by Holly Jacobs
“How?” he asked.
She looked confused now, although not unhappy. “How what?”
“How did you know some stranger on the cliffs was me—Hank’s grandson?”
“Oh, that how. That’s easy. Hank has a wall of your photos. I’ve seen you almost every day since I moved here. I’m especially fond of the one of you in your dress blues. Sophie says you’re going to wear them for the wedding. I can’t wait to see you in them in person.”
He flinched as she mentioned the uniform he’d given up. He didn’t want to wear it to the wedding, but he wasn’t sure how to tell Colton that, so he was probably stuck, even though he’d feel like a fraud putting it on. She couldn’t have known that she’d induced yet another feeling. Sebastian found himself wishing for the grayness that had been his norm.
The woman continued, “But I think I’d have recognized you even if I hadn’t seen the pictures. Hank loves you and has missed you, so he’s talked—”
The woman—Lily—was making Sebastian feel uncomfortable. He didn’t like the thought of Hank sharing stories about him with a stranger. He didn’t like that this woman was looking at him as if she could see to his very core.
All that time he’d been in the hospital, he’d dealt with a shrink regularly. He hadn’t liked the man analyzing him. And he’d only shared the things he wanted to share. He had control over what information was disseminated. He wasn’t convinced that it had helped any, but he had the situation in hand. With this woman, however, he didn’t have control at all over what she knew about him or what things Hank had revealed.
“Speaking of Hank, I’m on my way to see him. I only stopped here—” Wait. He didn’t owe this woman an explanation for being here.
When he abruptly became silent, she continued, “I’m so glad you’re home. I need your help with Hank. He had a doctor’s appointment scheduled the other day, but he skipped it. He claimed he forgot, but this time there was none of the confusion I mentioned over the phone. He doesn’t want to hear a doctor’s official diagnosis. I’ve rescheduled the appointment, but unfortunately, it’s not for another three weeks and—”
“No.” Sebastian didn’t have to know this woman to know what she was talking about. She’d talked to him already. And she was wrong.
Hank had always been scatterbrained, but that didn’t mean he had Alzheimer’s or dementia like this woman claimed he did. Forgetting a few things only meant Hank was who Hank had always been, multiplied by a few more years. And right now, Sebastian found the thought of that comforting.
“If my grandfather, who is in his eighties, by the way, doesn’t want to go to the doctor’s, if he doesn’t think he needs one, then that’s that. You weren’t asked to schedule appointments for him or make a diagnosis.” He realized he was talking with his hands in motion, an old habit he was trying to break, and until lately, his left hand had been in so much pain he hadn’t slipped. But maybe it was a sign he was getting better, or it was a sign this woman was annoying him more than anything, because he caught himself using his left hand.
And he saw that Lily had noticed it. She took a step backward. He didn’t blame her. The hand was a mass of angry scars. The doctor said they’d fade in time and no one would pay attention to them, but that time hadn’t come yet.
“But he does need to see a doctor,” she insisted quietly. “When you’re with him—”
“Ma’am, I want to be clear. I know that you’re my grandfather’s tenant, and I know he seems to like you.” That was an understatement. When he talked to Hank, he was all Lily-this and Lily-that. “But Hank’s a grown man. I won’t make him do anything.”
Hell, he’d spent the past few months feeling boxed in, forced into places and situations he didn’t want to be in. Forced into surgeries. Forced into talking with shrinks and working with physical therapists. Now he’d been forced to separate from the marines. He’d been forced to leave the job he’d worked for, the career he loved. He’d been forced to watch his unit leave for battle without him.
No, he would never subject anyone else to that kind of treatment, especially not Hank.
He would never make Hank feel as frustrated as he’d felt.
Suddenly, it occurred to him that maybe he needed his homecoming to be without too much emotion or drama. Feeling numb was preferable to feeling as frustrated as he’d felt in the hospital.
And it was damned better than the frustration this wrinkly-eyed woman was making him feel now.
Yeah, Miss Laugh Lines here didn’t seem to understand the term even keel. She’d gone from laughing and smiling to hair-pulling aggravation in the blink of an eye.
“But he needs—” she started again.
Sebastian interrupted her. “My grandfather is an adult. I’m sure he knows what he needs better than some nosy, pushy stranger who rents a room from him.” That was all this Lily Paul was—a tenant. She hadn’t even lived in Valley Ridge for a full year. She didn’t know what she was talking about.
“It’s more than that,” she said softly. “Hank and I are business partners.”
That stopped him. “Business partners?”
“I bought a share in the diner. The accounts were a mess, and that’s part of the reason I suspect—”
Sebastian felt something else now, but this went beyond aggravation. “So you’ve not only moved into my grandfather’s house, but now you’re buying his diner. You’re pushing your way into his business and messing with his books?”
“I didn’t push anything. I bought a share. A small share. Hank was behind in paying suppliers and I offered him a loan, but he wouldn’t borrow money from me. He couldn’t pay the bills himself. I don’t think you understand the situation.” She stopped, met his stare with her blue eyes unblinking and crossed her arms over her chest, setting her baubles to clinking. “Don’t look at me like that. This was his idea. So I—”
Sebastian shook his head. “You can be sure I’ll be looking into that. I’ve heard about people who prey on the elderly.”
