“In some ways. I’ve come to love it here. I love the town, and being here with my sisters and Barney has made it all so special I don’t want to think about a time when we’re not all here together.”
“Let me know when you figure it out, would you?”
From the look in his eyes, she knew he was about to kiss her again when her phone buzzed.
She stood and dug her phone out of her jeans. It was Cara.
“What’s up?” Des asked.
“Just wondering what’s going on. Allie won’t come out of her room and you disappeared in a flash of Harley black. Is everything okay?”
“Pretty much.” She knew Cara was wondering, so she added, “I’m at Seth’s. I’ll be home in a while.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to check up on you. I just got a little worried, since I’d heard some yelling between the two of you earlier.”
“Yeah, well, about that . . .”
“You don’t owe me any explanation, Des. I just wanted to make sure you’re all right.”
“I’m good, thank you.”
“Good. Oh, and by the way, Nikki called. Her flight’s been changed. She’ll be in tomorrow morning instead of Wednesday.”
“Why the change in plans?” Des asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t talk to her.”
“I’ll be home soon,” Des told her. “We just finished dinner.”
“Oh. Nice. You went out to dinner with Seth?”
“No. We cooked in.” Des glanced up as he was removing the dishes from the table. “It was great,” she whispered.
“Can’t wait to hear about it,” Cara whispered back.
“Why are you whispering?” Des asked.
“Because you were.” Cara laughed. “I’m hanging up now.”
“See you in a while.”
“Take your time. It sounds as if you’re having a good time.”
“I am.” Des ended the call and slipped the phone back into her pocket. To Seth, she said, “Let me help clean up.”
“I’m just going to put these things inside and give the dogs a few scraps.”
He carried the plates and she grabbed the serving platter and followed him into the house.
“Everything okay at home?” The dogs sat at his feet, patiently awaiting a treat from the plate in his hand.
“Nikki’s coming out a couple of days early.”
“So I hear.”
“How’d you know before I did?” she asked.
“She and my cousin’s son, Mark, have been in touch since she was here on spring break. He called this morning to ask if he could bring her out and show her the farm while she’s here.”
“Nice. I knew she’d met some kids her own age, but I didn’t know they’d kept in touch.”
“Every day via social media, from what I understand. He’s a good kid.” He rinsed the plate and left it in the sink. “Let’s get you back home.”
They locked up and walked to the end of the driveway, where he’d left the bike. He got on and waited until she was behind him and holding on before starting the engine.
“Des,” he said before he put the bike in gear. “That guy at Althea.”
“Greg Weller.”
“Right. Him. Do I need to worry about him?”
She rested her forehead against the back of his neck and smiled.
“Nah, you don’t need to worry about anyone,” she told him. “Besides, he’s not my type.”
* * *
Des had tapped on Allie’s door when she got home, but there was no answer, and the door was locked. Whether Allie was ignoring her, or really was sleeping, Des couldn’t be sure. It was after ten thirty in the evening, so it wouldn’t be unusual for Allie to be in bed. She often turned in earlier than the others.
Had she fallen asleep still feeling wounded?
Recalling all she’d said to cause that wound, Des regretted her words.
Her reaction to Allie’s carefully thought-out plan had been unnecessarily harsh, like slicing a piece of pie with a hatchet. She could have rejected her sister’s idea with kinder words, should have been more gentle in her opinion of Allie’s artistic ability. But she had never seen any sign that her sister had serious artistic inclinations. She’d assumed that for Allie, it was just another one of her whims.
That Allie had forced herself to climb to the top of the scaffold should have told Des this was more than a whim. They’d both had a fear of heights for as long as she could remember, though she had no recollection of why.
In retrospect, Allie’s idea wasn’t such a bad one, and the more Des thought about it, the more she thought it could have merit. Why wouldn’t a tracing or a stencil, copied from the original, be just as good? Okay, maybe not just as good as the artist’s original work, but it could still work, couldn’t it? Especially if the colors were perfectly matched and one was viewing from thirty or forty feet below the dome?
She owed Allie an apology for her callous dismissal of a good idea—certainly one worth trying. If nothing else, it demonstrated Allie had put a lot of thought into a solution that Des herself hadn’t sought.
She heard a sound from across the hall—a cough maybe?—so she got up and knocked on Allie’s door. Allie definitely was up and about, but it wasn’t until the third knock that she opened the door. The sisters stared at each other for a long moment.
“Des, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I swear to you, if I’d known—” Allie’s voice was so low it was almost a whisper. “Dear God, if I’d known, I’d have killed him. I swear to you, I never would have let that slide. I’d have told the producer, I’d have called Dad, we’d have called the police . . .”
“I know, I know. I should have said something a long time ago. It was so hard to put it into words, Al. It was so hard to make myself focus on what happened.” She paused. “But I’m glad I told you. I just wish I’d done it another way, and under different circumstances. I wish I’d confided in you, but I was so confused. Especially since Mom always fawned over him, calling him the son she never had.” Des tried not to feel bitter. Too late for that, she reminded herself.
