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her.
    Better to break it off now than later when things would no doubt be more complicated. Knowing it was the right thing to do didn’t make it hurt any less. After so many lonely years, being with Ned again had been amazing. And fun. And exciting. Her shoulders slumped as it dawned on her that there’d be no more dinners out or sunsets at the bluffs or cookouts with their family and friends.
    Francine had no idea how long she sat there before Tiffany poked her head in the door. Her long dark hair was in a ponytail, and her lean dancer’s body vibrated with energy—as usual.
    “Hey, was Ned here before?” Tiffany came in and stopped short when she saw her mother crying. “What’s wrong?”
    Francine forced herself to meet her younger daughter’s worried gaze. “I need to ask you something.”
    “Of course. What is it?”
    Wiping the tears from her face, Francine said, “Remember when you told me a couple of months ago that you were trying to find your father?”
    Tiffany’s blue eyes widened with surprise. “You said you didn’t want to know about it.”
    “I didn’t. I don’t. But I wondered… Did you ever find him?”
    “No, but I found his sister. Marion.”
    Francine bit back a gasp. The last person on earth she had any desire to see was Bobby Chester, but since there was a very good chance she was still married to him, she needed to know where he was. “Have you spoken to her?”
    Tiffany shook her head. “I got as far as finding her number, but I knew how you felt about it, and Maddie has no interest in seeing him.” She shrugged. “I didn’t want to upset everyone, so I dropped it.” Glancing toward her house, she added, “Besides, I’ve had enough crap on my plate lately without inviting in more.”
    “I hate to see you so unhappy.”
    “Jim’s moving out,” Tiffany said in a dull, flat tone.
    “I’m sorry, honey.”
    “Been a long time coming.”
    “Still…whatever I can do.”
    “Thanks. I’ve got to get back to Ashleigh. Jim’s leaving soon.”
    “I’ll see you later.”
    Tiffany was already through the door when Francine ran after her. “Tiff!”
    At the bottom of the stairs, Tiffany turned to look up at her mother.
    “You said you have Marion’s number.”
    “What about it?”
    “I think I’d like to have it.”
    Tiffany’s expression was unreadable. “You sure about that?”
    Francine thought of Ned and how devastated he’d been earlier when she called off their relationship. “I’m sure.”
     

Chapter 4
    Covered in mud and shivering from the chill, Grant and Stephanie made their way to the clinic on foot. Stephanie had decided he was the most confusing man she’d ever met. One minute he was pushing her away with his surliness, and the next he was lying beneath her, looking up at her with a dazed expression on his face and a substantial bulge in his pants.
    Which version was she supposed to believe? The Grant who made it clear he still wanted his ex-girlfriend, or the Grant who’d made passionate love with her the night before and clearly wanted to again, if the erection pressing against her in the mud puddle had been any indication.
    Once he’d returned to his senses, he’d disentangled himself from her, helped her up and acted like nothing unusual had happened.
    A smart woman would steer clear of him altogether. His heart was obviously still committed elsewhere, and the last thing she needed was a big complication right now. She had her plan in place with no desire to deviate from it. After the summer on the island, she’d be returning to Providence and getting back to work on the most important thing in her life. Nowhere in that plan was there room for the kind of trouble Grant McCarthy could bring.
    Stealing a fleeting glance at him, she sure did wish he wasn’t so insanely hot. With his thick, wavy, jet-black hair, brilliant blue eyes, prominent cheekbones, sensuous lips and a too-die-for muscular frame, Stephanie could stare at him all day and