“Yup.” Liz supposed the large, gray, cedar-shingled house with its long windows, green shutters, and wraparound porch looked impressive if you weren’t used to it. Of course, it looked more impressive without scaffolding everywhere and the piles of dirt, bricks, and wood all over the beat-up lawn.
“It’s way bigger than our place.”
“It is.” Liz nodded. “But my family is converting it into a B&B. So everything’s a little different now.” That was understating it. “Come on.” She and Mia walked across the front yard. “Watch your step there.” They made it to the far side of the house without incident. Liz knocked, then pushed open the front door of the new extension David and Josslyn had just moved into days ago. The sound of total bedlam reached her ears, and she smiled at Mia’s raised eyebrows. The dogs were barking and the kids yelling, and they all came charging in their direction the moment she called out a hesitant hello.
“STAY!” Liz stepped in front of Mia and put up a hand. Diggory and Jasper screeched to a halt on the new terracotta tiles, tails wagging, tongues lolling. But the twins paid no mind and launched their little bodies at her with an exuberance she could hardly ignore. Liz crouched to hug her niece and nephew and shot a side look at Mia, who was hovering by the front door. “You okay with dogs? And kids?”
“I guess.” She didn’t look too concerned. Liz stood and pointed at the dogs. “This is Diggory, that’s Jasper. They’re very friendly.” To prove the point, they both lolloped toward Mia, licking her hands when she attempted to pet them.
“Do the kids have names or just the dogs?” A giggle shot out of Mia. Liz startled at the sound. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t been standing beside her.
“Um, yes. Of course.” Mia had made a joke. Miracles still happened. “Brandon and Bethie. Guys, this is Mia.” Upon hearing her name, Bethie demanded to be picked up, and Liz held the child close as she watched Mia holding out her hands for the dogs to inspect and giving one a scratch behind the ears.
Brandon ventured over and began to instruct Mia how to pet Jasper by taking her hand and smacking it on the big dog’s head. “Dis way. See?”
Mia’s face lit with laughter. “Maybe not. How about like this?” She showed him how to be more gentle, stroking the dog’s head, explaining things in a quiet voice, the surly expression Liz had grown used to completely gone.
“Hey.” David walked toward them with a grin.
“Hey.” Liz leaned into his side hug, still mesmerized by the normally surly teen’s transformation.
“Who’s this?” David whispered.
“Matt Stone’s niece. Mia. I’m giving her a ride home.”
“The juvenile delinquent?” David raised a brow.
“Shh.” Liz couldn’t stop a grin.
“Well, come on through. Cecily’s here. She brought dinner, praise the Lord. We’re just about to eat.”
In the bright new kitchen, Josslyn and Cecily were serving up a baked ham and the gooiest, most amazing looking mac and cheese Liz had seen in a long while. She’d probably gain several pounds just by staring at it. But she inhaled deeply anyway. When was the last time she’d worked out? She made a mental note to start her exercise routine again.
“Girl!” Cecily turned from the stove, put down her serving spoon, and crossed the room in a hurry. Liz squeaked as Cecily pulled her into a smothering hug. “You look good. Are you good?” She stepped back and gave Liz the once over.
“I’m good, Ce-ce.” Not about to fall apart or whatever scenario you’re imagining right now. “Is that your famous mac and cheese I smell?”
“Sure is. Now you come on and sit. We’ll get some extra plates.” Liz rolled her eyes at Cecily’s insistence. You couldn’t go a minute without the woman wanting to feed you.
“Actually, I just came to walk the dogs. And I have to get Mia home.” And get herself out of this kitchen before she ate everything in sight. She introduced Mia to Cecily and Josslyn. David poured iced tea and settled the twins into booster seats.
“I took the dogs out earlier,” he said. “I had some time. Sorry. I should have called.”
“Oh, well.” Liz glanced at Mia. The girl was already beside the twins, entertaining them by racing her fingers across the table.
“We could stay,” Mia suggested brightly. “I can text my uncle. He won’t care, he’s already at work.”
Liz tried not to gape. “Won’t your grandparents be expecting you for dinner?”
