Page 37 of By The Book
“That’s not what I meant. The date to the wedding… Is it really a date?”
“Not as far as your mom is concerned.” Denz was glad to see the building housing the gym up ahead.
“So she doesn’t know you like her?”
“Why all the questions?”
“Because she’s my mom. Are you going to tell her?”
He didn’t have to think long on that one. “I’m a friend, Tommy. That’s all.”
“But you like her?”
“Tommy, being an adult, being a man and a productive member of society,” Denz said pointedly, “means looking out for others, even if it means not getting what you want. I…like your mom,” he admitted, “but she needs something I can’t give her.”
“What’s that mean?”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “It means she needs someone to lean on and help her while she figures things out.”
“But you just said you’re her friend.”
“Yeah, I am but—”
“So isn’t that what a friend does?”
Chapter 16
Claire spent the next hour or so fine-tuning her resume and searching online for jobs, but when it came to applying, she couldn’t make herself hit the button. Should she apply here…or in Virginia?
Since that was the mental debate taking place, she knew she couldn’t put off talking to her father any longer, though she wasn’t sure how to bring it up.
A long walk through the neighborhood brought back memories and longings for a return to the area where she’d grown up, but before she made the final decision, she needed to settle some things.
Near the pier, Claire decided to call her real estate friend to see if she’d had a chance to take a look at the house. The discussion hit the highlights and pointed toward a sale, furthering Claire’s thoughts toward moving back to Carolina Cove.
She found a spot on one of the swings and stared out at the ocean, letting the soothing sounds of the surf and the birds flow through her.
Moving was always a big deal, but moving to another state, into a new school, was infinitely more difficult than simply moving to a new neighborhood. But as her friend had told her, the market was hot now, but that could change as quickly as the economy. She needed to decide, the sooner the better.
Claire finished her drink and tossed her cup in the trash before heading back to the house. Ten minutes later, she entered the living room, and Tommy was nowhere to be seen. “They’re not back yet?”
“Not yet.”
“That’s good, actually.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
She hesitated and shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Dad, um, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
Her father clicked off the television and gave her his full attention, even though he was stretched out in his favorite recliner.
“Um, so I’ve been thinking about something. A-about selling the house and moving. Maybe…moving here.”
“Why?”
She blinked at him. “Why?”
“Are you just wanting to move back, or are things that bad financially?”
