by Hope Ramsay
But then Justin had never settled down either.
Were they both like Mom? Had the nomad rubbed off on them?
No. She wasn’t going to give up on Magnolia Harbor after only two days. She could do this. She just needed to apply herself to finding a room or a hotel or a camping spot.
She stood up and slung the sleeping bag over her shoulder just as someone rattled the front door. This was getting old—yesterday she’d had to send five or six people away. Of course none of their pets seemed to be in life-or-death situations. But still.
Lia headed toward the front entrance, ready to disappoint someone else. But the woman standing beyond the threshold didn’t appear to have a pet with her. Instead she carried a tray with a couple of cups of coffee.
It was déjà vu all over again. Or maybe it was just southern hospitality. Either way, the arrival of coffee was welcome.
Lia opened the door. “Can I help you?”
The woman’s mouth twitched, and a hint of dimple formed at the corner of her mouth. “I think the question is whether I can help you. My name’s Jenna St. Pierre, and I’m chair of the Animal Clinic’s board of directors. I know it’s early but I brought coffee and croissants from Bread, Butter, and Beans, the local bakery.”
Lia stepped back, surprised by the woman’s name. Jenna was way too white-bread to be a St. Pierre. She had ivory skin and a mane of golden honey hair. And she sure didn’t look like a member of any board, wearing a pair of slightly frayed khaki shorts, a pale blue tank top, and a pair of worn-out flip flops.
“Are you related to Chaplain St. Pierre?” Lia asked.
“I’m his sister-in-law.”
Oh yeah. That’s right. Chaplain St. Pierre’s younger brother had gotten married this spring to someone who was supposed to be super wealthy. But Jenna didn’t look like the stereotypical trust-fund baby. Interesting.
“Hi. I’m Lia DiPalma.”
“I know,” Jenna said as she came into the reception area. She pulled one of the coffee cups from the cardboard tray and handed it to Lia. “Here. Enjoy. I’ve got cream and sugar if you—”
“Black is fine, thanks,” Lia said, accepting the cup. It was warm against her palms, and the aroma tickled her nose. “Thank you for letting me crash on the clinic’s floor.”
“From what Donna’s told me, I think everyone on the board should be thanking you. I hear you’ve organized things here.” Jenna strode across the floor and set the coffee tray on the reception desk. She pulled a chocolate croissant out of the bag she was carrying. “Can I interest you in some breakfast?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jenna smiled. “Please don’t call me ‘ma’am.’ I’m not old enough for that. And besides, I want us to be friends. I talked with Micah last night. He had nothing but good things to say about you.”
Lia accepted the pastry and took a big, sugary bite. Her stomach growled. She hadn’t had much for dinner last night.
“He told me that you could organize just about anything.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. Besides, organizing a clinic isn’t exactly rocket science.”
“I heard from Noah Cuthbert that you set up the local area network. That’s more than I could probably do.”
That surprised her. “He noticed? He was hardly here yesterday.”
“Apparently he did. He told me all about it when I called him last night.”
“Oh.”
“So you know computer systems?” Jenna asked.
Was this a job interview? Because if it was, she wasn’t dressed for it. Her PJ bottoms were threadbare, and her GO NAVY T-shirt had bleach stains on the hem.
Lia shrugged, feeling very insecure. “It wasn’t much different than setting up the library system at my last duty station. I’ve had some training in network management. I didn’t load the practice management software, though. I didn’t have time to read the manual.”
“Of course you didn’t. Noah said you alphabetized the medical supplies.”
“How else would you store them?” she asked.
Jenna didn’t answer that question. Instead she asked, “Can I see this dog everyone’s talking about?”
“You know about the dog?”
“I don’t mean to alarm you,” Jenna said, “but you and the dog are trending on the Magnolia Harbor grapevine.”
“Really? Why?”
“My guess is because you and Micah are old friends. And anything having to do with the preacher is news around here.”
Understanding dawned on Lia. This was what Micah had been complaining about in his emails and texts. He wasn’t used to having a congregation. In the navy, he’d been ministering to people on a face-to-face, one-by-one basis. And the turnover in his flock was extensive. But he was a pastor now, responsible for a church and all its regular parishioners.
But how could she help him if the gossips in his flock were talking about her? And him?
Good God.
“I’m not worthy of any gossip,” she said, a queasy feeling settling into her middle.
“Isn’t that always the way it goes?” Jenna asked with a half-smile that curled the corner of her mouth.
“I guess so. I never thought about it.”
“So, the dog?”
“Oh, he’s in the kennel room.”
When they entered the kennel room, Prince sat up in his crate and wagged his tail and gave them a proper puppy welcome. He was doing much better this morning.
“Oh, he’s a cutie,” Jenna said.
“You want him? He needs a home where he can get physical therapy for his leg.”
Jenna gave her a sideways look. “You aren’t going to adopt him?
Lia’s face flamed. “Um. No. I can’t. I’m homeless at the moment, and—”
“Well, I can fix that.”
“What?”
“I’ve got a place for you to live. The members of the Heavenly Rest Altar Guild think it’s shameful that you’re sleeping on the clinic’s floor.”
