Chapter 27
“Hey, guys.” Josh sat in his living room, smiling at his parents, who stared back from the screen of his laptop. It was good
to see them. But the main purpose of the conversation made the frozen pizza he’d downed for lunch roil in his gut.
“Hey, honey. It’s so good to see your face.” Mom’s brown pixie cut framed a petite face that sported a fresh tan. A bright
shade of coral adorned her lips, and as usual, a pair of elaborate earrings dangled from her lobes.
Dad adjusted the angle of the phone. “The Wi-Fi’s spotty, so if we get disconnected, I’ll call back.” Having lost most of
his hair in his forties, Dad resembled the father on Everybody Loves Raymond —a fact that made Josh grateful he’d taken mostly after his mother in looks.
“No worries.” Josh’s gaze drifted to the wood-paneled background behind the sofa with a funky painting of... he wasn’t
sure what. “Where are you now? I can hardly keep up with you guys.”
Mom squeezed into the frame. “We’re in this adorable apartment in Athens.”
“By ‘adorable,’ she means miniscule and expensive.”
“Oh, stop it. It’s not that small.”
“It makes the cabin on the cruise ship seem like an estate. She rented it solely based on the picture of the balcony.”
“You should see it, Josh! It’s beautiful. I have my own little garden of Eden right outside the door.” The image bobbled, cutting to the ceiling, then the floor as Mom swiped the phone and went outside to show off the space. She flipped on a porch light because it was evening there.
“Look at this bougainvillea!” she said over the noise of traffic. “Have you ever seen anything so lush and lovely? We sit
out here every morning with our coffee.”
“It’s the only space besides the bed big enough for both of us.”
“Oh, stop it. We should sit out here and talk to our son.”
“He won’t be able to hear over the noise.”
“Well, that’s true. We’ll take you back inside, honey.” The background noise lessened as they slipped back through the patio
door. “Tell us what you’ve been up to.”
“Yeah, how’s business? Last time you mentioned you were looking for a new crew member.”
The opening was too good to be true. He and Maggie had discussed how Josh might bring the conversation around to the subject.
But now that the moment was upon him, his nerves quaked. Was he ready for the truth? “Um, yeah, I already hired a new guy.
He’s only nineteen but he’s working out really well so far.”
“I’m so glad to hear it,” Mom said. “A good crew makes all the difference.”
“He’s a real go-getter and he’s terrific with the passengers. Neat and tidy behind the bar. Couldn’t ask for better.” His
smile felt plastic as he zeroed in on his dad’s face and forced out the words. “His mom actually knows you, Dad.”
“That so?”
“Yeah... her name’s Robyn Jennings.”
Furrows formed between Dad’s brows. Otherwise his expression remained the same. “Doesn’t sound familiar. Where am I supposed to know her from?”
“Not sure. She’s a nurse, though, so I assumed you worked with her at some point.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell. Maybe if I saw her. Sound familiar to you, honey?”
Mom’s earrings tinkled as she turned to Dad. “Didn’t you work with a Robyn at Parkfield? The RN who always ate her lunch at
the workstation?”
“That was Rowan.”
“I thought Rowan was the one who always wore the rainbow scrubs.”
“It is. That’s the same woman.”
“Oh.” Mom shrugged. “Well, what do I know?”
Relief buzzed through Josh’s veins as his parents carried on about the nurses Dad used to work with. There had been nothing
suspicious in his expression or response—nor in Mom’s.
That relief carried him through the thirty-minute conversation, then Mom yawned and they admitted they’d been up before sunrise
for a tour.
Seconds after they ended the session, Josh called Maggie.
She answered on the first ring. “How’d it go? Did you find a way to bring up Robyn?”
“I did. Dad didn’t recognize her name.”
“Are you sure?”
“If he did, he’s one heck of an actor. Mom didn’t miss a beat either. They were both calm and casual as could be.”
“Well, I guess he doesn’t know Robyn then.” Her voice held a note of confusion.
“Or he doesn’t remember her name.”
A beat of silence ensued. “Surely you’re not suggesting your dad slept with a stranger.”
“I don’t want to believe it.” During the conversation with his folks, Josh’s mind had strayed a time or two. “He mentioned
he might recognize her if he saw her. What if I produced a picture?”
“How are you going to do that without seeming like you’re on some kind of mission?”
She was right. He sighed. “I don’t know. I can’t screw up my relationship with Dad unnecessarily. Maybe we should just wait
for the DNA results.”
“That won’t be for weeks. Are you okay with waiting that long? Also, it’s entirely possible we won’t learn anything at all,
and then what?”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t either. But I was wondering this morning... What if other family members are in that DNA database and you show
up in their matches? Will they wonder why you had yours checked?”
“As far as I know, none of our immediate family has done anything like that. If there’s a match, I’ll just say I was curious
about our ancestry. I am, in fact.”
“Ethan always said you guys have Irish roots.”
“That’s the family scuttlebutt. Along with a little English on Mom’s side. But I wouldn’t mind finding out for sure.”
Zoey’s sleepy voice sounded on her end.
“Guess who just woke from her nap hungry as a hibernating bear?”
He wished he could be there to wrap Zoey in a big hug. “I’ll let you go then. Tell Cupcake I said hi.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow at seven. Wait. Can you at least give me a clue how to dress?”
He was picking her up for a surprise date. He’d been tempted to take her dancing again—just to be certain he got his arms around her at least once. But for the sake of variety, he decided on something different. “Definitely casual, comfortable shoes.”
“Like T-shirt and shorts casual?”
“That’s perfect. See you tomorrow.”
“See you.” He could tell she was smiling by the soft tone of her voice.
And by the time he disconnected the call, he was smiling too.