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outfit.
But it wasnât her style of dress that forced me to keep staring out the windowâit was the genuine smile on the womanâs face and her obvious interest in Clarissa Jo.
I was pulled away from the window by the sound of Graceâs voice at the back door.
âHey,â she said, depositing some covered Pyrex bowls on the counter. âHereâs my contribution for dinner tonight.â
I walked over to see a container of macaroni and cheese and a sweet potato casserole.
âThanks, Gracie,â I said and resumed slicing potatoes. âWant some sweet tea? Itâs in the fridge. Help yourself.â
âI see Clarissa met your neighbor.â
I watched her pour herself a glass of the tea Iâd made the day before and nodded.
âAny more word from this new beau of yours?â I asked.
âYeah, he called again and weâre having dinner together Tuesday evening.â
âDoes this George Clooney look-alike have a name?â
Gracie laughed. âTony. Tony Rizotti.â
âHmm, an Italian lover.â
âHeâs not my lover. Just a dinner date. But heâs taken an apartment on the island, just down the street from your shop.â
After I rinsed the potatoes, I turned them on to boil. âOh, the vacant one above Noahâs gallery?â
âYeah, and I guess Iâll find out how Italian he isâbecause heâs cooking me dinner.â
âSounds like fun.â
âWhat sounds like fun?â I heard Adam ask as he walked into the kitchen with a propane tank.
âGraceâs new friend is cooking her dinner next week,â I told him, leaning in for his kiss.
âAh, I detect some romance floating in the air,â he kidded her as he walked out to the deck.
Grace glanced at her watch. âWell, Iâm outta here. Have to get over to the coffee shop. Iâll see you about five.â
âI saw Clarissa next door talking to Miss Tilly,â Adam said, coming back inside. âTheyâre sitting on the porch having a cold drink.â
âReally?â
He laughed. âYou sound surprised.â
âWell, I am, a bit. Tilly doesnât normally bother with anybody, much less a child. And Clarissaâ¦well, sheâs barely said ten words to us since she arrived.â
I felt Adamâs arms go around me, pulling me into an embrace.
âMaybe this little friendship will be good for both of them.â
He buried his face in my neck and began nibbling on my ear.
âHmm, wonder how long sheâll be over there?â he whispered.
Feeling the stirrings of desire, I was now sorry Iâd turned him away the other night.
Kissing his mouth, I pulled back. âNot long enough for what youâre thinking. Oh, that reminds meâ¦we just donât seem to have any private time to talk anymore, and I keep forgetting to tell you. For three nights since Clarissa arrived, Iâve woken during the night to hear her crying in her room.â
âI donât think thatâs unusual. Have you mentioned it to her?â
âGod, no. That would be like intruding.â
âYouâre her stepmom now, Monica. You have a right to intrude in stuff like that. But maybe we wonât mention it and see what happens. I knew it would take her a while to adjust, and Iâm sure thatâs part of it.â
âShe hasnât mentioned Carrie Sue at all. Do you think thatâs normal?â
Adam shrugged. âUnder the circumstances, probably. I think we just need to give her some time. Let her tell us what sheâs feeling, rather than drag it out of her.â
My own feeling was that even if we tried, dragging anything out of Clarissa wasnât going to be an easy feat.
Â
When Clarissa returned from Miss Tillyâs, she didnât seem quite as subdued. Tilly had let her borrow a book about a little girl and her dog, and it occupied Clarissa for the entire afternoon.
I