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

  “I think we’re fine for now. I’ll write the letter to Jason Bowers and copy you on that. We will have to schedule another appointment to go over what you want in your new will.”

  Brooke stood. “I want everything to go to Logan if something happens to me.”

  “By everything, I’m guessing you mean whatever cash, life insurance, property … do you have an interest in the farm, or is that all in Clay’s name?”

  She frowned. “There was some mention of some portion of it being retained for Logan if the farm is sold in the future, but I don’t remember the percentage.”

  “We can talk about that next time.” He stood to walk her to the door. “I can have Liz give you a call and set up another appointment.”

  “That would be great. Thanks so much, Jesse.” She walked with him to the front door. “You don’t know how much it means to me to have someone help me sort all this out, to make sure that Logan is taken care of should something happen to me.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.” He opened the door and stepped outside. The sun had disappeared completely and the sky was turning dark.

  “Really. I can’t thank you enough.” She touched his arm. “I feel so much better knowing there’s someone I can depend on for legal advice.”

  “Always,” he told her. “I’m always here for you, Brooke. Besides, what are friends for?”

  “Are you going to watch the Halloween Parade?” she asked when they reached the end of the walk. “The kids are so excited about it. Cody and Logan are going as dueling pirates.”

  “Dueling pirates?”

  “They plan to duel with each other—with cardboard swords—as they pass the judges’ stand.”

  “Well, I certainly can’t miss that.”

  “I’ll see you there, then.”

  He waved as she got into her car, and after she’d driven away, he went back into the office, a smile on his face, thinking that subtlety was, in fact, the right way to go. After all, wasn’t it slow and steady that won the race?

  Chapter 7

  Brooke balanced the container holding her cupcakes in one hand while pushing open the door to Cuppachino with the other. Once inside the coffee shop, quiet at barely seven in the morning, she waved to Carlo and placed the container on the counter.

  “Be with you in a moment,” Carlo called to her. “Want a cup of coffee?”

  Brooke started to decline when a voice from across the room called back, “Of course she does. And she wants to come sit with me while she drinks it.”

  Brooke turned and smiled at the older woman. “Good morning, Miss Grace.”

  “Good morning, dear. You’re up and out early,” Grace replied.

  “Places to go, people to see. Cupcakes to deliver.”

  “Half decaf, half regular. Light, one sweetener,” Carlo recited to the counter girl while he unpacked the cupcakes and arranged them on a tray. “Give it to Brooke … there you go, Brooke. Here’s your carrier. The cupcakes are a huge hit. Keep ’em coming.” His voice trailed away as he went back into the kitchen.

  The young girl working the counter finished making Brooke’s coffee as per her boss’s instructions and passed the mug to Brooke, who carried it to the table near the front window where Grace sat watching the morning traffic and making notes in a small notebook.

  “Working on your column for your newspaper?” Brooke asked as she took a seat across from Grace.

  “Just doodling.” Grace closed the notebook and dropped it into the huge shoulder bag she always had with her.

  “You’re up early today yourself,” Brooke noted.

  “I’ve been up since five,” Grace told her. “Not by choice, I might add. But I thought as long as I was up, I’d get an early start on the day. We go to press this afternoon, so I do have a lot to do between now and then.”

  “Lots of news this week?”

  “Pictures from Steffie’s engagement party. The route for the Halloween Parade. The dates for leaf pickup. The usual.”

  “The party was terrific, wasn’t it?” To Brooke’s eye, Grace appeared a little subdued.

  “Oh, my, yes.” The woman perked up a bit. “The cupcakes were scrumptious. And combined with the ice cream Steffie made for the occasion … well, one has to wonder what you’ll both come up with for the wedding.”

  “I’m glad you liked the cupcakes, and yes, the Blueberry Bliss ice cream was delicious. As for what will be served at the wedding … we’re still working on that. They’re having cupcakes and wedding cakes, so we need to coordinate things. And of course, the brides need to decide on a date.”

