by Holly Jacobs
When he didn’t immediately respond, she tossed in, “Holidays?”
He’d hoped she’d come to her senses. But Mathilda Keith was known for many things and having common sense wasn’t one of them. “So basically, they’ll still live here. You’ll be the one in control, but you’ll throw me an occasional weekend or school break? What about when they get more involved in extracurriculars? Or when their friends have something going on during the weekend? A party or practice or whatever?”
He remembered spending all his weekends with Sebastian and Colton. He’d have hated being dragged from his home on a regular basis. “You want them to make their home here—with you. I’d be something on the fringe. You’re basically suggesting that I leave things the way they are now. That’s not a compromise.”
“No. Not how they are now. I want us to raise the kids together. I’m offering a...partnership. Listen, Finn, I promised Bridget I’d take care of them. She had such plans for them. She wanted them to grow up here, in a small town. She wanted them to still have the surrogate family she built for them. When I asked you to meet me tonight, I made one phone call to Sophie, and both she and Lily immediately agreed to take the kids. They’re at the school enjoying Fun Night, where they’re probably eating too much junk food and running amok with their friends. And I know that not only are Lily and Sophie on hand for them, but every parent at that school is watching out for them. I know you talked about a better education in Buffalo. And maybe there are more expensive prep schools there, with a tuition I couldn’t even begin to pay. But they’re different, not necessarily better. I know that people there care and form communities, but the kids don’t need to build a new community—they have one already. Here in Valley Ridge.”
She took a breath, but before he could say something, she hurried on. “Compromise. Work with me. Be a part of their lives. Come here as often as you can. It’s what? An hour drive, maybe a bit more? Spend the weekends, spend vacations. Come to school events. They can come spend time with you when you want. You’ve been an hour away all these years, but they hardly know you. Let them know you, but don’t rip them away from their home.”
“We’re going in circles, Mattie. Maybe I wasn’t around as much as I should have been. But I should point out, neither were you. And I know I should have been here with Bridge more when she got sick.” He looked at Mattie and admitted that while they’d both been away a lot as the kids grew up, when Bridget had needed someone, it was Mattie who’d thrown everything aside and come home. He felt sick all over again, knowing he let his sister down. Well, he wouldn’t let his nieces and nephew down.
He reached across the table and put his hand on hers. “I’m not doing this out of maliciousness. I’m doing this because I honestly believe the kids would be better with me in Buffalo. They’d have more opportunities there than in Valley Ridge and—”
“And you’d hire a babysitter to pick them up at school. And get home at what? Eight or so each night? In time to tuck them in. And what would you do when you got called to an emergency on a weekend? I’m assuming that those are calls surgeons get a lot.”
That was Mattie, always cutting to the heart of the matter. But this time he’d come up with an answer.
“At my office, we’ve hired a fourth partner. Ralph is getting older and talking about taking on fewer patients. Andrew and I can’t pick up the slack. So I signed the papers this week to offer another doctor a place in the practice. Erik’s young and energetic. Four of us means less on-call nights and weekends for me.”
“But you’ll still be on call. You’ll still have late nights and weekends. The kids need someone who can be present. Working for Rich doesn’t pay a lot, but the coffee shop closes in the afternoon in time for me to pick them up. And even if Rich expands the hours, I took the job with the understanding that I was off when the kids were off. I might not be a brain surgeon—”
He bristled. “Not brains, just surgeon.”
Why was it that Mattie Keith made him feel apologetic about his career? Her comments about saving the world, about always wanting to win...they felt like insults. But his job was important. He did save lives, and he always wanted to win at each surgery. Why the hell should he feel like he should apologize for that? “Other surgeons have families and make it work.”
“Well, that’s what I’m offering here...a partnership of sorts. We can work together. Maybe you can make it work on your own, but the kids deserve more time than you can give them. Their father walked out on them, and they’ve lost their mother. They need to feel as if they’re someone’s focus. I’ve worked a dozen different jobs—I don’t have a career. I have the ability to be there each day after school. I can be there in the mornings to see them off, and be home in the afternoons when they get out of school. We’re together all weekend.”
“You’ll have to hire someone in the summer—”
“No, your sister already took care of that. When she got sick, she sent them to day camp last year, and they’re all bubbling over about going again this year. And the three weeks they don’t have camp, I’m taking vacation. Rich already agreed.”
Finn assumed he’d win custody and hire someone for after-school care, but he hadn’t given any thought to summers.
Mattie said, “You hadn’t thought much about vacations and things like that.”
“Yes, I have,” he lied. “That new partner, Erik, can help out more.”
“Okay, but that still only takes you so far.”
Someone cleared their throat, and Finn realized that Colton had come over to the table. He wondered how much his friend had heard, and felt embarrassed.
“Hey, you two.” Colton was holding his ever-present cowboy hat. It would have looked at home in Texas, but it had always struck Finn as out of place in western New York. Colton wore his hair—well, he buzzed it, so there wasn’t much hair to speak of—very short and maintained that his hat protected his head from sunburn. However, Finn suspected Colton’s childhood love of everything Old West had more to do with it.
