by Mia Ross
“But you’re a grown-up,” Chase argued, his forehead puckered in confusion. “Why does your grandma call you her boy?”
“’Cause she does,” Sam replied with a chuckle. “I kinda like it, actually.”
“She’s real nice, and she makes great cookies.”
The kid logic made their driver smile, and Holly found herself joining in. She adored her son, but she’d always assumed that she was slightly biased. It was fun to see him interact with other adults and watch them respond to his sunny personality the same way she did.
The twenty-minute drive to the hospital passed by quickly enough, and when they reached the hallway that held Auntie D’s room, Holly heard a familiar voice.
“But you don’t understand. I don’t want it that way.”
She didn’t catch the muted, professional reply, but it led them to an open doorway and a scene straight out of a TV sitcom. Her aunt sat at an incline, clutching the remote that adjusted the bed. Apparently, she wasn’t sitting in the position the nurse thought was best for someone recuperating from a serious back injury, and they were literally fighting over the controls.
Face set in the fractious expression of a woman accustomed to having things precisely her way, the screen legend had stopped arguing but clearly had no intention of surrendering.
That’s our D, Holly heard her mother’s voice saying in her memory. Sweetness mixed with hurricane. You might as well just give in because she never will.
Summoning a light tone, Holly entered the room and gave the nurse a sympathetic smile. “I’m Holly Andrews, Daphne’s niece. Can I help somehow?”
“Ms. Mills needs her rest, but we’re having a difference of opinion on how much.”
The answer was delivered in a calm, rational tone, and Holly admired the woman’s nonjudgmental attitude. Of course, in the break room later on, she wouldn’t be surprised if it was a different story entirely.
“Holly, I’ve tried to explain—very nicely—that I don’t require much sleep. She refuses to listen to me.”
“She’s the pro here, Auntie. Don’t you think—”
“There’s my handsome little man!” Daphne interrupted, motioning Chase over to the bed. The gold and diamond rings she wore clashed with the utilitarian hospital bracelet, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Seeing you just makes my day.”
“Careful, bud,” Holly warned, pleased when he gently hugged their troublesome patient.
Then Daphne’s eyes lit on Sam, brightening with unabashed joy. “Are those my lava cookies?”
The nurse opened her mouth to protest the illicit treats, but Holly lifted a brow in warning. After a moment, the woman nodded and left them with instructions not to tire out their patient.
“Please,” Daphne huffed indignantly. “Tire me out. These people act as if I’ve got one foot in the grave. I’m bored out of my skull and so thrilled to see the three of you, I could positively bust.”
The charming Georgia accent that had won her so many roles in Hollywood was on full display while she regaled them with the saga of her hospital stay. No mention of the accident that had put her there, Holly noticed. It proved how much her aunt thought of Sam that she’d go out of her way not to risk hurting his feelings by treading on sensitive ground.
“Are those the kitchen material samples you brought?” she asked in the voice of a child anticipating a treat.
“All ten of them.” Sam set them on the tray beside the bed and wheeled it over for her.
She eyed each one carefully, tilting her head this way and that before sighing. “I can’t decide. Holly, you’ve always had excellent taste. What do you think?”
It was flattering to be consulted, and she studied them before pulling two darker ones away. By process of elimination, she settled on what she believed was the best combination of backsplash and granite colors. “These will look nice in the sunlight and also when it’s darker at night. Especially if you go with the ivory French country cabinets in this brochure,” she added, flipping the designer catalog open to the right page.
Daphne angled her gaze to Sam. “She’s good at this, isn’t she?”
“She sure is.”
He didn’t sound the least bit surprised by that, and Holly barely resisted the urge to hug him. Daphne considered the samples, tapping her chin with a perfectly manicured coral nail. Then, to Holly’s amazement, the retired diva looked her dead in the eyes and said, “You’re hired.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know my preferences as well as I do, and I have the worst time making decisions about any of this. I like each option better than the last one, and every change makes the project go on longer.”
Holly laughed. “I seem to recall hearing something about four bathtubs.”
“I’m not on a deadline, but I’m sure Sam would like to finish my house sometime this year, and me constantly changing my mind is only slowing him down.” Looking at him, she went on, “What do you think?”
“I’d be happy to get some help with the design end of things. I’m more of a hammer-and-nails kinda guy.” Pausing, he gave Holly a little grin. “So welcome aboard.”
“That’s settled, then,” Daphne said, brushing her hands together as if shedding herself of the problem. And then, she turned to Holly with pleading eyes. “But you need to take me home, Peaches. I’m going absolutely bonkers in here.”
“You make it sound like you’re in prison,” Holly chided her. “You’re only here for a couple more days, and from what I can see, you’ve got it pretty good.”
The private room was large and sunny and filled to near bursting with flowers, balloons and cards from so many friends, Holly couldn’t have named them all if she’d tried.
Folding her arms in a dangerous pose, her aunt clearly announced in an imperious tone, “I want to go home.”
“We came in Sam’s truck,” Holly argued, glancing to him for some backup. “It’s a long drive, and with your back in the shape it’s in, you wouldn’t be comfortable.”
