have a son?”
Clenching her fists, she closed her eyes and pulled in a lungful of air. Her heart slipped as she opened her eyes to find Evan watching her intently.
Yep, life as she knew it would never be the same again.
And she had no one to blame but herself.
Copyright © 2021 by Lisa Jordan
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ISBN-13: 9780369715050
Her Hidden Legacy
Copyright © 2021 by Danica Favorite
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Danica Favorite, Her Hidden Legacy
Her Hidden Legacy Page 18
