Page 34 of Bluebell Promises

“It is. But I spend a lot of time worrying about him,” Landon said. “I wish he’d start dating again. I ask him all the time if he’ll let me set him up.”

Wren chuckled. “I imagine he doesn’t want that.”

“Not really. But I think someone can get addicted to their own solitude,” Landon said.

Suddenly, his daughter Mallory slid over, reached for a piece of cheese, and asked, “Are you talking about Uncle Ben?”

Wren and Landon laughed. It was impossible to gossip around the older kids. They wanted in on the fun.

“I think he seems lonely,” Mallory said thoughtfully, reaching for another piece of cheese. “I don’t know why he doesn’t have a thousand pets to keep him company. He could be like Dr. Doolittle.”

“He says he’s been grieving the same dog for years,” her brother Isaac said.

Wren’s heart shifted. It occurred to her, not for the first time, that Ben would have been an incredible father. She wondered why he and his ex-wife had decided against having children.

It wasn’t a question she would ask Landon, though.

After dinner, Wren went to the kitchen to help Juliet with the dishes. As they scrubbed, they could hear Danica, Sophie, and Lily down the hall, eating ice cream and talking about what had gone wrong in Danica’s relationship. It was clear that the older girls wanted to help.

“He sounds like he doesn’t know what he wants,” Lily said. “That isn’t your fault.”

“You don’t want that energy in your life,” Sophie assured Danica.

Juliet and Wren caught each other’s eye.

“They sound so much older than they are,” Wren pointed out.

“I don’t think those conversations ever really change,” Juliet said.

Wren was quiet, thinking again about herself and Angelos. She’d desperately needed her sisters three months ago, when she’d gone searching for him. When she’d waited for him.

“You know, I was so impressed with how you handled Danica earlier,” she said.

Juliet laughed. “I was totally out of my depth. I felt like I was flailing.”

“She didn’t see it that way,” Wren assured her. “Neither did I. It was beautiful.”

Juliet smiled softly. “You’ll be good at it, too, you know.”

“I don’t know about that. I’ve been reading more and more of Mom’s journals and thinking, yeah. Yikes. I have less maternal instinct than Mom. I’m doomed.”

Juliet cut the water and gave Wren a penetrating look. “That isn’t true,” she said. “And despite Mom’s feelings, despite everything that went down, she was a brilliant mother. She was always there for us until the end. She stuck around, even when she didn’t want to, all the time. That’s what mothering is, I think. It’s showing up, even when you don’t feel like yourself.”

Wren’s lips parted. It sounded so simple. But could she do it? Could she really show up for her child on even her worst and most emotional of days?

18

The second week of September, Ben went into the lobby of the vet clinic to find Scott Winston waiting there for him. Ben was taken aback. He’d never had fond feelings for Scott, so he hadn’t imagined he’d see Scott again soon. “Hey there,” Ben said, offering his most professional smile. “How is your mother doing?”

Scott stood, wringing his hands. “Good. Better. Can we talk for a minute?”

Lucky for Scott, Ben’s schedule wasn’t packed today, so he led him to the back office and closed the door behind him. Fear spiked in his heart. Maybe there really was something wrong with Nelly. Maybe Scott hadn’t wanted to confess it in the waiting room.

“I’ll get right to it,” Scott said. “My mother has finally agreed to move into a nursing home.”

“I see.” Ben frowned.

“It’s for the best. She cannot live on her own, and I want her to live closer to me,” Scott said. “But this obviously leaves us with a problem. Pudding needs to be rehomed.”