Snowbound - Harlequin.com

JANICE KAY JOHNSON 229
getting back, and the first thing she said was, “I ruined
Thanksgiving, didn’t I? I’m so sorry, Mom! I really,
truly, am glad you’ve found Barry.”
Her mother laughed and hugged her. “You didn’t
ruin Thanksgiving! Barry liked you, and he’s been apologizing
ever since for being so stiff you probably
thought he was carved out of wood.”
“Really?”
As slim as Fiona, with stylishly cut hair that was
being defiantly allowed to go gray, her mother laughed
again. “Really.”
“Can we give it another try?”
“Of course we can!” Her mother’s dark eyes softened.
“How was your trip?”
She’d intended to lie, say, “It was great!” But this
was her mom, and when Fiona opened her mouth,
nothing at all came out. Her mouth worked, and the next
thing she knew tears were running down her face.
Her mother took her in her arms and let her cry, just as
she had when the first boy who’d ever asked Fiona out had
stood her up. This time, because she was an adult—her
heart and not just her pride had been wounded—the tears
couldn’t wash away her misery, and her mother’s comforting
arms didn’t convince her that all would be well.
But she did feel marginally better when she finally
drew back. “Oh, no, I can imagine what I look like!”
she said, and fled to the bathroom.
Face washed, she sat with her mother on the couch
and told her about John, his pride, his silences and the
banked anger that scared her, as well as about his kindness,
his ready ear, his intelligence and patience.