Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Well, you know what I mean.” She laughed again, her second laugh as forced as the first. “Speaking of your family, we were all sorry to hear about your mother’s passing.”
Walsh acknowledged the canned condolence with a quick nod, his features not even tweaking with the pain Kerris knew must still lay just beneath the surface.
“She was a remarkable woman. She did so much for orphans all over the world.” Shelby’s face creased with just the right amount of sympathy and respect. “Your father is a titan in the business world. Is it hard to balance the business side of your life with your philanthropic interests?”
“Not at all. It’s how I grew up. Working in acquisitions with my father is like an adrenaline rush for me. And serving with my family’s foundation makes me feel like I’m part of something bigger than myself. I enjoy both.”
“Now, you were dating Sofie Baston not too long ago, and then it seemed to end abruptly.”
Shelby quieted, obviously hoping Walsh would elaborate, but he did not. He looked back at her, waiting for an actual question.
“Well, I just wondered what happened there,” Shelby pressed.
“Most people don’t realize Sofie and I grew up together.” Walsh lifted one side of his mouth in a near-grin. “Our families have been friends for thirty years. Our fathers are business partners. So, we did date for a while, but our friendship goes back a long way. She’s still the goodwill ambassador for the Walsh Foundation. She’s a great girl, and I have only good things to say about her. I think she’d say the same about me.”
“Yes, well, there was a lot of speculation that maybe there was someone else.”
Again Walsh offered only an unblinking stare, his mouth a straight, neutral line. He shifted, propping his elbow on the arm of the chair and tucking his chin into the palm of his hand, waiting for Shelby to continue.
“Is there someone else?” Shelby asked, her eyes braver than the uncertain tone of her voice.
Walsh paused, glancing down before looking back at Shelby. Kerris wondered if anyone else detected the shutters he had just pulled over his eyes.
“Like you said, it’s been quite a year. I haven’t had a lot of time for much besides work and doing my part with the foundation.”
“So there’s no one special?” Shelby fished, using her grin as bait.
“There are many special women in the world.” Walsh offered a scrap metal smile, giving Shelby nothing new to work with. “Just not for me right now.”
“If you were ready for your someone special, what would she be like?”
Walsh lowered a thick fan of lashes, concealing his eyes. Concealing his thoughts. For a moment it seemed he wouldn’t answer Shelby’s question, but then he looked back up, and there was an unexpected intensity in his eyes.
“She’d be compassionate. She’d be someone with a strong sense of what’s right, and doing what is right, no matter what. She’d be loyal and fearless.”
Shelby leaned forward, obviously thrilled that the usually reticent Walsh Bennett was revealing so much.
“And beautiful?”
“It would be incidental.” Walsh pushed his broad shoulders into a dismissive shrug. “The qualities I’d be looking for are…elusive. Rare.”
“Have you ever met a woman who embodied all these things?”
“Yes,” Walsh said without pause, his face a riddle no one would be able to solve. His quick smile, the answer. “My mother.”
Kerris hastily wiped the tears she hadn’t meant to shed. She turned the TV off, jumping at the sound of Al Green crooning “Call Me (Come Back Home),” the ring tone Cam had chosen for his phone. She doubted he had one song from this century in his collection. If it wasn’t on vinyl, he didn’t want it. She glanced around the room, searching for his phone before she realized the sound was coming from the office. She grabbed it in case he was calling looking for it. The ringing stopped abruptly, replaced by the ding signaling he had a new text message.
I told you I had something special for you. Call me when you get this.
A picture came through of a blonde, her face partially obscured by the T-shirt she was raising to expose her naked breasts. Nausea tensed the muscles of Kerris’s stomach. She swallowed a lump comprised of hurt and shame and inadequacy and indignation. They had barely been intimate over the last few weeks. She’d thought it was the pregnancy and the memory of Walsh between them, but maybe this was the real reason.
Was this how Cam felt when he walked in on that kiss? Betrayed? Angry? Helpless?
A car door slammed. Kerris peered through the office window. Cam climbed out of his pride and joy, the Land Rover Kristeene had left him. He stopped by the battered old Camry Kerris insisted on keeping, inspecting the tires and frowning before heading down the walk toward the cottage door.