by Knupp, Amy
“All done,” he said when he got the last bit out. He held his hand out to help her sit up and was surprised when she actually took it.
She ran the fingers of her left hand over the healing wound. “I know you’re right, but it’s hard. I’m sure everyone thinks I’m crazy because I’m throwing such a fit over the house.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy. Not for that.” He met her gaze and realized he was still holding her hand. He let go of it, then, feeling awkward and unprofessional. “The roof antics, the kayaking and shark-swimming, yes. You’re way out there.”
She smiled halfheartedly, but the sadness in her eyes was a more powerful message, one she probably didn’t even intend.
“It’s healing well,” Noah said. “Scarring should be minimal. Not that scars seem to deter you much.”
Katie shrugged one shoulder. “All part of the deal.”
Her tone was nonchalant, matter of fact. Odd that she worried so much about a house, but not about her own body being harmed.
“Do you ever feel fear?” he asked her, pursuing some urge to understand her better.
She slid off the table to stand on the floor and studied him. Her eyes looked tired, as if she hadn’t been sleeping much. “All the time. But that’s the whole point. To conquer the fear.”
Her words made him uneasy. He busied himself jotting notes on her chart, but he couldn’t get the phrase of Katie’s out of his mind. To conquer the fear. Noah suspected he was living with too much fear these days. Fear that he wouldn’t have the first clue about vanquishing. Too bad it wasn’t as easy as Katie made it sound.
He pushed the thought away, because it was too uncomfortable.
“Take care of yourself. See if you can stay out of here until it’s time to check out your wrist.”
“Don’t miss me too much when I’m gone.” She attempted a light smile, but mostly failed and then walked out the door.
* * *
“HAVE YOU NOTICED anything strange going on with Savannah?” Katie asked Lindsey. They were kneeling outside Lindsey’s house, pulling weeds from the flower bed.
“Strange how?”
“With Michael. Like maybe they’re having problems.”
Lindsey turned and looked at Katie thoughtfully. “He’s been working a lot lately.”
“So she said.”
“Enough so that he’s missing many of our family things.”
“That’s convenient. He never used to seem to dislike spending time with us, did he?”
Lindsey shook her head. “He fit in just fine. What prompts all these questions?”
Katie moved closer and looked around to see if anyone could hear. Not only was she going to reveal one of Savannah’s secrets, but her own, as well. Zach was mowing the lawn, so the noise from the mower pretty much drowned out her voice anyway.
“I really hate to see Dad sell the house...” she began.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that. It’s impossible to get any privacy in this family anymore, but why are you having such a hard time with that?”
Katie sighed. She really did hate getting into it, because she knew it was pointless now. The damage was done and the house would soon be Noah’s. But she had brought it up knowing Lindsey might pursue the subject. “You probably won’t understand since you have a home and a family of your own. You know that feeling you get when you go home? The familiarity, the comfort of just walking in the door and inhaling the way the house smells. The furniture’s in the same place, the rugs are worn in the same patterns...”
“It’s your home.” Lindsey nodded. “I do know what you mean.”
“That house over there,” she motioned toward their dad’s next door, “that’s my home. My apartment in St. Louis is nice and it serves its purpose, but it’s not the same thing at all.”
“I still feel it when I walk in there,” Lindsey admitted. “Home and... This will sound strange, but Mom’s still there in that house.”
Katie looked at her in grateful surprise. “Did Dad tell you how I feel? About my embarrassing emotional rant?”
Lindsey shook her head.
“I’m so scared that losing that house will mean losing half my memories of Mom. I won’t be able to see her doing things she used to do, like tucking me in at night, painting my fingernails on her bathroom vanity, reading to me on the front steps.” Katie sat back with her knees pulled up, hugging them, forgetting the weeding. “Everything was good back then, when Mom was still alive. Those are my happiest memories, and so many of them are tied up in that house. Losing it—” she shook her head “—it’s messing with my head.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Lindsey crawled over to Katie and sat down next to her. “I’m so sorry. I do know what you’re saying.”
“You do? You’re the only one who doesn’t think I’m being a whiny baby.”
Lindsey grinned. “I know what you mean. I really do. It makes me sad to see the house go, too, but you know what I’ve figured out? We’ll still have the memories. Nothing can take those away from us. You’ll still remember Mom and all the good things.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
Lindsey put an arm around Katie, leaning her head on Katie’s shoulder but not saying anything else. Lindsey’s husband, Zach, came around the corner from the front yard at that moment.
“What’s going on? Am I the only one toiling away?” He walked up in front of them, hands on his hips, looking down with a smile. “What if I need a little TLC like that?”
Lindsey let go of Katie. “As nasty and sweaty as you are right now? Good luck.” Smirking she stood up. “Shower, and we’ll talk.”
“The sweat proves one of us, at least, has been working.”
Lindsey laughed and picked up a handful of the pulled weeds. She came up behind him and stuck the weeds down the back of his shirt.
