The Chesapeake Diaries Series 7-Book Bundle: Coming HOme, Home Again, Almost Home, Hometown Girl, Home for the Summer, The Long Way Home, At the River's Edge

by Stewart, Mariah

  “No, I’m sure it will be fine. He’s mine in the afternoons.” Hannah turned to Logan. “You can stay until four thirty, all right? But when your momma comes for you, I don’t want you to be arguing. If you argue, you won’t be invited back. Got it?”

  “Got it!” Logan and Cody jumped up and down.

  “You’re still in the same house on River Road?” Hannah asked.

  Berry nodded. “We’ll have him ready at four thirty.”

  While Hannah gave Logan last-minute instructions—listen to Ms. Eberle and Ms. MacGregor, behave, mind your manners, don’t be a pest—Dallas reflected on the irony. The one friend Cody had made in St. Dennis was the son of her old nemesis, Brooke Madison. Ain’t that a kick in the pants? she mused.

  Dallas wasn’t quite sure how Berry did it, but at seven o’clock when Grant and Paige arrived with the dogs, the table had been set, wine was chilling, and most of dinner had been prepared except for the fish. Berry had shooed Dallas from the kitchen, telling her, “I work alone, dear. Please don’t try to help.”

  “But, Berry, I could—”

  “Leave. Scoot.” Berry blocked the kitchen doorway.

  For a moment, Dallas had visions of Berry coming after her with a broom. “All right, but if you need any help …”

  “I won’t. Now go upstairs and put on something with a little style.” Berry pointed up the back steps.

  “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Dallas looked down at the shirt and shorts she wore. “This is nice.”

  “Nice, schmice. Go put on one of those darling skirts you bought at Vanessa’s and one of those cute T-shirts with the rows of ruffly fabric around the neckline.”

  “You want me to dress up for Grant.” Dallas narrowed her eyes. “You had this planned all along.”

  “Nonsense, dear.”

  “Tell me this. If Grant didn’t have that shelter, would you have taken Cody to a breeder? Or to a pet shop?”

  Berry shrugged innocently. “It was all just a matter of expediency, as far as I’m concerned. Or serendipity, if you prefer. Now go. Leave. I have work to do.”

  Dallas went up the narrow back stairwell. She stopped in Cody’s room to see what he was up to.

  “Where are the dog toys you picked up before we left the shop?” she asked.

  “Downstairs on their new beds. The dogs might like to see their new toys right away so that they’ll know they’ll be staying,” he explained solemnly. “I have three toys for Fleur and three toys for Ally, remember?”

  “Don’t be surprised if they decide they like the other’s toys better, or if they want to share.”

  “They can share their toys,” he said earnestly. “They can be best friends.” He thought about that for a moment. “Best friends after me.”

  “I’m sure both dogs will be very happy here,” Dallas assured him.

  “Do you think Fleur will want to stay here when we leave?” His face clouded. “What if she wants to stay with Aunt Berry and Ally instead of coming home with us?”

  “I think that Fleur will know who her special person is, and I think she’ll be happy as long as she’s with you.”

  Dallas started toward her room to change.

  “Mom?” Cody sat on the foot of his bed. “Aren’t we lucky that we came here this summer? This is the best time I ever had in my life.”

  “Better than Disney World?” she teased.

  “Better than any place.” He nodded solemnly. “Better than anything ever.”

  “Why do you suppose that is?” she asked.

  “Because everything is fun here. Everything is happy.”

  “Everything is fun here. And I’m so very glad that you’re happy.” Dallas smiled at her son. “Now, why not go into your bathroom and wash up, then maybe put on a clean shirt for dinner? Paige and Dr. Wyler will be here very soon.”

  “Okay.” He hopped off the bed and went into the bathroom. As she walked down the hall, she could hear the water running in his sink.

  And he didn’t even argue with me about washing up or changing his clothes, she marveled as she went into her room and closed the door. What’s next?

