Secrets and Revelations (Bellingwood #4) by Diane Greenwood Muir

was coming to meet me and that she was worried about whether or not I would accept her."
    "Did she call you by name?" he asked, astonished.
    "No, thank goodness, but she did say that she was going back to Iowa after thirty years to finally meet the daughter of the very best friend she had ever known. She goes on to ask people to send good thoughts about this, and if it didn't work out, at least she tried and her goal is to never allow negative feelings from others to control her life."
    Henry didn't say anything but he smirked a little, pursing his lips so he wouldn't laugh out loud.
    "It's not funny!" she protested. "My negative feelings aren't supposed to control her life? Why in the hell did she even contact me?"
    He quietly shook his head, "I don't know, Polly."
    "That bitch!" Polly said, shutting her laptop. "Now I'm just madder than hell. Why would she set me up like that? Who in the hell gave her the right to waltz into my life without so much as a "hello, how are you" and then tell all of her happy little readers that I might be the cause of negative feelings in her little freakin' life."
    She pulled her phone out of her pocket and straightened the business card so she could read it.
    Henry put his hand on top of hers and said, "Don't do anything when you're angry. You're about to tell her off and then tell her to go to hell, aren't you!"
    She pushed his hand away. "Yes. I. Am," she declared. "I don't get set up by anyone, especially someone who doesn't have the decency to keep things quiet until she knows what's going on. How long has she been telling her readers about me? I don't want this woman in my life. Obviously my parents didn't either. That bitch!"
    Polly stood up and paced back and forth from the living room to the kitchen while Henry watched her. He knew better than to interrupt her while she was furious. He'd done that very early in their relationship and had his manhood handed to him quite publicly. Polly always calmed down and he had learned it was best to just let her go until her brain out-thought her heart.
    He watched her breathe heavily as she tried to gain control and then she flung her phone to the far end of the sofa. "I'm so mad, I don't know what to do," she said.
    "I know," he replied softly.
    "I hate the idea that she has exposed this so publicly. Does that mean she will talk about everything we discuss and share secrets without my permission?"
    "I don't know," he responded.
    "I don't want this in my life right now," she whispered and sat back down on the couch.
    "I know," he said once more, putting his arm out so she could come back to him.
    Polly fell against him and started to cry, "I'm sorry I yelled," she burbled.
    "It's alright. I get it," he said and held her tightly.
    "And by the way, I do love you," she said.
    "I know," he repeated, and kissed the top of her head .

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER SIX

     
    Deep breathing while Henry quietly stroked her hair helped Polly finally begi n to relax. She sat up and said, "I think I'm ready to look at the scrapbook."
    "We don't have to do that tonight, Polly," Henry said. "It can wait."
    "She's coming into Iowa next week. If I'm going to talk to her about this, I have to get it over with."
    "Polly, who c ares if you see her next week? She’s the one who started all of this. You aren't required to follow her timeframe."
    "But if I don't, she'll whine to all her blog readers about me."
    Henry chuckled, "I suspect that you won't have a choice about what she says whether you agree to meet her this week or not."
    "You're right and that just makes me mad," Polly snarled.
    "Here, take a drink and then we'll see what the scrapbook has to tell us," Henry said as he handed her the bottle.
    Polly obeyed and set it back down, picking up the scrapbook. "You know this isn't going to tell much of the story, it's only going to be pictures of my mom and some strange woman. I won't know what's going on until I meet her."
    "I know," Henry said again. He