Even though I ended up hurt, I would never forget him or what we shared. Our connection was too special, at least for me. It changed me, changed my perception of love and relationships. I knew exactly what I wanted now – what kind of love I expected, and the kind of man I needed.
And I wasn’t going to settle for less.
Having that knowledge was like a salve to the wound Ben left behind, and I thanked him for it.
On the other hand, I missed him – deeply missed him. No matter how hard I tried, that feeling wouldn’t go away, and I had a hunch it wouldn’t go away any time soon, either.
Bella pulled on my hair, interrupting my reminiscing. I smiled down at the blonde haired angel in my arms and tickled her belly. “I missed you too, doodlebug.”
She slapped both hands on my cheeks, pulled my face down to hers, and planted a sloppy, open-mouth kiss on my lips.
I laughed and wiped my mouth. “We’ve got to work on all that slobber, little lady.”
“Sam, Sam, Sam,” she chanted.
“Right here, doll-face,” I cooed, tickling her again, and gained a squeal of delight.
Clara slid an arm around my waist and gave me a side-hug. “It’s good to have you back.”
“You’re just sick of workin’ at the B&B,” I teased, returning the hug.
She snorted out a laugh. “That’s only part of it.”
Mom closed the back hatch of Clara’s red Cadillac SRX, having put my bag into the back. We were standing in the parking lot at the airport. I’d taken one of the small puddle jumpers from Charlotte to Asheville, unlike my last flight, so they didn’t have to drive so far. I booked the flight as soon as I heard it was only going to be Mom and Clara picking me up. I didn’t want them to have to drive over three hours to Charlotte with a baby in tow.
“It’s not like she didn’t have any help,” Mom added, walking closer. “We had it covered.”
“Forgot how much work it is, didn’t you?” I goaded her.
She rolled her eyes. “England didn’t take the smart-ass out of you, I see.”
“Never,” I vowed.
Clara laughed and took Bella from my arms. “Come on, you two. Let’s get on the road,” she said and strapped Bella into her car seat. “You have plenty of time to bicker in the car.”
“We don’t bicker,” I protested, though it was very true.
“Is that right?” Clara drawled sarcastically.
“Pft,” I blew out haughtily and flipped her the bird.
“In,” she demanded.
I ambled around to the other side and climbed into the back seat. Bella let out another squeal when she saw I’d be riding next to her.
God, I loved this little girl. When, and if, I had a daughter, I’d want her to be like Bella, smart as a whip and full of life.
About half an hour into the drive, Mom stated, “You’re awfully quiet.”
Somehow she’d turned slightly and was staring back at me without me realizing she was doing it – I’d been lost in my head, thinking about Ben again.
Wonderful.
My mother was a force of nature. If she suspected something was wrong with one of her children, by God, she was going to do everything in her power to find out what it was. Once that was done, she’d proceed to fix it somehow.
There was no fixing what was wrong with me.
“Just jetlagged,” I explained. “I’m exhausted.” Thankfully, a yawn slipped out, supporting my claim.
Mom narrowed her eyes, still suspicious, but she turned back around.
“So…” Clara began, catching a glimpse of me in the rearview mirror. “I’m surprised you’re not chattering away about all the cool things you got to see and do.”
“Trust me, once I’m back to one-hundred percent, you won’t be able to get me to shut up. I had the time of my life.” I remembered something that I knew would throw them off of questioning me. “You would never believe who I met.”
Curiosity lit Mom’s face. “Who?”
“There was this bartender; her name was Lyric,” I explained, and inside I was wishing I had exchanged numbers or email addresses with her. Like Ben, in such a short time, I really liked her. Maybe I could ask Dr. Melbourne for her number. I was sure he’d have a way of contacting her. I needed to apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. “She was really cool. She had all sorts of colors in her hair, tattoos, and tons of piercings-”
Mom interjected, “Good Lord, Samantha. What in the world were you doin’ with someone like that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Judgmental much?”