  She changed quickly into a short denim skirt and a simple light green tee, then took a good look at her face. She never needed much makeup, she knew that, and was grateful. She wasn’t a woman to pretend not to know how beautiful she was. But she was smart enough to understand that in the long run, while it might be her looks that opened doors, life had to be about a lot more than a pretty face if it was to have any meaning at all. Unless she was doing a photo shoot, she rarely did more than the minimum. She swiped on a bit of mascara and that was all. The time she spent in the sun had given her skin color, and her lips were naturally pink. She pulled her hair back in a tail and slipped into sandals just as the front doorbell rang.

  “Yay!” she heard Cody yell as he ran down the steps. Dallas held her breath, hoping he’d make it to the bottom without falling. When she was sure he had, she went downstairs to join the group in the foyer.

  “Fleur might be just a little wet yet,” Paige was telling Cody. “She has a lot of fur, so it takes longer to dry.”

  Cody was on the floor laughing, the dog madly licking his face. When Dallas reached the bottom step, she noticed Ally sitting patiently at Grant’s feet, as if uncertain as to where she fit in, or how. Berry came in through the dining-room door and smiled at the scene.

  “Well, there is one happy boy with one happy dog,” she declared. “Dallas, we should have a camera.”

  “I have my phone.” Paige whipped it out of her pocket and began taking pictures of Cody and Fleur rolling around on the floor.

  “Ah, aren’t you just a perfect lady.” Berry walked over to Ally slowly. “Just waiting your turn, are you?”

  Berry reached out for the leash and Grant handed it over. Leading the dog, Berry walked to the stairwell and sat on the bottom step. The dog sat obediently at her feet.

  “Cody, why don’t you take Fleur outside and show her around the yard?” Berry said.

  “Come on, Fleur!” He tugged on her leash. “Oh! Wait! We got new collars and new leashes for them.” He raced into the kitchen, the white dog merrily keeping up. “Mom, can you help me get the new collar on her?”

  “I’ll do it.” Paige followed Cody.

  “Well, Grant, I’d say you’re two for two here.” Berry’s hand rested on Ally’s head, her fingers scratching behind the dog’s ears.

  “I’m glad you’re pleased, Miss B.” He leaned against one of the columns that stood between the living room and the entry hall.

  “She is exactly what I wanted,” Berry told him. “She’ll be a fine companion for me.” She looked at Dallas. “Why, I might not miss you very much at all after you leave.”

  Dallas laughed. “Replaced so easily, and by a dog. My ego is shattered.”

  “Hardly, dear. And Ally isn’t just any dog.” At the sound of her name, Ally looked up into Berry’s eyes. “No, you’re a special girl, aren’t you?” The dog turned her head and licked Berry’s wrist. Berry smiled. “Dallas, why not take Grant out onto the back porch and pour him a glass of wine? Ally and I will be along in a moment.”

  “Sure.” Dallas turned to Grant. “This way …”

  She could feel him close behind her as they went through the house to the back porch, not too close, just enough that she knew he was there. She fought back against the memories his proximity stirred up.

  “I really appreciate you taking such good care of Berry,” she said when they reached the porch. “I know you went above and beyond for her.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  She reached for a bottle of wine and stopped. Looking up at him, she asked, “Red or white?”

  “Either. Whatever you’re having.”

  She picked up the corkscrew and started to work on opening the bottle.

  “Want me to …” He offered to help.

  “I’ve got it, but thanks.” Odd that as close as Grant an
d I were, I don’t know what he drinks except for beer. At least, he used to drink beer. That’s about all we could get our hands on back then.

  “… so I’m really pleased it worked out this way. Win-win, right?” he was saying.

  “What? Oh, yes. Win-win. Definitely.” She had no idea what she’d just agreed to.

  “So how do you feel about it?” He leaned back against the porch rail.

  “How do I feel about what?”

  Grant laughed, and she knew her cover was blown. “You never were all that skilled at pretending, you know.”

  She felt her face redden.

  “Sorry. I just—”

  “No explanations necessary. I was thinking the same thing.”

  “What same thing?” She poured wine into each of their glasses.

