Ties That Bind by Heather Huffman

Author:Heather Huffman
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: romance, san francisco, heather huffman, ties that bind
Publisher: Heather Huffman

Chapter Twelve

Kate froze, belatedly realizing she should have put more thought into what she was going to say. She could see the shock on Joan’s face, and that she was trying to decide just what Kate knew and why she was there.

“Aunt Joan,” Kate put on her happiest face. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.” Though Joan smiled, Kate was pretty sure she was lying.

“I want you to meet my friends….” As Kate introduced Liz and Jessica, they enthusiastically greeted Joan in turn, adding to her wary confusion.

“Have you taken the tour yet?” Joan asked for lack of anything else to say.

“Not yet, we plan to though. I was actually hoping I could maybe speak to you first.”

The wary confusion turned to sheer panic but was quickly masked by a fixed smile.

“Sure. Why don’t we take a walk?”

Jessica caught Kate’s hand to give it a quick squeeze before she followed her aunt out the door. Kate caught Liz’s smile of encouragement and felt bolstered by the love of her friends.

“I know about Jack,” Kate began once they were out of earshot. She took only a moment to let her aunt absorb the shock before diving headfirst into the story of the past two months. She left nothing out – not Gavin, the trip to London, or her conversation with Jack just a few days prior. When she was done she stopped and held her hands up as if to say “and that’s all I got – help me from here”.

“Wow.” Joan bit her bottom lip in a gesture that reminded Kate of herself. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“I don’t want to take half of your vineyard away from you,” Kate blurted. “It’s beautiful and I hope you’ll allow me to be some part of it someday, but it’s rightfully yours.”

“Okay,” Joan replied slowly. “What do you want to know?”

“Tell me the story of my parents,” Kate pleaded.

“It wasn’t an unusual story,” Joan smiled a little ruefully. “Jack was so good looking, and so carefree. We lived in a world of cotillions and starched dresses. It was easy to see why Danielle fell head over heels in love with him. Of course our parents didn’t know.”

Kate tried to picture this version of her mother and Jack. She could almost see them in her mind’s eye.

“When she found out about the baby, about you I mean, she went straight to Jack. He was so worried Daddy would fire him. He begged your mother to have an abortion. He said they’d get married after he finished college. He knew he’d never finish with a baby to support and no job.”

“Oh,” Kate tried to process that fact. Jack had wanted her aborted. Kate wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It stung a little. Actually, it stung a lot.

“Danielle wouldn’t hear of it, though. She already loved you so much. So she left. Didn’t tell any of us where she went, she just left.”

“Oh your poor parents, they must have been beside themselves.

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