Darius forced himself not to respond, not to react. No, Ethel hadn’t been a picture-perfect mother. But the whole town didn’t need to know that. Although some probably suspected it.
Instead of replying, he hardened his heart and kept on moving. He’d had a lot of practice doing that over the years. So much practice, he’d begun to wonder whether he’d ever feel again.
CHAPTER 2
Peyton closed and locked her kitchen window. Her apartment still reeked of burned toast. It couldn’t be helped now. She had a lot of errands to run and needed to get moving.
She was almost to her front door when the phone in her living room rang. Should she answer it? With a sigh, she turned around. It could be one of her students.
Peyton shrugged off her jacket. The low heels of her red Rockports were muffled on the gold carpet as she hurried back to her living room. She glanced at her phone, perched on the large, mahogany corner table. The caller ID mocked her. She should have ignored the summons.
She picked up the receiver. “Hello, Mom.”
“Peyton, darling, what took you so long to answer the phone?” Irene Biery Harris was adept at masking her prying ways under a caring tone. She’d been that way all of Peyton’s life. But by the age of five, Peyton had gotten wise to her pretenses.
“You caught me on my way out. How can I help you?”
“Where are you going?”
“I have a lot of errands to run.” Peyton didn’t want to go into the details of her last-minute shopping for her Halloween costume accessories. Besides, she still wasn’t certain she was comfortable wearing the outfit Ramona had talked her into buying.
She settled onto her pale silver sofa. Apparently, this was going to take a while. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was just after ten o’clock Saturday morning. It was hard to believe that, almost twenty-four hours ago, she’d been locked in the archives with Darius Knight.
Plenty of women in Trinity Falls would have loved to have switched places with her. Instead, Peyton was more interested in the mystery still surrounding that event. Was Darius right? Were the town’s matchmakers set on pairing her with one of their most eligible bachelors? Why?
“Don’t tire yourself out, darling.” Irene adopted a nurturing croon. “It isn’t good for your looks.”
“Thank you, Mom.” Peyton rubbed a hand over her face. “Why are you calling?”
“Your father and I have a wonderful idea to celebrate Christmas this year. We’re planning a trip to Aruba!”
Her parents planned to travel for Christmas? The coward in her cheered their decision. “Aruba? That’s wonderful. I hope you and Dad have a great time.”
“We all will.” Irene laughed. “You and Bruce are coming with us.”
We are?
“Have you spoken with Bruce?” How could her soon-to-be-ex-fiancé, Bruce Grave, commit them to a Caribbean Christmas vacation without consulting her?
“Of course not!” Irene laughed again. “We wanted to share the surprise with you first.”
This is a surprise all right.
“I had no idea you and Dad would ever consider celebrating Christmas anywhere other than New York. What brought this on?”
“You did! Your father and I love living in New York. We love everything about the city—the neighborhoods, the theaters, the museums. But after you decided to take a sabbatical from New York University to teach for a semester at that small college in Trident Forrest, Iowa—”
“Trinity Falls, Ohio.”
“That’s right. We decided to try something different, too. But we wanted to go someplace warm. And Aruba sounds so exciting, doesn’t it? Aruba.”
“I don’t think I can manage a Caribbean trip right now.” Peyton rubbed her left temple.
“I know professors don’t make any money. And I’m sure you’re making even less now at that tiny college in Iowa—”
“It’s a university, Mom. And it’s in Ohio.” Peyton held on to her patience with both fists.
“Yes. But I’m sure Bruce will pay for the trip. After all, you’re practically married.”