“And how do they know that?”
“Donna Cuthbert, who is a member of the Methodist Phone Tree, told them.”
Well, it was nice to know the Episcopalians and the Methodists in this town talked to each other. It was a hopeful sign. “So which group do you belong to?” Lia asked.
“Oh no,” Jenna put up her hands. “I’m not even a Christian. But I am Ashley Scott’s business partner. Ashley owns Howland House, one of the nicer B&Bs on the island. And she has a room for you. I came to deliver the message because I was curious about the things Noah Cuthbert had to say about you.”
Lia’s face got hotter still. She could still remember the way Noah had stared at her that moment when they stood naked and face-to-face. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been in that situation a few times over the years in the tight quarters of a ship or on base. Things could get weird. And bodies were bodies.
Except that Noah Cuthbert had an exceptionally nice body. From head to toe. Just thinking about it made her girl parts wake up. But then he was way out of her league.
“So what did Dr. Cuthbert say about me?” she asked, trying not to sound as pathetic as she felt.
“He insisted that you could read his mind, which is interesting because Micah calls you Radar.”
“Oh, crap.” She exhaled a big breath. “I do not read people’s minds.”
“He said you set up the clinic exactly the way he would have done it. With virtually no assistance.”
“Oh, for goodness sake. All I did was Google veterinary management, and I found plenty of advice. And then I used logic for the rest. There is nothing strange at all about what I did.”
Jenna hunkered down and gave Prince a little nose rub through the bars of his kennel. The dog’s hind end gyrated with puppy enthusiasm. He was even putting a little weight on his injured leg. “He’s adorable. Maybe you can talk Ashley into letting you keep the dog at Howland House.”
“Um, uh, the thing is, I don’t have a lot of money to pay rent
and if this place is like—”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Jenna stood up. “I didn’t make myself clear. The room is rent-free because you’re the preacher’s friend. But it’s not really a guest room. It’s up on the third floor, and you’ll be sharing the bathroom with the innkeeper’s eight-year-old son, Jackie. So it’s more of a houseguest situation. I hope that’s okay?”
Was it? Chaplain St. Pierre had practically told her he could arrange something like this for her when she’d arrived two days ago. He’d claimed that the innkeeper next door was a friend of his.
“Does Chaplain St. Pierre know that I’ve been sleeping here?”
“I don’t know. I certainly didn’t tell him. And I know the ladies of the Altar Guild made a solemn promise not to.”
Lia breathed out in relief. “That’s good. Because yesterday I thought I had a line on a house to rent, but I think it fell through. And I don’t want him to think—”
“I understand. Your secret is safe with me.”
“But I hate to put anyone out.”
Jenna gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You know, I haven’t told you how grateful I am for your service in the navy. And I know that Ashley feels the same way. Her husband was in the Army. Unfortunately, he died in Afghanistan several years ago. I gather it was some kind of IED explosion. So this isn’t charity, Lia. The women of Micah’s church and Donna Cuthbert, who cares desperately about this clinic, would like to give you a place to stay for a little while until you get your bearings. And in the meantime, you can come look in on Prince whenever you like.”
Mom would have run away from this like it was a deadly plague. She’d never trusted church people. Ever. They were always trying to sign her up for one thing or another. Mom had almost busted a gut when Lia had decided to go for an RPS rating. Maybe Lia had decided on that course because the church people had always been kind to her as a little girl.
But that kindness had put Mom off every time. Mom never trusted a helping hand. She always backed away from kindness, like a feral cat. So, really, this was Lia’s chance to prove something. She wasn’t like Mom. She could accept a little help in order to find a place to call home.
Besides, these people needed her. Chaplain—no, he wasn’t a chaplain anymore—Reverend St. Pierre needed her. The clinic needed her.
She turned and stared at the puppy, who gave her a big doggie smile, his hind end wiggling as his tail whipped back and forth. And yeah, Prince needed her too. But not to adopt him. He needed her to find him a home before Noah Cuthbert sent him off to some animal shelter on the mainland. So she needed to change Rev. St. Pierre’s mind about Prince. The Rev needed a dog.
And she needed to stay until he realized that.
She met Jenna’s stare. “Okay,” she said in a strangled voice. “I really do need a place to stay.”
Chapter Eight
Noah awakened at seven-thirty to the scent of bacon, coffee, and…pancakes. Momma was up and cooking for him.
Which both annoyed and amused him. She was trying to prove that she could take care of herself by taking care of him, even when standing up and moving around the kitchen was painful. Her muscles tended to go into spasm more often now than they used to. Three times a week she went down to Stretch Appeal, the new yoga studio on Mimosa Street, but it was hard to see if that was really helping. Momma had been putting on a brave and totally bogus face for the last few days.
Why was she so damn stubborn?
The answer came to him. Lia DiPalma had put her finger right on the crux of the matter. Momma regarded Jonquil Island as her home. And she was not about to move. To get her the help she needed, he’d have to break her heart.
It was a no-win situation.
He got up and dressed in clean board shorts and a T-shirt and wandered out into the kitchen.