“Mom wanted his father to cast her in a movie, that’s what that was about. I think she thought cozying up to the son would get his father’s attention.” Allie shook her head. “Like I said, Mom was only interested in Mom. I feel sorry for both of us that we never had better.”
“I didn’t understand it in those terms back then, but looking back, I think you’re right. It’s a terrible thing to say, but the really terrible part is that it’s true.”
“And I was of no help to you, and I should have been. I was three years older and I should have known better. I was so wrapped up in myself. So angry that I couldn’t be you.” Her thoughts seemed to trail off for a moment. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone. That I didn’t see . . .” Allie swallowed hard. “You always seemed so unhappy back then. I should have tried to make things better for you.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were a kid, too. How could you have known? Besides, we both had good reason to be unhappy then. It isn’t as if we’d had a happy home life.”
“Our screwed-up family aside, the bottom line is you were right. I should have had your back. I was older and I knew Brandon’s reputation for putting girls in situations they shouldn’t have been in.” She shook her head. “I should have been looking out for you on the set. You were right to call me out on it. You should have done it sooner.”
“It’s done. Maybe now that it’s out in the open, I can start to move past it. Seth thinks maybe I should—” She stopped, not wanting to open up the should she go public or not debate for comment.
“You discussed it with Seth?”
“I did.”
Allie nodded. “He’s so into you, Des. I hope you can see it. He’s a good man. Maybe even good enough to be worthy of you.”
“He’s an exceptional guy,” Des agreed. “I don’t know why it took me so long to see it.”
Allie forced a
smile. “Well, you know, he’s really not quite buttoned-down enough for you.”
Des groaned. “I can’t believe I said those things about him. Who cares if he smokes cigars as long as he doesn’t smoke them around me? And who cares about a little body ink? He’s the best guy I ever knew.” Des reached out for Allie’s hand. “Anyway, I wanted you to know I don’t blame you for what happened so long ago. And I don’t hold it against you.”
“That’s very generous of you. Thank you.” Allie looked slightly embarrassed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me . . .”
“Not until I finish.” Des stuck her foot in the door so Allie couldn’t close it. “Look, what I said about your idea, about the ceiling . . .”
Allie held up a hand. “Don’t. Just . . . don’t. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Al, I think—”
“I already know what you think. It’s okay.” Allie appeared beaten down in a way Des had never seen before.
“Allie, listen . . .”
“I did listen. And you were right. Thanks for stopping me from making a fool out of myself in front of everyone.” She began to close the door, but not before adding, “It was a stupid idea.”
“Allie, that isn’t what I was going to say.”
“It’s what you already said. Case closed,” Allie said without emotion. “Move past it. I have.”
Well, obviously not, Des thought as she backed away. From the other side of the door, she heard the lock slide, and she knew Allie had said all she was going to say on the matter. But it wasn’t a closed door as far as Des was concerned. The idea was too good to be put aside. There had to be a way to make Allie believe in herself again. It was just a matter of finding it.
CHAPTER TEN
Nikki Monroe blew into the old Victorian house with the force of a hurricane, hugging and kissing and talking at gale speed.
“It’s a shame she’s so lacking in personality,” Des joked as Nikki flung herself onto Barney.
“So shy and awkward. Pity,” Cara agreed.
“Aunt Des!” Nikki’s arms were filled with a wiggling fluffy white mass of dog, but she tried to hug Des anyway.
“Nikki, we are beyond delighted that you’re here.” Des wrapped both arms around her niece and Buttons licked both their faces at the same time.
“Me, too! I’m so excited for this summer. I just couldn’t wait until school was over. Of course, then I had to go visit with my grandparents, but that was fun because I got to shop with Gramma and go to the pool at their complex.” The dog squirmed and Nikki put her on the floor.
It always fascinated Des that Nikki barely seemed to take a breath.
“They live in this place with other old—” She glanced apologetically at Barney. “Ah . . . senior people, like retired people? They have a beautiful pool, but there was hardly anyone in it while I was there, so I got to practice my strokes every day. One of Grampa’s cousins died and they wanted to go back to Indiana for the funeral, so they let me come here a little early.”
Nikki hugged the dog again. “Buttons, I’ve missed you, too.” The dog resumed licking her face again, and Nikki laughed. “See, Aunt Barney, she remembers me. She missed me.”
“Of course she remembers you,” Barney assured her.
Des watched Allie’s eyes as Allie watched Nikki. As annoying as her sister could be at times, Des knew Allie would do anything for her daughter, that she loved her as purely and as deeply as she could ever love anyone. The resemblance between mother and daughter was so strong that when Des looked at Nikki, she could almost believe she was looking at Allie at fourteen. Nikki was slightly taller than Allie had been, but they shared the same long, straight blond hair, startling bright blue eyes, long legs, perfectly proportioned body, and angelic face. What set Nikki apart was the fact that she lacked the bitterness her mother had carried with her even as a young girl. Nikki’s smiles could light up the room, and her positive energy flowed around her like a magic cloak. She happily shared her sunshine with everyone who came into her orbit.
Des thought the boys at her school must think she’s a goddess. And they’d be right.
