the rest of her life in a choked-off life in Mississippi or run like crazy toward college and her dreams of working on a magazine. Only one course of action had made sense. Run. It had been a matter of survival. And she’d achieved her dream. She stood at the top of her field. Though for how much longer, she didn’t know.
But at the moment she had a more urgent concern. Gramma was setting the table when she entered the kitchen. “Gramma, I can’t babysit Matt’s kids.”
“You aren’t, sweetie. I am. You’ll be my backup. It’ll be fun. They are darling kids. You’ll love them.”
“I met them this afternoon while you were gone. Their dog came over.”
“Aren’t they precious?” Gramma smiled. “Matt and Katie did a great job.”
Katie. The wife. Her throat tightened. “How did his wife die?”
“Cancer. That’s why he moved back home.”
Back home? “He hasn’t been here the whole time?”
“No. He owned some kind of big computer business in Atlanta. He sold it and moved back here about a year ago to be closer to his family.”
Shelby sorted through this new information. She’d always assumed Matt would never leave Dover. It was the crux of their breakup. It didn’t make sense.
Sinking down into the chair, she rested her elbows on the table and cradled her aching head. Could things get any worse? She’d come here to rest, ease the stress in her life, but how was she supposed to do that with Matt right next door? She’d have been better off if she’d stayed in New York. Matt’s pointed warning echoed in her mind. “He doesn’t want me watching his kids, Gramma.”
Ellen set the plates down on the table, a deep frown creasing her forehead. “Is there something between you two I should know about?”
Shelby inhaled. Great. She couldn’t avoid this any longer. “We dated.” Might as well tell it all. “We were engaged. Briefly. We broke up.” She hoped her grandmother wouldn’t press for more details. She couldn’t deal with that at the moment.
“I see. When was this?”
“The summer before I went to college. I was working at the Durrant’s hardware store. You and Grandpa were in Belize.” She shrugged as if it were insignificant, hoping her grandmother would let the subject drop.
“Oh.” Gramma lowered herself onto a chair. “I had no idea you were serious about anyone. That does make things awkward, but that was a long time ago. Why should it bother you so much now? Unless...” Gramma eyed her closely. “Ah. I see.”
Shelby squirmed. She never could hide her feelings from her grandmother.
“Well, it seems to me you two need to settle this thing between you pretty quick. It’s been going on way too long, don’t you agree?”
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