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Paradise tiptoed into the kitchen. Blake must be up somewhere in the house because the sofa was empty. She opened a window

to let in the breeze before turning to her task of prepping for dinner. The boys loved Mexican, so she decided on her chicken

fajita recipe. She found the slow cooker and plugged it in, then took chicken breasts from the freezer. She found peppers

and jalapenos in the fridge and onions in the pantry, then grabbed the chopping board.

The sound of the park waking up wafted through the screen: the woodpeckers hammering, the lemurs cackling, the troop of monkeys

screeching, and the water burbling from the artificial falls by the otter habitat. She inhaled the scent of early morning

dew and the roses blooming in the backyard. This place held more and more allure to her, and it wasn’t just because of Blake.

It already felt like home.

She turned at a noise and spotted Jenna, dressed for church in a red dress that skimmed her hips and made her look twenty-five.

Her dark brown hair was up in a ponytail. “You’re fixing dinner? I always knew I loved you.”

“It’s the least I can do for all the support your family has given me.” Paradise eyed her. “You must have gotten a good rest. Your eyes are sparkling like you’re ready to take on the new day.”

Jenna stepped past her to take eggs and bacon out of the fridge. “Isaac stayed in one place all night, so I’m good. We have

a busload of kids coming in at eleven and a group of seniors at noon. It’s a good thing we have an early service. Should be

a great day. At least some people haven’t been put off by the rumors.”

It was best to keep her mouth shut and not tell her boss about the rumors flying around Pelican Harbor. Paradise didn’t want

to dim Jenna’s enthusiasm. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to do some social media posts. I’ll get pictures.” She told Jenna

about her plans, and Jenna’s smile widened.

“That’s wonderful, Paradise! I haven’t had time to do any of that. I’ll text you the login information.” She glanced toward

the slow cooker. “What’s for dinner?”

“I’m making chicken fajitas for wraps or quesadillas, whatever anyone wants to do with it.”

“My mouth is already watering.” Jenna put bacon on a cookie sheet and slid it into the oven, then cracked eggs into a bowl.

She picked up a whisk. “You guys were up late.”

Jenna had lived here a long time, and she had known Paradise’s mom. Could she remember something from back then? “I found

out something shocking last night, Jenna.” Paradise put the lid on the Crock-Pot and turned to face her. “My mother had a

son five years before I was born and gave him up for adoption. The evidence was in the old tub of belongings Evan gave me

yesterday. Somewhere out there is an older brother I’ve never met.”

Jenna’s whisking paused, and she turned toward Paradise. “You never knew?”

Paradise studied Jenna’s lack of surprise. “You knew?”

“Becky got pregnant her junior year. I was a sophomore, and we played volleyball together that year. She went off to stay with a cousin the summer between her junior and senior years. When she came back in August, she had no baby with her. I assumed she gave the baby up for adoption. I never heard if she had a boy or a girl.”

“No idea where she went?”

The aroma of bacon began to rise from the oven. Jenna poured the whisked eggs into the skillet and grabbed a spatula. “She

was closemouthed about it. I tried to ask questions but got shot down. I think your grandmother warned her not to say anything.

Too bad she isn’t around to ask.”

Before Paradise was born, her maternal grandfather had died in a farming accident, and her grandmother died of cancer when

Paradise was five. She had vague memories of a stern-faced woman with blonde hair who yelled at her a lot. Her mother had

let her spend the night with her grandmother once, and Paradise had cried so much Mom picked her up at ten that night. There

had been no grandmotherly snuggles or gifts that Paradise could remember.

“The letters from the adoptive parents were postmarked in Atlanta, but there’s no guarantee that’s where she had him. Blake

suggested I ask my cousin Lily if she knows anything. I want to find him.”

Blake spoke from behind her. “Hez might be able to help with that.”

Paradise turned to see him. His hair glistened with moisture from his shower, and he wore khaki pants and a red shirt. “You’re

going to ask him?”

“I already called him, and he’s going to see if he can find records.”

Jenna checked the oven and pulled out a tray of perfectly browned bacon. “Is there a national database?”

Blake snagged a piece of bacon. “No, it’s run by states. It would help if he had an idea where she went that summer. Hez will

start the search in Atlanta.”

“Another route would be a DNA test,” Jenna said. “You hear stories about people finding relatives that way all the time. Maybe

your brother had his done.”

“I hadn’t thought of that avenue. I think that’s fast. I can order one right away. They’re not that expensive. It’s worth

a shot.”