“So what’s going on here?” The pseudo-cowboy looked at their hands, and Finn realized his was still resting on Mattie’s. She hadn’t shaken it off, and he hadn’t thought to remove it.
He withdrew his hand abruptly. “We’re talking about the kids.”
Colton laughed. “My parents called it talking-about-bills, but hey, whatever you want to call it, it looked good on both of you.”
Finn must have been staring, because Colton elaborated, “My dad used to say that Mom could rile him up more than anyone else because she meant so much to him.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how true that is. I mean, Sophie and I don’t fight. Ever. And she means the world to me.”
“Really, Colton, we’re not fighting. We’re talking about the kids and their summer plans.”
“Now some people might point out it’s barely April and summer’s a long way off, but I’m a farmer and we know that it’ll be here before you know it.” He turned to Mattie. “They going to camp again?”
Finn noticed she glanced at him, before offering up, “Yes.”
“Great. The camp came out to the vineyard one day last year and it was a blast. The older kids helped me sucker the vines.”
Mattie looked confused, and Colton explained, “You pull the new growth off the bottom of the vines so that all the energy goes into the new grapes.”
Finn had worked a couple winters at local vineyards. He knew about pruning and tying off the vines.
“Speaking of kids helping around the vineyard, any chance you have some chores a girl of eleven could handle for you? Zoe wants to earn some money for a cell phone, and I thought you might be able to use some help,” Mattie said.
Colton nodded. “Sure, give me a call and tell me when.”
“No,” Mattie said. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather make her call you and ask herself.”
“So we never had this talk?” He chuckled.
Mattie laughed.
“What talk?”
“It’ll be great. There’s a lot of things a girl her age can handle. My dad always said that if you want to raise responsible children, teach them to be responsible.”
Finn thought that sounded redundant, and it probably was. Colton had always quoted his father’s wisdoms, and most of them made very little sense. He and Sebastian used to tease him, but tonight, Finn couldn’t summon much energy for teasing. Instead he offered, “If Zoe wants a phone, I can—”
Mattie interrupted him. “Give it to her?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so. She needs to earn it—”
Mattie’s phone buzzed, interrupting what he was sure was going to be another lecture.
She said, “Pardon me,” then answered, “Hello?” and got up and walked toward the quiet corner near the entryway to the diner, which left Finn with Colton.
“What did I say wrong there?” Finn asked as Colton slid into Mattie’s spot.
“This is only a guess,” Colton said, “but I think Mattie wants Zoe to earn her phone.”
“It’s only a few extra dollars a month to add a line to my contract.”
“I don’t think that’s the point,” Colton said.
Finn wasn’t about to argue that it was silly to make Zoe work for something that came so inexpensively, so he changed the subject. “Any news on when Sebastian’s coming home? On where he’s at for that matter?” Sebastian had been in the Marines and spent his entire adult life moving from one posting to the next.
“He’s been quiet on the where, and swears the when will be sometime in the next few weeks,” answered Colton, who spoke to Seb much more often than Finn did.
Finn wondered when he’d last talked to Sebastian. After high school, Finn had gone away to college, and Sebastian to boot camp. They’d played phone tag on occasion, but since Colton stayed here in Valley Ridge, he’d somehow become the hub of their friendship. Both Finn and Sebastian touched base with him, and he kept them informed about each other.
“He’ll be here,” Colton assured him.
Finn nodded. “Hey, as long as he’s here for the big day. And listen, we have to talk about your bachelor party.”
“I don’t want—”
Finn held up a hand. “I know you’re heading into your busy season, but it’s your wedding. Surely you can take a night off to go out with us.” He waited to see if Colton was going to argue and almost hoped he would so Finn could argue back and win the fight.
Unlike his arguments with Mattie, Finn knew he could win this one.
Colton disappointed him by nodding, and giving in. “I suppose I can.”
“Sebastian and I will tell you when and where.”
Colton laughed. “You twisted my arm.”
Mattie came back over to the booth. “Hey, I’ve got to leave. I know we didn’t settle anything about—” she glanced at Colton “—summer vacation, but it will keep.”
“I’m going ahead with my plans,” Finn said cryptically, in deference to Colton’s presence. He was sure Mattie knew what plans he was referring to.
“I guess that’s it then.”
“What’s wrong?” Finn asked, sensing there was more to this than not wanting to share a meal with him.
“Abbey’s having a bit of a meltdown. And Sophie and Lily are doing their best to cope, but it’s only gone downhill.”
“I’ll come with you.” Finn stood and put enough money on the table to cover both coffees. “Sorry, Colton.”
Colton handed Mattie her coat and purse from the other side of the bench.
Mattie reached in her pocket and pulled out enough to cover her bill, then shot Finn an I-dare-you look. He simply picked a couple bills back up and stuffed them in his wallet.
Colton missed the subtext of the whole exchange and said, “No problem. Kids first. I’ll call when I get specifics from Seb. And, Mattie, I’ll look forward to Zoe’s call that I don’t know is coming.”
Mattie was already bolting toward the door.
Finn hurried to catch up. “Want to drive together?”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“Bye, Juliette,” Hank hollered.
