Harbor Lights

by Sherryl Woods

  “You going to be able to manage those?” he asked. “I assume they’re going up to your apartment?”

  Shanna nodded. “I had no idea the boxes would be so big.”

  “How about I watch the store for you, and you can direct the men to take them upstairs and put them where you want them? That way you won’t be struggling with them later.”

  She hesitated, wondering if it was wise to have Mick involved in any of this. Kevin might view it as a betrayal. He was obviously furious with her. She’d tried calling him repeatedly during her shopping excursion last night, but every call had gone directly to voice mail. Other than pleading with him to call her so she could explain what had happened at the store, she made no other mention of Henry. It wasn’t something she could clear up in a brief message. The situation was too complicated.

  Finally, pushing aside her doubts about Kevin’s reaction, she opted for expediency. Mick was here and she could use the help. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Wouldn’t have offered if I did,” he told her.

  “Thanks,” she said, and immediately directed the men out the back door and up the stairs.

  When they’d put the boxes in the spare room, she ran back downstairs to find Mick engrossed in a paperback thriller he’d picked up off the bestseller display.

  “Suppose I have to buy this now that it’s got me hooked,” he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a twenty. When Shanna started to speak, he stopped her. “I’m not taking it as a gift. You keep giving away merchandise to thank people, you’re going to go broke.”

  “It probably is a lousy business practice,” she admitted. “I get so excited about putting books into people’s hands, I forget that the object is to make money.”

  “If you feel that way, maybe you’d be better off working in a library where the books are free,” he said.

  She laughed. “You have a point. Thank you, though, for looking after the place for me.”

  “It was a couple of minutes. No big deal. How about that furniture, though? You have any idea how to put it together?”

  “I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out.”

  “I have some time. I could do it for you.” He gave her a sharp look. “Unless you were planning to ask Kevin.”

  “I don’t think that’s an option,” she said regretfully.

  Mick studied her intently. “I know he’s not exactly skilled with a screwdriver, but your bookshelves have stayed together. He can’t be totally inept.”

  “I’m not questioning his skill, just his desire,” she admitted candidly. “He was here yesterday when someone from my past came for a visit. I think he misunderstood. So far, he doesn’t seem willing to give me a chance to explain.”

  “You want to tell me?” Mick asked hopefully. “I could pass the information along.”

  She grinned at his obvious ploy. “You’d love being in the middle, wouldn’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t mind,” he said, his tone noble, a twinkle in his eyes.

  “I don’t think so. Then you’d know something before he does, and I don’t think he’d be happy about that.” She shook her head in dismay. “I’ve made such a mess of this. I should have told him everything weeks ago. Bree warned me about that, but I thought I had time.”

  Mick nodded. “Life has a way of getting away from you. Seems to me it’s always better to get things out there and deal with them.” He grinned. “I know a thing or two about that, so you’d be wise to listen to me.”

  “Hopefully I’ll never face a situation quite like this again,” she told him.

  “Now you’ve got me even more curious,” he said, then waved her off when she started to protest that she wasn’t talking. “It’s okay. I won’t ask any more questions. In the meantime, at least let me help with that furniture. It won’t take but a minute to put it together.”

  She hesitated, then decided it made sense to take skilled labor when it was offered. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.” She handed him her apartment key. “You’ll see the boxes in the guest bedroom.”

  “I’ll find ’em,” he said.

  He was back downstairs in less than half an hour. “You’re all set,” he said, returning her key. “That bright blue bed and dresser look real good with the yellow paint. It’ll make a nice room for a young boy.”

  She knew he was fishing for an explanation, but she had no intention of satisfying his curiosity. “Thanks for your help, Mick. You’ve been a lifesaver.”

  “Company coming?” he persisted.

  “Something like that.”

  He gave her an exasperated look. “You’re not going to tell me a blessed thing, are you?”

  She laughed. “Nope.”

