Page 14 of Wishes on Wildflowers
“Sure it is. An entire extended family with no half or step-kids. No divorces. You don’t have any skeletons banging against the closet door, trying to get out.”
The cousins exchanged a glance.
“My kid sister is pregnant.” Peter’s jaw clenched as he pinned Nathan with a look. “She’s sixteen, a junior in high school. The father — the guy who told her to get an abortion — is your half-brother Connor.”
What?Nathan snapped his mouth shut. One of Rhonda’s sons. Pops’s wife number two. Hadn’t she taken the boys and moved to Yakima years ago? “I, uh... I didn’t know.”
“I didn’t think you did.”
“But...” Nathan’s brain reeled. “How can you even talk to me? Work with me?”
“It wasn’t you. You’re not responsible for his actions any more than I’m responsible for Dafne’s. They made their own choices.”
“Oh, man. I’m sorry.” Back to Bridgeview. Back to the curse of Hamelin boys running wild. Trust a Hamelin to bring shame to a Santoro.
6
“Mom…”Jasmine let her voice die away. It wasn’t like it was going to do any good, anyway. Not when her mother had already invited Nathan for lunch.
“Yes, dear?” Mom turned to Jasmine in the foyer of Bridgeview Bible Church. “Did you need something?”
Jasmine darted her gaze to Nathan then back to her mother, who stood patiently waiting. “No, it’s okay.” She’d told Nathan she’d forgiven him, right? That meant she should be able to stand seeing him around. And she should have suspected it would also mean seeing him included at her parents’ table from time to time. After all, he and Basil were apparently good friends. It still kind of stung that Basil hadn’t bothered to let her know. Jasmine pinched the bridge of her nose. No. She was over it. Over him.
“Thanks very much for the invitation, Mrs. Santoro.”
Of course he was coming. Had she expected anything different?
Mom patted Nathan’s arm and smiled at him. “It’s good to see you back in Bridgeview. You’ll have to tell us everything you’ve been up to since you moved to California.”
Oh, no, not everything. Jasmine didn’t want to know. And had her mother really forgotten the way Nathan had jilted her when he’d run off? No matter how she tried to deal with his presence back in her life over the past couple of weeks, it was just about impossible.
Time. Time would cure everything. But how much of it? Another eight years? Because she’d really like to fall in love, get married, and have kids someday. And, although women in their thirties could certainly have children, she’d rather not wait until then to get started. Not if it took that long to get over Nathan... again.
Behind Nathan, Basil smirked at her. Maybe that’s whom she should focus on not forgiving. No, she meantforgiving. Her own brother. It still felt like he’d stabbed her in the back.
“Who is this we have here?”
Jasmine turned at the sound of her grandmother’s voice. “Hi, Nonna.”
“You are coming for lunch, too, Mamma?” Jasmine’s mom patted her mother-in-law’s hand. “I’m so glad to see you are finally over that terrible cold you had.”
Nonna eyed Nathan. “Yes, yes. I thought my time on earth might be done, and I have so much yet to do. I am not ready to die.”
Jasmine stifled a giggle. With her grandmother, it was all drama. Every part of every day.
Nonna hadn’t taken her gaze off Nathan yet. “Introduce me to your friend.”
Well, that let Jasmine off the hook. Nathan was no friend of hers.
“Mamma, this is Nathan. Do you remember him?” Mom’s gaze flitted to Jasmine then away.
Thanks a lot. If you remembered the connection, youshouldn’t have just asked him for dinner.
Nonna’s eyes narrowed and her finger stabbed the air in Nathan’s direction. “It is you. You dare to show your face in Bridgeview after you broke my granddaughter’s heart?”
Oh, boy.
Nathan reached for Nonna’s hand with both of his. “I’m older and wiser now, Mrs. Santoro.”