  “How strange it is to be here, at your old house, together.” He pointed to the lawn, where Cody was tossing a ball to Fleur and Paige was trying to teach the dog to return the ball. “With our children in the yard. That is, your son, my daughter.” He took a sip of wine. “Not quite what either of us had planned way back then, but it’s the way it is.” There was a burst of laughter from the kids and he looked back over his shoulder at the two of them. “Not that either of us would trade what we have for what we might have had.” He turned back to Dallas. “I wouldn’t change a thing if it meant not having Paige. I suspect you feel the same way about Cody.”

  She nodded. “His father is one colossal creep, but Cody is the sweetest boy you could imagine. He’s everything to me.” She took a sip of wine. “But actually, what I was thinking was that I didn’t know what you liked to drink, except beer. Assuming you still drink beer.”

  “I do.” He paused. “The reason why you don’t know is because you gave me the boot before we were old enough to legally drink.”

  “I didn’t give you the boot.”

  “Of course you did.” He reached out and touched her arm. “It’s okay, Dallas.”

  “It’s not okay,” she argued, annoyed that he’d brought it up. “You make it sound as if I just dumped you for no reason at all.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you had your reasons for dumping me.”

  “No. I mean, no, I didn’t dump you, okay? So stop saying that I did. It didn’t happen that way.”

  “That’s how I remember it. Maybe your recollection is different, but I remember that last summer, visiting you at your house in New Jersey, and spending every day at your play rehearsal. Most of the nights, too, since Romeo insisted on practicing every waking minute.”

  “You knew I was going to be in that play. You knew I was having rehearsals that week and that my schedule was going to be tight. If it bothered you, why didn’t you wait until the end of the summer?”

  “Because I had a job and that was the only week I was allowed to take off. Besides, you said you’d be back in St. Dennis at the end of the summer.”

  “When I left at the beginning of the summer, I thought I was coming back. I didn’t know my mother had made other plans.”

  “So if I hadn’t come that week, we wouldn’t have seen each other at all.” He stared at her for a long moment, then laughed self-consciously. “I can’t believe we’re arguing about something that happened twenty years ago.”

  “You’re right.” She nodded. “Whatever happened back then, it’s in the past. Let’s not go back there now. As a matter of fact, maybe we should just start over.”

  Grant placed his glass on the table and extended his right hand, and she took it. “Grant Wyler.”

  “Dallas MacGregor. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Want to have dinner with me on Friday night?”

  She laughed out loud. “Well, you certainly don’t waste any time, do you?”

  The back door opened and Berry came out onto the porch, Ally off her leash and following behind cautiously.

  “It looks like a party out here,” Berry said. “I’m in the mood for a party, too. Dallas, would you pour me a glass of wine?”

  “I have it, Miss B.” Grant lifted a glass, filled it, and handed it over.

  Berry took an appreciable sip. “Lovely.”

  “How are you and Ally getting along, Berry?”

  “Famously.” Berry glanced down at the dog. “She’s a real love. Grant, you outsmarted me, but I cannot thank you enough. She’s just perfect.”

  “You’re welcome. I can’t thank you enough for giving her a good home. She deserves better than she’d gotten this past week.”

  “Indeed she does.” Berry took another sip of wine, then put down her glass. “I need to get dinner on the table or we’ll be eating in the dark. Dallas, would you give me a hand?”

  “Sure.”

  “I can help, too,” Grant told her.

  “You can help by taking Ally for a little walk around the yard.” Berry opened the back door, then paused. “I’m thinking of having the entire front fenced, Grant. What do you think?”

  “You afraid the dogs will take off?” He stood at the top of the stairs. Behind him the sun was dipping into the water, fingers of light reaching as far as where he stood. It looked like a magic trick, one intended to highlight the man and nothing else. Dallas couldn’t look away.

  “I’d like to protect them if I could. I know there are those who like those electric fences, but I’m not keen on them. If the power goes out—and God knows any good storm can knock out all of St. Dennis on any given day—then the boundary is gone. Plus, it doesn’t stop other dogs or wildlife from coming into your yard and possibly attacking your pet,” she said thoughtfully. “Suppose Fleur and Ally were in the yard, and some big vicious dog came in after them. Why, they couldn’t even flee the yard.”

