by Tess Brennan
“And you’ve given them the special Kate touch, as always.” Grace looked up at her son with identical blue eyes. “Kate loves to make everything into something special.”
“Does she now? No wonder you’re friends.” Tolly glanced at Kate with a wry grin. “Mom didn’t have daughters, so she made her sons suffer afternoon tea parties instead.”
“And now you have an appreciation for it, and you bring me the latest in coffee machines,” Grace said with satisfaction. “Kate likes cappuccino, Tolly, and she’s fussy about the way the milk is stretched.”
Kate blushed. “Grace. I’ll take it as it comes, you know that.”
“Huh. So you say.” Kate lifted the mug to her lips, sipped and sighed in satisfaction. “You do make a good cup of coffee, Bartholemew, I’ll give you that.”
He shook his head and went to the kitchen, taking the box of cookies with him.
“All right, tell me. What’s wrong?” Grace said as soon as he had left the room.
“What’s wrong?” Kate repeated, playing for time. Was it that obvious? “Nothing. Why?”
“Nothing?” Grace shook a finger at her. “I might have known you only a little more than a year, but that’s enough time to know when something’s up. You get that look about you.”
“What look?”
“Stop stalling. That look. What’s upset you? Tell me before Tolly comes back.”
Despite herself, Kate laughed. “You’re incorrigible. It’s too long a story. I’ll tell you after Tolly’s gone.”
“He’ll be here for months. I can’t wait that long.”
Startled, Kate stared at her. “For months? But doesn’t he have a business to run in LA?”
“He’s promoted some hot shot to be his CEO – says he’s decided it’s time to take a step back. Meanwhile he’s got his way about the renovations he’s been pestering me about for years.” Grace heaved a martyred sigh, but Kate saw through it immediately; she was delighted to have her son here. “He’s decided to stay here and oversee it all.”
Kate was genuinely delighted for her. Over the past year she had sensed that, although Grace enjoyed all four of her sons, Tolly was her favorite. “How lovely.”
“And,” Grace said, “he’s got a wonderful voice. I’ll make him sit next to me in church and sing loud. Drown out that dreadful Mason fellow.” Her eyes twinkled wickedly.
Kate laughed. “You can but hope.” The “dreadful Mason fellow” was a church regular who was clearly besotted with Grace. He always sat as close as he could get, and seemed to think he was impressing her with his enthusiastic rendition of the hymns of the day. Grace wasn’t the only one to wish he could be silenced.
Tolly returned with a mug that was a smaller version of Grace’s and a plate of cookies that he set on the coffee table. “You get the regular size,” he said to Kate, his mouth quirking as he nodded towards his mother. “Not everyone likes to drink their coffee from a soup bowl.”
“There are worse sins than a caffeine addiction,” Grace said comfortably. Still curious about what was up with her neighbor, she raised an eyebrow at Kate. “I thought I heard a car outside. Did you have visitors?”
Kate glanced down at her coffee and took a sip. There was no way she was going to say anything about her daughters’ issues with their father. Tolly had done nothing to deserve being ear bashed with her family issues. “Just the girls. Christmas plans, etcetera.”
“Ah.” Suspicion flashed in Grace’s eyes. Much as Kate had made light of her problems with Amy in their discussions, Grace was adept at reading between the lines. “So they’re coming?”
“Yes. I’ll fill you in later. Just coordination of what to bring, yada yada yada.” Keeping her tone light, Kate grinned at Tolly. “I won’t bore you with the details. Tell me about the renovations instead.”
Grace shot her a look that meant she’d find out more later, but she let Kate divert the conversation.
“They’re kind of multiplying,” Tolly said. “We started with a bathroom opening off Mom’s bedroom, and new closets, and some updates to the bathroom.” He opened his hands and shrugged. “That’s all I was going to do. Honestly.”
“So then I thought I should have a say,” Grace said. “Updated bedrooms for Tolly and his girls, if they want to visit too. And a new range.” She shook a finger at Tolly. “That’s all I wanted – a new range. Not a whole kitchen!”
