Rose Harbor in Bloom Read Online Free Page B

my friends, but this is what growing up is all about, right? It’s time I tested my wings. That’s what my grandmother said.”
    “She’s right.”
    “Mom would like it better if I attended community college for a couple of years, but I got a scholarship for Washington State University.”
    “Congratulations. How big is your graduating class?”
    “Big. Six hundred.”
    “That’s huge.”
    Hailey agreed.
    “My own graduating class was around that size. I was fortunate enough to be the valedictorian.”
    “Really? One of my best friends, Mandy Palmer, is our class valedictorian. She’s so smart. Were you like that?”
    Mary smiled. “I’d like to think so, but the ability to get good grades doesn’t necessarily translate into living a successful life.”
    “Mandy will. She’s got it all together.”
    “I’m sure you do, too,” Mary said.
    “I wish,” she said, and folded her hands in front of her. “Is there anything more I can do for you?”
    “It’s all good. It’s been a long day, and I’m feeling tired.”
    “Then I’ll leave you. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be heading out soon, but Jo Marie is here. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Smith.”
    “You, too, Hailey.”
    The teenager left, and, feeling better than she had since she’d stepped off the plane, Mary closed her eyes. It’d been a foolish decision to travel all the way across the country. Her oncologist had advised her against the trip. She needed time to rest, to give her body a chance to heal.
    To her surprise, Mary felt her body relax and surrender to the warm bath of sunshine. Almost before she realized it she felt herself drifting into a light sleep. It was only natural, she supposed, that thoughts of George would fill her head.
    No man had ever loved her the way George had. There’d been men before and since her affair with him, but no one had ever cared as deeply as the young attorney in Seattle almost twenty years ago.
    She remembered the first time they’d met. It’d been a Saturday afternoon, summertime. June, wasn’t it? Yes, June. Her friend Louise had suggested lunch at the Seattle Center and made reservations at the Space Needle. They were to meet at the base of the Needle. Mary waited outside, but her friend hadn’t shown up.
    Growing restless, Mary had paced the area, checking her watch every few minutes. She’d been so intent on looking at her wrist that she’d inadvertently bumped into a man on the sidewalk. That man had been George.
    After apologizing profusely, she’d been pleasantly surprisedwhen he said he’d been stood up for lunch himself and wondered if she’d be willing to join him. Seeing that she already had a reservation and it was a shame to let it go to waste, they’d taken the elevator to the restaurant. Rarely had she clicked with anyone the way she did with George. Their attraction was strong and immediate. They enjoyed a three-hour lunch. Later, he confessed that he’d told her a fib. He hadn’t been meeting anyone, but had instantly felt drawn to her.
    Later, Mary learned that her friend had gotten an emergency phone call. Her father had suffered a heart attack. These were the days before personal cell phones, and Louise didn’t have any way of letting her know what had happened.
    Seeing how well her afternoon had turned out, Mary wasn’t complaining. George asked to see her again, and they met the next day and then the day after that. Inside of a month they were lovers. They were wild for each other, crazy in love, feverish. It had never been like that for Mary. Not before George, and not after him, either.
    Mary worked for a brokerage firm, struggling in a man’s world, and was making a name for herself. She hadn’t wanted to move to Seattle, although it’d proved to be beneficial on a number of different levels. Her work often led her to travel to New York, and she had her eye on a key position with the firm there.
    When they first met, George