Those Sweet Words (Misfit Inn 2)

His mother trilled with laughter. “Sure, and you know I’d tell them to stay a whole extra week for the chance. Your da’s of a mind to teach the boys to fish, so they’re off to the lake this afternoon. He’ll be sorry he’s missed you.”

“I’m sorry to have missed him, too.”

She continued to talk, filling him in on news about his assorted cousins, the neighbors, the staff, and more than half the village proper before she ran out of steam. “So, I want to hear all about you. Where are you calling from this time, my lad?” The faint clack of knitting needles punctuated the conversation. Flynn could imagine her in her sitting room, wool spilling over her lap as she settled in for a good chat.

“I’m still in Eden’s Ridge.”

“That’s a long stay for you. Are you having a good visit with Kennedy, then?”

“Actually, she got married a couple of days after I got here.”

“Married? Imagine that. I’m sure she made a lovely bride.”

“She did. Her man suits her down to the ground. They’re old sweethearts, as it turns out. Reconnected when she came home.”

“Oh, and that’s a lovely thing, to be sure. She always struck me as someone who needed some joy in her life.”

“Well, she’s found it. She’s been beaming bright enough to beat the moon.”

His mother gave a happy sigh. “I love a happy ending. So, she’s delaying her honeymoon or back already or—?”

“She and Xander are taking two weeks. They’ll be back by the weekend.”

“And you’re still there?” There was no masking her curiosity.

“She and her sisters converted their family home into an inn. I’m sticking around to help out, while she’s away.”

“Sure, and that’s a thoughtful wedding present. What’s it like putting that hat back on?”

“A bit like riding a bike. But I’m not doing it for Kennedy.”

“You’re not?”

Flynn took a breath. “I met someone.”

The clacking stopped. “Met someone? What? A woman?”

Her sincere shock wrangled a laugh. “Yes, a woman. Kennedy’s sister, Pru.”

She actually squealed with excitement. “Saints be praised! I have to tell your father.”

“Hold on. Don’t go get Da just yet.”

“Is it not serious?”

Here was the decision he’d wrestled with all night and half the morning. Whether to tell her the lie or the truth. In the end, he couldn’t give her anything less than honesty. “No, it’s serious. It’s just…it’s complicated.”

“Complicated how?” Her voice turned serious. “Flynn Michael Bohannon, is she married?”

“No. I have li

nes, Ma. That’s not one I’d cross. No, she has a daughter. Well, foster daughter. She’s in the process of adopting Ari.” He briefly explained how Pru had gone from being sister to mother.

“The poor lamb. Both of them. Pru sounds a fine woman. Are you balking at being involved because of the child?”

“No. No, I adore Ari. It’s just, we’ve found ourselves in something of a tight spot.” He told the tale in as little detail as possible. He hadn’t thought through the part about admitting to his mother he’d been sleeping with Pru. “So you’ll be getting a call. And so will a lot of other people. References. Checking up on me. I need this to go well. I need to get through this background check so that things get back on track for Pru with the adoption.”

His mother was silent for so long, he wondered if he’d lost the connection. “Ma?”