Sisters of Summer’s End

by Lori Foster

  Through her friendship with Maris she’d learned the value of talking out a problem. She’d never again underestimate the value of caring friends.

  Her father prompted her, asking, “What do you think?”

  Gently, she replied, “I need some time.”

  Disappointed, he nodded. “On your terms, okay? No pressure at all.”

  “Mother might not agree with that.”

  “Your mother might surprise you.”

  Feeling a bit like she’d landed in an alternate universe, Joy struggled with saying goodbye. “Before you go, can I ask you something?”

  Her father nodded. “Anything, always.”

  Except for while I was disowned? No, she wouldn’t allow herself to keep harping on that. As they’d both concluded, there was plenty of blame to go around. “Why now? Jack is five—he’ll be six before too much longer. Why reach out to me now? Why start caring about him now? Is this new concern really only spurred by Grams’s death?”

  It was her father’s turn to take his time mulling over his answer. Finally he sighed. “I’m seventy, Joy, ten years older than your mother. Not a young man.” His smile faltered. “My mother lived to the ripe old age of ninety-two, but look how incapacitated she was. From one day to the next, everything changed. It’s made me think about life. Pretty sure it’s done the same for your mother. We’ve wasted too many years already. I don’t want to waste a single minute more.” He took both her shoulders in his hands. “None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, and regrets are a son of a bitch. I know, because I have plenty of them.”

  Going on instinct, Joy embraced him.

  After a second of surprise, he hugged her back, his arms folding tight around her just the way she remembered before the years of animosity had pulled them apart.

  He seemed in no hurry to let her go, and honestly, other than the tears clinging to her lashes, she enjoyed the embrace.

  In her ear, he whispered, “Your mother is a stubborn woman, but you’re more so.”

  Taking that as an insult, she stiffened, but still he hugged her, and she didn’t like the idea of forcing him away. “Daddy—”

  “All I’m saying is that you’re stubborn enough, strong enough, to keep her in line. That is, if you decide to come around.” He patted her shoulder and finally let some space between them. “She’s not a young woman anymore, either. Think about that.”

  Joy saw the sheen of tears in his eyes, and it broke her heart. “Okay,” she promised. “I will.”

  He touched her face. “What I said about regrets is true, and no one, not even you, gets to avoid them.” He kissed her forehead and walked out to join his wife.

  Leaving Joy alone with her confusion...and new regrets.

  Through the open door she saw her mother glance at her, her posture and bearing just as unforgiving, yet there was something else in her eyes.

  Did she dare believe it was...hope?

  Joy had yet to decide when her parents left.

  It was a relief when the attorney returned because it gave her a new focus.

  When she explained that she wanted to wait until she had time to consider things, Ms. Wickham was very understanding.

  “Give me a call when you’ve made up your mind and I’ll fit you in.”

  Glad that at least the attorney didn’t press her, Joy said, “Thank you.”

  “No thanks needed.” In an impetuous move, Wickham reached out to pat Joy’s hand. “It’s what your grandmother wanted, for you to be treated with care, respect and patience. I was with her a long time, so I would never dishonor her wishes.”

  Bless Grams. Though Joy hadn’t seen her for years, she missed her now that she was gone. Regrets...yes, she had them. Already too many to tally.

  With a glance at the clock—and a swift kick of panic—Joy realized she’d waited too long. Bidding Ms. Wickham goodbye, she hustled out of the building without an ounce of decorum.

  Gray clouds covered the sun and it felt as though winter had returned once again. Shivering, Joy pulled her coat around her, unlocked her car and slid behind the wheel.

  As long as she didn’t hit any traffic, she’d make it home just in time.

  All went well for the first hour of her drive, and that freed up her mind to dwell on her parents.

  A mistake apparently, because as she drove through a more rural area where pine trees lined the road, a deer jumped in front of her and she reacted...badly.