“In the meantime we can check with Lily, and Hez can poke around. If Lily has an idea of where your mom went, he can target

that state first.”

The television flipped on in the living room and the sound of cartoons blared. “The boys are up. I’ll call them for breakfast

and make sure they’re dressed for church,” Blake said.

Paradise’s thoughts spun with the possibility she might find her brother sooner rather than later.

***

Church was like a whole new world for Paradise. She hadn’t stepped foot inside a church in years, and her soul drank up the

words and music like a parched desert. Blake’s shoulder pressed against hers on her left, and Jenna sat on the other side

of him. Lily had come in after the worship music started, and her cousin had nodded in her direction.

After the ending worship song, Paradise shook hands as she edged her way toward Lily, while Jenna went to grab the boys from junior church. Blake caught Paradise’s intent and helped create a passage through the throng so she could intercept her cousin before she escaped.

“Lily!” Paradise called as her cousin moved toward the exit.

Lily turned and reversed direction to come toward her. “I’m so glad to see you here, Paradise. I love that top on you. The

orange brings out the red in your hair and makes me think of your mama.”

“I really wanted to talk about Mom a minute. Do you have time?”

“Of course. There are several prayer rooms off the foyer. We can use one.”

Paradise shot Blake an expression of entreaty, and he followed them to the room and closed the door behind him. He stood back

and let her take the lead with the questions, but Paradise wasn’t sure where to begin. If Jenna knew about the pregnancy,

surely Lily did as well.

Lily’s smile vanished. “Don’t be scared, honey. I won’t bite. What’s wrong?”

“The owner of the house where Mom and Dad died found a hidden tub in the attic. Did you know Mom had a baby before I was born?”

Lily put her hand to her mouth. “That was in the tub?”

“You knew, right?”

Lily gave a jerky nod. “Of course, we all did. Grandma Penny was horrified. I thought she was going to kick your mom out onto

the street, but she ended up sending her away. Your mom didn’t want to give her baby up for adoption, but Grandma told her

she’d have to find another place to live if she came back with a baby. They compromised with a private adoption where your

mom got updates on the baby.”

“Do you know where Grandma sent Mom?”

Lily shook her head. “Your mother was told not to tell anyone. I tried to worm it out of her—we were close after all—but she was terrified of Grandma. So was I, so I understood. All she admitted was she had a healthy baby boy. She met the parents and felt he was going to have a loving home. She never stopped mourning him though and lived for those letters and the occasional picture she got.”

“Why hide that information in the attic?”

“She didn’t want your father to know. He was from out of town, and by the time they married, she didn’t think anyone would

bring it up to him. Grandma had shut down any speculation, and once your mom left school, the episode faded away. There were

new things to gossip about, so she felt safe.”

Blake shifted by the door. “Do you know who the father was?”

Lily glanced his way. “I don’t know his name, but I saw him pick her up in a shiny new Camaro after volleyball one night.

He had to be ten years older than she was, maybe even fifteen or twenty. At first I thought it was a friend of Grandpa’s,

but she leaned over and kissed him before she shut the door. The interior lights showed it was no friendly peck on the cheek.

This guy wasn’t afraid to throw his money around a little. And like I said, he was much older.”

Which would explain the expensive jewelry box and jewelry inside. Mom probably had to hide all of that from her mother before

she ever became pregnant. Grandma Penny would have taken a gander at any of those pieces and known Mom wasn’t dating a high

school boy. No one in Pelican Harbor lavished so much money on their son that he could give gifts like that in high school.

And Lily had seen an older man.

“Do you know where he lived?”

“No idea. I only saw him the one time, and your mom didn’t disappear every weekend, so I don’t think his visits were common. Maybe every two or three weeks. Honestly, she was so secretive about him I thought he might be married. Why else keep it such a secret?”

“Because he was older?”

“But if he was wealthy, I don’t think Grandma and Grandpa would have cared about that. You were so young when Grandma died

you probably never knew she grew up poor and pushed Becky and my mom to marry well. I don’t think your dad ever measured up

in her eyes. Mine either, for that matter.”

“Did my dad ever find out?”

“Not that I know of.” Lily glanced at her watch. “I’d better get going unless you have another question?”

Paradise shook her head. “Thanks for your time. It helps me understand a little more.”

But it brought her no closer to finding her brother. She and Blake walked out with Lily and found Jenna and the boys waiting

in Jenna’s van. The busy day stretched ahead, and Paradise hoped she’d be able to forget all about this for a while.