“You were telling me that Hank’s an adult and doesn’t need looking out for. Now you’re accusing me of taking advantage of his mental infirmity. You can’t have it both ways, Seb.”
Sebastian bristled at the childhood nickname. This woman didn’t have any right to use it. “It’s Sebastian. And Hank is an adult. I’ll thank you to remember that. But I’m not some grasping person out to... Well, I have no clue what you’re out to do. But I’m his grandson and I love him.”
“Yeah? You couldn’t prove it by me. He’s been saying you were on your way home for weeks, and rather than go see him at the diner, you’re here? Hank needs you.”
Sebastian clenched his fist in his pocket. Truth was, his hand barely made a fist, and what little there was of it sent spasms shuddering down his lower arm that served as a reminder of so many things he didn’t want to deal with. This woman was one of them.
Well, he couldn’t escape his injury, but there was nothing to say he had to stand here and allow himself to be browbeaten by an utter stranger.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find my grandfather.” He stalked away from this woman who looked like a gypsy, all wild and free, but sounded like a house-bound shrew.
He’d been waiting to feel some sense of homecoming—to feel any emotion—about coming back to Valley Ridge. And now he did. Annoyance and suspicion about this woman who’d wormed her way into his grandfather’s home and business.
Well, he was here now, and he’d take care of things.
* * *
“‘NOW, IF YOU’LL EXCUSE ME, I need to go find my grandfather,’” Lily muttered as she stormed over to Sophie’s shower. She wasn’t much of a stormer by nature, but for Sebastian Bennington, she’d make an effort.
All tall, dark-haired Lieutenant Bennington, eyeing her with suspicion. Pretty is as pretty does. She wasn’t sure where she’d heard that saying. Though in this case, the lieutenant might present himself in
a handsome package—she’d developed quite the crush on him as she’d looked at all his photos and listened to the stories of the irrepressible rogue he’d been as a kid—after talking to him for a few minutes, she didn’t find him attractive in the least.
She’d felt a momentary spurt of sympathy when she’d seen his scarred hand, but that totally evaporated quickly enough.
Lily’s friend and fellow bridesmaid—maid of honor, to be precise—Mattie Keith, appeared at her shoulder when she finally walked up to the Nieses’ cottage.
“You okay?” Mattie asked.
“Sure, I’m fine,” Lily assured her, but she wasn’t. She was angry, and since she wasn’t someone prone to anger, it made her a bit sick to her stomach. She didn’t like it. She prided herself on being upbeat and happy in the face of difficult circumstances. It was a skill she’d honed for years.
Even when she didn’t feel like being cheerful, she found that if she faked it long enough, she’d eventually fake her way out of whatever funk she was in.
Right now, she was anything but happy or upbeat, and she doubted any amount of faking would improve upon that.
She glanced at the bridal-shower decorations, which had made her smile only a half hour ago, and hoped they would jolly her out of her Seb—pardon her, Sebastian—Sebastian-inspired funk. She’d had to explain to Mattie that such events were always decorated in pastels. Mattie had seemed flummoxed, which made Lily wonder why that was true. She’d finally decided that it was true because pastel colors were bright and cheery, and everything about Sophie Johnston’s wedding to Colton McCray should be bright and cheery. They were the most perfect couple Lily had ever seen.
Lily could look at Sophie and Colton and believe that true, everlasting love did exist.
“Who was that you were—” Mattie hesitated “—talking to?”
Lily resisted the urge to growl her response, took a long, deep breath and said, “That was Sebastian I’m-sure-Hank’s-all-right Bennington.”
“He’s home!” Mattie looked pleased at the thought.
Well, that made one of them.
“It doesn’t appear that you two hit it off,” Mattie continued with what had to be the biggest understatement of all time.
Lily had been looking forward to having Hank’s grandson around. She thought she’d have an ally, but instead, she had Sebastian. Hit it off? She was pretty sure her snort was audible as she said, “No. I don’t think we did. In fact, no, I’m sure we absolutely did not.”
“Anything I can do?” Mattie asked.
“No.” She paused. “I take that back, yes. If he asks, would you assure Mr. Sebastian Bennington that I didn’t come to Valley Ridge with some nefarious plan to steal his inheritance?”
“What?”
Mattie’s shocked expression mollified Lily slightly. “He’s mad that I bought into the diner. I tried to reassure him that I’m simply a silent minority partner.” Lily sighed. “Hank needed help, and I’ve been pitching in when I have time. But it’s taken more and more time.” And money, she thought but didn’t mention.
Hank had let so many of his bills lapse that his suppliers were threatening to stop his deliveries. She’d used her small savings to pay them all off and infuse the diner’s account with what money she had left. It was enough to keep things going for a while. And yes, she’d taken a one-third ownership of the diner in exchange. But she would have been as content with loaning Hank the money. “He was forgetting to place orders and pay bills. I’ve taken over most of that.”
“That’s a lot, on top of your home visits,” Mattie said.
