“Here you are,” he said cheerfully, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “I thought you’d be home by now. Friday night’s always been our date night.”
She flushed guiltily. “I forgot all about it being Friday. I got caught up in something here,” she said.
“What?” he inquired mildly.
She frowned at the question. “Why the doubt in your voice? You know I work late sometimes.”
“Of course you do. I was just curious about what had kept you tonight. Is there a big deal pending?”
“Something like that,” she said, not meeting his gaze.
Mack concluded that dancing around the subject wasn’t going to get answers. He sat in the chair beside her desk. “Suze, what’s going on?”
“I told you I’m working.”
“It looked to me as if you might be waiting for the phone to ring.” Suddenly the answer came to him, though he didn’t like it. “Are you waiting for Sam to call about taking a look at that house?”
“He said he would,” she replied defensively. “Getting Bobby settled is important, so why hasn’t he done it?” She regarded him with alarm. “Nothing’s happened to Bobby, has it?”
“Bobby’s just fine as far as I know. They had dinner with Kevin and Shanna and the kids last night. When I spoke to Sam earlier this evening, he mentioned that he’s signing Bobby up for T-ball in the morning, then Nell’s giving him a cooking lesson.”
For the first time since he’d arrived, there was a spark of interest in Susie’s eyes. “How’d that happen?”
“I gather Sam threw himself on Carrie’s mercy and she set it up. She’s taking lessons from Nell, too.”
“Of course she is,” Susie said, a surprising edge to her voice.
Mack knew there’d once been a family rivalry between Susie and Jess, but this was something new. “Hey, why the attitude?”
“He’s single. He has a kid. Of course Carrie would latch on to him, the same way she made herself available to Noah when he first got to town.”
Mack regarded her with shock. In all the years he’d known her and through some very tough times, he’d never heard her be so mean-spirited, except perhaps when he’d stupidly invited an ex-girlfriend to work at the paper. Even then, his wife had struggled hard to hide her distaste for the woman and how much the situation upset her.
“You know perfectly well that Carrie and Abby pitched in to help Noah get settled because Caitlyn was starting her internship at the hospital in Baltimore,” he said quietly. “There was nothing more to it, certainly not anything like what you’re implying.”
“You’re so naive,” Susie said.
Mack found the whole conversation increasingly puzzling. If Susie was going down the path he feared she might be, her jealousy of Carrie was a worrisome sign.
“Since when do you have such a jaded attitude toward Carrie?” he asked, keeping his tone as level as he could. Sparking a fight would get him nowhere.
She winced at the question, but didn’t respond. That left him no choice but to be direct.
“Is it because she’s spending time helping Sam with Bobby and you wanted to be the one to do that? If so, Suze, that’s a problem.”
He tried to hold her gaze, but eventually she sighed and looked away, though not before he saw tears forming in her eyes. She buried her face in her hands.
“I’m turning into such a witch, aren’t I? How can I be jealous of someone who’s just trying to be nice?”
When the tears began to fall in earnest, Mack gathered her close. “You’re the furthest thing from a witch. You’re just hurting right now. I know you, babe. You’d never say things like this if you weren’t.”
“I can’t seem to stop myself. These awful thoughts keep coming to me and I get so angry. Thank goodness it’s you and not someone else in the family. They’d probably want me to go into therapy.”
When Mack didn’t reply right away, she regarded him with dismay. “That’s what you want, too, isn’t it?”
Rather than answering directly, he asked, “Do you think therapy might help? You’ve been through a lot. Not many people could have handled it as well as you have.”
“You have. You were a rock through all of my cancer treatments. You handled every curve that was thrown at us. Even when we found out we weren’t getting the baby, you were so blasted strong. I wanted to be like that, but this adoption fiasco was the final straw. I don’t have any hope or strength left in me.”
“Of course you do. Give it time, Susie. You can’t expect to go through something like this without it taking a toll. I was probably pushing too hard for us to try again, because I thought that would help. I was wrong. You need time to mourn.”
