by Holly Jacobs
“So what’s going on here?” The pseudo-cowboy looked at their hands, and Finn realized his was still resting on Mattie’s. She hadn’t shaken it off, and he hadn’t thought to remove it.
He withdrew his hand abruptly. “We’re talking about the kids.”
Colton laughed. “My parents called it talking-about-bills, but hey, whatever you want to call it, it looked good on both of you.”
Finn must have been staring, because Colton elaborated, “My dad used to say that Mom could rile him up more than anyone else because she meant so much to him.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how true that is. I mean, Sophie and I don’t fight. Ever. And she means the world to me.”
“Really, Colton, we’re not fighting. We’re talking about the kids and their summer plans.”
“Now some people might point out it’s barely April and summer’s a long way off, but I’m a farmer and we know that it’ll be here before you know it.” He turned to Mattie. “They going to camp again?”
Finn noticed she glanced at him, before offering up, “Yes.”
“Great. The camp came out to the vineyard one day last year and it was a blast. The older kids helped me sucker the vines.”
Mattie looked confused, and Colton explained, “You pull the new growth off the bottom of the vines so that all the energy goes into the new grapes.”
Finn had worked a couple winters at local vineyards. He knew about pruning and tying off the vines.
“Speaking of kids helping around the vineyard, any chance you have some chores a girl of eleven could handle for you? Zoe wants to earn some money for a cell phone, and I thought you might be able to use some help,” Mattie said.
Colton nodded. “Sure, give me a call and tell me when.”
“No,” Mattie said. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather make her call you and ask herself.”
“So we never had this talk?” He chuckled.
Mattie laughed. “What talk?”
“It’ll be great. There’s a lot of things a girl her age can handle. My dad always said that if you want to raise responsible children, teach them to be responsible.”
Finn thought that sounded redundant, and it probably was. Colton had always quoted his father’s wisdoms, and most of them made very little sense. He and Sebastian used to tease him, but tonight, Finn couldn’t summon much energy for teasing. Instead he offered, “If Zoe wants a phone, I can—”
Mattie interrupted him. “Give it to her?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so. She needs to earn it—”
Mattie’s phone buzzed, interrupting what he was sure was going to be another lecture.
She said, “Pardon me,” then answered, “Hello?” and got up and walked toward the quiet corner near the entryway to the diner, which left Finn with Colton.
“What did I say wrong there?” Finn asked as Colton slid into Mattie’s spot.
“This is only a guess,” Colton said, “but I think Mattie wants Zoe to earn her phone.”
“It’s only a few extra dollars a month to add a line to my contract.”
“I don’t think that’s the point,” Colton said.
Finn wasn’t about to argue that it was silly to make Zoe work for something that came so inexpensively, so he changed the subject. “Any news on when Sebastian’s coming home? On where he’s at for that matter?” Sebastian had been in the Marines and spent his entire adult life moving from one posting to the next.
“He’s been quiet on the where, and swears the when will be sometime in the next few weeks,” answered Colton, who spoke to Seb much more often than Finn did.
Finn wondered when he’d last talked to Sebastian. After high school, Finn had gone away to college, and Sebastian to boot camp. They’d played phone tag on occasion, but since Colton stayed here in Valley Ridge, he’d somehow become the hub of their friendship. Both Finn and Sebastian touched base with him, and he kept them informed about each other.
“He’ll be here,” Colton assured him.
Finn nodded. “Hey, as long as he’s here for the big day. And listen, we have to talk about your bachelor party.”
“I don’t want—”
Finn held up a hand. “I know you’re heading into your busy season, but it’s your wedding. Surely you can take a night off to go out with us.” He waited to see if Colton was going to argue and almost hoped he would so Finn could argue back and win the fight.
Unlike his arguments with Mattie, Finn knew he could win this one.
Colton disappointed him by nodding, and giving in. “I suppose I can.”
“Sebastian and I will tell you when and where.”
Colton laughed. “You twisted my arm.”
Mattie came back over to the booth. “Hey, I’ve got to leave. I know we didn’t settle anything about—” she glanced at Colton “—summer vacation, but it will keep.”
“I’m going ahead with my plans,” Finn said cryptically, in deference to Colton’s presence. He was sure Mattie knew what plans he was referring to.
“I guess that’s it then.”
“What’s wrong?” Finn asked, sensing there was more to this than not wanting to share a meal with him.
“Abbey’s having a bit of a meltdown. And Sophie and Lily are doing their best to cope, but it’s only gone downhill.”
“I’ll come with you.” Finn stood and put enough money on the table to cover both coffees. “Sorry, Colton.”
Colton handed Mattie her coat and purse from the other side of the bench.
Mattie reached in her pocket and pulled out enough to cover her bill, then shot Finn an I-dare-you look. He simply picked a couple bills back up and stuffed them in his wallet.
Colton missed the subtext of the whole exchange and said, “No problem. Kids first. I’ll call when I get specifics from Seb. And, Mattie, I’ll look forward to Zoe’s call that I don’t know is coming.”