Tolly shrugged. “If I’m going to live here for months on end, I’m not going to cook in that kitchen.”
“You’re spoiled, Bartholemew,” Grace huffed, but Kate could tell by the warmth in her voice that she would have agreed to anything.
Kate turned her attention to Tolly, intrigued. “You like to cook?” Her ex-husband had rarely set foot in the kitchen.
“Self-defense,” he said solemnly. “I learned from an early age. Have you tasted my Mom’s cooking?”
Kate bit her lip and tried not to smile, but failed.
“I take that as a ‘yes’.” Tolly inclined his head. “Don’t feel bad, Mom. You tried.”
“Cheeky,” Grace said, with a peal of laughter. “But true, I confess. Kate, tell him about the slice I made for the Church bake sale. Well, not that I baked it. Terrible things happen when I try to apply heat to food, as you know. So I thought I’d be clever and make a refrigerator slice.”
“It wasn’t that bad. You just didn’t caramelize the condensed milk for long enough,” Kate said.
“She’s being kind,” Grace said. “She needed a straw, not a cake fork.”
“Nobody cared,” Kate told Tolly. “Grace took it along anyway. It added some humor to the day.”
“And Maryanne is still teasing me about it.”
“Think of it this way, Mom,” Tolly said, straight-faced. “Seeing you bounce back from one failure after another was a good example for me in business. Made me appreciate resilience.”
“Oh, you.” Grace selected another cookie. “I play on my deficiencies in the kitchen so Kate feels sorry for me and keeps bringing me food. I’m no fool.”
There was a knock at the door, and Tolly got up again with a glance at his watch. “That’ll be your friend Herb, Mom.” He grinned at Kate as he went to answer the door. “Only in a small town can you get a tradesman to come at a few hours’ notice on a Saturday afternoon.”
“Herb Agnew?” Kate asked.
“Best plumber around,” Grace said. “Known him for years. And that son of his, Mike, is shaping up to be just as good as his Dad, although he went into carpentry.” She watched the three men walk past the doorway en route to the bathroom, waved at Herb and Mike, and then fixed Kate with a determined gaze. “He’ll keep Tolly busy for a while, so now you can tell me. What’s happened?”
3
Kate raised her coffee mug to her lips with both hands and sipped slowly, not looking at Grace. She knew her friend would never betray a confidence, but she’d never told her much about Dan. Grace knew she was divorced, that the business had failed, that Dan had remarried. She was probably aware that there was not much money around.
That was it.
Grace broke the silence. “I’m sorry. I’m being nosy. Kate, you don’t have to say anything if you’d rather not.”
Kate raised her eyes and looked at Grace, and the empathy she saw on her face was almost her undoing. She bit her lip to stop the sudden emotion and put down the mug. “You know what, Grace? I think I would like to tell you.” She sighed. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
“I guessed as much.” Grace tried to look modest and failed.
Kate had to laugh. “You don’t miss a trick.”
“What can I say? I have a fatal ‘need to know’ about the world and the people in it.” Grace wriggled in her arm chair and settled her feet more comfortably on her ottoman.
“Okay.” Kate glanced at the door and then listened for a moment to make sure that Tolly and the other two men were still talking bathroom fixtures before she began. Quickly, she filled
Grace in on the background: how she had supported Dan in the early days by keeping tax records and doing invoices at night after a day’s work, then kept doing the books from home as her girls progressed through babyhood and their school years.
She managed to keep her voice level as she described the increasing struggle to keep the business afloat, and the horror stretch where they were forced to sell everything and Dan decided he’d rather be with Martine. She skipped over the lonely months in a cramped apartment while Sophie finished high school, and finished with her unbelievably good luck at finding the small house next to Grace in Hope Valley, not too far from Laredo where Sophie worked and shared an apartment with a friend.
“So there you are.” She gestured at the house next door, and then pointed at Grace. “I’ve landed on my feet. I have a lovely little house to rent as long as I want it, and I have you as a neighbor. What more could I ask for?”