“I made your favorite. Blueberry pancakes,” Momma said from her post at the old range, which had been new once—in the 1960s. She’d parked her walker in the living room. So she was negotiating the small space from the range to the fridge on her own.
He sat down at the breakfast bar, and Momma put a cup of coffee right in front of him. “Did you have a good sleep?” she asked, her back toward him.
“Yes.”
“So, are you going down to the clinic to check up on Prince?”
He cringed. Why had Granny named the dog that? “Yes.”
“I heard this morning from your grandmother that Lia DiPalma has a place to stay. Just thought you’d like to know because she won’t be there to look after the dog.”
“Oh. Where is she staying?” he asked, suddenly both curious and relieved. He’d offered Lia Momma’s house, but it wasn’t going to be easy to make good on that promise.
“The Heavenly Rest Altar Guild got together and pressured Ashley Scott into giving her a room at Howland House. It’s not one of the guest rooms. It’s up in the private part of the B&B.” Momma put a plate filled with bacon and pancakes in front of Noah. The aroma made his mouth water. “I reckon she’s a ‘real good friend’ of the preacher’s if the Altar Guild did that.”
Now why did that annoy him? She and Micah St. Pierre had been in the navy together. So of course they were friends. But there was something in the way Momma said the words ‘real good friend’ that set him off. Had Micah gotten a look at that hot little body of hers? Somehow that seemed wrong. “I guess,” he said, digging into his pancakes.
Momma let go of a long breath as she picked up her mug of coffee and took a seat beside him at the breakfast bar. “Honey, we need to talk.”
No. They did not. His mind was made up. “About what?” He pretended stupidity.
“You need to stay out of Abby’s life.”
“No. I need to make sure she doesn’t make the same mistake you did.” The words came out of his mouth without thought.
“What does that mean?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just something Ethan said the other day. About some older man sniffing around her.”
“I didn’t make that mistake,” Momma said in a short tone.
“No, but you did get married instead of going to college.”
“Your sister isn’t about to get married to anyone.” Momma took a sip of coffee. “What older man?” she asked.
“I don’t know, some CPA in town. I can’t remember his name.”
“I haven’t heard anything about that. But don’t you go talking to her about it. Let me handle this, okay?”
“But—”
“I mean it, Noah. You and Ethan both are being idiots about Abby. You especially. The way you’re coming in here telling Abby and me what we should do and how we should live. Well, son, to tell you the truth, you remind me of your daddy when he was young. He was as handsome as you are now, and he was always so sure of what was right for me.”
Noah swallowed his pancake, his stomach suddenly roiling. “I am not at all like Daddy.”
“You’re more like him than you know.” She reached over and squeezed his hand where it rested on the table. “I don’t need you to tell me how to live my life. And Abby doesn’t need it either.”
“But—”
“I mean it, Noah. I know you mean well, but the more you bug Abby, the more she’s going to dig in her heels.”
“Like you?”
“Yeah. I guess. But the situation is different. I think she’s looking forward to college. But I’m not looking forward to leaving this island. It’s my home. My church friends are here. And even though Greg and I are divorced, I’m still close with Donna. I don’t want to leave my friends and family behind.”
A frisson of guilt battered him like a storm surge. And he remembered what Lia had said. About how she’d been homeless. About having sympathy for Momma.
“Okay, I get that, Momma. But you can’t stay here alone.” He cast his gaze over the horribly outdated kitchen. “And you can’t stay here, in this house.”
“I’ve got a proposition for you,” Momma said, withdrawing her hand and taking
another sip of her coffee.
“I’m sure it involves the clinic.”
“It does.”
No surprise there. He took another sip of coffee.
“Can you arrange for a leave of absence?” Momma asked. “Because that’s what I’d like. I’d like you to stay for the summer while the clinic board looks for a permanent vet. That way Abby doesn’t have to leave the job she loves. Or abandon her friends. She can just leave for college at the end of the summer.”
“And you?”
She looked away, her gaze sliding over the shabby furniture in this POS rental. “I’ll spend the winter in Charleston, and we’ll see how it goes. I reserve the right to come back here, though. This island has always been my home, Noah. I’m having a hard time imagining living anywhere else. But I concede the point. I do need help, and if Abby’s not here, then I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“I’m glad you’re starting to see reality, Momma. I know it’s hard to leave this place. But you’ll love Charleston.”
“Maybe I will.”
“And you promise me to talk to Abby about this older guy?” he asked. “I get what you’re saying about giving her some space, and I know she’s practically grown up. But I’m not super excited about letting her stay here if she’s about to make a stupid mistake.”
“I’m sure she’s not going to make any stupid mistakes. But I will talk to her.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see about arranging a leave of absence.”
* * *
Lia was a little wary as she turned her Trailblazer into the circular drive at Howland House. Wow. When Jenna had said it was one of the nicer B&B’s in town she wasn’t kidding.
It reeked of history with its rank-and-file columns and portico, and its big double doors with shiny brass knockers. The hand-lettered sign in the front yard said the house had been built in 1855, which made it authentically antebellum.
There was a lot of that going on around this neck of the woods. Every shop on Harbor Drive had brochures for plantation house tours. The only difference was that a person could actually stay at Howland House instead of merely touring it.