“That’s exactly it,” she said, seizing on his comment. “I’m mourning this child that was almost ours. When I lash out at Carrie the way I did just now, I can hear the words as if someone else is saying them and I’m horrified at the spitefulness, but I can’t seem to stop.” She sighed. “Maybe I should see Will.”
“That’s your decision, but it might help to have another perspective. I may be too close to this to give you the sort of unbiased support you need.”
“I’ll think about it,” she promised. “And now, if you’re not totally turned off by my mood swings, how would you feel about taking me to dinner? It’s not too late for our date night, is it?”
“It’s never too late for me to spend an evening with you, anyplace you want to go,” Mack said readily, relieved for now.
“Brady’s, I think. I’d like some wine and some excellent rockfish and maybe even a decadent dessert.”
Mack smiled. “Now you’re talking my language. Great food and a date with the woman I love more than anything in this world. Let’s do it.”
Though she cast one last look at the still-silent phone, she grabbed her purse and locked up. Just outside she looked up at him. “Have I mentioned how much I love you and how lucky I am that you’re hanging in here with me?”
“No chance of me doing anything else,” he assured her. “You’re my world, Suze. And whether we ever have kids or we don’t, you will always be more than enough. Please try to remember that.”
* * *
When Carrie arrived at the inn in the morning to pick up Sam and Bobby, there was no sign of them. Her aunt Jess found her pacing in the lobby.
“There you are,” Jess said. “It’s crazy around here this weekend. We’re packed, so I’ve been helping in the kitchen and dining room, but I’ve been trying to watch for you. Sam wanted me to ask if you could pick them up at the ball field. Kevin came by earlier and drove Sam and Bobby to T-ball. Kevin thought it would be easier for Bobby if Davey and Johnny arrived at the field with him. Sometimes my big brother demonstrates amazing sensitivity.” She grinned. “Of course it was probably Shanna’s idea.”
Carrie laughed. “More than likely. Thanks for passing along the message. I’d better get over there.”
“Not before you have a cup of coffee with me,” Jess said. “Call Gram and tell her you’re running late. She won’t mind. I spoke to her a few minutes ago and said you might be.”
Carrie regarded her suspiciously. “You told Gram I’d be late?”
“I said it was a possibility, because of having to go by the ball field,” her aunt said blithely.
Carrie tried to protest any further delay, but Jess had a firm grip on her elbow as she guided her into the busy dining room. “There’s a table over by the window. I’ll get the coffee and join you in a minute.”
“Jess, I really don’t have time,” Carrie argued, then glimpsed her mother at the table Jess had pointed out. “Ah, I see. An ambush.”
Jess laughed. “You can choose to see it that way if you want, but I tend to do my big sister’s bidding, especially after she’s handed me a nice, fat dividend check from the investments she’s made for me.”
As Carrie crossed the room, she noticed her mom was distractedly stirring her own coffee. Since she took neither cream nor s
ugar in it, it was clearly a nervous gesture just to pass the time.
“Hi, Mom. You’re out bright and early on a Saturday morning,” Carrie said, giving her a hug. “How’d you manage that?”
“Trace took Patrick to the ball field. He wants to play T-ball, even though he can barely hold the bat.”
“So, rather than taking advantage of a little time to yourself, you just happened to come by here?”
“I had a check for Jess, but then I heard you were stopping by to pick up Sam Winslow and I was hoping to catch a glimpse of both of you. Apparently I missed Sam, but here you are.”
“Sorry you’re not getting a twofer,” Carrie teased. “And why would you want to meet Sam, anyway?”
“The O’Brien rumor mill has been buzzing. I wanted to see if there was any truth to what I was hearing.” She gave Carrie a chiding look. “You might have mentioned yourself that you’d met a nice young man.”
“Everybody is making way too much of this,” Carrie said. “Sam’s single and he’s attractive. However, he just started a new job and he just assumed custody of his nephew after a terrible tragedy. I’m sure he’s not looking for a relationship any more than I am. We both are way too busy trying to get our lives on track.”
