Chris shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but Declan was furious they wouldn’t side with him.”
Cara forced herself to calm down and continue to make small talk. However, if the nervous looks Chris kept sending her way were any indication, she wasn’t successful at hiding how furious she was.
“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have dropped a bomb like that on you if I’d known they hadn’t told you.”
“It’s not your fault.” Cara forced a smile. “I appreciate you telling me.”
Cara sustained the conversation, only touching on the most trivial things for the rest of the meal, but was grateful when the check came, and she was on her way home.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
“You have a package.”Wes pointed behind him to the kitchen counter when Cara and her date returned. The second he heard the key in the lock, relief flooded him. The date had been a dud, and he chose to ignore why it mattered to him.
However, instead of leaving, the interloper followed Cara into the kitchen. She looked at the label on the brown box with surprise. “It’s from Corinne!”
“Your mom?” Chris asked.
Wes bristled. He knew about her mom? How long had she been talking to this guy?
Cara retrieved a pair of scissors from the kitchen drawer and sliced through the tape. Despite himself, Wes turned to look. From the mass of bubble wrap and tissue paper, Cara pulled out a large snow globe with the wordDublin,emblazoned in red across the white base. It was the type of souvenir someone would pick up from a street kiosk.
“What in the world? Corinne bought that? Was she high?” Chris laughed.
Cara glared at him, but her face took on a worried expression.
“I don’t think so. Though, I haven’t talked to her in a while.”
The man rested his hand on Cara’s shoulder. Wes’s body tensed and he got to his feet. “There’s a note,” he heard Chris say.
“Okay, this is weird!” Cara murmured, after her eyes had scanned down the paper.
“What does it say?” Chris leaned over her shoulder to read the message.
“She claims my father gave it to her when she saw him in Dublin.” Her eyes found Wes’s.
“When was he in Dublin? That had to have been years ago.” Chris shook his head. “Is that it? Why is she sending it to you now?”
Cara looked at the card again and gasped. “She says there’s a letter attached from him.” Cara dropped the card, turned the snow globe upside down, and removed a tiny white envelope taped to the bottom.
Wes gave up pretending he wasn’t interested and joined them at the counter, ignoring Chris’s speculative look.
Cara pressed the envelope to her nose and inhaled deeply. When she pulled it away and offered it to Chris, her eyes were moist. “It still smells like his cologne.”
Chris smiled sadly and then wrapped his arms around Cara, pulling her in for a hug. Wes’s chest burned.
“What does the letter say?” Chris broke the embrace.
Wes was proud of himself when he didn’t bury his fist in the smug smile Chris sent him.
Cara ran her fingers around the edge of the envelope. “I’ll read it later, when I’m alone.”
“Of course, it’s private,” Chris soothed.
Wes’s jaw ached, and he worried for his teeth when the other man stroked her back. Cara pulled her lower lip between her teeth.
“Maybe I should get it over with?” Cara directed the question to Wes.
“What do you want to do?” For a moment their eyes met, and Wes forgot Chris was in the room. Forgot they hadn’t spoken in a day. Nothing mattered except an intense need to comfort her.