  “Oh, they’ve already done that.” Grace waved a hand. “Tentatively, that is. It all depends on whether or not Lucy will agree to come back to take charge of the affair. You may have heard that Dallas called Lucy and got her to agree to come home next week to talk about what Dallas and Steffie want.”

  “No, I hadn’t heard, but that’s wonderful!” Brooke exclaimed. “For them and for you.”

  Grace nodded. “When I spoke with Lucy last night, she reminded me that she’s only coming home to talk, to see if it’s something she might be interested in doing.” She rolled her eyes. “As if any event planner—especially one whose business is based in Los Angeles—is going to turn down what is certain to be a huge celebrity event. The publicity is going to be priceless. So I feel comfortable in saying that Lucy will most likely take the job. I’ll be very surprised if she says no.”

  “You miss her terribly, don’t you?” Brooke placed a hand on the older woman’s arm.

  “I do. I miss her as much as I miss Ford. Maybe more, since she’s my only daughter,” Grace admitted. “You know, I had three children, but only one of them chose to stay here in St. Dennis. It makes me wonder if something I’d done—perhaps when Lucy and Ford were younger—made them want to move away and stay away.”

  “Grace, I’m willing to bet that you were a terrific mother. I think it’s probably just circumstances, you know? Lucy went into business with someone who was based on the West Coast. Ford’s job is always going to have him running around the world. It isn’t unusual to want to see more of the world than the place where you grew up.”

  “This is no world for a young man like him to be running around in. It’s dangerous.”

  Brooke nodded. How many times had she had that conversation with Eric? How many times had she asked him to make this trip his last one?

  “I’m so sorry, dear. How insensitive of me.” Grace’s eyes clouded with concern. “I know you’ve suffered a terrible loss.”

  “It’s all right, Grace. And of course I understand why you’d be worried about your son. Who wouldn’t be?”

  “Ford’s been lucky so far, but I’m afraid that one of these days, he’s going to run out of luck. He’s always in the midst of things, it seems.”

  “That’s his job,” Brooke reminded her, painfully aware of just what such a job demanded. “The UN Peacekeepers go where they’re most needed, and that’s always going to be right smack in the middle of, well, things.”

  “I worry about that boy every day,” Grace said softly. “He always ends up in the most godforsaken places. It’s always where there are civil wars and uprisings …” Her voice trailed off.

  “He’s doing what he believes in, though, right? Doing something important, something that can have a lasting effect for the good of the lives of people he doesn’t even know. I’d have to think that you were a very good mother to have produced a son who is so selfless that he’s willing to put his own comfort aside for the sake of other people.” At the last minute, Brooke had stopped herself from adding, And of course he’s putting his own life on the line. She was sure Grace knew that part and didn’t need to be reminded. No more than she had needed to be reminded when Eric was in Iraq. Brooke, more than most, understood what dangers lurked in those “godforsaken places.”

  “Ford was always a thoughtful boy.”

  “And now he’s a thoughtful man and you can
be proud of him.” Brooke finished her coffee, thinking about how she’d feel if it were Logan. She knew she’d be on the border of Lost It and Crazy every day.

  “I am proud of him. I’m proud of all my children. I just wish I could have them all together for a while.”

  “Well, maybe one of these days that will happen.” Brooke pushed back her chair and stood. “Maybe someday Ford will quit and come home and Lucy will decide to give up her L.A. job and take over at the inn.”

  “A mother can dream.” Grace looked up. “Thank you, dear.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “Now, where are you running off to? Do you have class this morning?”

  “No. I’m meeting Frank at Krauser’s to go over the estimate for some work I’m having done on my brother’s old van. He said I could use it for my business, but it needs a tune-up and tires and God knows what all else. Plus, I’m having it painted.” Brooke reached into her bag. “Here’s how I want it to look.”

  She laid her sketch on the table in front of Grace.

  “Oh, my. Clay’s van, you say?” Grace’s glasses slid forward as she leaned over the drawing. “Does he know you’re doing this?”

