Page 18 of Wild Hearts

Blanche sighed. "It's going to take some time to get used to the idea of our granddaughter living in Colorado."

"I'll let you guys talk. Tomorrow, she's going to the resort to meet his extended family."

Blanche's forehead creased. "Will that be overwhelming for her?"

I shrugged. "She wanted to go. She was excited at the prospect of meeting more family members."

"I'm happy she has that," Dennis said.

I stood and walked toward the door. "Have a good night."

I left the hotel room feeling like I was managing a difficult situation as well as I could. Blanche and Dennis were losing their granddaughter on top of losing their daughter. It was a tough situation.

When I arrived home, I grabbed the mail, sorting it into the recycling and shredding bins before I entered the house. I called out to my cat, and when I didn't see him, I topped off his water and food, then went to the bedroom to change.

After I pulled on lounge clothes the phone rang.

"Walker? Is everything okay?" I asked as I answered the phone.

"I wanted to talk about how today went."

I settled on the bed. "I thought it was great. How was your alone time with Dakota?"

"It went better than I expected. She was out of her element, learning to skate. She had to look at her feet to keep her balance, and it seemed to make it easier for her to ask me some questions about her mother. It was good."

"That's great. I'm sure she's happy to talk to someone else who knew her mother."

"She was interested in our relationship."

I knew he'd moved on. It had been years since we dated. But I didn't like the idea of him being serious about anyone else. Over the years, I'd reduced our relationship to teen love. But now that he was back in town, the old feelings were bubbling to the surface.

"I told her the truth. We didn't exchange any identifying information beyond our first names. I don't know if her mother attempted to find me or not. Or if she even would have been able to. But if I'd known about Dakota, I would have changed everything I could to be with her," he said with conviction.

"I'm sure she liked hearing that."

"I hope I'm doing the right thing by asking her to leave everything she's known behind."

"In the car, she told me she felt better starting over in a new place. There's no memories of her mother here."

"That's something at least."

I hoped it eased his anxiety about the situation. "She's eager to move onto her new life, but she can't escape her grief. She might seem okay and then all of a sudden fall apart."

"That's what I was wondering. I'm not sure what to expect. I just want to be there for her."

"I'll forward some names of therapists that would be good for you and her. Talking to someone could help both of you navigate this situation."

"If you think that would help."

"I do."

"I'll take a look at whatever you send over. You don't think it’s too soon to move her in, do you?”

"I think she wants to stop living in a hotel, and she's worried about falling behind in school. All reasonable considerations."

"I was worried that she'd be a surly teenager, but so far, she's been fairly easygoing."

"I think so too. But that doesn't mean you won't encounter teenage attitude at some point. She might be processing everything and not acting like herself."

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