“Well, I did buy yellow paint this morning.”
“For the sunroom?”
She nodded, and he laughed.
“What kind of yellow?”
“Lemonade.” She raised her index finger. “But I don’t expect you to paint the room for me.”
“It’ll go faster with two people, right?”
She hesitated. “How much can I pay you?”
He shrugged. “Dinner?”
“Just dinner? That’s it?”
“Yup.” He stood. “But we’re wasting time. Let’s go paint that room.”
“Follow me!” she said, laughing. They headed into the house, and soon Trevor was helping her tape the woodwork before they set to painting.
While they worked, Trevor shared stories about his life in Florida. Everleigh tried to concentrate on what Trevor shared, but her mind kept meandering back to Cade. She couldn’t stop worrying about him. She longed to call him and ask how he was, but she didn’t want to pry. She hoped he wouldn’t be upset that Trevor was helping her since the work at the inn had been Cade’s job for so long. But Everleigh was doing him a favor by handling the task herself, and maybe Cade could appreciate that.
Regardless, she couldn’t wait for him to get home—and she would keep worrying about him until he did.
Chapter 15
Cade sat on a stool in the break room at his mom’s store, Crafty Creations. He tried to interpret his mother’s expression while he shared the story of meeting Declan, but her face was an unreadable mask. “So this guy Declan says he’s my half brother, Mom. He submitted a saliva sample, and according to the Family Tree website, we’re related. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
Mom remained silent, and he took her reticence as a declaration that he was right.
Relief fluttered through him, and he stood. “Iknewit wasn’t true. I’m sorry to have wasted your time, Mom. I know Monday is always a super busy day.” He hugged her and then started for the door. “Just forget about all this. I’ll talk to you later. Tell Dad I said hi.”
“Cade, wait,” she called after him.
Something in her tone made him freeze. He spun and found tears rolling down her cheeks. “Mom?” His eyes widened, and his pulse picked up. “Wh-what is it?”
She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. “I had a baby boy when I was sixteen.”
Mom’s words felt like a blow to Cade’s chest.
“I gave him up for adoption.” Her voice was small.
He stared at her as shock rolled through him. He gripped a nearby counter to steady himself.
“It was a closed adoption, and I didn’t think he’d ever find me.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I never even told your father about him.”
“What?” he whispered, trying to make sense of her words. “Dad doesn’t even know?”
She shook her head, and the news rocked him to his core.
Mom ripped a paper towel off a nearby roll and mopped up her face. “I always assumed no one would find out about him. Back then, no one had DNA tests like the ones they have now.”
Cade stared at her, unable to move and unable to speak. This all felt like a bad dream—a nightmare, even.
“He came to see me.” More tears trailed down her cheeks. “And I asked him to leave.” Her voice grew thinner and thinner with each word. “He looked so hurt,” she said, almost inaudibly.
“Declan?” he asked, and she nodded.