“I work at Hank’s mainly in the evenings.” And frankly, her patients didn’t keep her nearly busy enough to pay all her bills. Investing in the diner meant a small but steady revenue stream that she could rely on as she built her home-health-care business here in Valley Ridge.
It was more than a financial mess at the diner, though. There was the morning she found Hank sitting at the backyard picnic table wearing his pajamas and bathrobe. It was March then, and there was still snow on the ground. When she’d asked him what he was doing, he seemed to come out of his fog and tried to laugh it off, but she didn’t buy it.
There was the time he’d left a pan on the stove and it had burned dry. The fire alarm had gone off and he’d been confused, unsure what to do.
And sometimes, he called her Betty. It wasn’t a slip. Lily knew it was more.
She told Mattie how he was refusing to see a doctor and how, as she wasn’t related, she had no way to make him see one. Sebastian had been her last hope to get Hank some help, and now even that was gone.
The Seb stories she’d heard from Hank had painted the image of a rapscallion. Someone who frequently found himself in trouble, but due to a sense of mischief rather than any real badness. The man she’d met today hadn’t been that. No aura of mischief, only a dark cloud of anger that seemed to pulsate around him. This man wasn’t going to lift a finger to help her get Hank to the doctor’s.
In all honesty, there could be a number of reasons for Hank’s problems. Some could be fixed, some managed and for some there was nothing that could be done, but at least if he visited a doctor they’d know. Hank would have some time to make whatever arrangements he needed to. He could take control of what would happen. Having that control—that mattered. She knew that more than most.
No, she couldn’t make Hank do anything, but Sebastian could. If only she could convince him.
Maybe Sebastian would see the problem when he caught up with his grandfather today?
Maybe.
But even if he did, she wondered if he’d be willing to admit his grandfather needed help.
Mattie seemed to sense Lily’s thoughts and offered reassurance. Lily looked at the short blonde woman who’d become her friend. Lily was grateful to have had Mattie 24/7 when she was looking after Bridget Wallace Langley—Finn’s sister and Mattie’s best friend—until her passing.
Mattie hugged her, which was a surprise, but a nice one. She tried to assure her that Sebastian would come around to what Lily was saying, and until then, it was his loss that he didn’t realize the good person she was. Mattie was so kind.
“We should tidy up the place and go.” Sophie’s bridal shower had been a hit. Up until she’d had her run-in with Sebastian, she’d been enjoying the talking, the eating and particularly the traditional bridal-shower games. She’d felt lucky to be counted as a friend by Mattie and Sophie, and accepted as part of the community by the other women who’d attended.
“Yes, we should finish cleaning up,” Mattie agreed. “But it would be a shame to waste this view.”
And that was why, despite knowing each other a bit less than a year, they were friends. Mattie had sensed that Lily needed a moment to collect herself, to tamp down her anger.
Lily could do many things, but she didn’t do anger well. She worked hard to avoid that emotion.
She sat next to Mattie on the picnic table, looking out at Lake Erie. The Great Lake was vast. So huge it was easy to forget it was merely a lake and not the ocean. The waves crashed into the shore, one after another. There was a fierceness to the water on this early-spring day, as if the lake was beginning to wake up from its long winter’s nap.
Sometimes that was how Lily felt. She’d left home. Not simply left. She’d turned her back on it and tried to forget it. She’d gone to school and then landed a job in Buffalo. Thinking about it now, it all felt as if she’d been sleepwalking. It wasn’t until she arrived in Valley Ridge, New York, to care for Bridget Langley that she started to wake up.
Bridget’s brother, Finn Wallace, was a doctor she’d worked with at a hospital in Buffalo. He’d paid her to move here and care for his dying sister and had expected her to return to the hospital after Bridget died. But Lily hadn’t returned.
She wouldn’t return.
Here, in the small farming community beside the lake in Western New York, she’d found her tr
ue home. A sense of acceptance and freedom had settled over her here. She was working with Dr. Neil Marshall and taking care of some of his patients in their homes. Her patient roster, and thus her income, fluctuated week to week.
And yet, she was happier here in Valley Ridge than she’d ever been.
Sebastian Bennington might not believe her, but now that he was home, he’d have to believe what was happening with his grandfather, and when he did, he’d agree that Hank had to visit a doctor. She’d have an ally.
Eventually.
Until then, she was going to be upbeat and understanding, even if it killed her.
She helped Mattie finish cleaning up the cottage, then headed home, ready to charm Sebastian. He was going to like her before he knew what hit him.
Check out Something Blue and the rest of the Hometown Hearts series!
Hometown Hearts
1. Crib Notes
2. A Special Kind of Different
3. Homecoming
4. Suddenly a Father
A Hometown Hearts Wedding
5. Something Borrowed
6. Something Blue
7. Something Perfect
8. A Hometown Christmas
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author Holly Jacobs has over three million books in print worldwide. The first novel in her Everything But. . . series, Everything But a Groom, was named one of 2008's Best Romances by Booklist, and her books have been honored with many other accolades. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, with her family. You can visit her at www.HollyJacobs.com.