by Jade Kerrion
“I thought I smelled cookies.” Holly followed Grace and Hope into the kitchen, a bright and cherry room infused with delicious aromas. Her younger sister, Noelle, blond and petite, opened the oven and carefully extracted a tray of chicken thighs. The scent of rosemary wafted from the tray, and the chicken was a crisp golden color.
Noelle cast a glance over her shoulder. “Just in time. Connor called. He’s on his way, and we can eat in about five minutes.”
“I’d offer to set the table, but I see someone already got to it and did a real nice job too.”
Grace beamed. “Your place is the one with the snowman mug.”
“I thought so.”
Noelle set the chicken on the dining table and returned for the bowl of mixed vegetables, the mashed potatoes, and the gravy. “So, have your feet returned to the ground?” she asked, flashing Holly a teasing grin.
“My big toe might have made contact once or twice, but it’s hard to stay grounded when my head’s spinning with the possibilities.”
“Have you decided what to do with Aunt Rachel’s townhouse?”
“No. I haven’t really had time to think, to be honest. I figured I’d use this vacation to do some research and lots of thinking.”
“In between dating.” Noelle winked. “You must be looking forward to your dates with Peter and Brandon.”
She hesitated. “I…think so.”
Noelle’s brow furrowed. “You’re not sure?”
Holly pressed a hand to her stomach. Surely it was ridiculous to wonder if she was somehow missing out on something with James. He wasn’t interested in her. If he was, he would have told her; he was forthcoming and direct, after all.
The front door opened, and Connor Bradley walked in. He was the town’s general practitioner. He and his partner owned the family clinic on Main Street, and they accepted partial payment in cookies and desserts as well as all forms of private and government insurance. Holly laughed when he set down a large package on the table. “Oh, I see Mrs. Collin’s rheumatism has been acting up.”
“As long as it doesn’t keep her from paying with strawberry shortcakes.” Connor smiled. He leaned in to press his cheek against Holly’s. “How are you doing?”
“Extremely well, now that school is done. Aidan had to have the last word, of course. He turned the pizza and cupcake party into a pizza party.”
“He ate all the cupcakes?” Connor asked, puzzled.
“Oh no. Mercifully not.” Holly chuckled. “Can you imagine Aidan on a sugar high? As it is, I can barely handle him on a normal day. He tipped over the pizza boxes—fortunately, we were done with the pizza—and the cupcake trays, which were full. The children were devastated, and it took forever to clean the tiles.”
Noelle’s eyes narrowed. “I hope you got Aidan to help clean up.”
“Ah, no. He was cooling his heels in James’s office.”
“I hear James has a chair with Aidan’s name on it.”
“He might as well have. Aidan’s there several times a week.”
Connor shook his head as he sat down at the table. “Debra came into the clinic today.”
Holly’s eyes widened. “She’s sick?”
“She looked tired, but if she’s sick, she didn’t tell me. Actually, she was asking if we had any receptionists or medical billing jobs available. I gather she’s looking for regular hours or a work-from-home job.”
“What did you tell her?” Noelle asked.
“That I’d let her know if something came up.”
“Why would you do that? Don’t you know what she did to Holly?”
Holly held up her hand, but Connor replied before she could interject. “Noelle, that was eight years ago.”
“Some things are just unforgiveable,” Noelle snapped out the brittle words.
Connor frowned. “It didn’t even have anything to do with you.”
“She betrayed and hurt my sister.”
Holly watched with amazement as her little sister, Noelle, who usually possessed the sweet temperament of a King Cavalier Spaniel, morphed into a snarling wolf dog.
Noelle glared at her husband. “I can’t believe you didn’t just throw her out of your clinic.”
“Beyond the fact that it’s bad PR, you know I can’t do that.”
Of course Connor couldn’t do it, Holly reflected. He didn’t have the kind of temperament that allowed him to be anything less than a perfect gentleman. “Whoa, whoa, guys.” Holly mimed, pushing Connor and Noelle apart. “I really appreciate the show of loyalty, but Connor’s right. It’s eight years in the past. I don’t need to be defended anymore.” She looked at her sister. “Considering your reaction, I’m surprised you’re even letting me go out with Peter.”