Mom scoffed but didn’t say anything else.
My point was made.
“She was sweet. She took me out and showed me around. I got to meet her brother, too. They were the complete opposite. I mean, she was wearing a pink leather mini skirt, and he was in an expensive three-piece suit.”
“Wow,” Clara responded, laughing.
“Yeah. Crazy, right? Anyway, we were sittin’ around talkin’, and they asked me where I was from. When I told them Bliss, they freaked. Apparently, Dr. Melbourne is their great uncle.”
“No way!” Clara cried. “What a small world!”
“That’s what I said. I was floored.”
“You know, I just met-”
Mom’s phone rang before Clara could finish her sentence. Mom answered, saying, “Hey, honey. Guess who’s finally home!” She turned again and ordered, “Say hello to your father, Sam.”
Humoring her, I called out, “Hey, Dad.”
Mom smiled and went back to her conversation with him. “Yeah, we’ve been on the road for half an hour. We’ll be home soon.” She paused and made some sounds of agreement. After a minute of this, she shouted, “What?!”
Clara met my eyes in the rearview mirror. We’d never heard Mom’s voice that shrill.
“Well, that’s good then,” Mom said, relieved. “Oh, the poor thing.” She paused again, listening intently to whatever Dad was saying. “Yeah, I agree. That will do him some good. I’m glad his father thought of it. Who was it?” She paused again. “Hmm. Fine, don’t tell me. When he comes by in the mornin’, I’ll invite him and his son over for dinner on Sunday. They’ll need to know someone from town. Lord knows someone needs to look after them and steer them in the right direction. Could you imagine Becky Holt gettin’ to them first?”
My lip curled in disgust.
I hated that woman.
She was the town’s busy body and didn’t have a filter. She spouted off anything and everything, wanting to stir up trouble. Poor Clara had a run-in with her earlier this year. It wasn’t pretty. I thought Grey was going to kill someone, namely Becky.
Still, I was curious. Who was she talking to Dad about, and why did she freak out so badly at first?
Mom and Dad talked for a few more minutes and then she disconnected, stuffing her phone back into her purse.
“So…” I drawled. “What was that about?”
Mom huffed and folded her arms. “Some teenager took a joyride in our front yard. He destroyed the whole thing.”
“What?!” Clara and I cried in unison, appalled.
Mom loved her yard. During the spring and summer months, she was always in her garden fiddling with some new plant or flower. I was surprised she wasn’t having a full-blown meltdown right now.
“Your dad tracked down his father. As punishment, his father is makin’ the boy lay down all new sod. Obviously, he’s buyin’.” No wonder she wasn’t apocalyptic. “The boy didn’t even have his license yet.” She shook her head, sighing woefully. “He’s been goin’ through a rough patch since his parents’ divorce. They just moved to town last weekend to start over.”
“Damn…they just got here and the boy’s already startin’ trouble,” I pointed out. “He’s not gonna make any friends if he continues to be a dick.”
“Sam,” Mom snapped. “Language. There’s a child in the car.”
“Bella’s a baby. She doesn’t know any better.”
>
“Wait ’til she repeats it,” Clara interjected. “She said S-H-I-T the other day after Grey let it slip. We both realized we needed to watch our mouths now.”
“You’re gangin’ up on me?!” I cried in mock horror and pointed at Mom. “With her?!”
Clara snickered. “You are something else, Sam.”
“Somethin’ special, you mean,” I quipped, shooting her a wink.
“Anyway…” Mom sang, interrupting us. “Back to the topic at hand. Another part of the boy’s punishment is to help out with whatever we need whenever we need it.” Mom chuckled. “That was a good one. The father must have a good head on him to make that the terms of his punishment.” Mom shot a glance at me. “Grey’s gonna put him to work at the B&B. You two always have somethin’ that needs to be done, and Grey’s a good role model. It might help the boy out some.”
“Isn’t that a bit much?” I was starting to feel bad for the poor fella. “We can’t work the kid to death.”