  “Tell me this much at least,” he said, his expression somber. “Does my son have cause to be upset by whoever’s coming to stay?”

  “I don’t think so,” she said honestly. “But from his perspective, he might feel otherwise.”

  “Well, that’s clear as mud.”

  “I just can’t say any more,” she told him. “Not yet. The situation could change.”

  He studied her. “But whatever’s going on, you’re happy about it?”

  “Happier than you can possibly imagine.”

  “Well, then, Kevin will just have to adapt, that’s all.”

  She gave him an incredulous look. “Coming from you, that’s quite a statement. From everything I’ve heard, O’Briens are not the most adaptable people in the universe. Stubborn as mules seems to be the universal consensus.”

  Mick laughed. “If you’ve figured that out, you’ll do real well as one of us.”

  Alarmed by the expectation she heard in his voice, she said, “Mick, things really aren’t good between Kevin and me right now. I’m not sure they can be fixed.”

  “They will be,” he said confidently. “Trust me on that. We may be stubborn, but we do know a good woman when we find one. A lot of women in this town tried to catch Kevin’s eye when he first moved back. He had no interest in any of them until you came along. You’re obviously special to him. Don’t give up on him just yet.”

  As he left to join his buddies at Sally’s, she sighed. She hoped he was right, but she certainly wasn’t going to count on it.

  Not long after Mick left, Shanna’s cell phone rang. The minute she saw Laurie’s number, she answered.

  “Guess what?” she said excitedly before her friend could even say hello.

  “Henry’s coming to stay with you,” Laurie said, though she didn’t sound half as thrilled about the news as Shanna was.

  “Don’t you dare try to bring me down,” she told Laurie. “How’d you hear about this, anyway? It’s not even official yet.”

  “There was an item on the society page the other day mentioning that Greg had been hospitalized, so I checked around to find out what was going on. Last night a friend of the Hamiltons told me the big news was that Mrs. Hamilton had decided yesterday to bring Henry to you. Is he there yet?”

  Not surprised that Laurie was so well tapped into the society grapevine, Shanna said, “Assuming Greg approves of the idea, he’s coming Friday.”

  “For how long?”

  “Until school starts. Maybe longer.”

  “Oh, sweetie, you’re setting yourself up to get your heart broken,” Laurie said worriedly. “That family will think absolutely nothing of using you right now, then snatching Henry back the minute it’s convenient for them.”

  “I know that’s a possibility,” Shanna conceded. “I’m okay with it. I’ll take any time with Henry I can get.”

  “You’re too softhearted for your own good.”

  “The important thing is that Henry needs me right now. He’s going to be a part of my life again. I can’t wait. Please be happy for me.”

  “You’re being naive if you think it’s not going to hurt like hell when he goes back. And he will go back. That’s practically a given. The Hamiltons will never give him up permanently.”

  �
�He could wind up staying,” Shanna said, unable to keep the wistful note out of her voice. Naturally Laurie seized on it.

  “There you go. You’re already setting yourself up for disappointment.”

  Shanna lost patience. “Well, you tell me what I was supposed to do when Mrs. Hamilton asked me to look out for Henry for a few weeks.”

  “After what those people put you through, you should have said no.”

  “And who would that have hurt the most? Henry, that’s who,” Shanna said heatedly. “That little boy isn’t responsible for any of this. He needs to be with someone who loves him, especially right now with Greg so sick.”

  Laurie uttered a sigh of resignation. “Okay, I can see I’m not going to change your mind, so let me ask one last question and then I’ll drop this.”

  “What?”

  “How does Kevin feel about this?”

  “He doesn’t know,” she admitted.

  “You haven’t filled him in on what’s happening?”

  “Actually, he was here when Henry came for a quick visit yesterday with his grandmother,” she admitted.

  “So he knows Henry’s your stepson.”

  “Not exactly. Kevin heard Henry call me Mommy and then he took off. Obviously he thought I’d kept something pretty major from him.”

