“Get it together.”
My pulse started pounding in my throat.
I should have gone back inside.
Instead, I heard myself say, “Excuse me.”
“Yeah?” He glanced over politely, distracted.
Up close, it was no longer a resemblance; it was him, or someone really close to him.
My mouth went dry.
I should have gone back inside.
“This is going to sound strange,” I said carefully, “but do you know anyone named Ron? A relative? Cousin?”
His entire body went still. “No.” He adjusted the little girl against his chest. “Katie, let’s go inside, baby.”
“Katie?” I repeated before I could stop myself. “Katie?”
“It’s just her name,” he said, avoiding my gaze.
“It’s my name, too.”
For a second, something flickered across his face.
“Do you know anyone named Ron?”
I stepped closer. “I’m sorry. You just look so much like someone I loved and lost. It’s unsettling.”
