She was thankful when Sophie took her up on the offer, giving her a bit of companionship and keeping her calm before her big night with Kurt.
Chapter 24
Kurt had an itch to keep heading west on Interstate 70 and not stop till he reached the Oregon coast. Ever since he’d opened that damn box, the desire had swelled into a primal need. It was ridiculous to think a sandy beach and some rocks would somehow quiet his racing mind. But there was Nana in his dreams every night, a purple-and-gold shawl draped over her thin shoulders, strolling on some beach he’d never been to, beckoning him to join her. He suspected the old rosary he’d kept in his pants pocket for several days was the culprit, bringing her more acutely to mind.
It was ridiculous to think of going. Of driving all the way there. Or to believe that his rebuilt ’69 Mustang could handle the two-thousand-mile trip. Just as importantly, there was a house full of dogs needing his attention. Besides, going there wouldn’t solve anything. Nana was gone. And the money he’d come into unexpectedly shouldn’t unnerve him. Nana wanted him to have it. If he wasn’t afraid, he’d know exactly what to do with it. And if it wasn’t for the last bit of news his mother had delivered, he’d probably now have a tune on his lips.
Kurt had been resigned to believing that half of who he was would forever be a mystery. He was a Crawford, a blend of nothing more than the three impossibly different people who’d raised him.
But they didn’t have to account for his only known universe. Not any longer.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end thinking about it. Of sitting down to coffee with some stranger and searching that stranger’s features for physical similarities before delving deeper in search of more intrinsic ones. But the man whose name was inside that envelope probably couldn’t give Kurt any of the answers he was looking for. Like why he felt more at home around dogs than he did people. Or why he’d never been able to sit still to save himself. And why, no matter how used to a place he got, he’d always felt like an interloper, at least before he came to Sabrina’s.
He was on the verge of doing it, of heading west to see if it helped ease his racing thoughts. The suit he was wearing gleamed starkly in his peripheral vision, reminding him of his commitment tonight to the one person he was starting to care about above all others. She’d forgive him, but he’d have to find the words to explain, and he’d been a total failure at that of late.
His phone rang a mile before his turnoff for the two-lane highway that would take him to the winery where Kelsey was waiting.
He pulled it out and looked at the number. His mother.
He hadn’t called her in a couple of days, and he’d ignored several calls from her. He canceled this one and dropped the phone onto the passenger seat. It rang again immediately. Gritting his teeth, he answered on the second ring. “Hey, I’m busy. Can it wait?”
“It could if you were answering my calls. But you’re not, so not really.”
“I answered now, didn’t I?”
“Yes, and I don’t want to waste my good luck. Guess what? I went on a date, Kurtis. Wait… Sorry… I’m trying, I really am. I called to ask how you’re doing. I’ve been worried about you, and the Colonel’s as tight-lipped as ever. The date thing just popped into my mind when I heard your voice because I think it’s something you’ll want to hear.”
“Well, congratulations on the date, I guess.”
“Are we talking about you first, or no?”
“There’s nothing to talk about, so no.” He’d taken the exit for Augusta and was headed southwest and away from Interstate 70 before he even realized it. Thank you, Sara, for helping with my quandary.
“Fine, I’ll start then. Guess who I went on a date with?”
“All right. Bruce Wayne.”
Sara refused to be baited. “He’s a nurse. And about as nonmilitary as you can get. I met him at the hospital. He took my vitals when I was all padded up in bandages and didn’t have makeup on and my hair was a mess and everything. Honestly, he’s cute, but not in the way I usually seek out. And he’s so damn sweet, sweet like you and Dad.”
Kurt lost track of the conversation a second or two as he tried to picture William as sweet. It was like trying to picture Mickey Mouse in full military attire.
“And it was a day date. We met for coffee and he didn’t even try to kiss me, but he did ask me on a second date.”
“Yeah, where to?”
“The art museum of all places. Kurt, I think he’s a keeper. We were talking and he put his hand over mine and the world kind of fell away. Do you even know what I mean?”
Kurt swallowed hard. His thoughts went to Kelsey standing in the kitchen canning those pears, the sunlight glowing in her hair. Yes, he did.
“That’s nice, Sara. Really nice.”
“I didn’t tell him about the money, in case you’re wondering. I won’t. Not for a while. I want to be sure, you know?”
“That makes sense.”
“So, what about you? For real.”
His throat locked up like a hand had closed around it.
Even over the purr of his engine, her sigh was audible. “I shouldn’t have told you, should I? I-I thought…”
“Mom, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just a lot to take in.”
“I’ll take that compliment, if you’ll let me earn it.”
“Earn what?”
“I can’t remember you ever calling me Mom. At least not when you weren’t being a bit facetious. And I know it’s because I didn’t deserve it, but it was easier to step aside when the most remarkable woman on earth was raising you.”
Kurt released a long,
