The young woman laughed. “It looked like fun, though.”
“Oh, this is Sarah, my daughter, and her fiancé, Aaron,” Paul said as he introduced them.
“Oh,” Nikki replied with surprise. “She’s beautiful, Paul. Nice to meet you both.”
Sarah blushed. “I’ve heard about you.” She nudged her very embarrassed father.
“Babe, maybe we can go and get a drink,” Sarah suggested to Aaron and pulled him away from them.
“Is she…?” Nikki asked with amusement and pointed at the hastily departing couple.
“Yep,” Paul said in answer to her unfinished question. “Trying to play cupid.”
Nikki laughed. “Kids.”
“Not so much these days,” Paul replied. “Now she’s off to get married.”
Nikki got quiet as she thought about the child she never got to have. Paul must have noticed, and she blushed when she realized he was looking intensely at her.
“The private investigator came to the restaurant yesterday. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow and talk about how we’ll handle the news about Amy.”
“So you do know something,” Nikki said.
“I never said I didn’t, but I didn’t have all the information. I still don’t. Not until I meet with him. But what I do know is that she has been trying to find her daughter for months. Maybe longer. She was very anxious about meeting her and what it would be like.”
“I can’t say I don’t know what that feels like.” Nikki started feeling nervous all over again. “I’m curious to know more about her. What if she doesn’t want to come here, like Trish thought? Trish only mentioned that if I didn’t want a stake in the Nestled Inn I could sell it to Amy. But what if Amy doesn’t want it or anything to do with either of us?”
She remembered what Ava had told her before but couldn’t help feeling doubtful again.
“Don’t worry about that now. I would suspect that the inn would fall to you if that’s the case, but let’s wait until we get to that bridge, okay?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she told him. “Listen, I had a long day. I need to get back and wash off some of this sweat and dust.”
Paul laughed. “Okay. We’ll catch up.”
She walked away, and before she could get to Ava, a middle-aged woman approached her. “You’re Trish’s sister, right?” she asked.
Her dark eyes flashed with concern at Nikki. “Yes, I’m Nikki.”
She took Nikki’s hands in hers. “She’s in our prayers. She’s a wonderful woman, and I know she’ll pull through.”
Nikki choked back the tears as the woman expressed her heartfelt sympathy regarding Trish. “Thank you.”
It was the same as she continued to where Ava was. Several of the townspeople encouraged her and expressed their sympathies. It was a very emotional evening, and though a very entertaining day, she was glad it was over.
She met up with Ava, and they left, but as they pulled out of the parking lot, she saw Paul standing a little way off, watching her leave.
And for a moment, she thought there might still be something between them.
ChapterSeven
It was a bittersweet day that followed.
Nikki got up to see Ava packing her things, and her face fell. “I can’t believe it’s already been a week, and you’re leaving.”
She walked over and rested her head on Ava’s shoulder.
“Oh, I know, but work calls,” she said sorrowfully. “I wish I could stay longer.”
