by Darcy Burke
“And wash your hands,” Gram added.
Kelsey laughed softly. “Definitely washing my hands. Thanks, George.” She started toward the back, casting a backward glance at the two of them as George guided Gram to the bar. Kelsey decided to take her time.
About ten minutes later, after clearing her early departure with the assistant manager, Kelsey walked to the bar, where Gram was just finishing a sample of something. “George, are you plying my grandmother with alcohol?”
His dark gray brows shot up his forehead. “She can’t come in to the Archers’ flagship pub and not try some beer.”
Kelsey had to agree with that.
Gram set her empty glass on the bar. “There you are, dear. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten me.” Her teasing smile said she didn’t think that at all.
“I’m ready if you are.” The way things were going between Gram and George, Kelsey could see Gram wanting to stay a bit longer.
“Oh, I’m ready. It was a long drive from Chehalis. There was an accident on the I-5 bridge.”
That had to have added at least an hour to her trip. “Sorry to hear that. I’ll make you some cocoa when we get to the apartment.” Kelsey had fond memories of Gram making her hot cocoa with fluffy marshmallows. Now she could return the favor. Except she was pretty sure she only had envelopes of cocoa with those tiny marshmallows that were anything but fluffy. Not quite the same thing.
Gram chuckled. “Sounds good.” She hopped off her barstool, proving that age was just a number, and flashed George a smile. “I will see you around, Mr. Wilson.”
“I’ll look forward to it, Ruby. And since we’re first-naming here, you’d better call me George. Or Lummox. That works too.”
Everyone laughed, and Kelsey led Gram from the pub. Once outside, she turned her head to look at her grandmother in wonder. “I’ve never seen you flirt before.”
“That’s because Grandpa was always around.” He’d died only about two and a half years ago. They’d had a warm, loving marriage, but this was a different side of Gram. “Although I think we flirted. Didn’t we?”
“Yes, but that was to be expected—you were Gram and Grandpa! My apartment is there.” She pointed to the building across the street and gestured for them to cross, but stopped short at the curb. “Wait, where are you parked?”
“In the lot behind the pub,” she said. “I’ll need to move it to your parking lot or wherever it is you keep your car. Do you really live there?” Her gaze went back to the old building that Kelsey called home.
“Yes, and, uh, the parking is a problem. My apartment doesn’t have a lot or a garage.” She actually paid the auto shop four blocks away to keep her car in their lot.
The wrinkles in Gram’s brow formed deeper crevices as she frowned. “I see. I suppose I should’ve let you know I was coming. I just got a bee in my bonnet, I guess. Well, where can I park for tonight? Tomorrow, I should probably head back to Chehalis.”
Kelsey hated the resigned tone in Gram’s voice, and she wasn’t going to let her suffer with Mom and Todd. “Nonsense. You can stay as long as you like.” She might change her mind once she saw Kelsey’s apartment, but it was still probably better than Mom and Todd’s house. “I’m just going to dash back inside and tell George about your car. You can leave it there overnight. We’ll figure something else out tomorrow.”
“I’ll need my bags too,” Gram called after her. “I left them in my car.”
A few minutes later, with Gram’s luggage in tow, they crossed the street and Kelsey unlocked the door to the stairs leading up to her apartment. She insisted that Gram go on up with just her small bag, and Kelsey would manage the two larger ones in separate trips. Gram went first, and Kelsey followed, dragging the rolling suitcase up the rickety stairs.
“One of your lights is out here,” Gram said as she neared the top. There were three lights in the stairwell, and the middle one had needed replacement for going on two months. Kelsey’s landlord was incredibly nonresponsive. But he sure cashed her rent checks on time.
“I know. The landlord said he’d fix it soon.”
Gram made a soft grunt as she walked to the door to the apartment and waited for Kelsey.
Kelsey pulled out her key and gave Gram a bracing look. “It’s not much, okay?”
Gram nodded, her features determined. “I’m sure it’s very nice.”
Ha, not even close.