Daphne’s deep blue eyes swung to her contractor, who suddenly seemed to be lacking a spine. Giving her an indulgent smile, he said, “I’ll drive back and get your car. You can visit with Chase while Holly takes care of the paperwork. We’ll have you outta here in no time.”
And just like that, Holly’s nice, orderly plan for preparing the house for Daphne’s homecoming went out the window.
Chapter Five
One sunny morning, Sam turned at the sound of a familiar engine coming up the road. When a 1920s-era Ford turned into Daphne’s driveway, he picked up a rag to wipe his hands and strolled out to greet her visitor. In the driver’s seat was a man whose silver hair did nothing to dull the gleam in his hazel eyes. Sam didn’t know how old Oliver Chesterton was, but he’d been the mayor of Liberty Creek for as long as Sam had been alive.
“Morning, Oliver. We’ve missed seeing you around here. How was your granddaughter’s Parisian wedding?”
“Posh and pretentious.” He made a sour face. “I would much rather have spent the last two weeks here, believe me.”
Sam took the hint and moved on to more pleasant topics. “It’s nice to see Sally out of sick bay and back on the road.”
“Not half as nice as it is to be driving her again. Modern cars might be easier to maintain, but they have no personality.”
Sam stepped in for a closer look at the mirror-finish burgundy paint. “Looks like Steve freshened up the color for you while he was doing her overhaul.”
“He did. It wasn’t cheap, but worth every penny, I’d say.”
Nate’s truck had suffered a few dings over the past several months, and Sam made a mental note to get an estimate on some light bodywork. He didn’t have the cash for it now, but once Daphne’s project was finished, he should be able to afford some minor repai
rs. “What brings you out this way?”
“Our lovely star, of course,” Oliver replied as he swung open the heavy half door and stepped out. Reaching behind the seat, he brought out the largest bouquet of flowers Sam had seen outside of a florist. “How’s she doing?”
“Demanding and ornery, with a heavy coat of sugar. Pretty much like usual.”
Oliver chuckled. “That’s good to hear. I was going to wait a while longer before coming over, but I’ve been dying to see her for myself. Do you think she’s up to having company?”
“I’d imagine so.”
“I haven’t met her summer guests yet. Is there anything I should know?”
“This isn’t like a board meeting,” Sam assured him as they went up the completed front steps to the restored set of double doors. “You don’t have to be armed to go in there.”
“I’m so glad to be done with those things,” Oliver grumbled while he settled the collar on his shirt. “Armed is the right word, believe me. All that posturing and maneuvering—I was only too happy to cash out my shares and pass the baton to my siblings. Now they hate each other instead of me.”
The regret in his voice was hard to miss. Being from such a close, loving family, Sam couldn’t imagine feeling that kind of bitterness toward any of his relatives. Apparently, even Oliver’s huge stockpile of money couldn’t buy him everything he wanted.
When they walked inside, they found Daphne sitting on the sofa in her cozy den, reading a mystery novel. Chase was stretched out on the floor with a toy magazine, and Sam was struck by how similar the two looked. Those Mills genes were pretty strong, he thought.
Daphne glanced up when he knocked on the casement, her face lighting up when she saw who had walked in with him. “Oliver! Did you come all this way just to see me?”
“And to deliver these,” he replied, holding out the huge bouquet with an even bigger smile. “I assume you have a vase somewhere.”
“The big ones are all packed away, but I’m sure Holly can find one. You’re a total dear, but you sent a lovely arrangement to the hospital. These really weren’t necessary.”
He crossed the room and set the flowers on a side table before leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Flowers don’t last long. Besides, knowing you, you donated them to the other patients on your way out.”
She actually blushed, and Sam had to smother a grin. The dapper widower had been alone a long time, and from the time Daphne had arrived in Liberty Creek, these two had been an item. While Sam wasn’t in a place for it himself, he still thought it was nice to watch two lonely people connect with each other like that.
“Well, I’ve gotta run into town and pick up a few things,” he said on his way out. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I’ll make up the time later today.”
“You don’t have to check in with me, Sam,” Daphne assured him graciously. “There’s no time clock here, and I trust you to do whatever needs to be done.”
Her unquestioning faith in him felt good, and he smiled as he turned to leave. Holly came up behind him unexpectedly, and he just about ran her down. She nearly lost her balance, and he braced her shoulders with his hands to keep her from falling. Once he was certain she’d regained her balance, he realized that he was all but holding her in his arms and took an awkward step back. “Sorry—this carpet’s so thick I didn’t hear you come in. Are you okay?”
“Since you rescued me, I’m fine. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
He used to be acutely aware of his surroundings, but lately that hypervigilance had begun to fade, and he’d dropped to a more normal level of awareness. When it occurred to him that they were all waiting for him to say something, he said, “It’s not a problem. As long as you’re okay.”
Tilting her head, she smiled up at him. “Just fine. Honest.”
“Sam?” Chase tugged at his arm until Sam looked down at him. “Could I go with you?”
He wasn’t sure about it, but Holly gave him a subtle nod that told him she was fine with the suggestion. Studying Chase for a moment, Sam made a rotating motion with his index finger. “Let’s get a better look at you.”
