There it was, the sign. The signal.Walk.More like run.
“Just don’t marry him for about fifty years.”
Zona laughed. “Fifty?”
“Okay, ten. At least wait a couple. Let me get through nursing school, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And be careful. And tell him if he hurts you I’ll come after him with a needle full of something very bad.”
Zona laughed again. They hugged and Bree drove off.
And Zona looked at the empty house next door and, for the first time, didn’t want to cry.
Chapter31
“DID YOUR DAUGHTER GIVE HER PERMISSIONfor you to have a life?” Louise asked when Zona rejoined her and Martin. “As if I can’t guess from that grin on your face.”
“She did.”
“Good,” Louise said with a nod. “It looks like things are finally working out for the Hartman women.”
“But are you sure about this generosity? Are both of you sure?”
“We are,” Martin answered.
“As far as the house goes, I can’t think of anything nicer than it staying in the family. It’s been hard to see you struggling for so long. I’m glad I can finally do something,” Louise said.
“Finally? You’ve been there all along. Helping me pick up the pieces when things ended with Luke, then taking me in after everything with Gary imploded. Mom, I don’t know how I would have managed without you.”
“Just fine, that’s how. You’re a strong woman. Now, I suggest you get busy and track down the love of your life. I think I want to go over to my future home and talk about redecorating,” she said, smiling at Martin.
“Heaven help you, Martin,” Zona said.
“Heaven already did,” he said, and squeezed Louise’s hand.
They left and Zona got busy on her laptop. Was it too late for her to find the kind of happiness her mother had found?She hoped not. She did a search and found the location of the office for Better Builders. It was a good name for a company. It was... a sign.
ZONA TOOK OFFfrom work the second it was time for her lunch break, driving to the strip mall in Azusa where Better Builders had its office. It was small. On one wall of the cramped reception area hung a copy of the famous black-and-white picture of workers sitting on a beam on a skyscraper in progress in New York, eating their lunches. Another held a charcoal drawing of a house, maybe one Alec had built. By a door that probably led to Alec’s office was a rough-hewn reception desk complete with receptionist, a lean thirty-something man with a coif, wearing jeans and a pale green shirt with micro polka dots and a sage-green tie. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, which made him look both hardworking and ready for a magazine shoot.
He looked up from his laptop and gave her a professional smile. “May I help you?”
“I hope so. I need to find Alec.” She knew it wouldn’t be in his office. His truck was nowhere in the parking lot.
“He’s not here. He’s at one of our sites. May I give him a message? Or would you like to wait?”
“I can’t.” Okay, she sounded desperate, and he looked suddenly wary. She let out a frustrated breath. “It’s... personal.”
Now he looked protective. He must have known about Angela.
“I’d be happy to give him a message,” said the man.
“I need to tell him myself.” And now she sounded more desperate and probably crazy. “Okay, I know I sound a little, um, well, it’s just that.”Spit it out already.“I broke up with him and it was stupid.”
The man nodded knowingly. “Ah, that explains so much. He’s been a bear. Wouldn’t say why.”
“I’m why,” Zona admitted. “I need to fix this.”