Kelsey opened the door and pushed it wide so Gram could precede her. She trailed her inside, pulling Gram’s case. She didn’t wait to see or hear Gram’s reaction. “I’ll just run down and get the other one.”
After parking the second suitcase in her small living room, Kelsey shut the door and bolted the lock. “Home sweet home.”
Gram’s eyes were wide as she turned to look at Kelsey. “There’s nothing ‘sweet’ about this, honey. What on earth are you doing living here?”
“Um, it’s all I can afford?”
“I had no idea! Why didn’t you tell me? I’m not poor, you know.”
Yes, she knew. Just as she knew Gram wasn’t wealthy either. She lived a comfortable but modest life, and she deserved to enjoy her life savings, not subsidize her granddaughter.
“There’s nothing to tell, Gram,” Kelsey said, trying not to sound defensive. It wasn’t that bad after all. And it was a sure sight better than her previous situation, even if she had been living in a nice house in one of the newer neighborhoods outside McMinnville, which was about fifteen minutes from Ribbon Ridge. “I’m comfortable and safe, and for now, it works.”
Gram didn’t appear convinced as her gaze roamed the small space. “At least your furniture is nice, even if you don’t have much of it. What happened to everything you and Noah had? I bought you a nice kitchen table when you moved here.”
Kelsey took a deep breath. She hated talking about Noah but knew he was bound to come up. “He ran up a bunch of debt in my name. I had to sell a lot of things to pay everything off.” And she’d finally settled the last credit card bill a few months ago, which just left her student loans.
Gram gasped softly and moved toward Kelsey. “Kelsey honey, why haven’t you said anything? What you went through with him was bad enough. I know you’re extremely independent—always have been—but sometimes you just have to let family help you.”
That was easier said than done, especially when your own mother said you had to live with your mistakes. And independent? Noah had made sure she wasn’t. Which had made it especially important for Kelsey to pick herself up.
Kelsey moved past Gram and set her purse on the small kitchen table she’d picked up at Goodwill. “You were busy with Grandpa. He was really sick when all that was happening.”
That had been the worst year. All the problems with Noah and then losing Grandpa… Kelsey really didn’t want to revisit any of it. She spun around and gave Gram a bright smile. “Anyway, it’s all in the past, and I’m doing really well. I love living here, and the new library is going great.”
Gram came toward her and took her hand. “I’m glad, dear. It makes me so happy that you’re finally pursuing what you’ve always wanted.”
“Thank you.” She gave Gram’s hand a squeeze before letting it go. “So, I only have one bedroom. I want you to take the bed, and I’ll take the couch.”
Gram turned her head to look at the living room, which was only large enough for the couch, a small coffee table, and a floor lamp. “I feel terrible for intruding on you like this.”
“Please don’t. It’s actually nice to have company.” Kelsey had never invited anyone up here. She’d been too embarrassed for people to see how she lived, but having Gram here gave her courage—and peace. “Come on, I’ll show you the bedroom and bathroom.”
“Okay, but Kelsey?” Gram’s features hardened. “If I ever get my hands on that Noah Putnam, he’s going to wish he’d never been born.”
Only if Kelsey didn’t get a shot at him first.
Chapter Four
&n
bsp; “Get the fuck out of the bathroom!” Luke yelled as he pounded on the door for the third time.
“Language!” Jamie responded loudly, citing their mother’s oft-repeated admonishment. “You could ask nicely.”
“Get the fuck out of the bathroom, please.” Luke slammed his fist against the wood again. “You said you’d be ten minutes. That was twenty minutes ago. Meanwhile, I’m going to crawl out of my skin if I don’t get this dirt off me.” He’d come from the vineyard without showering at the winery, which he typically did. He’d wanted to get home because their mom was bringing them dinner tonight, something she insisted on doing from time to time, much to their appreciation.
At last, the door opened. And Jamie came striding out with a smug little-brother look on his face. “I made sure to leave you plenty of hot water.”
“Gee, thanks.” Luke scowled at him as he went into the bathroom to take his long-awaited and much-needed shower.