Grace looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “None of that explains the look on your face today after your girls left, but we’ll get to that. I’m sorry you’ve had such a hard time, Kate.”
“Thanks. I’m fine now, really.” Seeing the expectant look on Grace’s face, she smiled. “All right. The girls’ visit.” She took a deep breath. “Amy has discovered – Lord knows how, she didn’t go into details – that Dan still has money that he didn’t disclose when we divorced. Allegedly has money. She says she has proof and she wants to hire a lawyer to make sure we all get our share.”
“And you’re upset because Dan kept it from you, when you needed that money for yourself and the girls?” Grace guessed.
Kate opened her mouth to deny it, but then paused. “Sort of. Sophie’s college fund was swallowed up, so if he kept money that could have seen her achieving her dream of being a vet, then yes, I’m upset. But I’m also upset because…” She struggled to express what she felt. “Because it’s all in the past. Amy appears to think I’ll be destitute in my old age.” She made a wry face. “But Amy also likes money, and the high life. I don’t. All I want is to be happy, and I am happy. I want nothing from Dan. In fact, I want to keep that door closed.”
Grace nodded, her eyes thoughtful. “I can understand that. But Amy doesn’t agree, I take it?”
“None of them agrees with me,” Grace said dolefully. “But if what Amy says is true, they’re angry. Angry that their father would do this to us; care so little for us. Especially when it comes to Sophie – I honestly do think her sisters want to fight this on her behalf, as much as anything.”
“And because of you, too,” Grace said. “They want you to have a financial cushion.”
“I guess. Yes. Yes, they do.” Kate tucked her feet up underneath her and gnawed on a fingernail. “Amy said some harsh things about my little house, about nobody being able to fit in if they come for Christmas. Her sisters didn’t agree, but Amy…” She shrugged. “I’m hurt, I must admit. I love that house, tiny though it is…and I didn’t think I’d brought my girls up to be so materialistic.”
“Not all three girls, by the sound of it,” Grace said practically. “Just Amy.”
Kate groaned. “Mostly, yes, I’m afraid so. I’m really scared, Grace, that she’s made the wrong decision about marrying Lachlan. He’s cold, and impatient at times, and he’s encouraging her to be the same. But what can I do?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Grace said firmly. “You don’t need me to tell you that. Amy has to forge her own path, and it’s likely she’ll make mistakes along the way. You can’t protect her from life.”
“No.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“About the Dan situation? Nothing. I’ve told the girls to count me out, but I know I’ll be dragged into the tension and arguments anyway. And about Christmas?” She shrugged again. “I’ll do what I’ve always done: enjoy the festive season, cook, help out at church, sing carols.” She grinned. “And shop. I do love to shop for Christmas presents. I feel like I’ve won the lottery when I find the perfect gift.”
“So do I!” exclaimed Grace with delight. “We must schedule at least one shopping day together.” She tapped her knee. “I deserve a day out, after being so good about the rehab exercises. The knee is almost as good as new.”
“Done. With lunch out somewhere special,” Kate agreed.
She felt warmth spread through her. A day out with Grace, chatting and comparing purchases and enjoying a relaxed lunch somewhere nice.
Then the image of Amy came to mind. If she heard about this plan, she would roll her eyes. Mom. Haven’t you got friends of your own age?
She did, of course. And most of them were not nearly as much fun as Grace, twenty-five years her senior.
Amy would never understand that.
The sound of men’s voices made her glance quickly at Grace. She didn’t want Tolly knowing any of this. Grace, reading her mind, mimed zipping her lips before the men appeared in the doorway.
“Herb can make a start next week or schedule it for the second week of January,” Tolly announced. “I said the new year would be best. We don’t need tools and sawdust leading up to Christmas. Not to mention having to share a bathroom.” He and Herb exchanged amused looks. “And Mike has some great ideas about custom-made furniture.”
Mike, a russet-haired man of about thirty who towered over his father, smiled at Grace. “You’re not allowed to know about them yet, though. So don’t ask.”