“Like Grey would do that,” Clara complained, offended.
I chuckled. “He does it to me all the time. Sam, do this; Sam, do that. It’s never endin’ with that man.”
“And you’re any better? You practically live at the B&B,” Mom objected.
“Maybe…” I allowed.
“Speakin’ of,” Clara said. “I have to stop by the B&B and grab something from Grey. Do you mind if we stop before I take you home since it’s on the way?”
“I wouldn’t mind checkin’ in,” I mused.
∞
I inhaled once I stepped out of Clara’s SUV, savoring the clean mountain air, and stared at the house that meant the world to me. The three-story Victorian was as gorgeous as ever, picturesque and dreamy, with the beautiful mountains in the backdrop.
“You seem different,” Clara stated, eyeing me closely. “You’re more...I don’t know. I can’t place it.”
“Just jetlagged,” I repeated.
“Hmm,” Clara hummed, not buying it.
“Come on, you two. Let’s hurry so we can get Sam home,” Mom demanded, already heading for the front door with Bella in tow.
Clara looped her arm with mine, dragging me forward. “Yes, ma’am.”
I rolled my eyes and let Clara guide me. I examined the house and grounds, making sure Grey had kept up with everything like he was supposed to. It looked the same as it did when I left, which pleased me.
“How many guests do we have this week?” I asked Clara. “Any cancellations?”
We were usually booked solid. North Carolina was breathtaking year round, whether it was spring, fall, summer, or winter, and we had people travel from all over the place to experience it. Especially this area. The mountains were a sight to be seen.
Our large B&B held ten rooms, a spacious sitting room and dining room. There was a large patio at the right side of the house, extending all the way to the back. It overlooked half of the four acre lot. We maintained the grounds religiously and had beautiful gardens everywhere. Mom had acquired her love of gardening here, and it was then passed on to me.
We were able to charge a pretty penny for the rooms because of it. Also, we made every meal for our guests. We prorated our rates to include the price of the meals. That appealed to a lot of our guests. They were able to get real home-cooked meals while vacationing, all for the price of one.
All in all, business was booming.
“Nope. We’re at capacity.” Clara shot me a look chock-full of amusement. “Don’t worry, Sam. Everything has been going smoothly.”
“Good,” I murmured on a sigh. “It felt strange bein’ away for so long.”
“But you had fun, right?”
I flashed her a grin, thinking about my night with Ben. “Oh, yeah.”
Clara’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I feel like you’re not telling me something?”
“I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about,” I sang and dashed for the door.
“Sam!” she called out, on my heels.
Laughing, I ascended the porch steps and threw open the front door. I came to a halt when I realized the B&B was pitch black.
Before I could gather my thoughts, the lights turned on and people shouted, “Surprise!”
My mouth dropped.
A large crowd was gathered in the foyer and filled the dining room. A banner that said ‘Welcome Home, Sam!’ was strewn over the curved staircase.
What in the world?
“Surprise,” Clara murmured in my ear.
I glanced over my shoulder. “You knew about this?”
She winked. “Of course.”
Grey hooked an arm around my neck and gave me a nuggie. “Welcome home, squirt.”
“Grey!” I shrieked and wrestled out of his arms, smoothing out my ponytail. I glared at him, but he was completely unaffected – his tawny eyes danced with humor. “I hate it when you do that!”
Arms wrapped around my waist suddenly, and I was being hoisted in the air. “There’s my girl!” boomed in my ear.
I giggled. “Dad!”
I was on my feet in the next moment, and I spun around, throwing my arms around my father. He held me close, whispering, “Missed you.”
I took in his familiar scent and closed my eyes. “Missed you too, Dad.”
Since the day I was born, I was a daddy’s girl. He was my favorite person in the whole wide world. That didn’t work out well for mom, though. If she told me no, all I had to do was go to Dad and bat my lashes at him to get whatever I wanted. She gave him hell for it, but he didn’t care. He loved me fiercely, no matter what.