Fifteen minutes later, after he was clean and dressed, he stalked into the kitchen and went straight for the fridge and a beer. He popped the top off and turned to glare at Jamie, who was bent over the New York Times crossword puzzle on the kitchen table. “You lied. I ran out of hot water before I even finished rinsing the shampoo from my hair.”
“Oops.” Jamie filled in some boxes. “I think we need to have the landlord look at the hot water heater.”
The landlord lived across the street and was eighty-five years old. “You mean we should have Dylan come look at it? Fred isn’t going to fix the damn hot water heater. Anyway, I don’t think that’s the issue.” It’s you using all the hot water.
Jamie glanced up. “What? Oh. Sorry.” He went back to scratching his pencil over the newspaper. He was almost done.
“Did you just start that when I got in the shower?”
“Not quite.” He shrugged. “I dunno. I wasn’t paying attention.”
Typical. Those sorts of details didn’t always hit his radar. He was too busy solving crossword puzzles or complex math problems in record time.
The doorbell rang, prompting Luke to lurch away from the counter where he’d been leaning. “Don’t get up,” he said to Jamie as he walked by.
He opened the door to their mom standing on the mat, her arms laden with her casserole tote and a grocery bag. “Sorry I’m late, I had to stop and get bread, but Barley and Bran was out of sourdough. I had to get the cheaper, mass-produced kind at the store.”
She winced, and Luke knew just how much that bothered her. She prided herself on taking care of her boys, and that included giving them the best dinner she could. That sourdough bread mattered more to her than it did to them didn’t matter. She thought it should matter to them, and so she went the extra mile.
“It’s fine, Mom, thanks. Let me take that.” He still had a beer in one hand, so he took the grocery bag, which—as he’d expected—held more than just the bread. There was a sealed plastic bowl in the bottom, which certainly held salad. She’d say they needed a balanced meal. If she only knew how they typically ate… Of course she knew. It was why she brought them dinner periodically.
He stepped aside so she could move inside past him, then he closed the door with his foot and sealed it shut with his shoulder.
When they arrived in the kitchen, Jamie was setting the table.
Mom beamed at him, her green gaze shining with pride. “You’re such a good boy, Jamie.”
Luke rolled his eyes. As the youngest, Jamie was pretty much the golden child. The crossword puzzle was now on the counter, and it was finished. Brilliant golden child at that.
Mom opened her tote to reveal her lasagna, and Luke’s stomach growled. She set it in the middle of the table and went to prep the salad next. “I brought dressing. I thought I saw you were low when I was here last week.”
Luke and Jamie sat and allowed Mom to wait on them. They stopped protesting and trying to help a long time ago.
She put the salad between them with a pair of tongs. “Here’s balsamic for Luke.” She set the bottle near his bowl and put a second bottle beside Jamie’s. “And bleu cheese for Jamie.”
Jamie smiled up at her. “Thanks, Mom.”
“I actually bought salad dressing the other day,” Luke said. “We do know how to take care of ourselves.”
She waved her hand. “Oh, I know you do. I just like to do my part.” She smiled and sat down next to Jamie, opposite Luke.
They’d also stopped inviting her to join them since she always declined, having eaten with their dad earlier. Sometimes Dad came with her, but not tonight. He probably had something at the middle school where he was the principal.
“We appreciate it,” Luke said, helping himself to a large piece of lasagna. “Thanks, Mom.”
They ate for a couple of minutes while Mom caught them up on what she and Dad had been doing this week. Nothing exciting beyond their new cat attacking one of Mom’s houseplants.
“You both look like you just showered,” she said, glancing back and forth between them. “Did you just get home from work?”
Jamie answered between bites. “Yep.”
Mom frowned. “It’s eight o’clock. You boys work too much.”
Uh-oh, here it came. Luke braced himself as he slid a look toward his brother. Jamie cast his gaze to the ceiling very briefly before sending a brilliant smile toward Mom. “We’re young and single. What else should we be doing? Perhaps you’d like it better if we went clubbing or maybe dabbled in drugs?”
