“Jasmine wasn’t about being in love,” her friend said. “She was about being lonely. Yes, Del has dated and been involved, but he hasn’t been in love with anyone. You’re the one who used to have the key to his heart. The lock might be rusty, but I know it hasn’t changed. Find that key and use it.”

“I’m afraid,” Josie admitted.

“You can’t win if you don’t even try.”

“What if I lose?”

“At least you’ll have the truth. And you’ll be able to look yourself in the eye, knowing you gave 100 percent.”

She would also have a broken heart. She realized now that she’d never stopped loving her husband. She’d locked her feelings away and refused to look at them. It took a life-threatening accident to bring them back to light. If she tried to win back Del and lost, she would be destroyed. If she didn’t try, she was going to be destroyed. There didn’t seem to be many options.

“Del, your mom is on line two.”

Jan’s voice came through the intercom. Del bit back a curse as he dropped into his seat and reached for the receiver.

Ever since Jasmine had exploded into his office, he’d been trying to get home to check on Josie. He didn’t know what she’d thought of his ex-girlfriend showing up the way she had, but he doubted she’d been happy. He couldn’t call to check on her because she didn’t pick up his phone line, and events had conspired to keep him stuck in his office for the past several hours.

First there had been the theft of some equipment at one of the job sites. Then a zoning commissioner had dropped by to talk to Del about a planned development on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. There had been phone calls from customers, and a minor dispute between employees. Finally, when he was about to walk out the door and head home, his mother called.

He pushed the button on the intercom. “Thanks, Jan,” he told his secretary/receptionist, then punched the flashing button for line two. “Hey, Mom. How’s it going?”

“Fine, Del. Your father and I are in Kentucky and we absolutely love it here. The grass is the most extraordinary color, and the horses-” she sighed “-they’re stunning. I’m making noises about wanting to retire here but your father refuses to listen.”

Despite his need to get home, he couldn’t help smiling as he listened to his mother’s voice. “Dad would miss the water.”

“I know. He keeps reminding me. And I tell him that we could have our very own pond, but he’s not impressed. So what are you up to these days? How’s work?”

Del’s grandfather had started the family construction firm. Del’s father had taken it over, then had passed the business on to Del. For most of the years of their marriage, Catherine Scott had not only taken care of the house, her husband and her son, but she’d also helped out in the office several mornings a week.

“Business is good.” He hesitated. “Someone bought the old Miller place. We’re doing the remodeling job.”

“Really?” Delight brightened his mother’s voice. “I’m so happy. I adore that old house. Frankly, it deserves new owners. Those last people just let it sit for so long. Tell me about the new owners. Are they putting the master on the third floor?”

“Yup. In fact I got approval on my plans earlier this week. We’ll be starting the framing Monday.”

Catherine laughed. “Good for you. I always did like that design. The master suite is going to be spectacular. So tell me about the family that bought the house. Do they have many children? That house cries out for the sound of laughter. What do they think of the neighborhood? Are they-”

“Mom,” he said, cutting her off. “One or two questions at a time, please.”

“Oh, all right. So, spill the beans.”

He leaned back in his leather chair. What was he going to say? How could he explain what was going on in his life? He didn’t expect his parents to either approve or disapprove, but he doubted either of them would be silent.

“Josie bought the house. She’s back in town.”

There was a moment of silence, then the sound of his mother exhaling slowly. “Josie? After all this time?”

He couldn’t tell from the tone of her voice if she approved or disapproved. “I was surprised, too.”

“Are you two getting along? If you’re doing the remodeling, you must see quite a bit of her.”

He’d come this far, he thought wryly. He might as well get it all out in the open. “She’s staying at my house temporarily.”

Then, before his mother could respond, he filled her in on Josie’s accident and her subsequent recovery. He explained how she’d collapsed and was spending a few weeks in a wheelchair. Finally he outlined his offer to take care of her during that time, which meant her living at his house.

“I see,” his mother said slowly. “Josie in a wheelchair. I can’t begin to imagine what that must be like for her. She was always such an athletic girl. Running, playing sports. And so pretty. Is her face really completely different?”

