“I do believe it was.”
Their opening exchange set a good tone for the rest of the evening. Colleen’s nervousness faded when she saw how comfortable both Eric and Natalie seemed at dinner, how every member of her family welcomed the Reyeses. She hadn’t quite realized until they sat down for the Thanksgiving feast how integral Eric had become during the past month or so. Everyone had questions for Marc about his big decision to run for the U.S. senate. After that, the topic of conversation turned to Natalie and Liam’s wedding. Eric fit right in to the homey family discussion.
Colleen sat between Eric and her niece Riley’s high chair, helping Mari feed the energetic nineteen-month-old girl. As they talked about the possibility of Brigit’s sister’s family coming from Sacramento to attend the wedding, Riley cheerfully threw a bit of sweet potato onto Colleen’s cheek.
Colleen’s mouth was still open in surprise when Eric said, grinning, “This way.”
Colleen turned her cheek to him, and he wiped it with his napkin, pausing to gently push a tendril of hair behind her ear, stroking her temple. It all happened so fast, she didn’t have time to be self-conscious about his caress in front of her whole family. When she sat back, she saw everyone had paused and was staring at her and Eric with expressions that ranged from wide-eyed curiosity (Jenny) to pleased (Natalie, Brendan and her mother) to smug (Mari) to stunned (her brothers).
Riley yelped in protest that no one was paying attention to her anymore. Everyone started eating again, while Eric valiantly resumed the topic.
After dinner, everyone helped to clear and clean up while the kids played with Riley in the living room. It was a plan which caused just as much camaraderie as it did chaos as they bumped into each other, the men shouted questions for instructions on what went where and Brigit answered them good-naturedly, then followed behind, silently correcting all their mistakes. When Marc attempted to shove the huge roasting pan in the packed dishwasher, though, Brigit drew the line and shooed everyone out of her kitchen.
Colleen was the last to leave. She wandered down the front hallway and looked into the family room, not seeing the face she sought. She turned her head, hearing the muted sound of men’s voices in conversation. The curtained French doors leading to the formal living room were partially opened. A table lamp softly lit the room. She poked her head inside and saw two tall men in their shirtsleeves standing in front of the built-in bookcases.
“What are you two doing?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“Eric was interested in Dad’s book collection,” Marc said.
Colleen’s eyes swept over the large, handsome collection of books and landed on Eric. She smiled.
“Dad loved his books. He didn’t have that many growing up. He used to say—”
“There was no greater wealth than knowledge. Marc just told me,” Eric said, holding her stare.
“Eric was just talking about Dad when you came in, Colleen. You knew him? Before the crash?” Marc directed his question to Eric. Colleen walked toward the two men, her interest piqued.
“Not really,” Eric admitted before he slid a book back into the bookcase and turned toward them. “I knew who he was, though. I worked for Morelli Landscaping when I was a kid. I wasn’t assigned to this house—Kevin Little used to do the landscaping and upkeep here—but one spring, Kevin’s crew was short one guy, and I filled in. During my breaks, I used to read. That’s how Kevin found me one day, under a tree with my nose in a book. Kevin wasn’t used to me. He didn’t know that I worked like a madman but grabbed a book on my break. He thought I was slacking off and started to lay into me. Next thing I know, I hear someone calling out to Kevin from the front porch. It was your dad. He must have heard us in the yard. He asked to speak to Kevin. I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation from where I was sitting.”
“Dad told your boss to lay off you, didn’t he?” Marc said.
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
“It’s what Dad would have done in that situation,” Colleen said quietly, sharing a meaningful glance with her eldest brother. “He didn’t have much when he was growing up. He believed in the power of hard work and education. He would have been the first to defend a kid reading on his break.”
In the distance, they heard Riley start to wail. “All that sugar from dessert has her battery overcharged. I better go assist the troops,” Marc said with a smile. He squeezed Colleen’s shoulder as he left, confirmation that he’d been as affected by Eric’s memory of Derry as she had been.
“Do you want to sit down?” Colleen asked, waving at the sofa. The sound of the French door shutting quietly behind Marc had highlighted the fact that she was alone with Eric.
“He and my mom were alike in that way,” Eric said.
“Excuse me?”
“Your dad and my mom,” he said. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he stared at the bookcases. “Education. Hard work. My mom drilled that into me practically from the day I was born.”
Colleen swallowed with effort. It seemed like such a charged topic. “Natalie has told me a lot about your mom. She sounds like she was an amazing woman,” she said.
/>
“She was.”
The silence and Colleen’s discomfort mingled…swelled.
“What’s wrong?’ Eric asked quietly.
She shook her head and laughed. “It’s an old feeling, but it still haunts me at times.”
“What’s that?””