Mia shrugged. She didn’t have to say more. Liz knew she probably didn’t want to be alone with the older couple she barely knew. She couldn’t blame the girl. And that macaroni and cheese was calling her name too loudly. “All right. But call him now.”
A few moments later, they sat around the kitchen table, and Mia passed Liz her phone. “He wants to talk to you.”
Liz tried not to sigh. This was a bad idea. But Cecily and Josslyn were so insistent, and Mia seemed to want to stay. “Hello, Matthew.”
“Elizabeth. So, you’re where, exactly?”
“At Wyldewood. I was just coming to walk the dogs, but they want us to stay for dinner.”
“The dogs want you to stay for dinner?”
“Yes. I mean no, I . . .” Liz frowned. The man was laughing. Loudly.
“You’re sure Mia’s okay?”
“Actually, she’s rather in her element. I’m still absorbing it.” Liz spoke quietly, but Mia wasn’t paying her any mind anyway. She was too busy helping Josslyn feed the twins.
“Saving her from the wolves then, are you?”
“What?”
Matthew chuckled. “Saving her from enduring a meal with my parents. Alone. I’ll call my mom and explain. Tell the kid she owes me.”
“Will do.” Liz clicked off, put Mia’s phone on the table, and found Cecily watching her. The older woman’s eyes widened, but she stayed quiet. “We’re good. Your uncle said you owe him one.”
A grin scooted over Mia’s mouth and Liz smiled.
“Okay, then. Mia, have some ham.” David pushed the heaping plate of pink meat toward the girl.
“Um . . .” She scrunched up her nose. “I’ll just have the pasta. And coleslaw.”
“You what?” Cecily shook her head, her mouth turning downward in disapproval. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those vegetarianites. You can’t exist on no meat, child. You skinny enough as is.”
“I don’t eat meat. And I’m fine,” Mia countered, her eyes flashing.
Liz smothered a snort by shoving a piece of ham in her mouth. David cleared his throat, his mouth twitching with laughter, and Josslyn took a long drink of iced tea.
“Mmm, girl.” Cecily sat forward, wagging her fork. “See, you don’t know me yet, Miss Mia, but I’ve been dealing with children like you for years. Two of them sitting right here. And they know better than to say no to Cecily. Isn’t that right, David James?”
“Yes, ma’am.” David was close to erupting into laughter, and Liz elbowed him.
“You allergic to meat, honey?” Cecily continued.
“No.” Mia seemed to shrink a little under Cecily’s stern gaze. “I just don’t eat it.”
“You protesting the killing of animals by not eating them?”
“Not exactly.” Mia twirled her fork in a huge mound of mac and cheese. Liz thought she saw a slight grin come and go.
“Religious reasons?”
“No. Ma’am.”
Cecily nodded and slipped a slice of ham onto Mia’s plate. “Well, then.” She pushed the plate a little closer to Mia, a smug smile set in place. “You eat that up and tell me if that isn’t the best piece of ham you ever had in your life. Then we’ll talk.”
Mia stayed quiet while the rest of them talked about the renovations, what was going on with Liz’s siblings, and her dad. When they finished the meal, Liz did notice Mia’s plate was cleaned.
Later, while Mia helped Josslyn put the twins to bed, Liz sat with Cecily and David in the small but cheery new living room. “T
his looks great.” She looked around, seeing familiar artwork on the walls, their mother’s photographs on the table by the window. They had agreed to keep much of the original furniture to use in the main rooms of the guest house, along with the baby grand, grandfather clock, and many antique pieces their guests would be able to admire.
David handed them coffee and flopped onto the sofa with a weary sigh. “Good to be moved in. Thanks for helping out today, Ce-ce. Joss needed the break.”
Cecily sipped and sent her trademark smile his way. “Happy to do it, you know that.” She trained her gaze on Liz. “So, how are you? Like your new place?”
“It’s pretty nice. You guys should come over sometime.” Liz yawned and set her mug down on the coffee table. She still hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since seeing Laurence.
“I’ll bring you some food.” Cecily knew the extent of Liz’s culinary skills. “Heard you’re working at the gallery where Lynnie shows her stuff. You like it?”