“I didn’t recognize her for a while,” he admitted. “She’s still attractive, but she doesn’t look like herself.”

“That must be odd.”

“I’m getting used to it.”

“Del, I…” His mother cleared her throat. “I don’t know if I should say this or not, but I’m going to. I love you very much and I always liked Josie. When you told me you were getting married, I thought you were both a little young, but your father and I hoped you would mature together.” She paused.

Del braced himself for what was coming. Obviously, he and Josie hadn’t matured, at least not in a way that allowed them to keep their marriage together. He knew his mom was going to warn him against getting involved with Josie again. Probably very sensible advice but for some reason, he didn’t want to hear it.

“I’ve always felt terribly guilty for my part in breaking up your marriage.”

He stared at the phone. “What? Mom, you’re crazy. You didn’t do anything to hurt my relationship with Josie.”

Catherine Scott sighed. “Not directly, perhaps, but I did have a minor role. You see, I know how Josie felt about me. We got along very well, but she was intimidated by the way I had always taken care of you. She couldn’t compete with that and I doubt she wanted to. To be honest, I didn’t want her to, either. What if she’d done a better job? Still, she had to feel inadequate. She didn’t cook or bake and she’d never really learned to run a household. To make matters worse, you had an expectation that your wife would be like me, at least in the homemaking department. I was too old-fashioned that way.”

Del hadn’t thought there were any more surprises left regarding the situation between himself and Josie, but he’d been wrong.

“Mom, I-”

“You don’t have to say anything,” she told him, cutting him off. “I can’t change what I did while you were growing up. I love you and your father. Taking care of you both was my way of showing that love. So except for how it affected your marriage, I don’t have any regrets. But Josie was so different. I think she wanted to try, but she didn’t know how. I could have helped more, but I didn’t. I was sad as I watched your relationship falter, and I didn’t know how to make it better.”

“That wasn’t your responsibility.”

“I know, but every mother wants to protect her children from their own mistakes. Unfortunately, children need to learn on their own.”

He wasn’t sure what to make of all his mother had told him. There had been more forces at work while he and Josie had been married then he’d realized. The question was, what did he do with the information now?

After Annie May left, Josie tried to take a nap, but her brain wouldn’t shut down enough for her to sleep. Dozens of thoughts and ideas circled through her mind. She tried to absorb all that had happened.

Of course she was upset about Jasmine’s visit, but she told herself she was really dumb if she thought that Del had been a monk for the three years they’d been divorced. Obviously he’d dated. But as Annie May had pointed out-he hadn’t fallen in love. There had been no serious relationships, which was good for her.

She also thought about what her friend had said about her, Josie, still having the key to Del’s heart. She wanted that to be true, but she wasn’t sure. She was slowly coming to believe that she wasn’t the only one at fault in the marriage. Unfortunately, if they were both to blame, it would also take both of them to fix the problems. And she wasn’t sure Del would want to participate in that. She wasn’t sure about anything where he was concerned.

“A grown-up would come right out and ask,” she told herself, speaking aloud into the quiet of the room. Unfortunately, she wasn’t feeling especially mature at this moment. Maybe an alternative would be to test the waters in more tentative ways, so she could feel safer during the process.

She closed her eyes and found herself remembering all the fights they had about her cooking…or rather her refusal to cook. For Del, coming home to a freshly cooked meal had meant a lot. But she’d resisted right up to the end. She would cook, but only when he was there to help.

She turned on her side as she remembered that his favorite was lasagna. Catherine had shared a recipe with her once. It was supposed to be one that he really liked and, according to her then mother-in-law, relatively easy. She’d tucked the paper into a cookbook. Josie sat up. She would bet money that cookbook was sitting right above the small desk in the kitchen and that the recipe was still inside. She could make that for Del tonight, as a surprise.

Then she glanced down at her legs. She wasn’t allowed to drive. Nor was a wheelchair easy to maneuver in a grocery store.

“Delivery,” she said with a grin.

She would make up a shopping list and call in the order. Then she would get started with her surprise dinner.