Year Five: The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 74

The woman standing before him barely reached his shoulder, her features delicate and petite, her face no bigger than the palm of a hand. Long, chestnut hair tumbled freely down her back, and she wore a flowing white dress that accentuated her slender figure. There was something about her—an air of innocence and first love.

They made a striking pair: a man and a woman who looked as if they belonged together.

Silvia studied them for a moment, intending to look away, but found herself caught in the man’s gaze. For a heartbeat, she froze, a flicker of awkwardness passing through her.

Kent’s gentle expression made Silvia drop her eyes. After a brief pause, she mustered a perfectly natural smile and waved at him, as if nothing were amiss.

She had no intention of intruding. A polite greeting was enough; she was ready to move on.

But Kent took a long stride, crossing the street toward her. The woman in the white dress followed closely behind.

As they drew nearer, Silvia finally saw the woman’s face in detail. Wide, innocent eyes, a delicately shaped nose, and lips the color of cherry blossoms. There was a guileless quality to her, like a fawn startled in a sunlit meadow.

It was a beauty born of purity.

Men, Silvia thought, are always drawn to these gentle, porcelain-doll types.

Just like Shipley’s lingering infatuation with Vianne, the one he could never quite forget.

“Mr. Parsons, what a coincidence,” Silvia said, offering Kent a calm smile. Her clear eyes sparkled, betraying nothing.

Kent frowned slightly, his dark gaze deep and unreadable, as if there were hidden depths Silvia would never reach.

He parted his lips to speak, but the woman beside him beat him to it. She beamed at Silvia, her voice soft and warm. “You must be Miss Ashford. Kent has told me about you. I’m Nannie Spencer—so lovely to meet you.”

Nannie extended her left hand, tilting her head and smiling sweetly, every bit the picture of friendliness.

Silvia quickly hid any trace of scrutiny in her eyes, returning the smile as she shook Nannie’s hand—a proper introduction, at last.

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