Jon kept Leona’s hand wrapped in his as they walked to the door and the side door of the minivan opened.
Penny was already out of her seat and helping Sean get out of his before Jon’s parents had a chance to get out.
“We’re getting ice cream,” Sean shouted, still trapped in his seat.
“Grandma said I could get cookies in mine,” Penny said as she finally freed her brother and they both jumped out of the minivan and ran to him.
Jon let go of Leona’s hand as he scooped Sean up and balanced him on his hip. Placing a hand on Penny’s shoulder, he looked at Leona.
Her eyes had gone wide, and her mouth was open in what he assumed was surprise.
He should have told her. It should have been one of the first things they discussed, especially when Amber had mentioned she could help him.
“Penny, Sean, this is my friend Leona. Can you tell her hello?”
Both of his children looked at her.
Sean rested his head on Jon’s shoulder, but Penny gave her a small wave.
“Hi.”
Jon watched Leona blink hard and then form a smile on her lips, but it was pained. That was evident.
“Hello,” Leona said.
“Why were you holding hands?” Penny looked up at Jon and asked.
Again, he exchanged looks with Leona. “We’re special friends,” he said.
“Do we get a book?”
“I forgot about that,” Jon said. “We’ll see.”
Jon’s parents walked toward them and his mother smiled.
“I’m Delores,” she said, holding her hand out to Leona. “I’m Jon’s mother. This is Frank, his dad.”
Leona shook both of their hands. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your store. I’ve loved coming here over the years. My daughter-in-law and I would come often,” his mother said, and then Delores’ eyes went wide. Yeah, she’d felt the sting in her own words, Jon thought.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t call you by name. But you are familiar," Leona said.
His mother brushed away the comment. “I’ll bet you see hundreds of people a week. How can you keep track of them all? I came to Fiona Gable’s book signing. It was so sweet of the coffee shop to bring us drinks while we were waiting.”
Leona kept that smile as she nodded. “You and your daughter-in-law came together?” she asked, and Jon knew that was the test.
He set Sean down. “So where are you going for ice cream?” he interrupted the conversation before his mother could answer.
“Bloom’s on Main,” his mother said. “We knew you’d be here, and we wanted to see if you both could come with us.”
Jon nodded. “You guys head down there. We’ll be right behind you. We need to lock up.”
Sean and Penny took their grandparents’ hands and the four of them started up the street.
Leona turned back to the store and immediately began to throw books into boxes.
“Hey,” Jon’s voice came over the noise of the fans.
“That wasn’t uncomfortable at all.” She threw down another book. “Yep, Charlie McGowan was an idiot!” she shouted.
Jon turned off the two fans closest to him and the noise was half of what it had been. The other fans still whirred in the background.
“Amber is my babysitter.”
“Did you forget you had kids? I mean some young thing says she can come to your house, my mind goes in a certain direction, and you knew it, but no, you couldn't tell me you had kids?”
“I just didn’t…”
“What? You didn’t know about them? They just came into your life?” She picked up another stack of books and threw them into another box. “My father did that too. I wasn’t important to him either. I never met anyone. I didn’t know anyone he knew. Heck, I’m not even important enough to inherit this stupid, dilapidated building,” she shouted.
“It’s not like that.”
“I find it interesting that in the span of two days we can eat together and kiss each other, consider a business partnership—oh, and tell one another that we might have fallen in love, but you never mentioned your kids.”
Jon raked his fingers through his hair. “I should have.”
“Oh, yes, you should have.”
“It’s not their fault.”
“I didn’t blame them.”
“I do love you, Leona,” he said, and she shook her head.
“No. I think this whole thing has been so that you can get into this building.”
Jon moved to her, but she stepped back. “I would never do that.”
“How do I know that?”
“You have to trust me.”
Leona pinched the bridge of her nose. “How?”
“Because you know you do. Because we do love each other, no matter how many days we’ve known each other.”
“And you know all about love because, what, you loved their mother? If you loved her so much, Jon, where is she now? How come you’re here kissing me and not raising a family with the woman you love?”
“Because she died giving birth to Sean,” he said calmly, but his voice dripped with sadness.
Leona dropped herself onto the Home Depot bucket she’d sat on earlier in the day. With her face in her hands, she sobbed.
What was it with the crying and the emotion?
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
Jon knelt down in front of her, his knee on the wet ground. “I should have told you.”
“You’re raising them alone?”
He nodded. “We do okay. My parents help out—a lot. Amber sits with them on the weekends so I can have some guy time.” He took her hands in his again. “And, since my wife was Charlie McGowan’s granddaughter, she might think you’re wrong in your impression of him.”