“And yet you’re taking time this morning to have Nell teach you how to cook,” Abby said. She grinned. “Clever move, by the way.”
“It wasn’t some sort of ploy,” Carrie claimed. “Sam can’t cook. He has a six-year-old who needs to eat.”
“Very logical,” Abby said, her eyes sparkling. “And you? Where did your sudden desire to learn your way around a kitchen come from? Up till now you’ve been perfectly content to take your meals with family or at the pub or Sally’s. And I know you’d have a ton of frequent diner points at Panini Bistro or the pizza place if they offered them.”
“And who set that example for me?” Carrie retorted, drawing a startled laugh from her mom.
“Touché. I am a master of takeout. Thankfully that hasn’t driven Trace away yet. He knew what he was getting when he married me, and it wasn’t gourmet cooking.”
Since she’d managed to one-up her mom and doubted she’d pull it off again, Carrie stood up. “Mom, I’d love to stay and chat, but I really do need to pick up Sam and Bobby and get over to Gram’s.”
“Fine. Go, but I expect to meet them very soon. If you don’t bring them around, I’ll go looking for them. At least I know where to find the lot of you on Saturday mornings. You’ll be in Nell’s kitchen.” She grinned. “How convenient!”
“Weren’t you banned from Nell’s kitchen a long time ago?”
“Only if I try to get near the stove,” Abby retorted, laughing. “Now go. Have fun.”
“Love you,” Carrie said, kissing her cheek.
“Hey,” Abby called when she was just a few feet away.
Carrie turned back.
“I hear you’ve decided to stay in town. I’m so glad about that. We all are.”
“Boy, it didn’t take Grandpa Mick long to spread that word.”
“I suspect he was texting before he left your house,” Abby replied. “He said it was the best news he’d had in weeks.”
“I’m glad I could make his day.”
It remained to be seen if the decision was going to work out half as well for her, but she was definitely hopeful.
* * *
Kevin’s offer to pick them up for T-ball had been a stroke of genius, Sam thought as he watched Bobby shadowing the older, very friendly Davey on the field. Soon Bobby was talking to other boys his own age, taking his turn at bat and listening closely to whatever the coaches had to say.
Of course, Sam also noticed that Bobby never went more than a couple of minutes without glancing his way. With some kids, he suspected that would be no more than a quick check for parental approval, but in Bobby’s case, Sam had a feeling it was another example of the boy’s need to reassure himself that Sam was close by.
It was Bobby’s team’s last at-bat when he felt Carrie’s presence nearby. He turned and grinned at her. “We’re almost done.”
“How’s he doing?”
“The kid has pretty good eye-hand coordination. He’s had more hits than the other kids on the team. That’s made him an instant hero.”
She glanced around the field and spotted Bobby waiting for his turn at bat. He was laughing with another little boy. For the first time since she’d set eyes on him, he looked like every other child his age having a great time at the ball field.
“Whose idea was it for him to play T-ball?” she asked.
“His. He asked if there were teams. I checked with Kevin and here we are.”
“He’s obviously played before.”
“Apparently,” Sam said. “Not that I knew much about his life before I got custody. Thankfully he’s starting to speak up about the things he likes to do.”
Carrie gave him a curious look. “You knew about his fondness for the jungle gym.”
“My sister sent pictures from time to time. It was one of her ways of keeping the lines of communication open. When we spoke, we tended to butt heads, so we didn’t do it often.”
“That surprises me,” Carrie said. “Especially since she trusted you to take custody of Bobby.”
“It surprised me, too,” Sam confessed. “I think maybe she thought it would never come to that.” He sighed. “I guess now I’ll never know what she was thinking.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
The batter before Bobby was called out at first base, and the game ended before he could go to bat. He dropped the bat and ran to Sam, his face flushed with excitement.
“Did you see me? I got two hits!”
“I saw,” Sam said. “You’re pretty good.”
“Not just pretty good,” Bobby corrected. “I’m great!”
