“How do you like it?” he asked.
“I’m not really sure. It’s lonely sometimes, and overwhelming, but I am discovering things about myself. I’m stronger than I ever thought I was.” She said it with pride.
“You’ve always been stronger than you realized,” Connor said. “And you’d still be on your own, if that’s the way you want it. I’d just be close by if you need something.”
“I think I’d feel odd about going on a date knowing I might bump into you,” she blurted before she could stop herself. “I mean, in Baltimore, I suppose it could have happened, but the odds would have been against it. Around here, it’s almost a certainty.”
Connor frowned. “Have you started dating then? Last time I was here, you acted as if that was the last thing on your mind.”
“It is. I’m just saying it could happen down the road and I’d feel weird about it.”
The waitress came over with a booster seat for little Mick, then took his order and Connor’s, giving Heather time to summon her composure. When the teenager had left, Heather said, “Look, how I feel—or might feel at some point in the future—really isn’t the issue. You need to do what’s right for you.”
He studied her face. “I hope you mean that, because I think this is the right thing. The idea’s been growing on me all weekend—I can see the real advantages of practicing law here. I’m planning to tell Joshua Porter yes when I see him in the morning.”
Heather swallowed hard against the tide of hope and dread that warred inside her. “Then you have decided,” she said flatly.
“Unless you tell me right now, straight out, that you don’t want me around, yes.”
She tried desperately to form the words that would keep him away, but the part of her that longed for him to be involved in some small way in her life again—hers and their son’s—couldn’t do it.
Somehow she’d just have to find a way to cope, and to lock away the old dream that still had absolutely no chance of coming true.
CHAPTER 15
Connor’s decision to leave the Baltimore law firm shocked the partners. It was gratifying to have them try to persuade him to stay.
“You’ll be a junior partner here by the end of the year,” Grayson reminded him. “How can going into practice for yourself in a town the size of Chesapeake Shores come close to matching that, either in income or prestige? You’re an ambitious young man, Connor. We’ve all seen that. It’s one of your most admirable traits. Leave now and you won’t have an opportunity like this again. You’ll have thrown away the past few years of hard work.”
Connor didn’t see how all the experience he’d gained working for a major law firm could ever be considered a waste.
“This is what I have to do,” he said. “I want to be near my son. He’s my priority.”
“And Heather?” the older man asked perceptively. “You’ve been restless ever since she left. We’ve all noticed that. I’ve never understood why you won’t just give her what she wants. Marry her. I’m sure she’d be willing to move back to Baltimore if you do. She’s a lovely young woman. She’d be a tremendous asset to an up-and-coming young attorney. There’s no limit to what you could accomplish here with a woman like that by your side.”
Connor shook his head, not just at the suggestion of marriage but at the idea that Heather would be some kind of trophy wife. The idea was laughable.
“She’d never agree,” he said flatly. “She has her own dreams, and she’s achieving them in Chesapeake Shores.” He couldn’t say he entirely understood it, but it was evident that the quilt shop had fulfilled her in ways that teaching never had.
“Of course she would. She’s very bright. I’m sure she understands what’s at stake here. Talk it over with her. I’m sure she’ll want you to be successful.”
Connor chuckled. “Heather doesn’t care whether I’m successful or not, and she’d see right through it if I had some sudden change of heart about getting married. She knows how I feel about marriage. I can’t deny that I love her. But if I won’t get married for love, then I certainly won’t do it as some sort of career move. I’d like to think I still have some integrity left.”
“Then if you’re not chasing after her, what is this really about?” Grayson asked, obviously bewildered and not considering a toddler son motive enough for making such a drastic change.
“It’s about getting my priorities in order. It’s about being closer to my family.” He gave his boss a rueful look. “And it’s about me being sick to death of listening to men trying to excuse the crummy way they treat their wives. I want to practice a different kind of law.” He would have described Joshua Porter’s vision, but he doubted Grayson would understand. To a man totally focused on the accumulation of billable hours and the right kind of publicity, it would be sentimental hogwash.
“That would be a crying shame,” Grayson said. “You’ve made a name for yourself handling high-profile divorces. What about your current caseload? What are you going to tell the men who are counting on you to extricate them from their marriages and get them the best possible settlements?”
“We have other attorneys who can take over. Or I can simply stop taking on new cases and refer any inquiries to someone else. I’ll finish up with the clients I already have, however long that takes. It’s up to you how you want to handle that. I haven’t set a specific timetable for leaving, but I won’t abandon anyone unless that’s your preference.”
Grayson shook his head. “I’ll have to think about that. These men sought you out. They may not be comfortable with another attorney taking over in the middle of things. On the other
