Page 96 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

She nodded, then leaned her head on his shoulder. It was a little weird—he was shirtless and she had her winter coat on—but he didn’t seem to mind, and she certainly wouldn’t complain. Then she looked at him again. “What about Second Chapter? Pecan Corner?”

“You read my letter.” He touched the little dangling kitty-cat earring in her left earlobe. “I’m all in. I didn’t know how cold and stark my existence was until I met you. How starved I was for love... for you...” His voice cracked with emotion. “Until I almost lost you.” His arms tightened around her. “You’ve brought so much color, light, and warmth to my life. I love you so much. I don’t want to lose you again.”

“You won’t.” Her eyes held his, her heart soaring. “I love you, Harvard Boy. From the bottom of my soul, I always will.”

His mouth tenderly brushed hers. “Smitten Kitten,” he said, his voice almost a purr.

They kissed again, her fingertips playing with his hair, then moving to the smooth skin of his shoulders. When they parted, she whispered, “You should probably put a shirt on.”

He chuckled. “Later.” And kissed her again.

Leo pulled his Turismo into the small parking lot of Pecan Corner Cottages, the bed-and-breakfast where Constance was staying. It had been nearly a week since he and Via reconciled, and she’d gone back to Pecan Corner the next day. He had arrived today and rented one of the cottages for a week while he found out where Earl’s things were so he could move them back into his apartment. Hopefully Constance hadn’t gotten rid of it all.

He was surprised when Via told her she was still in Pecan Corner. He’d also been resistant to her suggestion that he meet with her.“You don’t need to work everything out in one day,”Via said when they talked on the phone the night before. He’d stopped at a motel in Nebraska and had made sure to eat plenty of food and drink enough water.“But you should at least try to have a conversation.”

Shutting off the engine, he was still second-guessing himself. He and Constance didn’t have conversations. They had altercations. He was sure they would have another one tonight. He was only doing this because his girlfriend urged him to.

He got out of the car and grabbed his suitcase from the back seat. He had on his Harvard sweatshirt and a pair of khakis, not much protection against the cold night air. The quaint bed-and-breakfast was still decked out for fall, with plenty of pumpkins, cornstalks, and scarecrows. Strings of amber lights, along with landscape lamps, lit up the property, which contained four cottages and a main house. His was number three, Constance’s was number four, although he hadn’t planned on them being next door to each other.

After he checked in at the front desk and put his suitcase in hiscottage, he took a deep breath and went next door. Another deep breath and then he knocked.

Her voice sounded from the other side of the door. “Who is it?”

“Leo—” His name got caught in his throat. He tried again. “Leo.”

The door opened. He couldn’t remember ever seeing his mother shocked before, but she definitely was now. “Leonardo. What are you doing here?”

“I... came to talk.”

She let him in, crossing the room and turning off the TV. She was dressed in a cream cashmere sweater, loose-fitting, wide-legged pants, and fur-lined slippers—all Hermès. This was as casual as Constance Smith-Brewster ever got. She faced him, her chin lifted, her expression... blank.

Not a good start, and his inclination was to forget it and move on. But Via was right—he had to begin somewhere with her.

She looked at the two chairs flanking a small table and gestured to them. After they sat down, she said, “Did Via tell you about Second Chapter?”

“She said you were selling the building to her for a dollar. Is that still true?”

“Yes. Mr. Pipkin is almost finished with the paperwork.”

An awkward silence stretched between them. Forgettryingto talk to his mother. He didn’t know how to. Might as well start with the obvious question. “How long are you staying in Pecan Corner?”

“I’m leaving tomorrow. I need to get back to Manhattan.” She folded her hands in her lap. He noticed she still had on her large diamond wedding ring. “What are your plans?”

“I’m moving here. I’ll do some consulting with my firm, but I’m going to be taking over Second Chapter. I’m also moving into Uncle Earl’s apartment.”

“I’ll give you the storage information then. Unless you don’t want his things.”

“I do.”

“He certainly had a lot of collections. I didn’t realize he was such a reader.”

Leo leaned forward. “Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

She fiddled with the ring, not looking at him. “I shut off that part of my life a long time ago. I didn’t think it was necessary.”

His fingers clenched. “I never knew my grandparents, my uncle... You robbed me of my family.”

“I know.” She lifted her head, and he was stunned to see regret there. “I wasn’t thinking about you—”