“Well, definitely no lack of confidence when it comes to T-ball,” Sam said dryly. “I haven’t heard you say hi to Carrie, yet.”
“Hi,” Bobby said, instantly shy.
“I only saw the last couple of minutes of the game, but I heard very good things about how well you played,” Carrie said.
“Maybe you could come next week,” Bobby suggested.
“I’d love that. Maybe I will.” She ruffled his hair. “Are you ready to learn to cook?”
Bobby looked doubtful, so Sam stepped in. “I certainly am, especially since you told me we get to eat what we cook.”
Bobby’s expression brightened at once. “We do? Then I hope we’re learning to make cookies.”
Kevin approached just then with Davey and Johnny in tow. “We’re going to Sally’s for milk shakes, Bobby. You want to come along?” He glanced at Sam. “I can bring him by Gram’s after that.”
Sam watched Bobby closely. At first the idea of a postgame treat seemed to interest him, but then he gazed up at Sam.
“You wouldn’t be there?”
“I can’t go, buddy. I’m going with Carrie for that cooking lesson, but you can go if you want to.”
Bobby took his hand and held on tight. “No. I want to go with you.”
Kevin gave him an understanding look. “No problem. Maybe next time.” He gave Carrie a quick kiss on the cheek. “Don’t wear Gram out.”
“It’s more likely to be the other way around,” Carrie said.
When Kevin and his boys had gone, Sam realized Bobby was regarding Carrie with curiosity.
“How come Kevin kissed you? Is he your boyfriend? I thought Shanna was his wife.”
Carrie laughed. “She absolutely is. He’s my uncle. He and my mom are brother and sister.”
“Did you ever live with him?”
“Just for a little while at my grandpa’s house when we first moved back to Chesapeake Shores. Then my mom got married again and we moved to another house.”
“Oh,” Bobby said, his expression thoughtful as if he was trying to fit together a puzzle.
“You guys ready?” Carrie asked.
“We can’t wait, right, Bobby?”
“I guess,” he said, sounding doubtful.
Carrie leaned down and whispered something in his ear that made him smile.
“What did you tell him?” Sam asked as they walked to the car.
“That no matter what we cooked, there are bound to be cookies. And if I know Gram, she’ll have a whole plate fresh from the oven when we get there.”
“Isn’t that great?” Bobby asked excitedly.
“Best news ever,” Sam agreed.
He wasn’t holding out a lot of hope that whatever he and Carrie learned to make would be received quite so enthusiastically.
* * *
Sam glanced across the small butcher-block island in Nell’s kitchen and smiled at the frown of concentration on Carrie’s face as she diced vegetables into perfectly matched pieces.
“Need a ruler?” he inquired.
She scowled at him. “Gram said they should be the same size so they cook through evenly.”
“I’m not sure she meant you had to be quite that precise,” he said, grinning as he gestured to his own haphazardly diced veggies.
“I guess we’ll see when she and Bobby get back from checking out the garden and picking the fresh herbs we need,” Carrie said, finally putting down her knife and regarding her neat piles of vegetables with obvious satisfaction.
Sam glanced out the window and saw Nell leaning down to listen to Bobby as they walked toward the house. To his surprise and relief, Bobby had been chattering nonstop ever since he’d met Nell. Either it was her natural warmth or the chocolate-chip cookies just out of the oven, but she’d won Bobby over at once.
Carrie followed the direction of his gaze and smiled. “They make quite a pair, don’t they?”
“Is she this way with all kids, sort of a natural Pied Piper?”
“Pretty much. When my grandmother left my grandfather while my mom was a teenager and her siblings were still pretty young, Gram moved in and took over. There were five of them and it could have worn her out, especially with Grandpa Mick on the road with work so much. Instead, she always said that being around them and the great-grandchildren who’ve come since has kept her young. She has this free spirit that all of us appreciate. And watching her fall in love with Dillon all over again when they reconnected in Dublin was an inspiration.”
Willow Brook Road Page 11