  “He said I could paint it however I wanted.” Brooke grinned. “That’s what I want.”

  “Well, I can’t wait to see it.” Grace folded the paper and handed it back to Brooke. “I’m sure it’s going to be the talk of the town …”

  “Mom, thanks for picking me up. It would have been a long walk home. Not that I couldn’t use the exercise,” Brooke hastened to add as she slid onto the passenger’s seat of her mother’s car. Brooke had driven the van to Krauser’s and left it there.

  “You and me both,” her mother, Hannah, replied. “All those cupcakes we’ve been forced to sample.” She sighed heavily. “I suppose someone has to do it, though.”

  “If you’re worried about your waistline, you could always let Clay do the sampling.”

  “A mother never sends her children someplace she herself would not go,” Hannah said archly before breaking into a grin. “Besides, if you think I’m going to let him have all the fun, you’re crazy.”

  “Glad you don’t mind pitching in.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it.” Hannah put on her left turn signal and checked her mirrors before turning. “So when does Frank think the van will be ready?”

  “He thought probably by Tuesday. I can’t wait to see it when he’s finished.” Brooke glanced out the window. “Mom, you missed the turn.”

  “We’re not going right home.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I want to show you something,” Hannah told her.

  “Animal, vegetable, or mineral?”

  “You’ll see in just a moment.”

  After another left turn, a right, and another quick left, Hannah stopped the car in front of a short row of newly constructed town houses. The Realtor’s sign that stood on the newly sodded front lawn of the end unit boldly announced that the house had been sold.

  Hannah turned to Brooke. “Let’s go inside for a quick tour.”

  Without waiting for her daughter to reply, Hannah jumped out and waited for Brooke to join her on the sidewalk in front of the “Sold” sign. Puzzled, Brooke followed her to the front door, where Hannah took a key from her pocket and fitted it into the lock.

  “Mom, why do you have the key? Are you going to sell real estate again? ’Cause if you are, you might note that this one has been sold.”

  “I have the key because I bought it.” Hannah pushed the front door open and gestured for Brooke to enter.

  Brooke remained frozen to the spot. “You bought it? You mean, you bought this house?”

  Looking pleased with herself, Hannah nodded. “I did.”

  “So it’s what, an investment? You’re going to rent it out? Maybe to tourists?” Brooke stepped inside and looked around. “Oh, nice. I like the way the bookshelves go all the way to the ceiling on either side of the fireplace.”

  “No,” her mother said.

  “You don’t like the bookcases?” Brooke frowned. “I suppose you could have them taken out, but—”

  “No, I mean I didn’t buy it as an investment. I bought it to live in.”

  “Live in? You mean you—”

  “Don’t you love this kitchen?” Hannah’s voice trailed down the hall as she walked to the back of the house. “Look at the view of the Bay from back here. Do you know I’ve lived in St. Dennis all my life and I’ve never been able to see the Bay from my house? My bedroom upstairs has a wall of windows with this view.”

  “You mean you’re moving out?” Brooke frowned. “Why would you move out? The farm is your home—”

  “No, sweetheart, the farm is Clay’s home.” Hannah brushed sawdust from a counter and leaned on it. “It belongs to him.”

  “Did he say something that made you feel that you weren’t welcome there?”

  “Of course not. He’s been as generous letting me stay there as he has been with you and Logan.”

  “Then I don’t understand.”

  “Your father and I would have been married forty-five years come March, did you know that?” Hannah walked to the French doors that overlooked the backyard and opened and closed first one, then the other.

  “I knew it was fortysomething coming up, yes.” Brooke wondered where this was going.

  “I lived every day of my married life on that farm with him, until we retired and moved to Myrtle Beach, which, in retrospect, was probably not a good idea. I don’t think your father ever really adjusted to life off the farm. It was all he ever knew.”

  “I thought he liked playing golf and the boating and all the other activities he got involved in.”