“There’s your proof, tyrant. Now do the backyard. Try not to mow over the pink kidlets or the elderly woman and her caretaker back there.”
Zach shook his head as he emptied the weeds from his shirt. “You’ll pay later.” He disappeared into the garage.
“You two are annoyingly happy,” Katie said lightly.
Lindsey’s eyes lit up and her smile bordered on sappiness. She bent down over the flower bed.
It still blew Katie’s mind that Lindsey’s life had changed so much so quickly. She and Zach had adopted Owen, Zach’s seven-year-old nephew, when Owen’s alcoholic dad left town.
Before Owen’s paperwork was even done, they’d moved ahead on making Billy, also seven, a permanent part of their family. He’d been one of Lindsey’s charges as a social worker. She and Zach had fallen in love with him and had seen how much good Billy and Owen did for each other.
The last piece of their insta-family was Grandma Rundle, a woman Katie—and her sisters, too, for that matter—had once been scared of. They’d all gotten to know a different side of her as she grew older and mellower.
“So before we got off track on the whole house bit, you were talking about Savannah.”
Katie stood up to stretch her legs before moving next to the pile of weeds. “I asked her if she and Michael would consider buying Dad’s house. This was before Noah made the offer. She blew me off for as long as she could, then finally said it wasn’t a good time for them to make any big decisions.”
Lindsey rocked back to rest her hips on her heels. “She said that?”
Katie nodded. “Then she cut me off abruptly, in vintage Savannah style.”
“Wow. That’s saying a lot. I wonder what’s going on.”
“I don’t have any idea, but she wasn’t about to tell me more. It was obvious she regretted telling me that much. Maybe you could try to get it out of her?”
“That won’t work. Savannah’s not one
to share her problems. The more personal they are, the more she’ll keep them in.”
“So what do we do?” The thought of Savannah dealing with marriage problems by herself worried Katie, even if the two of them had never been that close. She loved her sister and couldn’t imagine what she was going through, if indeed the problems were serious.
“I guess we’ll just be there for her, if and when she needs us. Look for an opening to ask her what’s going on, but don’t count on her telling. There’s not much else we can do.”
“We could take her out for a drink. See what she admits,” Katie said, grinning wickedly.
“A girls’ night out could be a good idea, actually. Let me see if I can make it work here.”
“Ball’s in your court, Linds. You’re the one who specializes in fixing things. I just wander around and count the days till I go back to my job, away from all this traumatic emotional family stuff.”
They both laughed. “If only I didn’t think you were actually serious. One of these days some guy’s going to knock you off your feet and change the way you think about everything.”
“Bite your tongue.”
* * *
“SNEAKING AWAY INTO the night, with your top-secret room measurements?”
Noah turned to see Katie watching him, half smiling, from the backyard of the house he was buying. She sat on the lawn next to a large rose bush with deep pink blossoms. He headed up the driveway toward her. He had to admit that he’d wondered where she was while he’d been measuring the walls of several rooms.
“Are you out here to avoid me?”
As he neared her, he noticed her smile was for show. She seemed mellow, a little melancholy, as she stood up, even though she was trying to put on a happy front. “If I was avoiding you, I’d go up on the roof.”
“You’d be pretty safe there. I’m trying to cut back, myself. So what are you up to out here in the grass all alone?”
Katie looked at the rosebush beside her. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“You can always ask.”
“Could you... Um, this is sort of dumb, actually.”
“Just say it.”
“This rosebush on the end was a gift to my mom from me and my sisters. Mother’s Day, I think. I wasn’t very old, maybe eight.”
“That’s an old rose. It looks like it’s doing well.”
“Yeah. I was wondering if you would keep it for me? I mean, not tear it out?”
The thought struck him that she wasn’t nearly as shallow as he’d guessed the first time he met her. He’d assumed she was the type who was always in search of a good time. Looking at her now, as she so earnestly asked him to keep her mother’s flowers alive, he realized he’d been off-base.
“I’ll take care of it for you. If you tell me what it needs. Gardening isn’t my strength.”
Katie looked at the plant uncertainly. “Mine, either. I think Claudia’s responsible for keeping it looking so healthy. We can ask her. I don’t believe it takes too much work, though. I was just searching for aphids on the leaves, but I can’t find any.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Good. Aphids eat the leaves.”
“It’s a beautiful rose,” he said, moving closer to her.
“It’s called an Elizabeth Taylor. We thought that was so cool. I have no idea why.”
She sat on the grass next to it, leaned forward and sniffed one of the blossoms. Noah sat down next to her, beginning to understand how comforting it must be for her to have something, some physical thing, to remind her of her mother.
When Leah had died, he’d gotten rid of everything that could remind him of her, finding it all much too painful. Now, he realized that might have been a mistake. Maybe clearing things out had slowed down his grieving.
“You can come by and see it anytime.”
