Rose knew exactly how quickly her hackles got up where her son was concerned. Just thinking of when she got the call about him breaking his arm... If he was in true danger, she would do anything to protect him. “Of course.”
“I don’t know everything that happened that night, but I have to believe that it wasn’t with malice aforethought.” Tori smiled and shook her head. “Apparently, I’ve been watching too many crime shows trying to decompress from the wedding planning. But listen,” she added, flicking the bright red waves of her hair over her shoulder. “I know that your father going to jail was hard on you. I can only imagine how difficult it made life here in Cornwall. Small towns are rough, and when it comes to not fitting in, I’m at the top of the list. I never fit in anywhere, not even here, before Wade.
“But you can’t let other people’s opinion of you—or someone in your family—dictate your life or your self-worth. You’re not trash, Rose. Not your father or anyone else could make you that. You’re a good person. A great mother. A fantastic pastry chef. That’s way more important than the deeds of your family members.”
Rose felt a rush of embarrassment reach her cheeks. “You don’t need to say all those things, Tori.”
“Yes, I do. Because you need to hear it. And you need to know that Xander and your father are two very different people committing two very different crimes. Xander would never deliberately hurt you like your father has. He loves you. And he loves Joey. He may not have said it, but I’ve seen that sad, moony look in his eyes. He misses you both so badly. I think it killed him to have to go back to D.C. with things unresolved between the two of you.”
“He’s gone?” Rose asked, and Tori nodded.
Rose shouldn’t have been pleased to hear that Xander missed her, but somehow knowing he was suffering a little bit while they were apart was nice. He should at least be as miserable as she was, although she doubted he was. Tori might think Xander was in love with her, but he wasn’t. He was in love with the idea of their family and being a dad. Now that he was home and surrounded by his old life, he’d forget all about that.
“I won’t keep him away from Joey forever. I just need to make sure that whatever this is—” she gestured toward the television “—doesn’t blow up. I don’t want to tell my son who his father is only to have to visit him on Sunday afternoons during inmate visitation. I’d rather wait. We’ve waited this long.”
“And what about you?”
“What?”
“You said you wouldn’t keep Joey away from him forever. What about you? Are you going to keep your distance from the man you’ve loved since you were fifteen years old?”
“Maybe,” Rose admitted.
“What could he do to convince you to give him another chance?”
Rose shook her head and turned to look out the window. The sheriff’s car blew by, probably heading up to the Garden of Eden again. “I don’t know that there’s anything he can do, Tori. Maybe our chance ended back in the summer before college.”
Tori’s clear blue eyes were nearly penetrating as she looked at Rose. They were beautiful and icy, making her want to shiver in her uniform. After a moment, Tori got up from her chair and put a five-dollar bill on the counter even though she hadn’t bothered to order.
“What’s this for?” Rose said, holding up the bill.
“It’s for working hard for far less money than you deserve. You’re entitled to some happiness. You just have to be open to the possibilities. And it’s possible that back in high school was just the beginning for you two,” she said before slipping out of the diner and out of Rose’s sight.
Thirteen
Things weren’t exactly going as Xander had planned. He’d hoped to get back to Cornwall as soon as he could, but work got in the way and he found himself wrapped up in congressional committee sessions that lasted late into the night nearly every day.
It had taken him two weeks to get things in motion and he’d had to cash in a couple favors to get away, but he was two miles outside of Cornwall and closing in fast. But now that he was here, he had to wonder where everyone else was.
The town was quieter than usual for four o’clock in the afternoon. There weren’t a lot of cars on the road. He drove out to Rose’s apartment, but her car wasn’t there. He cruised back to Daisy’s, but her Honda wasn’t there, either. No one was there, actually. He would have called Rose on her cell phone if he thought for a moment that she would answer.