“Bye, Hank,” Mattie called back, but she shot Finn a look as they headed out into the slushy rain. “I’ll talk to Lily. She and Hank have gotten close.”
“I still can’t believe I lost my best nurse to Valley Ridge.”
“Lily’s smart and she knows a good thing when she sees it. We grew close when Bridget was sick. I told her she could stay with us in the house after...” She didn’t finish the sentence, but Finn knew she was thinking after Bridget died, like he was. “But she’s still at the apartment behind Hank’s. Besides the diner, she helps a local doctor with some homebound patients.”
“I hadn’t heard that that’s what she was doing.” And not too long ago, the fact he wasn’t up-to-date on the latest town news wouldn’t have mattered at all to Finn, but at the moment it did. Heck, he’d been surprised when he spotted Maeve Buchanan at Colton and Sophie’s engagement party. It hadn’t occurred to him that she would have come back home after college. And he’d been very surprised to find out she wasn’t scandalizing folks on a regular basis, she was volunteering at the library.
He drove the few blocks to the elementary school and looked around the busy parking lot for Mattie. He noticed her at the door to the school. She hadn’t waited.
He entered and followed the noise down the hall to the gym. There was Mattie, already crouching down, with Abbey in her arms, snuggled tight. Lily and Sophie stood next to them.
He strode over to the group. “Hi, ladies.”
“Hi, Finn,” Lily and Sophie said simultaneously.
That was it. Everyone’s attention was soon on Mattie and Abbey.
“Don’t ever leave me,” Abbey wailed. “My mommy left me and I miss her so much. The lotion helps, but it’s not really like Mommy hugging me. It’s just lotion.”
Mattie glanced at him, then turned her attention to the little girl. “Honey, your mommy would have given anything to stay with you longer. She didn’t want to leave you, not ever. And even though you can’t see her, I promise that she’s looking over you right now.”
“She can see me?” Abbey asked.
“That’s what I believe. And I can’t promise you that I’ll never leave. No one can promise something that big. But I can promise that I will stay with you as long as I can, and I promise that no matter what, I’ll always love you with my whole heart.”
“Like my mom?” Abbey asked.
Mattie nodded. “Just like.”
“You left me tonight,” Abbey said with a sniff.
“Remember I told you I had to meet up with Uncle Finn. We had a bunch of grown-up talk and I thought you’d enjoy being here with your friends, and with Sophie and Lily. I didn’t leave you.”
Abbey grinned. “Really?”
“And truly. I got here a little late, and brought your uncle. He’s never been to a Fun Night.”
“Not ever?” Abbey looked at him with a mixture of pity and disbelief. She wiped at her eyes, eliminating the last traces of her crisis.
Finn knelt down and shook his head. “No, not ever. We didn’t have them when we were kids.”
Mattie leaned forward and stage-whispered, “He’s never, ever dodged for doughnuts.”
Abbey’s look was now pure pity. She jumped up and took his hand. “Oh, Uncle Finn, you come on. I’ll show you how.”
“What have you gotten me into?” he asked Mattie, who looked entirely too pleased with this development.
Mattie leaned in and whispered, “Revenge is a dish best served cold...or from a doughnut dangling on a string.” Her breath caused a cascade of shivers down his neck.
Then she pulled back and with more volume said, “Have fun, you two.”
Abbey stopped and looked at Mattie. “You’re gonna stay now, right?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Mattie
promised.
Abbey nodded, wiped at her nose and smiled as she dragged him toward the far corner of the gym. “Come on, Uncle Finn.”
Finn glanced at Mattie who was smiling mischievously.
He noted the large number of people who greeted his niece as they made their way across the room. Adults and kids. He recalled what Mattie had said about how if he took the kids away it would be more than taking them away from her. He’d be taking them away from here...from Valley Ridge. From a community that knew them by name. From a community that cared about them.
He felt bad as Abbey squeezed his hand. “You ready, Uncle Finn?”
“Ready, Ab.” And as he tried to eat a doughnut suspended by a string from the basketball hoop and listened to his youngest niece laugh, that hurt grew and his absolute certainty about them living in Buffalo was a little less absolute.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“OH,” LILY EXCLAIMED that Saturday, “look. It combines wine and the lake. Perfect.” She held a wine stopper shaped like a seashell out for Mattie to examine. “I know the lake isn’t an ocean with shells like this, but...”
After Finn collected the kids to take them to the nearby indoor water park, Lily had decided that rather than merely discuss plans for Sophie’s shower, they’d shop. Lily had come armed with a Lake Erie wine country map and they were doing their best to hit every shop in the area for decorations and ideas for the shower. The fact that Sophie’s job involved promoting the local wineries and that Colton himself had a fledgling winery made the theme of the shower a no-brainer.
“That’s perfect,” Mattie agreed. They started to count through the wine stoppers, but gave up and grabbed the whole box. “I nailed down a location for the party, like I promised. Mrs. Nies came into the shop for coffee the other morning, and we’re welcome to use her cottage. There’s a huge picnic shelter, so even if it’s raining, we can fit everyone. It’s right on the lake, which makes the wine stopper even more perfect.”