Katie nodded slowly. “I’m not usually like this,” she said, still staring at the nearest rose.
“Like what?”
“Mopey. Sad. So pensive.”
“My guess is you’re usually out causing trouble, rather than staying home.” He was only partly kidding.
“I don’t cause trouble. But I do like to have fun. Don’t you?”
The question hung in the air like a heavy fog, as he tried to think of an answer.
“I don’t know when I last had honest-to-goodness fun. I haven’t been much in the mood.”
“That’s sad. Is it because of what happened to you?”
He didn’t answer for a while, focusing on the sweetness of the rose’s scent instead. “I lost someone close to me not too long ago. I’d planned to marry her.”
Katie’s eyes widened. “Oh, Noah. I’m really sorry. Even though that doesn’t help a bit, does it?”
He met her gaze. “You’ve been through that, too. The ‘I’m sorry’s’ that make you want to scream.”
Katie gazed off into space, nodding. “I know people mean well when they say it. And really, I do mean it—I’m sorry you’ve had to go through something like that. It sucks. But what can a person say?”
“There’s nothing.”
She nodded. “What happened to her?”
He shook his head, unable to speak.
“How long ago did she die?”
“Almost a year ago.”
Katie plucked strands of grass and ripped them, one at a time, before dropping them back on the ground.
“The only reason I mentioned her death is to let you know you’re not the only one who may be dealing with some pretty painful things. I can tell you still think about your mom a lot.”
“It seems to be emphasized this time at home. Selling the house has forced the issue and I just can’t get her off my mind.” She ripped another piece of grass into tiny shreds. “I’m really tired of being so down, honestly.”
“It doesn’t seem like your usual mood.”
“What about you? Are you always so down?”
He smiled, noticing how the blue in her eyes seemed to darken with the approaching dusk. “I imagine I’m somewhat more serious than you, even before I met Leah.”
“Leah, huh? Was she as uptight as you?”
He tried to smile at the provocative question, but he couldn’t pull it off. “Actually, she was a lot like you in many ways. She loved adventure, was spontaneous, full of life.”
“Sounds like I’d have liked her.”
“You would have.”
“What I can’t imagine is you liking her.”
“You can’t always help who you care for, I guess.”
“I guess. I don’t really know much about that. I’m not one to give advice, but you really should find something you like to do for fun. And do it.”
He tried to imagine what he might do, but nothing came to mind. “You’re probably right. I’ll give it some thought.”
“This topic is depressing. Want to go out for a shake?”
“A shake?”
“You know, ice cream, sugar-filled flavoring, some milk? Mixed and served with a straw?”
“Empty calories.”
“Exactly. Come on, you can drive and I’ll treat.”
“Do you really want ice cream?”
“A shake. Yes. Really.” She looked at him as if he was the odd one. “But if you’re too good for the Dairy Delight, it’s no big thing.”
“Why do you say things like that?”
She shrugged, shooting him an innocent look.
Noah stood and held out a hand to help her. “Not only will I drive us there, but I will prove to you I can embrace my inner child by buying the milkshakes for both of us.”
With Noah’s help, Katie pulled herself up. “That is a fabulous idea.” He didn’t immediately drop her hand as they walk
ed to his Tahoe.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE DAIRY DELIGHT was chock-full of people. Even though the sun had set, the temperature was still ninety-two degrees, according to the Lone Oak Bank and Trust sign across the street. As they approached the place, Katie figured about half the town had come out for ice cream tonight.
She opened the door, but Noah pulled her back. “I’m treating, remember? You stay out here, out of the chaos. We can get one of the outdoor tables.”
“How could I forget you’re treating? Something tells me it’s not every day you buy a girl a drink.”
“It’s not every day I’m harangued into visiting Dairy Delight.”
Katie could swear his lips curved into the beginnings of a smile, something she’d rarely seen on him.
“What would you like?” Noah asked.
“I thought we were having milkshakes.”
“What flavor?”
“Surprise me.”
He looked at her for a moment, then headed inside with a shrug.
As a group of teenagers left one of the outdoor tables, Katie snagged it and sat down. She sat there people watching, trying not to think about the fact that she was out with Noah. It had seemed natural for them to come out for a drink when she’d asked him. But now it was starting to feel too much like a date.
She wasn’t against dates at all. Normally. Something about Noah made her leery, though. Possibly the fact that she couldn’t use an exciting activity as an excuse for accepting. Half the time, dating was a way to go out and do something fun. Watch a scary movie, take a picnic out on a boat, water ski.
She was with Noah simply because she’d enjoyed talking to him and she was starting to like him.
“One ultra-deluxe surprise milkshake,” he said from behind her.
“That’s huge. And you acted like such a milkshake novice.” Katie used both hands to take the cup from him. “What flavor?”
“You have to guess.”
Katie put in her straw and drank. “Easy. Strawberry.”
“Not just strawberry. There’s banana in there, too. Hope you like it.”