“Sure. It’s slowing down a bit, but I have some ideas for Evy that I think she’ll go for.” She’d been meaning to write up a plan and print it out. Maybe she’d get to that tonight.
Cecily angled her head, studying her. “You really are starting over, aren’t you?”
Liz flushed under her knowing look and simply shrugged. Was she? Some days it still felt like running away.
“So.” David put his mug down. “Tell us about your little trip to New York.”
Cecily sucked her teeth and sat back. Liz shifted in her seat, her stomach tightening. If she could rewind time, she’d never have done it. She’d gained nothing and lost a few hundred bucks in airfare, not to mention a whole lot of sleep since that day. “It was no big deal. I just thought I could go and get my stuff back and . . .”
“No big deal?” Disapproval rumbled in Cecily’s chest. “Honey, that man near knocked you senseless. You got no business going over there by yourself and you know it.”
“Well, I did. And I saw him. And it was fine.” Liz bit her lip and groaned inwardly.
“You saw him?!” David and Cecily spoke in unison.
She shook her head and glared. “Nothing happened. He was in the lobby. With some girl. He wouldn’t let me up to the apartment. Said he’ll send my stuff over here.”
“Liz, for crying out loud!” David sat forward.
She held up a hand. “Look, I wasn’t alone with him. Not exactly. Nothing. Happened.”
“Why would you put yourself in that situation? What if you’d gotten in and he’d been in the apartment?”
“Well, that didn’t happen!”
“You didn’t even tell us you were going!” So much for David letting it go.
“David, take a breath. Honey, we’re just concerned.” Cecily reached over and patted Liz’s arm.
“I know.” Tears smarted, and Liz looked at the floor. Counted all the colors in the rug and told herself for the thousandth time that week how stupid she was. “It was a bad decision. But I just wanted my stuff back. I won’t go again, I promise.”
“You can’t, Liz. Seriously. The dude is dangerous.” David’s tone held a warning Liz knew better than to ignore. “You can’t have anything over there important enough to risk your life over.”
If he only knew.
She nodded and looked at both of them. “I said I promise. Okay?” They didn’t look completely satisfied, but it would have to do. Mia and Josslyn returned, and Liz got to her feet. “We should get going. Thanks for dinner.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Mia looked from Josslyn to Cecily, clearly not sure who to thank.
Josslyn placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You’re welcome, Mia. It was so nice to meet you. And I’ll call you about babysitting.”
Mia nodded with a shy smile, and Liz stared. “Babysitting?”
“Sure.” Josslyn nodded enthusiastically. “Well, more like a mother’s helper. I can hardly manage the two of them, and I wouldn’t expect Mia to. But we talked about her coming over sometimes to play with the twins while I get some things done around here.”
“Oh-kay.” Liz kept her game face on. This had been the strangest day. When they were finally in the car, she let out her breath, stared out the windshield into the black night, and wondered what to say to this mysterious young girl.
“You have a cool family.” Mia raked her fingers through her hair and sent Liz an unexpected smile that changed her face entirely.
Liz eased out the driveway onto the main road and nodded. “Yes. I guess I do.”
“And you never told me Gray Carlisle was your brother. He’s like . . . ah-mazing!”
Liz couldn’t contain her laughter a moment longer. “Oh, he’s amazing all right.” So Mia Stone was a normal fifteen-year-old girl after all. Who knew.
fourteen
Evy closed the gallery early on Thursday, so Liz took the opportunity to drive to Bartlett’s Farm, where they sold the best produce and pretty much everything else an aspiring chef might need. She’d been spending some time on Pinterest lately, picking out recipes she thought she could make without burning down the coach house.
As she unloaded the grocery bags from her car, she heard the crunching of gravel and turned to see Phyllis Stone smiling at her.
“May I give you a hand?” the older woman asked.
“Oh, thank you, no, I can manage.” Liz fumbled with a couple of bags and dropped her keys.
Phyllis bent to pick them up with a laugh. “Let me at least open the door for you.”
Once they’d unloaded the bags in the kitchen, Phyllis surveyed the kitchen with a smile. “Well, this looks lovely. Matthew said he’d done some work, but I didn’t expect everything to be new.”