Mattie was already bolting toward the door.
Finn hurried to catch up. “Want to drive together?”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“Bye, Juliette,” Hank hollered.
“Bye, Hank,” Mattie called back, but she shot Finn a look as they headed out into the slushy rain. “I’ll talk to Lily. She and Hank have gotten close.”
“I still can’t believe I lost my best nurse to Valley Ridge.”
“Lily’s smart and she knows a good thing when she sees it. We grew close when Bridget was sick. I told her she could stay with us in the house after...” She didn’t finish the sentence, but Finn knew she was thinking after Bridget died, like he was. “But she’s still at the apartment behind Hank’s. Besides the diner, she helps a local doctor with some homebound patients.”
“I hadn’t heard that that’s what she was doing.” And not too long ago, the fact he wasn’t up-to-date on the latest town news wouldn’t have mattered at all to Finn, but at the moment it did. Heck, he’d been surprised when he spotted Maeve Buchanan at Colton and Sophie’s engagement party. It hadn’t occurred to him that she would have come back home after college. And he’d been very surprised to find out she wasn’t scandalizing folks on a regular basis, she was volunteering at the library.
He drove the few blocks to the elementary school and looked around the busy parking lot for Mattie. He noticed her at the door to the school. She hadn’t waited.
He entered and followed the noise down the hall to the gym. There was Mattie, already crouching down, with Abbey in her arms, snuggled tight. Lily and
Sophie stood next to them.
He strode over to the group. “Hi, ladies.”
“Hi, Finn,” Lily and Sophie said simultaneously.
That was it. Everyone’s attention was soon on Mattie and Abbey.
“Don’t ever leave me,” Abbey wailed. “My mommy left me and I miss her so much. The lotion helps, but it’s not really like Mommy hugging me. It’s just lotion.”
Mattie glanced at him, then turned her attention to the little girl. “Honey, your mommy would have given anything to stay with you longer. She didn’t want to leave you, not ever. And even though you can’t see her, I promise that she’s looking over you right now.”
“She can see me?” Abbey asked.
“That’s what I believe. And I can’t promise you that I’ll never leave. No one can promise something that big. But I can promise that I will stay with you as long as I can, and I promise that no matter what, I’ll always love you with my whole heart.”
“Like my mom?” Abbey asked.
Mattie nodded. “Just like.”
“You left me tonight,” Abbey said with a sniff.
“Remember I told you I had to meet up with Uncle Finn. We had a bunch of grown-up talk and I thought you’d enjoy being here with your friends, and with Sophie and Lily. I didn’t leave you.”
Abbey grinned. “Really?”
“And truly. I got here a little late, and brought your uncle. He’s never been to a Fun Night.”
“Not ever?” Abbey looked at him with a mixture of pity and disbelief. She wiped at her eyes, eliminating the last traces of her crisis.
Finn knelt down and shook his head. “No, not ever. We didn’t have them when we were kids.”
Mattie leaned forward and stage-whispered, “He’s never, ever dodged for doughnuts.”
Abbey’s look was now pure pity. She jumped up and took his hand. “Oh, Uncle Finn, you come on. I’ll show you how.”
“What have you gotten me into?” he asked Mattie, who looked entirely too pleased with this development.
Mattie leaned in and whispered, “Revenge is a dish best served cold...or from a doughnut dangling on a string.” Her breath caused a cascade of shivers down his neck.
Then she pulled back and with more volume said, “Have fun, you two.”
Abbey stopped and looked at Mattie. “You’re gonna stay now, right?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Mattie promised.
Abbey nodded, wiped at her nose and smiled as she dragged him toward the far corner of the gym. “Come on, Uncle Finn.”
Finn glanced at Mattie who was smiling mischievously.
He noted the large number of people who greeted his niece as they made their way across the room. Adults and kids. He recalled what Mattie had said about how if he took the kids away it would be more than taking them away from her. He’d be taking them away from here...from Valley Ridge. From a community that knew them by name. From a community that cared about them.
He felt bad as Abbey squeezed his hand. “You ready, Uncle Finn?”
“Ready, Ab.” And as he tried to eat a doughnut suspended by a string from the basketball hoop and listened to his youngest niece laugh, that hurt grew and his absolute certainty about them living in Buffalo was a little less absolute.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“OH,” LILY EXCLAIMED that Saturday, “look. It combines wine and the lake. Perfect.” She held a wine stopper shaped like a seashell out for Mattie to examine. “I know the lake isn’t an ocean with shells like this, but...”
After Finn collected the kids to take them to the nearby indoor water park, Lily had decided that rather than merely discuss plans for Sophie’s shower, they’d shop. Lily had come armed with a Lake Erie wine country map and they were doing their best to hit every shop in the area for decorations and ideas for the shower. The fact that Sophie’s job involved promoting the local wineries and that Colton himself had a fledgling winery made the theme of the shower a no-brainer.