The boy spun slowly, then came back to Sam with a hopeful expression. “I’m stronger than I look.”
“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”
“Yup.”
The kid was so upbeat about everything, Sam mused as they said their goodbyes and went out the kitchen door to his truck. It was too bad people couldn’t keep that happy-go-lucky nature as they got older.
Maybe that was why he enjoyed spending time with his neighbor’s nephew. It reminded him of a time when things were simple and easy, when the biggest problem he had was whether to walk to school or ride his bike.
He’d give anything to go back there, even for a little while. But everyone had to grow up sometime.
* * *
“Now, be careful,” Holly warned Chase, who stood with his hands on the grips of Daphne’s wheelchair Sunday morning. “This isn’t a race or a chance for you to show off what kind of tricks you can do.”
“You’re absolutely no fun at all,” Daphne scolded. Aiming a look over her shoulder at him, she went on, “We’ve been working on our wheelies, haven’t we, Chase?”
“Your—” Holly started winding up for a good old-fashioned dressing down, then eased off when she caught the impish glint in her aunt’s eyes. No wonder these two got along so well, she mused fondly. God had fashioned them from the same mischievous blend of characteristics. “Very funny. Now that I’ve recovered from my heart attack, can we please all just go to church?”
As if in reply, someone knocked outside, and she turned to find Sam framed by the kitchen’s screen door. As if that weren’t enough, his freshly pressed trousers and button-down shirt had a decidedly business-casual look to them. Not at all what he normally wore, and she let him in with a grin. “Wow, you clean up nice. Headed off to a business meeting somewhere?”
“Kinda,” he parried with a grin of his own. “Thought I might tag along with you guys this morning. If that’s okay.”
“We’re going to church.”
“I know.”
There wasn’t even a beat of hesitation in his voice, and his calm, steady gaze was a warm blue color she’d definitely enjoy seeing more often. Behind her, she could sense the heightened interest of her family in the unusual scene, and to avoid having them ask any personal questions, she quickly answered, “Then we should get going.”
In response, he pushed the door open, allowing them all to leave ahead of him. Then he pulled out his keys and locked the door behind them. It was the kind of thing the head of a family would do, and seeing it from him rattled her just enough that she stopped at the bottom of the ramp and stared at him.
“Can’t be too careful, even in Liberty Creek,” he explained, strolling down to join them near the car. Turning to Daphne, he offered his hand as if he was the gallant leading man in one of her films. She beamed up at him and let him settle her into the back seat, no fuss, no bother.
“Whenever I try to do something like that,” Holly muttered to him while she opened the trunk to stow the collapsed wheelchair, “she fights me tooth and nail every step of the way.”
Sam chuckled as he slammed the trunk closed. “I’m a guy, so it works better.”
“I suppose. Plus, she likes you.”
“Good to know.” Turning to Holly, he gave her blue dress and ivory heels an approving once-over. “You clean up nice, too.”
“Stop it, now. All this flattery will go straight to my head.” He laughed out loud, something she’d heard from him so rarely it startled her.
Her reaction must have shown on her face, because he stopped abruptly and said, “You’re looking at me like I’ve got two heads.”
“It’s just good to hear you laugh that w
ay, is all.”
“It feels good to me, too,” he confided as he walked her toward the front passenger door. “I’ve spent a long time living in the dark.”
Poignant and brutally honest, those words drove into Holly’s soft heart with a swiftness that nearly knocked the breath out of her. His confession gave her a new perspective on what Brady had suffered through and just how difficult the end of his life had been. Staring up at him, she quietly asked, “Is that really how it feels?”
“Yeah.” Reaching out, he gently brushed a stray curl back from her cheek. “But I’m coming out of it now, thanks to you.”
“I didn’t do that much,” she protested, horrified by the thought of this courageous but still-recovering man coming to rely too heavily on her.
“I know, but you did the right things. I’ve got a ways to go still, but you got me started. I’ll always be grateful to you for that.”
His voice had a cautious edge to it, and she realized that it mirrored her own anxiety. She hated to dash his hopes, but she wanted to make sure he understood that there wasn’t a chance for anything romantic between them. Hoping she sounded sympathetic, she said, “Sam, Chase and I will be staying here just for the summer. Then we’re heading back to Boston.”
“I know,” he echoed with that half grin that was beginning to grow on her. “I wanted to make sure I said my piece before you go.”
“Okay, as long as we’re clear on where we stand.”
“Crystal.”
She heard no bitterness in his tone, and his eyes hadn’t lost the summery luster she’d admired earlier. So she smiled and slid into the soft leather seat, relaxing back into the kind of luxury she wouldn’t mind becoming accustomed to.
Daphne put down her window, and as they drove toward the church in the square, she waved at her friends, who called out her name and waved back enthusiastically.
“It’s kinda like traveling with the queen, isn’t it?” Sam murmured to Holly as he turned into the parking lot that was already near capacity. Fortunately, a handicapped spot was available near the front doors, and he expertly docked the large, elegant car that Daphne had dubbed “The Yacht.”