  Laurie groaned. “Look, I know I haven’t been a huge fan of that relationship, but are you going to throw it away over this? Greg and the Hamiltons are your past. Kevin could be your future.”

  “Kevin’s the one who’s refusing to talk. I’ve tried to explain, but he won’t take my calls. I don’t have time right now to worry about it.”

  “You’re making a mistake.”

  “Several, according to you,” Shanna said. “I can only do what seems right to me.”

  “Okay, then,” Laurie said. “I love you, sweetie. I hope all of this works out the way you want it to. I’ll try to get down there in the next couple of weeks to check on things.”

  “Only if you’re going to be supportive,” Shanna warned. “I don’t want you around here criticizing my choices, especially when they involve Henry.”

  “Hey, I love Henry, too,” Laurie declared. “He’s a great kid who’s gotten a raw deal. I’m not going to do anything to upset him. That doesn’t mean I can’t look out for his stepmother.”

  “I’m going to be just fine,” Shanna said.

  But having her best friend plant seeds of doubt in her head certainly didn’t help her to make the claim with confidence.

  Promptly at noon on Friday, Mrs. Hamilton arrived at the bookstore with Henry and what appeared to be enough suitcases for months, not weeks. As soon as the car stopped, Henry leaped out and ran to Shanna.

  “I’m gonna stay with you,” he announced happily. “For a really long time.”

  “I know,” she said, as excited as he was. “It’s going to be so much fun.”

  “Will I have my own room?” he asked. “It’s okay, if I don’t.”

  “You’ll have your own room,” she told him. “If you give me a couple of minutes to make a phone call, I’ll take you upstairs and show it to you and your grandmother.”

  She called Bree’s shop to let Jenny know that she needed her now. She’d made arrangements for the teenager to shop sit for a couple of hours, while she showed Henry around the apartment and took him out for lunch. Bree had readily agreed to the plan when she’d been told Shanna’s stepson was coming for a visit.

  “Jenny can watch the store for you whenever you need her,” Bree had offered. “I have a new full-time employee, and she’ll be able to handle things here if I’m not around. I seem to be spending more and more time these days on theater business.”

  “If you don’t mind me borrowing her, I’ll pay Jenny anytime she fills in here,” Shanna assured her. “I promise not to take advantage of you.”

  “You work the payments out with her,” Bree had said. “She can balance her hours between us however she needs to.”

  The arrangement they’d made promised to work out well. Jenny had been delighted to have the possibility of a few more hours of work.

  Now, as soon as Jenny arrived to take over, Shanna led Henry and his grandmother upstairs. The minute he saw his room, Henry beamed.

  “This is totally amazing!” he enthused. “Look, Grandmother, there are posters of the Phillies on the walls, and the Eagles, too. They’re my favorite teams.”

  “I know,” his grandmother said. She smiled at Shanna. “You couldn’t have done better at making him feel at home. I should head back to Philadelphia now and leave you to get settled.”

  “Already?” Henry asked, looking disappointed. “I thought we could have lunch first.”

  “I thought so, too,” Shanna said. “Maybe just a quick one at the café next door?”

  The older woman looked pleased by their insistence. “A quick one, then.”

  Downstairs, Shanna checked to make sure Jenny knew how to handle everything they’d been over. “I’ll be at Sally’s if you need me, and I have my cell phone with me.”

  “It’s all good,” Jenny assured her. “Bree has the same kind of cash register, and you showed me how to scan the price tags and fill in the receipt books.”

  Shanna grinned. “Sorry. I’m just a worrier.”

  “Well, there’s no need. If I have even a tiny doubt, I’ll call you. The cell number is right here.”

  Satisfied, Shanna led the others to the restaurant, knowing that this public introduction of Henry would be spread all over town by nightfall.

  No sooner had they settled in a booth than Sally appeared, her order pad in hand, curiosity written all over her face.