Noelle cast her husband a guilty glance. Connor had the grace not to smirk.
“Ah.” Holly arched her eyebrows. “You ranted and raved to Connor, and he told you to mind your own business.”
Noelle’s lips twisted into a wry half-grin. “All right, I know it’s not my business, but you’re my sister, and I just don’t want to see you get hurt again by a two-timing—” She cast a quick glance at her two innocent stepchildren seated at the table. “—jerk.”
Holly chuckled and wondered what far-less-complimentary word Noelle might have chosen if the children were not listening. She reached for the roast chicken and filled her plate with the side dishes, while Connor helped Grace and Noelle helped Hope. Holly smiled at the beautiful image of familial happiness. Whatever friction existed between Connor and Noelle on the topic of Holly’s love life was obviously tiny; the frequent tender glances between Connor and Noelle confirmed it.
By unspoken agreement, the topic of Peter, Debra, and Aidan was not raised during dinner. After the meal, Connor took the two children upstairs to read and play, and Holly helped Noelle clean up the kitchen. After carting the dirty dishes to the sink, she leaned against the counter while Noelle loaded the dishwasher. Her younger sister pursed her lips but said nothing. She kept her gaze studiously averted.
Finally, Holly chuckled. “Okay, Connor’s not listening. Spit it out.”
“I can’t believe you’re planning to give that two-timing asshole another chance.”
Obviously, Noelle wasn’t going to need any encouragement to be frank. Holly swallowed hard. “It’s been eight years.”
Noelle planted her sudsy hands on the side of the sink and gave her sister an exasperated glare. “Don’t tell me you still love him.”
“He apologized.”
“Oh, like I’m sorry is supposed to fix everything?”
“People change, Noelle. You changed.”
“Oh, don’t even give me that lame excuse. Yes, I preferred life in the big city, and yes, I changed my mind because Connor and his girls were well worth the small town, but that change isn’t remotely on the same scale as suddenly growing enough morals to not screw my fiancée’s best friend just because my fiancée is out of town for two weeks.”
Holly winced. “Eight years isn’t sudden. He’s had a lot of time to think about what he’s done, and to regret it.”
“And that’s what he told you?”
She nodded.
“And you believe it?”
Holly sighed. “I want to.”
Noelle’s jaw dropped. “Are you still in love with him?”
Holly shuffled and stared at her sneakers.
“You’re in love with him!” Her sister’s voice rose to a screech.
“Shhh.” Holly made appeasing motions with her hands. “Not so loud. You don’t have to announce it to the entire town.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“No, I’m not.” Holly scowled and folded her arms across her chest. “Love isn’t always easy, and it doesn’t always take the most obvious path. You, of all people, should know that.”
Noelle’s eyes narrowed, and then gentled as she sighed. “You’re right,” she conceded. Her own path to happiness with Connor had been years in the making
, separated by Connor’s own happy marriage to Millie—a marriage that resulted in the two beautiful girls who now called Noelle “Mommy.” She turned her attention back to the sink of dirty dishes. “I have just one question though. If you’ve forgiven Peter, does it mean you also have to forgive Debra?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Forgive Debra?
Noelle’s innocent question settled like a lead ball in the pit of Holly’s stomach. She knew what the answer should be, technically, but it was something else entirely to actually put it into practice.
Peter, at least, had apologized. Debra hadn’t, and she acted as if she were the injured party, saddled with the responsibility for a son she hadn’t wanted.
Or had she?
Holly frowned as she recalled the brief interaction she had witnessed between Debra and her son. There was frustration and exasperation, but there was also love; she was certain of it.
It didn’t get her any closer to an answer, though.
She was still mulling over the question the next morning when she stopped in front of the Coffee Beans café. She was about to push on the door when she noticed Debra, with her back to the door, talking to the barista. Holly’s first instinct was to keep walking; screw the coffee.
