Her aunt looked away and a weak smile came over her. “In a nutshell, I loved a man, a special, wonderful man who I thought was my soulmate. I’ve never felt as strongly about any man the way I did about him. He was the sun in my world.”
Peter. It had to be him.
“Several men have come and gone from my life since,” Sunshine continued, “but there has only been him in my heart.”
“What happened?” Beth asked, needing to know.
“Ellie knew how I felt about him and stole him away from me while I was studying in Europe.” Her aunt looked away and her eyes grew dim and sad. “He was at fault, too,” Sunshine admitted. “When I returned they were together. I moved to California shortly thereafter. Only a few months later I learned they’d split.”
“She didn’t love him, did she?”
“Who’s to say? Your mother always wanted whatever I had, and in this case it was Peter. I felt betrayed. I was young, angry, and, to be fair, we were all immature. I would have done things differently now, but it’s years too late.”
“That’s when you went to graduate school?”
“Yes,” her aunt said, her voice dropping to that of a whisper. “I wasn’t in California long before I heard from Peter. He reached out to me, but I was unwilling to forgive either one of them. I couldn’t look past the pain of their betrayal.”
“What happened to him?” Beth asked, although she was fairly certain she knew.
Her face fell and she looked down at her hands. “He married someone else.”
“Oh.” Beth hurt for her aunt, who meant so much to her.
“Fortunately, your mother chose well and because she did we have you.”
Beth’s own heart was breaking just hearing her aunt tell the story. “Why didn’t you marry, or have children?”
“I could never love anyone as much as I did him,” she whispered, “and as for having no children, one thing your mother did for me that I will always be grateful for is giving birth to you.”
Tears filled Beth’s eyes.
“The instant I held you for the first time,” her aunt continued, “I knew that you were God’s compensation to me. I adored you and decided then and there that I wouldn’t ever let my sister keep me away from you.”
“I adored you, too. Your visits were the highlight of my childhood. I don’t know what would have happened if it hadn’t been for you.”
“I know, and your father knew it, too. Without him I fear Ellie might have kept you from me. I’d like to think she would have let me be part of your life, but I’ll never know for sure.”
Beth had renewed respect for her father. “This man you loved,” she said, carefully broaching the subject. “Have you ever thought about finding him again?”
Sunshine automatically shook her head. “No, never.”
“Seriously?” Beth so wanted her aunt to find happiness with this man she loved even if it seemed impossible.
“Seriously,” she returned sadly.
Studying her aunt, Beth had the feeling that Sunshine would give anything to talk to Peter again, anything to bridge the hurt that spanned the years.
Right then, Beth determined she would move heaven and earth to make it happen.
Chapter 27
Sunshine
Sunday afternoon Sam called Sunshine and asked to meet with her. She readily agreed. She liked Sam and admired him for the way he stood by Beth’s side during her lengthy recuperation. She saw in him the qualities of a man who would do anything to protect the ones he loved. While he might look a bit unconventional with his beard and tattoos, she knew he was solid. As a bonus, Sam wasn’t a man her sister could easily intimidate. She wasn’t entirely sure what was going on with him asking Beth to date other men, but she suspected she was about to find out.
Sam suggested they meet at a coffee shop close to Sunshine’s studio. He had claimed a small table and was waiting for her when she arrived. She purchased her decaffeinated tea and joined him.
They exchanged greetings and then Sam got to the heart of the matter. “I’m afraid I made a mistake with Beth.”
“She told me.”
He looked relieved not to have to spell it out. “You’re a good man, Sam Carney.”
“Not the point,” he said, clearly not looking for praise. “I care about Beth and now I’ve dug myself into a hole and I’m not sure how to get out of it.”
Sunshine blew on her tea which was boiling hot. “Did you mention to Beth that we were meeting?”
Disgruntled, he looked away. “No chance. She’s seeing one guy or another nearly every night. Every time I think of her with another man, I nearly blow a gasket. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I thought …” He paused and rammed his fingers through his hair. “Hell if I know what I was thinking. I was afraid, I guess, worrying that we were getting too involved too quickly. In some part of my head I assumed she’d balk, insist she only wanted to see me. Little did I realize she had men lining up just waiting for the opportunity to date her.”
“And now you hate that she’s seeing other men.”
“Damn straight.”
Sunshine grinned, proud of her niece, proud of the way she’d handled the situation. “Then tell her.”
“I thought that was what you’d say. Just not sure how to do it.”
“And keep your pride intact,” she added.
His shoulders slumped as he nodded. “I am a fool.”
“Even fools deserve a second chance, Sam. Beth thinks the world of you. If it were me I’d play it cool.”
“You would? How?”
Sunshine sipped from the edge of the cup, the hot liquid nearly scalding her lip. “Call her and ask her out, explain that you missed her and hope she’ll give you a second chance.”
His eyes brightened and he straightened. “You think she’d agree?”
“I can guarantee she will.”
Sam relaxed and leaned against the back of the chair. “Then I’ll do it. I’ll see if she can squeeze me into her busy social calendar.”
“It gives me no small pleasure to see her come into her own,” Sunshine said. “In only a few months, she’s done so much to establish herself—made friends, volunteered to give piano lessons to children who can’t afford it. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
Sam’s smile was wide and genuine. “I realize now how special and wonderful Beth is. I can’t believe I nearly let her go because of my own fears.” He seemed lost in his thoughts. “Rocco tried to tell me,” he said, “but this was something I had to learn on my own.”
“I don’t think I realized just how special Beth is myself until she moved here. She didn’t have a job and was determined to find something that would support her without relying on her parents. She wouldn’t accept financial help from me either. Getting hired as a music teacher has God’s fingerprints all over it. The man she replaced had been at the high school for years and decided to retire at the last minute. That was how the position became open. Although untried, Beth’s qualifications were impeccable.”
“Her students love her.”
Sam wasn’t telling Sunshine anything she didn’t already know.
“She’d only been at the school a couple weeks before the accident, and even in that short amount of time endeared herself to the faculty and the kids,” Sam said. “Several of the staff and students stopped by to visit while she was recuperating.”
Sunshine swelled with pride. “Like I said, she’s come out of her shell and I give a lot of the credit to you.”
As he had earlier, Sam brushed off her praise. “Doubt that. Whatever changes there are in Beth are of her own making.”
Sunshine was amused by how unaware he was of the strong influence he’d made in Beth’s life.
His face tightened. “And if that means swallowing my pride and admitting that I made a mistake, then so be it.”
After leaving Sam, Sunshine headed back to her studio, where she worked for two uninterrupted hours. She had a good feeling about him and a firmer confidence in the future for her niece. Although he hadn’t said as much, she was fairly confident Sam was falling in love with Beth. He hadn’t been willing to own up to how strongly he felt about her until it hit him in the face. Truth be told, Sunshine was glad this had happened if for no other reason than forcing Sam to acknowledge his feelings for Beth.