Mom’s gaze turned icy for a moment, then she waved her hand again. “You’re kidding. Stop that. You said it yourself: you’re both single. I can hardly believe that your brother is getting married before either one of you.”
No one could believe it. Cameron had gone through a bitter breakup after college, and it had taken him the better part of eight years to finally move on. He’d done a lot of clubbing, actually, but no drugs.
Luke picked up his beer and raised it in a toast. “Yay for Cam.”
Mom folded her arms across her chest and pursed her lips at both of them. “You’re both nice boys. Why aren’t you even dating? There are plenty of lovely young women in Ribbon Ridge.”
Jamie gave Luke a wide-eyed glance that said he clearly didn’t agree with that assessment. Luke fought not to laugh. Ribbon Ridge was a small town. Yes, there were lovely young women here, but “plenty” was perhaps a stretch. An image of Kelsey popped into Luke’s head. She was lovely. And young. And very much a woman.
Jamie served himself another helping of lasagna. “Maybe one of us will beat Cam to the altar. They haven’t set a wedding date yet.”
“Good point,” Luke said before crunching a bite of salad. “One of us could have a whirlwind romance and elope.”
Jamie nodded. “Like Sean and Tori.”
Sean Hennessy and Tori Archer had done just that and kept their marriage secret for months. Luke grinned at their mother, knowing they were torturing her but not able to stop himself. “Hell, maybe one of us is already married.”
Now it was Mom’s turn to roll her eyes. “You’re both terrible.” She speared Luke with a sharp look. “Whatever happened with Paige? She was nice.”
Luke forked up a bite of lasagna. “She was. She still is, I’m sure.”
Mom cocked her head to the side. “Then why did you break up exactly?”
“Because I moved here, and long-distance relationships suck?” Luke didn’t want to talk about Paige or why they hadn’t worked out. Mom would just pester him even more. “You have to let that go, Mom. Paige and I simply didn’t work out. I’m fine with that. You should be too.”
She exhaled. “I suppose.” She turned to Jamie. “And you, why aren’t you and Madison seeing each other anymore?”
Jamie shrugged. “We simply didn’t work out.” He winked at Luke as he picked up his beer, and Luke rushed to sweep his bottle from the table so they could toast each other.
“I think you’re ganging up on me,” Mom said, clearly growing frustrated.
Jamie set his beer down and reached over to touch her elbow. “We’re sorry. We’re just giving you a hard time, which is kind of what you’re doing. We’re both busy with work right now. We’re happy. We’re healthy. It’s all good.”
“I know. Is it so bad that I just want to see all my boys settled?” She unfolded her arms and patted Jamie’s shoulder.
Jamie finally served himself some salad, albeit a rather small helping. “You mean married. We’re quite settled, right, Luke?”
Luke wasn’t sure he agreed with that, not with their current living arrangement. He loved his brother, but he liked his own space. That he’d endured having him for a roommate for two years kind of blew his mind. However, time and money had factored into the decision to stay together. For now. Luke was just about done.
Feeling suddenly claustrophobic, he stood up and took his plates to the sink. He rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher, leaving it open as an unsubtle hint that Jamie should do the same. He wasn’t great at cleaning up after himself.
Mom stood. “I’ll go. Enjoy your lasagna. I’ll pick up the pan next week.” She grabbed the empty casserole tote and leaned down to kiss Jamie’s cheek.
Luke moved away from the dishwasher. “I’ll walk you out.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks.”
He held the door for her and closed it behind him once they were outside. The fall evening was cool, but not uncomfortably so. The scent of crisp, dry leaves and a fire from some farmer’s property filled the air.
“I’m sorry if I annoyed you,” she said as she used her remote to unlock her mini-SUV.
He moved to open the door for her. “You didn’t.”
“Good. I’m just so surprised at Cam being the first to be engaged and that you and Jamie are still living together. Honestly, your father and I gave you six months before you decided you’d had enough. Maybe you’re not as much of a loner as we thought.” She eyed him intently as a breeze stirred her blonde hair. She didn’t have much gray but was still careful to color it.