Does it mean you also have to forgive Debra?
Holly scowled. Forgiveness was debatable, but she’d start with not avoiding Debra the way she had done for eight years. She pushed slowly on the door to keep the door chimes from ringing too loudly and stepped into the café.
“I realize it’s last minute, but I do need someone to watch Aidan tonight,” Debra said to the barista. “I can’t switch out my hours at the restaurant, and if I don’t show up once more, Jackson’s going to fire me.”
Carrie, the barista, shook her head. “Look, I’m sorry, I can’t. I’ve already got plans for tonight.”
“I can pay you a higher rate.”
“Fifteen an hour?”
Debra glanced away. Her mouth twisted into a frown. “Sure,” she said finally.
Carrie ran her tongue over her teeth. “I…can’t. I’m sorry. I have a date tonight, and it’s worth more than fifteen an hour.”
“How much more?” Debra asked. Her hands fumbled with her handbag.
“Sorry, I just can’t tonight.”
Debra squeezed her eyes shut, and her shoulders slumped.
“I can.” Holly spoke up over the pang in her chest, somewhere in the vicinity of her heart.
Debra spun around, her eyes wide.
“I’m watching Grace and Hope while Noelle and Connor have a date night. You’re welcome to drop Aidan off at my place so you can go to work.”
Debra said nothing. She continued to stare at Holly. Her lips moved but no sound emerged.
“What time are you coming by?” Holly asked in the same matter-of-fact tone.
“I have to be at the restaurant by 5:45 p.m.”
“So I’ll expect you by 5:30-ish. Will he want dinner?”
“I…I’ll feed him before.” Debra seemed to break out of her shocked state. “We’ll be there at 5:30 p.m.” She scurried out of the café without another word.
Holly stepped up to the counter and serenely ignored Carrie’s similarly shocked expression. “Can I get a large coffee, please?”
She had just paid for her coffee when her cell phone rang. A thrill of delight surged through her when Brandon’s name popped up on the screen. “Hello?”
“Holly? How are you?”
His deep baritone was as sexy as she remembered. It tugged a smile onto her lips. “I’m doing quite well. I haven’t made any decisions, though, about the townhouse.”
“It’s not why I was calling. I don’t recommend rushing through big decisions. I’ll actually be in D.C. tomorrow morning to meet with a client, and I’d like to come by Havre de Grace and take you out for lunch.” He paused. “This in no way negates our date on the twenty-fourth.”
Holly laughed. “All right, thank you for being clear. Lunch tomorrow would be wonderful.”
“Great. 12:30 p.m., if that’s all right with you?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll pick you up then.”
Holly hung up and had to resist the urge to twirl in a happy little circle. She knew she was entirely too old for such juvenile displays, but something about being desired had a way of peeling back the years.
Brandon’s call had elevated her mood; it was exactly what she had needed to get her mind away from the fact that she had volunteered to babysit Aidan that evening. She spent the day lounging around the house, keeping herself busy with little chores. Nothing she did, however, prevented the slow build up of anxiety over the upcoming evening.
Noelle and Connor dropped Grace and Hope off at 5 p.m. “Are you sure you’ll be all right with the three kids?” Noelle asked. A frown furrowed her brow. “We don’t have to go.”
“Of course you do,” Holly said. “You two don’t get out enough as it is. Go on, leave.”
“We should be back by 9 p.m. We’re going to one of those dinner and comedy shows. We’ll have our phones on buzz if you need anything.”
“I’ll be fine,” Holly said with confidence she did not feel. “Have a great time.”
Hope was apparently content to lavish affection and attention on Mojo, but Grace looked up at Holly appraisingly. “Is Aidan really as big of a pain as you’ve said?”
Holly wished she had been more circumspect in her choice of words. “Aidan has been a bit difficult in class, but I think it’s because he doesn’t understand the right way to get attention.”
“Are you going to teach him?”
