Page 56 of Lovers at Seaside
“With that bear of a client breathing down your back, I wasn’t sure if you could get away,” she teased.
Sliding his hands beneath her hair, he kissed the corners of her mouth. “Maybe I can convince her to give me a little time off.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I DON’T KNOW why I’m so nervous,” Parker admitted as Grayson parked in front of Sarah Stein’s house Friday afternoon. She hadn’t been nervous on the drive over, but now that they’d arrived, her stomach twisted and turned. They were staying with Matt tonight, and they’d left Christmas with Hunter and Jana. Jana had fallen in love with him at first sight, so Parker knew her boy would be well cared for.
“It’s because you care,” Grayson said with the soothing confidence that always put her at ease. “You know this is going to be hard for her, and maybe hard for you, too. You were up until almost two in the morning rereading the diary.”
She’d held the diary in her lap during the entire drive, and now she pressed it to her chest. “I had to read it again. There are so many conflicting emotions in here. I longed for parents my whole life, and I dreamed about how wonderful it would be to do the silliest things with them. Have breakfast, go shopping, tell them about my friends at school.”
His eyes warmed as he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “I’m sorry you didn’t have those things. But one day you’ll be able to do all those things with your own child.”
Her throat thickened. They hadn’t talked about children since they had breakfast at Seaside, but she knew in her heart Grayson wanted a family as much as she did.
“I hope so. But Miriam had parents who had the means to give her everything, and all she wanted was to be noticed and loved and for them to support her passion for music. I know everything in this diary is from a teenage perspective, which can be skewed and self-centered, but still. These wereherfeelings, regardless of how anyone else perceived the things she wrote about. In her head, her father was loyal only to himself, her mother was loving but overly loyal to Abe—so who was loyal to Miriam?”
“Maybe Sarah can shed some light on that for you.”
As he came around the car and offered her a hand, she was reminded of their first trip to see Abe, when Grayson had climbed into the car without giving her a choice—and he’d stuck by her side ever since.
On the front porch, he hesitated before knocking. “Ready?”
She nodded and tried to slip into her actress armor, rolling her shoulders back and lifting her chin, but not for the first time since she’d come to Wellfleet, it made her feel like she was wearing someone else’s skin. This wasn’t the time to pretend. She shook off the ill-fitting costume. This was Sarah Stein’sreallife, and Parker hoped that when she handed Sarah her daughter’s diary, it would make her life better and not worse.
She managed a nervous smile. “I’m ready.”
Every rap of his knuckles on the door echoed inside her like a countdown. She held her breath as the door opened and Sarah Stein came into view. Her hair was a stunning mix of white-blond and silver, cut just above her shoulders, with natural curl and heavy bangs that gave her a surprisingly youthful appearance. Sarah pressed her hand to her chest and her mouth opened, but no words came.
“Sarah? I’m Parker, and this is my boyfriend, Grayson. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”
Sarah nodded, then shook her head, looking slightly confused. Parker wondered if she had forgotten they were coming, or perhaps Sarah recognized her as an actress.
“Parker,” Sarah said with a warm smile and less confusion in her eyes. “Forgive me. Yes, it is a pleasure. Please, come in.”
“Thank you.” Parker stepped inside. The scent of cinnamon and freshly baked bread hung in the air. “Mm. It smells like a bakery.”
A nervous smile lifted Sarah’s lips. “I bake when I’m nervous.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sarah,” Grayson said.
“You as well. Thank you for coming all this way. Grayson, why, that’s a nice, strong name.” She led them through the foyer to a spacious living room and motioned toward an olive-green sofa beneath the windows on the far wall. Paintings of trees hung on butter-yellow walls above another couch on the adjacent wall. A vase of fresh flowers sat atop a glass table beside an upholstered wing chair. Parker glanced at Sarah, with her peach top and black slacks, and thought the simple but elegant room suited her perfectly.
“Please,” Sarah said, “make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you,” Grayson said.
Sarah nervously smoothed her black slacks. “Can I get you something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Water? Or something to eat? I have an abundance of cinnamon rolls and tarts at the moment.”
“No, thank you.” Parker was too nervous to eat.
“Sure. I’d love anything you baked, thank you.” Grayson rose from the couch. “Would you like help?”
“Oh no,” she said. “I’ll be just a moment.” She disappeared through the dining room.
Grayson whispered, “I thought she needed a reason to move. She’s as nervous as you are.” He put his arm around Parker. “You okay?”
“Yes. Or I will be. She looked at me funny when she first saw me, and I worried she didn’t remember our phone conversation.”