  “Well, you’re right about that. It keeps your dogs in but nothing out. So if that’s a concern of yours, a physical fence is probably what you want.”

  “Any thoughts on who I might call to put one up for me?” Berry asked.

  “I’ll ask around. I’ll find someone for you,” he promised.

  “Thank you. Now, Dallas, let’s get on with it.” Berry went into the house, then popped her head back out. “You should probably tell the children that it’s time for them to come in and wash their hands.”

  “I’m on it.” Grant went down the steps, then called Ally to follow. The dog did so, though she appeared to be somewhat reluctant.

  “She’s already your dog,” Dallas observed when she went into the kitchen. “She didn’t really want to go with Grant.”

  “I hope she doesn’t think he’s taking her back to the shelter.” Berry appeared concerned. “She can’t possibly understand what’s going on.”

  “I think she understands that she’s yours now.” Dallas picked up the covered serving bowls containing the green beans and the salad and took them outside to place on the table. In the side yard, the kids were showing something to Grant. In another lifetime, they could have been our children, she thought before reminding herself that she and Grant had been kids themselves back then. She forced herself to look away from Cody and Paige, who were heading toward the house, Fleur bouncing up and down between them.

  “If we have time later, we’ll get it out and I’ll teach you how to play, okay?” Paige was telling Cody as they came up the steps.

  “We have a croquet thing, right, Mom? In there?” Cody pointed across the yard to the carriage house.

  “There used to be one,” Dallas replied. “I don’t know if it’s still around.”

  “It’s there.” He nodded. “I saw it in a box and asked Aunt Berry what it was and she said a croquet thing.”

  “Then I guess it’s still there. Did you want to play?”

  His head bobbed up and down as he opened the back door. “I don’t know how, but Paige said she’d teach me.” He looked over his shoulder at Paige with utter adoration.

  Paige ruffled his hair with obvious fondness and followed him into the kitchen, the white dog still trailing after.

  Berry opened the screened door and pass
ed out another serving dish.

  Dallas peeked under the cover. “Oh, yum. Brown rice. My favorite.”

  “It’s very healthy,” Berry sniffed.

  “I know.” Dallas grinned. “I wasn’t being sarcastic.”

  “Lucky for you.”

  Dallas moved a plate slightly to make room for the new dish. “Anything else?”

  “No, thank you. I have biscuits but I’m saving them for Cody. He said he’d like to bring something out once he and Paige are cleaned up.” Berry looked out across the lawn to the dock. “But you could walk down and get Grant after you take the salad out. The fish is almost ready and I’d like to enjoy it while it’s still warm.”

  Dallas nodded and walked to the river then onto the pier. “Grant,” she called to him. “Berry’s ready to serve dinner.”

  “Oh, thanks.” He turned away from the water with a half smile on his face. “I was just thinking about the night we took Wade’s boat and we—”

  “Don’t.” She held up a hand. “Don’t go there. We agreed that we were wiping the slate. That goes for the good times as well as the times that maybe weren’t so good.”

  He nodded slowly but didn’t say anything until they were almost to the back steps, Ally at his heels wagging her tail.

  “You know, we can pretend that certain things never happened if you want to, but the truth is that what was between us back then was very special. Some things just become a part of you, and no matter what you say, or what you do, they’re always going to be there. I’ll play along with you because pretending that we have no history together seems to make you feel better somehow, but don’t think for a minute that I don’t remember.” He paused and looked down into her eyes. “I suspect that in spite of your wanting to ‘wipe the slate clean,’ you remember, too.”

  He held her gaze for a longer moment than she’d have liked.

  “I didn’t say I didn’t remember,” she told him pointedly. “What I’d said was, whatever happened back then was in the past. And the past, as you know, can’t be changed.”

  She might have said more, but Ally ran past them to the top of the stairs, where Berry stood.

  “Dinner, dears …”