“More secrets,” Grace said, her eyes aglow. “I warn you, I’m very good at digging out secrets. Did you show Herb and Mike the brochures?”
“Sure did. You can have everything you want, Mom – and a few extras, and you can torture us all you like, we’ll never tell.” Tolly bit back a smile as he looked at Kate. “Did she tell you she wants this fancy shower with jets coming from everywhere? And piped music? Clearly I didn’t know my mother as well as I thought.”
“You’ve been away too long,” Grace said, her eyes twinkling. “Wait until you see it, Kate. It’s totally decadent. You’ll be wanting to come here to shower!”
“No! Tell me more.” Laughing, Kate let herself be drawn into a discussion of multiple shower jets and gleaming charcoal marble.
Just what I needed, she thought, while she smilingly agreed to try a different coffee blend from Tolly’s abundant supply. Good friends, laughter and some mindless chat. She’d worry about her daughters and ex-husband tomorrow.
4
Between working at the gift shop, which was always busy in December, helping to decorate the church and sewing a quilt she was making for Grace, the next week passed quickly. She gave Tolly a hand moving some furniture ready for a visit from his children, and somewhat diffidently gave her opinion on colors for the bedrooms. “It’s Grace’s home,” she told him when he asked her advice. “It should be whatever she likes.”
“And she told me to ask you. Says you have a good eye for design.”
Kate thought of the quilt she was making. It was a challenge: a picture quilt that had been inspired by Grace’s love of her garden, and particularly the flowers of Spring. Taking advantage of the fact that they were upstairs out of Grace’s hearing, she said impulsively, “Think of an excuse to come over to my house later, but don’t bring Grace. I want to show you the quilt I’m making for her. It’s light, fresh, bright… let’s base the color scheme for all the bedrooms on that.”
“Good.” He looked pleased. “I’ll bring the paint color card with me. You can choose. I’ve never been able to picture the color on the wall from a paint tile. I always left that up to my wives.” A brief shadow crossed his face.
Kate looked away so he wouldn’t see she’d noticed. His first wife had died, she knew that, and his second marriage had ended in divorce with a lot of acrimony over the division of property.
No wonder he didn’t want to go there. Well, she could understand that.
It was water under the bridge.
Tolly came over a little after six thirty, while Grace was watching the news.
The dog pushed into his leg, patently enjoying the attention, her tail wagging furiously.
“Stealing my dog’s affections?” Laughing, Kate stepped aside to let him in. She took the bag and peered inside. It contained boxes of coffee, all different flavors, with a couple of exotic teas thrown in. She frowned. “Tolly, thank you, but this stuff is expensive. A few homemade cookies don’t merit this.” She took out a box of mocha. “Just this one would be lovely, thanks. I’ve developed a taste for it over the past week, drinking coffee at your place.”
“Keep it here for when Grace and I visit, then.” Not taking no for an answer, Tolly followed her through to the tiny kitchen where she sat the bag on the counter. “We could have one now, maybe?” He looked at her hopefully, a twinkle in his eye.
So much like his mother, Kate thought, unable to hold back a smile in return. “How could I refuse? But I warn you, I can’t do it the way you do. Those fancy patterns on the top… did you go to barista training or something?”
He looked faintly embarrassed. “You got me. I just wanted to learn to make a good cup of coffee, but kind of got hung up on coffee art. Jossy hasn’t stopped teasing me about it since.”
Jossy, she knew, was his daughter Jocelyn, about the same age as Brooke. “Bet she loves it though,” Kate said, busying herself at the cappuccino machine. “She insists you do it every time you make one, right? Unless she’s a black coffee girl.”
“You guessed it.” Tolly glanced at the sitting room, visible from the kitchen. The flashing lights of the Christmas tree lent a festive air to the room. “OK if I look around? I used to come visit here, when I was a kid. Old Edna Macready used to own it, and I was the same age as her grandchildren.”
“Feel free. Don’t get lost,” Kate said wryly.