  “He said he did, but I really think those activities were just a substitute for what he missed. It was merely a means to keep moving. I don’t think he ever saw any of it as particularly useful.” Her mother relocked the doors and began to stroll around the kitchen, opening and closing the cabinets. “I’ve never had a new kitchen before. Or new bathrooms, for that matter. Oh, we did remodel a bit over the years, but I never lived in a new house, one where I got to pick out everything myself. I think I’m going to like it.”

  Hannah opened a pair of louvered doors. “Pantry,” she told Brooke. “And there’s a laundry room right back—”

  “I’m not following why you can’t stay at the farm. Is it just because you wanted a brand-new house?”

  “I can’t live there without your father, Brooke. I see him everywhere I look. I hear Clay coming down the steps, and I think it’s Dave. Funny how Clay’s footfalls on the stairs sound so much like his father’s.” She turned to her daughter with tears in her eyes. “I just can’t live in that house, sweetie. After your dad died, and I stayed in Myrtle Beach for a few months alone, before you and Logan came to stay with me, I missed him terribly. But nothing like I do when I’m at the farm. He’s everywhere there. Our life together is everywhere.” She shook her head. “I just can’t live there without him, honey.”

  “And here, in this new house …” Brooke went to her mother and took her hands.

  “There’s no sound of him here. No memories except the ones I bring with me. The first time I walked in the front door I realized there was nothing of Dave here. In many ways, that saddened me more than I can say. But in others, it was a relief.”

  “You think you’ll be all right with that? Alone here?”

  “I think I will.” She looked around at the kitchen that would be all hers, then into the dining room, where the contractor had yet to hang the light fixture she’d picked out. “I’m hoping I’ll be able to sleep a little better at night, anyway.” She smiled wanly. “I figured it’s worth a try.”

  “If it doesn’t work out—”

  “Then I can rent it and move back to the farm, but I hope it doesn’t come to that. Clay is such a good sport, and he’d never say anything, but it has to be hell, living with his mother at his age. It has to be cra
mping his style something fierce.”

  “Clay’s like Dad. All he thinks about is the farm. Besides, he’s lived there all this time, even when you and Dad lived there, and it didn’t bother him.”

  “When your father was alive, before he retired and we moved, Clay lived in the tenant house. He lived there from the time he graduated from college until we turned the farm over to him. He didn’t move into the main house until we moved out. And I don’t expect Clay to be single forever.”

  “He isn’t even dating anyone right now.”

  “Hopefully, once I move out, he’ll be more inclined to find someone.” Hannah gave Brooke’s hands one last squeeze.

  “I’m sorry. I never realized how hard it must be for you.” Brooke shook her head. “I, of all people, should have known …”

  “Don’t be silly.” Hannah smoothed the hair back from her daughter’s forehead. “I don’t expect either of you to be a mind reader.”

  “Still, we should have—”

  “No, you shouldn’t.”

  “Does Clay know? About this house?” Brooke asked.

  “I told him at lunchtime.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Pretty much everything that you just said.”

  “Are you sure that this is what you want?”

  “This is exactly what I want. More importantly, it’s exactly what I need.” Hannah put an arm around Brooke. “Moving back to the farm was really just an attempt on my part to hold on to my old life. That really hasn’t worked out so well.” She shrugged. “So I figure it’s time to make a new life for myself. By myself.”

  “When are you going to move?”

  “As soon as the contractors finish up a few details and the Realtor gets the place cleaned. Probably no more than a week.”

  “You’re sure you’re okay with this?”

  “I’m more than okay. I’m looking forward to it.” Hannah took Brooke by the hand. “Come on, let me show you the upstairs. Wait till you see my bath …”

  Her mother’s new bath was gorgeous. Her bedroom was everything anyone could want, with a huge walk-in closet and double doors leading to a small porch that looked out over the Bay. Hannah had opened the doors and a crisp breeze floated in, and Brooke had had to concede that the house was darned near perfect.