  Swerving and braking, her heart in her throat, Joy narrowly missed the beautiful animal, but the action sent her car in a slight spin. With a white-knuckle grip on the wheel, she felt the rear of the car punt hard against a rock on the side of the road with teeth-jarring impact.

  Thank God her airbags didn’t deploy.

  Finally stopped, her heart punching like mad, she struggled to catch her breath.

  Turning her head to the side she spotted the white tail of the deer—probably a buck, judging by his impressive rack—as he disappeared into the woods.

  She dropped her head to the steering wheel.

  Too much, all of it. Overwhelmed, buried in tension, she nearly let the tears free. A slow, deep breath brought them under control, but didn’t stop the shaking in her hands. At least she was more off the road than on it.

  After checking that no one else was around, she opened her door and stepped out. The car seemed intact...until she circled the back and found a shredded tire.

  Gentle snowflakes began to float on the brisk air, the clouds thickening.

  Numb, Joy got back in the car, locked the doors and turned on her blinkers.

  Then she sat there, trying to decide what to do. She definitely wouldn’t make it home in time, so her first priority was Jack.

  When she dug out her cell phone, she saw that, being here on the long stretch of wooded road, she had only a few bars.

  Worse, her battery was nearly dead.

  She didn’t have a way to recharge. That awful realization leveled her after she dug through her purse and found that she’d somehow left the cord behind.

  Frustrated, despondent and more than a little panicked, she called Maris before the damn thing died completely. It took several heart-stopping tries before she finally got reception.

  On the first ring, thank God, Maris said, “Hey, how’d it go?”

  With no time to waste, Joy said, “Maris, I have to rush through this. I’m so sorry but can you get Jack? I have a flat and there’s no way I’ll—”

  “Whoa. Slow down.”

  “I can’t! My phone is about to die.”

  “Yes,” Maris affirmed, “I’ll get Jack. Don’t worry about that. Are you near an exit?”

  “No, I’m in the middle of nowhere.” She stated the highway and the last exit she’d passed.

  “Do you know how to change a tire?” Maris asked.

  Squeezing her eyes shut, Joy shook her head, and admitted, “No.”

  “Well, I do,” Maris informed her, “so just stay put. I’ll grab the squirt and come to you, okay?”

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “Actually, you’re right. I have a better idea.” Maris drew a breath. “This is a call for Royce.”

  “No.” Calling Royce would make her a burden, after all.

  “Yes. Please. Let me call him for you.”

  Since her phone was dying, Joy rushed to say, “Could you just call a garage or something instead?”

  “Sorry, but no garage is going to drive out to you.”

  The battery icon on her phone turned red. Danger zone. Dying any second. “My phone is almost gone!”

  “I got this,” Maris said fast. “Sit tight! Help is on its way.”

  “Maris—”

  “Thanks, hon. You just gave me an excuse to get hold of Daron.”

  For a single heartbeat,
that gave Joy pause. “You need an excuse?”

  “Well, I can’t let him know how much I’m starting to care, now can I?”

  Before Joy could reply, the phone blinked off.

  Gone. Kaput. Never before had she realized what a lifeline her phone could be. The tall trees left her in shadows and she shivered, both from the cold and a bone-deep dread. She was at least forty minutes from home.

  Carefully, going very slowly, she put the car in Drive and rolled farther off the road in case it started to get icy. The last thing she needed was to get sideswiped by an out of control driver.

  Like herself.

  Groaning, Joy dropped her head back against the seat. Should she attempt to change the tire herself? One peek out the window at the glistening sleet and the trees casting long shadows, and she opted against it.

  First thing tomorrow she’d buy an extra cord for her phone and leave it in the car. The second thing she’d do is order Triple A.

  And the third...? She’d have to make a decision about the inheritance.

  Honestly, she’d rather learn to change a tire.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Royce and Chaos arrived at Summer’s End in time to see Daron stomping snow from his feet on the stoop. He noticed Daron’s scowl and wondered at it. Usually Daron personified a happy-go-lucky guy. These days, especially, he was all smiles.