“That’s perfect,” Mattie agreed. They started to count through the wine stoppers, but gave up and grabbed the whole box. “I nailed down a location for the party, like I promised. Mrs. Nies came into the shop for coffee the other morning, and we’re welcome to use her cottage. There’s a huge picnic shelter, so even if it’s raining, we can fit everyone. It’s right on the lake, which makes the wine stopper even more perfect.”
“I’m not sure I know the Nies family. Working at the diner has helped, but there are still so many people I haven’t met.” Lily examined a tea towel with grapes all over it and held it out for Mattie’s appraisal.
Mattie shook her head. “Mrs. Nies is working part-time for Colton, helping him get the winery up and running.” He’d set up the winery in an old stone cottage on some of the vast frontage he owned. It had been a large undertaking at the time, but with a little patience and a lot of hard effort, things had started to really come together for him. “I went to school with their son Jon. We had a number of parties out there, so I know it’ll be great.”
“Parties?” Lily asked. “Legit parties?”
Mattie laughed. “There may have been some nonlegit, but Bridget wouldn’t let me go, so I only attended the legit ones. She reined me in and kept me out of trouble.”
“Really?”
Mattie smiled. “Well, not completely, but she did her best.”
They paid for the stoppers, and drove about two miles down East Lake Road.
April on the south shore of Lake Erie was a gray, rainy month. As if not to disappoint, there was enough of a mist that Mattie, who’d driven, needed to turn her wipers on occasionally. It was also cool enough that she kept the heater on low. But despite the damp weather, it felt like spring. The trees that lined the road had a growing hint of green as their buds swelled, ready to break out into leaves at the merest hint of sunshine.
Pockets of daffodils sprang up in the muddy grass, announcing that winter was well and truly over.
They walked into the next winery on their list. Shelves with bottles sat next to other wine paraphernalia. “What else do we need?” Mattie asked.
“Prizes for games,” Lily said with enthusiasm.
Mattie groaned. “Games? I hadn’t thought about games. That’s what people do at showers, right?”
Lily nodded. “Right. Games. Food. Gifts. And talking. Lots and lots of talking.”
“The four G’s,” Mattie groused. “Games. Grub. Gifts. Gab.”
“That definitely sums up showers.”
“I don’t think I’m a showery sort of girl,” Mattie reflected. “But Sophie is, isn’t she?”
Lily had a grapevine basket in her hands. “Yes, I’m pretty sure that Sophie is a showery sort of woman.”
Mattie sighed. “I was afraid of that. So, what kind of games?”
“There’s the design a wedding dress out of toilet paper—” Lily started.
“Okay, I know this is Sophie’s shower, not mine, but come on, even the most bridal-obsessed woman can’t honestly enjoy wearing toilet paper.”
“Maybe we can come up with some alternative ideas,” Lily offered. Then she laughed and said, “But it is a lot of fun.”
They outlined a strategy as they selected and checked out various items for purchase.
It had been a long time since Mattie had shopped with a friend. Since she’d come back to Valley Ridge her days revolved around Bridget, the kids and the coffee shop.
She wasn’t any more of a shopping sort
of woman than she was a showery one, but she had to admit, this afternoon, without the responsibility of the kids, was a refreshing change of pace. A small voice whispered, she could have this all the time if she gave Finn what he wanted.
The thought made her feel ashamed.
They each grabbed a cup of coffee at their last stop. The owner’s porch overlooked the lake, and he’d capitalized on that by offering wine and other select drinks, along with cheese platters and finger foods.
“I’d have gone for the wine if I didn’t have to go home to the kids soon,” Mattie confessed. She glanced at her watch. “Any other party business before we wrap up?”
“I think we’ve covered everything. We do need to get the invitations out ASAP, if we’re going to have this in three weeks,” Lily was saying.
Mattie nodded. “Sophie has this whole wedding thing kicked into high gear.”
“I don’t mind,” Lily said on a dreamy note. Mattie recognized the tone. It was the same one she’d used as she watched her parents and Sophie and Colton dance the other night. “I like the idea of someone being so much in love that they can’t imagine spending one more minute than they have to without the other person.”
“You’re a romantic.”
Lily had a dreamy expression on her face. “Guilty. And you don’t think you are?”
“I know I’m not.” Mattie didn’t even bother to cross her fingers as she said the words. That little sigh the other night was a fluke. A momentary lapse. “Other people fall in and out of love at the drop of a hat. They put their own hopes and dreams aside because of someone else. Sometimes it works out, but so many times it doesn’t. So, me? I’ve always lived to please myself, and I can honestly say, I’ve never been in love.”
“Never?” Lily’s expression said that she wasn’t buying it. “Never?” she repeated.
Mattie stared out at the vineyards and the lake in the distance. It was easier than staring at her friend’s look of disbelief. “Well, when I was younger I did have a huge crush on a friend’s brother. But he was much older and never noticed I was breathing, much less pining over him.”