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“Sad to say, doesn’t look like he feels the same way,” Pringle pointed out, and he was right about that, too. William stood stiff, his eyes focused in the distance rather than at my lovesick nan.

Octo-Cat traipsed over and sat down beside me.“He’s right. When you’re with UpChuck, you look just like that.” He touched his nose down onto the portrait of Nan. “But so does he. This guy looks happy, but not in love. Not like you and UpChuck or Baby and Johnny. Not even like Harry and Sally, and we all know what a mess their relationship was in the beginning.”

“Who are Harry and Sally?” Paisley asked, giving her friend a lick hello.

Octo-Cat rolled his eyes lovingly.“Yeesh. I have a lot to catch you up on, dog,” he said as if the events of his movie marathoning were an actual part of real life. Crazy cat.

I glanced back down at the photo and frowned.

Was Nan hiding a broken heart? A sad tale of unrequited love? It still didn’t explain the letter or the birth certificate. Had William used his hold on her emotions to make her do something awful?

“Poor Nan,” I whispered.

Paisley whined, even though I wasn’t sure she knew why we were sad in that moment.

The other two said nothing.

We sat like that for a while as I considered my next move. The animals had been a huge help so far, but I needed a second opinion—a human opinion.

“I’m calling Charles,” I informed them. Yes, Charles. He wasn’t just the love of my life; he was also the smartest and most hardworking person I knew. He didn’t become the youngest law firm partner in Blueberry Bay history by phoning it in.

I was afraid I’d reached a dead end, but maybe he’d be able to shed some new light on these old secrets from the past.

At the very least, he could give me the hug I so desperately needed to give me the strength to keep going.

Chapter Seventeen

Charles came home from work early so we could spend the rest of the afternoon and evening going over everything I’d learned during the past couple of days.

“I’ve been so worried about you,” he said now that we were cuddled together on his stiff, modular couch. “Has Nan opened up to you about any of this yet?”

I hadn’t felt like catching him up on the phone, preferring instead to talk in person. Besides, I knew he’d be distracted until he was able to get away from the office. “Nothing. And according to Paisley, they spent that time away from home in a motel.”

“A motel? But Nan has plenty of friends. Why didn’t she stay with one of them?” Charles hadn’t known Nan that long, but even he understood how weird this all was.

I burrowed deeper into his arms, safe there even as the rest of my world crumbled around me.“I’m worried about her. She looked so different when she came home today. So empty. Whatever this secret is, it’s weighing heavily on her. I’m honestly not sure whether she’ll ever be ready to talk about it.”

He rubbed reassuring little circles in my shoulder.“Are you okay with that?”

I closed my eyes and thought about it for the millionth time since Pringle handed me that old letter. No matter which way I looked at the situation, my answer always remained the same.“I wish I could be, but no. I need to know.”

Charles nodded.“I understand. If it were me, I’d want to know, too.” Thank goodness for understanding boyfriends. It wasn’t just that he understood, either. He wanted to help.

Remembering our newest puzzle piece suddenly, I pulled the picture of Nan and William from my purse and handed it to him.“The animals found this in her room today.”

He held the old photograph between us, and we both stared down at the faces caught in time.“The mysterious William, I presume?”

I nodded.“Pringle and Octo-Cat found it in her room.”

He chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to my temple.“Those two.”

“Yeah.” I smiled, but only a little.

Charles sat up straighter.“Those two,” he said with more vigor this time. “They’re quite the duo. Why don’t you bring them here?”

I looked up at him with unblinking eyes, not quite understanding what he wanted—or why he’d invite the trouble-making raccoon into his abode.

He stood and pulled me to my feet with both hands.“Before I bought this house, it belonged to Nan, and for more than thirty years at that. What if there are still some old secrets hidden inside?”

The last little flickering bit of hope burned brighter.“Charles, that’s a great idea.”

“Thank me later. Right now, let’s get the rest of our search team and inform them of the plan.”

We drove back to my place together and gathered the cat and raccoon for the journey. Octo-Cat was less than enthused, but Pringle whooped with joy to learn he’d be accompanying us on an off-property adventure—no stowing away required.

“This is where I grew up,” I told him once we’d arrived.

He scrunched up his nose as if something smelled bad.“You and Charles grew up in the same house together? Isn’t that a little…?”