Dad leaned back but kept a hold of my shoulders. “Let me look at you.” His eyes – the same ones that stared back at me in the mirror every day – traveled my face, softening. “Pretty as ever, but that’s a given. It’s good to see you, precious girl.”
I beamed up at him. “You too, Dad. It feels like it’s been forever.”
“Move it, Brad,” came from behind Dad, and then Mrs. Birdie was shoving and elbowing him out of the way. I was wrapped in her arms next. “’Bout time you got back. It’s not the same ’round here without you.”
Mrs. Birdie had worked at the B&B since I was a little girl. She was in her early seventies and bustled around like she was still twenty. She always wore a Mumu, even in the dead of winter, and had her hair done religiously every Tuesday afternoon so that it was curled and styled in her short, signature look. She was the grandmother I wished I had (mine was a bit acentric), and I loved her dearly.
I disentangled myself from her strong grip and kissed her cheek. “It’s good to see you, too. I missed you.”
“Have fun?” she questioned.
“A blast.”
She waggled her eyebrows playfully. “Meet any handsome men?”
“Mrs. Birdie,” I chided, giving her a really look.
“It’s an honest question. You’ve been uptight since that jerk broke your heart. If anyone needed to get a little somethin’, somethin’, it’s you.”
My mouth dropped opened and then snapped shut. “I cannot believe you just said that!”
Something sparked in Mrs. Birdie’s expression as she smirked. “Honey, there might be snow on the roof, but there’s still fire in the furnace.”
Oh, God.
I need to bleach my brain!
The mental pictures that came along with that were gag-worthy.
Mortified, I covered my face and shook my head back and forth. “That…that’s,” I sputtered. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”
She guided my hands from my face and leveled me with a stare, the same one she used while lecturing me when I was little. “I thought about this while you were gone. It’s time you’ve calmed down.”
“Calmed down?” I parroted.
“You’re not gettin’ any younger, Sammy dear. You need to find yourself a husband. We need more babies in this house.”
Oh, lordy.
“How can you go from askin’ about me gettin’ some on
vacation to talkin’ about marriage and babies?”
Is she mad?
“Well, you have sex when you’re married, and that leads to babies. Makes sense to me,” she replied, straight-faced.
I held up my hands, my palms forward. “Nope. No more. I’m too tired to have this conversation.”
“Here,” Adam said and slapped a beer in my palm. “You look like you needed that.”
He took a drink from his beer as Mrs. Birdie stated, “You too, Adam. It’s time you settled down and found a wife.”
Adam choked and nearly spewed beer everywhere. Wide-eyed, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I…err…what?” He glanced at me, wanting an explanation…or maybe he wanted to be saved. I didn’t stick around to find out.
I slinked away as Mrs. Birdie continued, “Adam, you go through women like you do underwear. I’m surprised your ding-ding hasn’t fallen off yet.”
I was going to pay for that later.
Working my way around the house, I said hi to different friends and family. The beer Adam handed me didn’t help my drowsiness in the least. I started yawning every other second, so I escaped into the kitchen, needing a break.
Grey was slipping a beer from the fridge as I walked in. Noticing me, he grabbed another one. He passed it over and rested a hip against the counter. “Holdin’ up okay?”
“Do I look that bad?” I asked, stifling another yawn.
“You’ve looked better,” he admitted.
I stuck my tongue out at him, causing him to chuckle.
“So…” I drawled. “What’s this about a boy comin’ to work for us?”
Grey snorted. “God…I don’t know what Dad’s thinkin’. He’s gonna be trouble.”
Wincing, I replied, “That bad?”
“Yep. You should see their yard. The boy didn’t have the decency to feel ashamed.”
“From what Mom said, he hasn’t had it easy. What about the dad? How’d he react?”
“He was mortified,” Grey revealed. “I would be, too, if that was my son. Although, I’d be kickin’ some ass.”
Fated Bliss (The Bliss Series Book 2) Page 12