  His new romance with Maris had done that to him.

  “Hey,” Royce said, wondering what had turned Daron’s mood.

  Glancing up, Daron saw him and asked, “You on camp store duty, too?”

  Having no idea what that meant, Royce shook his head. “I was just going to grab a coffee while I wait for Joy to get home.”

  After a long pause, Daron chuckled and bent to give Chaos some attention. “I have a feeling your master is in the dark.”

  As if he understood, Chaos barked and turned a circle, getting wrapped in his leash.

  “In the dark about what?” Royce asked.

  Opening the door with a flourish, Daron gestured for them to go in. “Let’s talk inside.”

  They brought in with them a gust of cold air that sprinkled snow over the floor. It worried Royce that Joy was driving in the nasty weather, even just to the school and back, but he held that concern in check. She’d gotten along just fine without his input for a very long time.

  “Maris?” Daron called.

  She poked her head out from the back. “Oh good, you’re here.” Then her gaze went to Royce and Chaos, and she frowned, too. “You called him?”

  Daron crossed his heart. “Nope. He just showed up.”

  “Oh.” Speculative, Maris bounced her gaze back and forth, then said, “I guess you should clue him in while I get these cookies on a plate. Then I need to roll.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am.”

  Maris shot him another look, but didn’t say anything before disappearing around back.

  Holding the dog to check his feet for snow, Royce asked, “What the hell’s going on?”

  Daron went behind the counter to pour two coffees. “Long story short, Joy left town to meet with her grandmother’s lawyer after dropping Jack off at school. Apparently the place is better than a few hours away. She had a mishap coming back and she needs Maris to pick up Jack.”

  Royce’s heart slammed against his ribs. “She’s all right?”

  He must have hugged Chaos a little too tightly because the dog wiggled.

  “She’s fine.” Daron slid a coffee over to him.

  Royce drew a breath, unleashed Chaos and set him on his feet.

  The dog immediately attacked Royce’s shoelaces, and he was worried enough that he didn’t even mind. “So what’s up, then? What mishap?” Had something gone wrong at the meeting? Had Joy’s mother shown up and upset her?

  “Joy’s on the side of the road with a flat. Relax,” he said when Royce tensed again. “She dodged a deer and must’ve hit something that damaged the tire. Maris will pick up Jack and then head out to help Joy.”

  Royce didn’t even realize that Joy was going out of town. The meeting was today? He remembered her saying she’d be busy...but he’d decided to try his luck, anyway. He could always find an excuse for being at the park. “Why the hell didn’t she call me?”

  “That’s between you and Joy,” Daron said with a roll of a shoulder. “All I know is that when I offered to go after Joy instead, Maris almost bit my head off. Said she could damn well change a tire without my help, and that, besides, I couldn’t get the squirt. So...” He spread his hands. “Here I am, ready to watch an empty store.”

  Fuming inside, Royce jerked out his phone and called Joy. No answer. What the hell did that mean?

  “Er, Maris mentioned that Joy’s phone had died in midconversation.”

  Son of a bitch. So she was stranded on the side of the road, in the cold and snow, with no way to call anyone? What if something else happened?

  Bothered in part by the fact that Joy hadn’t called him instead of Maris, Royce rounded the counter and headed toward the back. Chaos barked and charged after him.

  Startled, Daron followed, too. “Royce—”

  He found Maris pulling on her coat, fragrant cookies cooling on a rack beside her. “Where is she?”

  When Chaos started sniffing the air, Maris broke off a piece and offered it to the dog. “Who?”

  “Don’t do that,” Royce said, doing his best to keep his tone calm and noncombative.

  “Cookies will hurt Chaos?”

  Yeah, a sugary diet wasn’t what the dog needed, but it wasn’t what he meant. “Don’t act like you have no idea who I’m talking about.” With emphasis, he asked, “Where is Joy?”