“I can’t wait to see what’s happening at the theater. Tell me again about the ceiling. Is it fixed yet?” Nikki chatted on as she picked up her carry-on bag. “The airline couldn’t find my big suitcase. The one with all my new stuff in it.” She rolled her eyes. “They said they’d bring it out as soon as they located it. Probably sent it back to L.A. I want to put this stuff in my room. Can we have dinner early? I’m starving.” She started up the steps, pausing only to plant a kiss on her mother’s cheek before continuing toward the second floor. “They only had these little bags of pretzels on the plane, and ugh. Carbs. Aunt Cara, could you make granola for breakfast tomorrow?”
She disappeared at the top of the steps, still chatting happily, and the four adults she’d left in her wake laughed softly.
“Welcome back, Nik.” Barney beamed. “Oh, how we’ve missed you.”
Des realized Allie hadn’t moved from her spot on the step.
“You okay?” she asked.
Allie nodded slowly. “She’s . . . she’s everything.”
“Yes,” Des agreed. “She certainly is.”
* * *
In honor of their California girl, they had chicken and avocado quesadillas for dinner and a large pitcher of Barney’s lemonade, which Nikki had declared her favorite drink ever.
“Wow, the kitchen looks so beautiful! I love the new cushion on the window seat! But the ivy’s gone. I kinda liked it. But the all white is so clean and pretty, and the cabinets look awesome. Courtney’s mom watches HGTV all the time. She’d love this. And oh! I almost forgot to tell you!” Nikki had slapped her forehead, a touch of drama for emphasis. “I wrote this essay for English class about the theater? It was about how my great-great . . .” She paused and looked at Barney. “How many greats for the one who built the theater?”
“I believe for you it’s three,” Barney said.
“Well, how he owned all these coal mines and how he built the theater and how when the Depression came he showed movies and had plays there and let everyone in town come for free.” Nikki flashed a pleased smile. “My teacher entered it in the county writing competition, and guess who won first prize? This girl.” She pointed to herself with her thumb.
Amid the “Yay, Nikki” and the “Way to go, Nik,” the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it!” Nikki jumped up and ran to the hall, Buttons in pursuit, before anyone else had a chance to budge.
“You’d think she was expecting someone,” Allie commented. She’d joined them for dinner but had merely picked, her stomach still in a state of flux.
Nikki’s happy chatter could be heard coming toward the kitchen, and a moment later, she walked in with Tom.
“. . . so I’m here for the summer,” Nikki was telling him. “I just got here today.”
“So I heard.” Tom could not contain a smile.
Nikki’s joy had apparently rubbed off on him immediately.
“Sorry to interrupt your dinner,” he said. “I just wanted to drop off something to Bonnie.”
“We were just finishing up. Can we give you something cold to drink?” Barney got up. “What’s that you’re bringing me?”
“You mentioned you were still in the garden club, so I thought you might be interested in some of my mother’s old files. She was the first recording secretary of the group, and she kept a lot of notes.”
“Oh, I’m sure the club would love to have those.”
Tom handed the file to Barney, while behind him, Nikki held up her hands, her fingers forming the shape of a heart, obviously implying that Tom and Barney had something romantic going.
Everyone tried with mixed success to ignore her.
“Let’s go into the other room and see what’s in here.” Barney held the file in her left hand, and as she and Tom left the room, she made a lighthearted swat at Nikki’s behind, murmuring, “You little minx�
�� as she did so.
“Aunt Barney has a boyfriend?” a wide-eyed Nikki whispered as the pair left the room. “And he called her Bonnie. Why’d he do that?”
“He grew up in the house across the street, so they’ve known each other for years. He thinks Bonnie suits her better than Barney,” Allie explained. “He’s been away for a long time, but he’s here to clean out his parents’ house so it can be sold.”
“So he’ll be around for a while?” Nikki asked.
“At least for the next month or two, I would guess.”
“Sweet.”
The doorbell rang again, and Nikki dashed back down the hall, Buttons chasing her, barking all the way.
“For a house that rarely sees visitors after six p.m., there seems to be a lot of activity tonight.” Allie rose. “I wonder who that is.”
They’d expected Nikki to return to the kitchen, but minutes passed as Cara and Allie cleared the table and Des rinsed off the dishes and stacked them in the dishwasher. When they heard Nikki coming back down the hall, they heard a second set of footsteps.
“Mom, look who’s here.” Nikki came into the room, a tall, dark-haired boy around her age at her side. “You remember Mark.”
“Mark?” Allie frowned. She obviously had no recollection of Mark. Des could almost hear the questions swirling inside her sister’s head: Who was he, and how did he know her daughter was there?
“Remember when I was here back in April we went to that gun club where they were playing bluegrass music? I met a bunch of kids and we got to hang out for a little bit?” Nikki was obviously trying to jog her mother’s memory, but Allie’s expression gave no indication she had any recollection of Nikki meeting a boy—or anyone else—that night.
“Oh, of course,” Des said. “You’re Seth’s cousin’s son, right?”
“Right. My mom’s his cousin Roseanne,” Mark said, grateful that someone remembered him and had spoken up to break the ice.
Nikki looked up at the handsome young man with obvious stars in her eyes.
Des caught the look on Allie’s face.
Uh-oh.
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