Liz let her wander around the place while she put things away.
She came back into the kitchen as Liz was pondering the ingredients she’d laid out for her dinner. Liz tried to get a clear impression of the woman. Certainly well put together, in casual slacks, white blouse, and pink cashmere cardigan. Smooth blond hair, possibly dyed or at least highlighted, no hints of gray. She was maybe around the age her mother would have been now, early sixties. She held herself with a self-assured air, but as Liz looked closer, she saw tension lines and shadows under the woman’s eyes that told another story.
“What are you making?” Matthew’s mother relaxed a little and her smile came out.
“Good question.” Liz laughed. “I’m not much of a cook I’m afraid. But I thought perhaps I could try following a recipe. Grilled chicken with asparagus and couscous. Sounds simple enough.”
Phyllis made a face and waved a manicured hand. “Darling, don’t ask me. I can barely boil water. Although, I have taken a few cooking classes with a friend lately. Don’t tell the boys. I’m waiting for the right night to surprise them. If I have the nerve.”
Liz smiled. She liked this woman. “Would you like a drink, Mrs. Stone? Tea or coffee? Maybe a glass of wine? You can keep me company while I figure this out, if you’d like.”
“Well, that would be lovely.” She pulled out a chair and sat down. “But you must call me Phyllis. And I’ve got my phone handy. I can call my friend if we get into trouble with the recipe.”
___________
Liz relaxed at her kitchen table that night, a satisfied smile set in place. She’d managed to create a decent meal without anything exploding or burning to a crisp. Phyllis had called her friend anyway, just to be sure Liz was preparing the chicken correctly. Salmonella, she’d warned, one couldn’t be too careful. Miracle of miracles, it had turned out okay, and Liz enjoyed a perfectly grilled chicken breast, crispy asparagus with a bit of crumbled bacon, a spicy couscous, and a glass of chilled chardonnay to wash it down.
“Anything’s possible when you put your mind to it, Elizabeth.” She spoke the words her mother would so often say, then shook her head. Didn’t they say talking to yourself was the first sign of insanity? A rap on her front door startled her out of her thoughts and jacked her pulse. Perhaps it was just
Phyllis, come to see how things had turned out.
Liz walked through the living room, willing her heart to slow down. She hoped they’d hurry up about installing that alarm. She was getting tired of lugging that big chair around every night before bed. They’d been scheduled to come this week but another job had delayed them. She peered out the window first, then undid the bolt and opened the door.
“Good evening, Matthew.”
He stood at the bottom of the two steps, three large boxes beside him. His smile flashed under the porch lamp. “Elizabeth. Sorry to disturb. David dropped these off earlier. Said they were delivered to the house for you today.”
Liz studied the boxes and recognized Laurence’s handwriting. A shiver of fear raced down her back. She let out a measured breath and gave a slow nod. “Okay. Thanks.”
He heaved one upward. “They’re kind of heavy. Let me bring them in for you.”
“Thank you.” She instructed him to set them in the living room, pressed herself against the open front door. This was it then. The last of her things. She no longer had any ties to Laurence Broadhurst. Except for the nightmares. And the money he still had. There was probably little she could do about either.
“You okay there?” He looked concerned, and Liz forced a feeble laugh.
“Of course. Thanks for bringing them over.”
“No problem. Wow, it smells good in here. I didn’t interrupt your dinner, did I?” He studied her through steady eyes, his smile hesitant.
“No, I just finished.” Liz couldn’t stop a smile. “Would you believe it’s the first meal I’ve cooked that wasn’t a total disaster? Your mother helped me.”
“My mother?” His brows shot skyward. “Are you sure about that?”
“Quite. We figured it out together. She’s very nice.”
“My mother? The woman you met in my living room the night they arrived?”
“The very one. We had a nice chat. I gave her a glass of wine.”
“That’d do it.” A grin came and went. “What exactly did you talk about?”
“Oh, gosh, I don’t know. Cooking mostly, and how we hate it. She knew my parents. Said she and your dad even went to a couple parties at Wyldewood when you were younger.”
As the Light Fades (ARC) Page 13