  Maris glanced behind Royce at Daron, then back again. “For some reason, Joy didn’t want to bother you.”

  He took that on the chin. Yes, he’d told her he wanted to stay unencumbered, but come on. They’d talked about it, he’d explained—and they were supposed to be well past that now.

  Why the hell hadn’t he told her that he wanted a more committed relationship? He couldn’t remember. “Tell me where she is and I’ll go get her while you get Jack.”

  “I’m not sure that’s what Joy wants.”

  “It is,” Royce assured her. “She just thinks it’s not what I want.”

  Arms crossed and hip jutting out, Maris asked, “But you do?”

  “Yes.” He wanted to take care of her and Jack, to be there for her—and he wanted her care and attention in return.

  “Think maybe you ought to tell Joy that?”

  “We were going to talk on Tuesday, but tonight will be better.”

  “Nah,” Maris said, relaxing enough to get a purse off a hook. “Stick with tomorrow. I have a feeling she did enough talking today. She’ll need time to chill.”

  “Tell me where she is. You can get Jack, I’ll go get her, and I’ll let her do all the chilling she needs.”

  Daron backed him up, saying, “I’ll watch Chaos for you. Jack will love seeing him.”

  Royce nodded. “Thanks.” In his mind, it made perfect sense.

  “I don’t know,” Maris said, hedging.

  “Come on,” Daron urged. “Cut the man a break.”

  She frowned at him. “Because I never cut you any?”

  Typical of Daron, he grinned, and sidled over to loop his arms around her. “I’m spending time with you, so I’m not in a complaining mood.”

  “It could be a win-win,” Royce said, hoping Maris would agree. “You’ll save Jack from the drive in the cold. You know he’d rather hang here and play with Chaos and Daron.”

  “Fine.” Disengaging from Daron, Maris explained where Joy’s car was, going into extra detail since Royce wasn’t from the area. “It’s going to take you more than a half hour to get to her, but I’ll f
eel better knowing you’ll reach her sooner than I could, since I need to get Jack first.”

  Royce pulled her into a hug of his own. “Thanks. Tell Jack not to worry.”

  “Do you have a phone cord with you?”

  “Yup. Keep one in my car.”

  “Great. Have Joy let me know when she’s on her way back.”

  “Will do.” Royce knelt to give Chaos some extra attention. “Stay here with Daron.”

  Chaos turned a circle, barked and tried to get at his laces again.

  Smiling, Royce handed the dog a chew that would hopefully keep him and his puppy teeth busy for a while. “Be good.”

  When he started away, Maris stayed him with a hand on his coat. “You do know how to change a tire, don’t you?”

  Daron started laughing, then couldn’t stop, even when Maris gave him a push.

  On his way out, Royce assured her, “Piece of cake.”

  And just before he got out of range, he heard Daron say, “You do love busting balls, don’t you?”

  Royce grinned as he jogged to his car. Maris and Daron made a fun pair. He had a feeling they’d be teasing each other fifty years from now.

  It was a nice thought.

  His humor ended when he thought about Joy alone on the road with a steady snowfall. There wasn’t much accumulation yet, the flurries mostly a nuisance, but the longer he drove, the more slick spots he found on the road.

  Forty minutes later, after fearing he’d missed her, he finally spotted her car, blinkers on, at the opposite side of the old highway.

  Soon as he could, he made a U-turn and came back to her. She recognized him and stepped out before he’d gotten into Park.

  Collar and shoulders up, snow collecting on her hair, she greeted him with an apology. “Royce, I’m so sorry. I told Maris not to call you! I wanted her to try a garage or something.”

  He met her with a kiss...and a pounding heart full of realization.

  Damn it, he wasn’t falling in love.

  He was already there.

  Her chilled lips softened under his and Royce fought not to deepen the kiss, to pull away instead. Touching his nose to hers, he growled, “I want to be number one on your list.”