Page 188 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass
“That was quick.”
He brushed off his hands and took a seat in the lounger. “I’ve been the official Carter family fire starter since I was ten years old. My dad let me help him as far back as I can remember.”
She sipped her coffee. “He taught you well.”
He smiled again, realizing how odd it was that this was Callie’s parent. He’d been so focused on the blond who looked so much like his girlfriend that it seemed strange the woman with absolutely no physical resemblance was the person Callie called Mom.
“I know we’ve just met, and I hate putting you on the spot, but I’m hoping you might be able to give me an update on Callie’s case. I didn’t have the heart to ask her when I was tucking her into bed.”
He nodded. “We’re making some progress—not as much as I’d like, but some of the pieces are starting to come together.”
“Do you think you’ll find Callie’s biological mother?”
He debated how much he wanted to say. He was dealing with an ongoing investigation, but this was Callie’s mom. “We’ve been able to identify who she was—Samantha Fletcher. We know that Callie was born in Boston on June 4th and that she and Samantha lived with another young mother and her two children in Roxbury.”
“You’ve spoken to the roommate?”
He nodded again. “Callie and I went to see her today.”
“What did she say?”
He sighed, knowing this couldn’t be easy. “From what we’ve been told and from what I’ve seen for myself, Samantha was a good mother—young but doing her best to give Callie a better life than the one she’d had.”
Moira gripped her mug tighter. “It’s hard to believe that. It has always been easier to imagine that Barrett and I rescued our little girl from a rough beginning, but we’ve always known there had to be more to the story. When they found her, she was well nourished and smart. Someone had taken the time to love her and teach her.”
“I know Callie feels lucky to be a part of your family. She loves you all very much. She smiles when she talks about Jennifer and Jacob—you and your husband. Her nieces and nephews.”
Moira smiled. “That’s nice to hear. Thank you for telling me so.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her smile faded as she cleared her throat. “Is it possible—might Samantha be deceased?”
He sighed. “She could be. Some of the evidence is pointing us in that direction.”
“Years ago, we hired a private investigator to search for her. I’m ashamed to admit that I held my breath the entire time, hoping they wouldn’t come up with much. I’m not sure what we would have done if we had found her. I wouldn’t have been able to give Callie back, but it ended up that the PI was as baffled as the rest of us.” She sighed this time as she set her mug on a coaster on the coffee table. “For so long I’ve resented the mother—for not being there for Callie, yet being present nonetheless.” She met his gaze again. “Do you understand?”
He understood perfectly. Callie’s childhood scars had left permanent marks.
“I’ve always worried about Callie,” Moira continued. “I’ve wondered what kind of life she would build for herself—if anyone would be able to dig beneath those sky-high walls she builds up. I still do fret a bit, but now she’s here and I’m letting myself hope that Callie might finally allow herself to be happy.”
“We’re taking things slow.”
“Slower than you’d like,” Moira said with a small smile.
He shrugged. “Her clothes are in my drawers and she wakes up next to me in the mornings.” He winced, remembering that this was Callie’s mom he was speaking with. “I just need her with me—to stay.”
“Not everyone would be so patient.”
He jerked his shoulders a second time. “You can be whatever you need to be when you know what you want.”
Moira nodded. “She’s come a long way. She’s always been beautiful and sweet. My heart broke and longed for Callie from the first moment I saw her on the TV screen all those years ago. When we brought her home, I had illusions that if we loved her enough, we could erase the past—whatever had happened before the waitress found her at the diner.”
Nate settled more comfortably in his chair, crossing his ankles on the edge of the coffee table. “Her first memories seem to start after she moved to Oregon.”
“The mind is a funny thing, isn’t it? We forget, yet the best and worst of life’s moments still linger with us even when we’re not aware.”
He nodded.