“Well, after this year, he won’t be in my class anymore, so it’ll be someone else’s responsibility to help him.”
“Like his next teacher?”
“Ideally, his parents.” She paused as Debra’s car, an old Toyota, pulled up in front of her house. She hurried to the front door and held it open as Debra ushered an obviously unwilling Aidan up the steps. “Hello, Aidan.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at his worn-out sneakers.
Debra bent to whisper in his ear, “Now, you remember to behave, and you mind what Miss Langford says.”
Aidan’s scowl deepened.
Debra looked embarrassed as she straightened. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Holly smiled. “Come on in, Aidan.”
Aidan dragged his feet into her house and stood in her foyer.
“Have you had dinner?” Holly asked.
His lip curled into a self-mocking smirk. “Yeah, but I’m still hungry.”
Holly knew, too well, the appetites of little boys. “I thought so. I made extra food, so why don’t you come join Grace and Hope for dinner?”
~*~
As with many things in life, imagination did not match reality. The evening Holly had so dreaded was spent in ad-hoc science experiments utilizing common kitchen utensils and ingredients. By the time Hope, Grace, and Aidan were done shrieking with laughter over makeshift volcanoes that spewed blue and green lava, thanks to lavish application of food coloring, the kitchen was an outrageous mess.
It was a small price to pay for an incredibly fun evening.
Grace reluctantly went home when her parents called for her and for Hope, and after she left, Aidan helped Holly clean the kitchen. His help was slipshod, befitting a male child who had not often been tasked with cleaning up, but he went through the motions without fuss. It was certainly more than Holly had expected, and when they were done, she made hot chocolate for the both of them and they sat together at the kitchen table, sipping at the marshmallow-topped beverage.
“Is my mommy coming soon?”
Holly glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was slightly past 10 p.m. “I suppose so. The restaurant should be closing any minute now. If you’re tired, you can nap on the couch, and I’ll wake you when she gets here.”
“I’m not tired,” Aidan said quickly. His feet swung back
and forth beneath the table, his sneakers kicking a regular rhythm against the table legs. His eyes drooped with exhaustion, but his lips were set in a faint smile.
He almost looked happy, Holly thought. A faint ache settled in her chest. Aidan’s high cheekbones and a strong chin held the promise of Peter’s masculine good looks. Without his usual scowl contorting his expression, she could appreciate the intelligent and thoughtful gleam of his eyes. They took in a great deal without giving anything away.
He hadn’t been bad, Holly conceded. He had not needed to compete for attention, and as a result, he had been lively and cooperative through the evening. By the end of the evening, he had even lapsed once or twice and imitated Grace in calling Holly “Aunt Holly” instead of “Miss Langford.”
Somehow, hearing her name on his lips hadn’t hurt the way she had imagined it would.
The glare of a car’s headlights flashed through the kitchen windows. “That’s probably your mom pulling into the driveway.”
Aidan leaped from his chair and followed Holly to the door. She flung it open as Debra was raising her hand to knock. Debra’s gaze flashed between Holly’s and Aidan’s face; her expression was set in stiff lines. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” Holly said. “I think we had a good time.”
“We did lots of cool experiments in the kitchen,” Aidan said. His tone was lighthearted as he followed his mother to the car. Within minutes, the sound of his voice was silenced behind the closing of the car door.
Holly shut the door and rested her head against the cool wood. Exhaustion mixed with relief and a hint of pleasure. She hadn’t just survived babysitting Aidan. She had actually enjoyed spending time with him.
One step closer toward forgiving Debra.
Maybe.
CHAPTER NINE
The next day was a burst of sunshine and warmth in what had been an unusually cold winter thus far. When Brandon picked her up, Holly took advantage of the great weather to propose a visit to the lighthouse.
“It’s a great view,” Brandon agreed when they stood at the top together and looked out upon the Chesapeake Bay. He did not sound winded from his brisk climb up the steep stairs. “I’m surprised there aren’t more people out and about.”