"Perhaps. It might have triggered his desire to protect her and he's confusing it with love?" Millie pondered.

Nelek felt relieved. Maybe his son just needed to meet another girl and be interested in her to get over this one.

"I wish the girl well." Nelek said. "But pining over her isn't going to do Lek any good, or her."

"I agree. And while I would love to see them together, I don't know that Pinja will ever trust men again. Probably rightly so."

"Not all men would hurt her." Nelek frowned. "Especially not Lek."

"I know, but...I just think if she can't trust with her full heart, it wouldn't work. And I don't know how she'd get past all the horror she suffered through."

"If she loved Lek she might... But it doesn't sound like she ever felt that way about him." Nelek said.

"Not unless she hid it really well," Millie replied.

Nelek cocked an eyebrow. From what little he knew of Pinja, he did not think she was hiding feelings for Lek all this time.

"It's very unlikely though," she admitted. "I think she was too tormented mentally to have had any feelings for Lek or anyone else."

Nelek nodded.

"But how about you? Any beaus I should be threatening?"

Millie barely contained a snort of disbelief. "No, no one wa-is interested in me." She couldn't believe her father actually thought there was a chance of a yes. Not after all of the years of indifference everyone her age had shown her.

Nelek had hoped Aislyn was wrong about there not being anyone for Millie. "I don't see why not."

"I have no idea why every one my age has ignored or still does ignore me. It's like I'm invisible or something, unless they want clothing made." Millie sighed. "I knew long ago I would end up alone."

"Your mother was a couple years older than you before we had even met." Nelek said.

"But she had friends. And suitors before." Millie shrugged. "The nice thing about accepting your fate is you don't put hope in hopeless dreams."

"Do you want to be single?" Nelek asked.

"No, but it's always better to accept the reality. I don't want to be Grandmama's age and still be hoping for someone to falling in love with me." Millie shrugged. "It makes the heart hurt, waking up each day wondering and hoping and nothing happening."

"Is there anyone you like?" Nelek asked.

"Anyone I may have had an interest in has either left the village or they wed others. I don't even know that anyone my age is still available," Millie replied. Her earlier conversation with Pinja entered her mind. "And with the mermen here, I don't know who I can even trust."

How could he argue with that? Nelek sighed.

Millie found herself unsettled, having her failed dreams and desires dredged up. She worried her lower lip. "I'm sorry, Papa. I wish I could have made you and Mama grandparents."

"We're not in any rush to become grandparents." Nelek said. "I just want you to be happy."

As they approached the healing room, Brighid turned to her husband. "Any idea what Difyr wants to speak with us about?" He shook his head and she knocked on the door, filled with curiosity.

In reply to Nelek (msg # 77):

"You might have to settle for content," Millie said. "I'm not certain that I would know happy if I tripped over it."

In reply to Brighid Spenser (msg # 78):

Pinja cringed at the sound of knocking on the door.