  “Well, now, who do we have here?” she asked, grinning at Henry.

  “This is my stepson, Henry Hamilton,” Shanna told her. “And this is his grandmother, Loretta Hamilton. Henry’s going to be visiting with me for a while.”

  Sally beamed. “That’s wonderful.” She winked at Henry. “I’ll expect to see you in here often. Now what can I get you?”

  Shanna glanced toward her former mother-in-law, who was looking at the simple menu with a bemused expression. This was a far cry from her usual country club fare. “I know you love chicken salad,” Shanna said to her. “Sally’s is wonderful, especially on one of her freshly baked croissants.”

  “That does sound good,” Mrs. Hamilton agreed at once. “With a cup of tea.”

  “Earl Grey, if you have it, Sally,” Shanna added.

  “I do.” Sally turned to Henry. “What about you, young man?”

  “I’d like a hamburger, please.”

  “What nice manners!” Sally said approvingly. “And Shanna, what about you?”

  “I’ll have the chicken salad on a croissant, as well.”

  “I’ll be back with these in a minute,” Sally assured them.

  Despite the promise of a hasty return, though, Shanna noted that Sally stopped to pass along the latest gossip to several of the regulars on her way to the kitchen. By nightfall, half the town would know that Shanna’s stepson—not her son—was visiting. Maybe word would make its way back to Kevin, though she wasn’t counting on that distinction alone to mend fences with him. It was still evident she’d kept something significant from him.

  When she turned back to her former mother-in-law, she saw that she was looking around the casual café with interest.

  “I used to go to a place just like this when I was in school years and years ago. My friends and I went every afternoon.”

  “To check out the boys?” Shanna dared to tease.

  Mrs. Hamilton chuckled. “I certainly never admitted that to my parents, but yes. I imagine that sort of thing will never change.”

  “Is that how you met Mr. Hamilton?”

  “Oh no,” she said, her expression nostalgic. “Our families had been friends for years. We practically grew up together. It was always assumed we would marry.”

  “What about love?” Shanna asked, trying to imagine a relati
onship based on family expectations rather than passionate love.

  At one time, her question might have been greeted as impertinent, but now Mrs. Hamilton merely shook her head. “Young people today think love can only begin with chemistry and grand passion. In my day, we had those kind of feelings, of course, but we also knew that love and a strong marriage could grow out of friendship, mutual goals and respect.”

  “I don’t remember about my real mom, but my dad and Mommy were in love,” Henry said, his expression sorrowful. “Just not for very long.”

  Shanna gave him a quick hug. “It was complicated, sweetie. I still care about your dad, and I love you more than anything.”

  A grin broke across his face. “More than snow?”

  “Definitely more than that,” she said, playing the once-familiar game.

  “More than rainbows?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “More than flowers?”

  “You bet.”

  He paused, his expression thoughtful, before offering the final challenge. “More than hot fudge sundaes?”

  Shanna sighed heavily. “Hot fudge sundaes are really amazing,” she said as if she were torn. Then she tickled him until he giggled. “Yes, more than hot fudge sundaes.”

  When she looked up, Mrs. Hamilton was watching them with tears in her eyes. “Excuse me,” she said hurriedly. “I need to visit the restroom.”

  As Shanna watched her go, she experienced a fresh understanding of the woman who’d once held her in such disdain. Though she might seem stiff and unyielding, she truly did love her grandson. Enough to let him go.

  Not a day went by that Kevin didn’t hear from someone about the boy who was now living with Shanna. Her stepson, it seemed, not her son, but he couldn’t see how that made much of a difference. The boy was obviously a big part of her life, and she’d kept his existence a secret. How could he forgive that?

  Other people in town obviously didn’t have the same dilemma. They were practically bursting with excitement over the news. Mick had hardly been able to contain the fact that he’d put furniture together for the boy. Bree and Jess were the worst, of course.