Rose sidestepped her sisters and stomped up the porch steps. “He could’ve followed me. He could’ve chased me down the way I chased him down—nearly drowning myself in the process, thank you very much—but he didn’t. I think it’s pretty clear how he feels.”
Everyone had seen how Colt felt.
“You basically told him not to follow you,” Dally pointed out, ever and always the voice of logic. “I’m sure he would’ve followed you if we hadn’t.”
She appreciated them trying to encourage her, but the fact remained that she was up here and Colt was down there. “It’s fine.” This wasn’t the first time she’d been humiliated, and with the way her passion tended to take over, it likely wouldn’t be the last either. “I don’t want this to ruin Sassy’s party.” They had to get this shindig back on track right now. “I’m going to change. And then we need to find Mom so we can give those two a little privacy when they’re reunited.”
Yes, they had to make a plan and stick to the plan. No running on emotion anymore today. “I’m not sure this party could handle another scene.”
“It wasn’t that big of a scene.” Dally peeked through the living room window. “Mom and Maya are inside. It looks like they’re reading a book.”
“Perfect.” Rose opened the screen door. “You two go back down the hill and get Sassy. Tell her we need her up here for a few minutes.” She stepped inside the house. “I’ll get changed and start to prep Mom for what’s coming.”
That ought to be enough to get her mind off Colt.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sassy
If there was one thing Sassy had learned how to do it was to make sure the show went on.
Years ago, they’d hosted weddings and receptions at the inn, and glitches never failed to come up—an impromptu mountain storm in the middle of a wedding ceremony, a swarm of mosquitos during an outdoor cake cutting.
In all those years at all those events, she’d never dealt with quite the amount of awkwardness dear Rose had left in her wake. She’d desperately wanted to follow her poor sweet niece up the hill to console her, but with Dally and Mags both gone, someone had to get this party back on track. Starting with some music.
“Colt?” She waited for him to come out of his fog. He clearly had no idea what to do in this current situation, so he needed a job. “Why don’t you connect to the Bluetooth speaker at the bar and play some good music?”
Nothing broke the ice like Dolly singing about islands in the stream.
“Right. Music.” Colt still hadn’t seemed to come back fully, but she would have to deal with him in a few minutes. Right now she was going to get Mr. and Mrs. Cleary a drink.
Thankfully Eric had positioned himself behind the bar, which gave her the perfect excuse to steal her great-nephew. “It’s so good to see you two offscreen.” She held out her arms and accepted the baby, cuddling him in her arms.
“Good to see you too. We wouldn’t have missed your party for anything.” Eric slung a towel over his shoulder. “What can I get you?”
“Two glasses of chardonnay and one cab, please.” She waved Mr. and Mrs. Cleary over. The talking had picked up again, but there were still some hushed conversations going on. Lord only knew what people thought of Rose’s theatrics. Though she had to admit…she was proud of her niece. It took more courage than most people had to stand up and reveal your heart in front of everyone. If her complete vulnerability hadn’t convinced Colt that her feelings for him were real, nothing would.
“Meet my new great-nephew.” She presented the baby to her old friends, and Luca worked his magic right away.
“He’s darling!” Mrs. Cleary cooed at Luca. “Oh my goodness. Look at those bright eyes!”
“Quite the handsome fella,” Mr. Cleary added.
“He takes after his father.” Eric handed a chardonnay to Mrs. Cleary and Sassy and the cab to Mr. Cleary.
“Meet Magnolia’s wonderful husband.” Sassy readjusted little Luca so that his miniature chin rested on her shoulder. In her estimation, babies liked to see what was going on in the world.
“Little Magnolia.” Mrs. Cleary shook her head. “I can hardly believe all the kids are grown up and having babies of their own.” The woman glanced at Nolan, who was still near the shoreline of the pond playing with the kids. “Nolan had so hoped things would work out with Beth.”
“I was sorry to hear about his divorce.” She felt for the man—especially because he did seem to be harboring a crush on Rose, but her niece had already given her heart away to someone else. “He won’t have a problem finding a wonderful woman. With his success and kind heart? When the right one comes along he’ll know.”
“I suppose you’re right.” The woman leaned closer. “But I do have to admit, I love Rose. She obviously cares for Colt very much.”
“Yes, she does. Though she hadn’t been willing to admit it to herself or anyone else until today.” Sassy could see the shock still on Colt’s face. The man had started talking to Ike, but he only seemed to be half listening to what the doctor was saying. “One’s heart can only contain love so long before it has to burst out.” She’d experienced that phenomenon recently herself.
“Eric…” Sassy turned back to the bar. “Why don’t you tell Mr. and Mrs. Cleary about your home in Florida. They own a condo not too far away, I think.”
“Oh, you live in Florida?” Mr. Cleary moved right on to talking about golf, and Sassy snuck away from the conversation, still hogging Luca.
“Happy birthday, Sassy.” Ike greeted her with a hug and kiss on the cheek. “This is quite the party.”
“Maybe I should go talk to her?” Colt ran his hand through his hair, leaving the top in a tufted mess. He looked at Ike. “Is that what you would do?”
The doctor shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I’m not any better off than you at the moment. You both missed quite the scene earlier when Maya caught Dally and me…uh…talking alone in the woods. She was pretty upset.”
Talking. Right. “Maya will be fine,” Sassy told Ike firmly. “And Rose…” She peered up at Colt. “Rose let her heart guide her when she fell out of that boat and came after you. I suggest you do the same, my dear. Before it’s too late.” That was the only advice she could offer him. “Your heart will know what to do.”
“Sassy…” Graham waved from the path near the parking lot.
Speaking of acting on the heart…She held the baby out to Colt. “Hold little Luca for me, will you?” She passed the baby off and floated to meet the man of her dreams. Not caring who saw, Sassy walked into his arms.
He held her for a few seconds before stepping back so he could get a good look at her. “I didn’t think you’d be here yet.”
“We arrived early.” But not a moment too soon. If Rose had been prepared for them, she likely never would’ve told Colt the truth about her feelings, and then where would they be? “But it’s already been quite the party.”
The man’s expression fell. “I can’t believe I missed your grand entrance. I was working on the planter boxes for the garden and lost track of time.” He reached out for her hands. “I wanted to be here when you arrived so I could be the first to wish you the happiest of birthdays.”
“You’re here now. That’s what matters.” He was here, and Rose loved Colt, and Dally and Ike had shared a kiss. All at her big surprise birthday celebration. This day couldn’t get any more perfect. “I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone. There are so many people for you to meet.” She wrapped her arm through his and led him in the direction of the bar so she could show him off to the Clearys.
“Um, Aunt Sassy?” Dally called from somewhere behind her.
“We’re sorry, but we need to borrow you up at the house for a few minutes,” Mags added.
An aunt’s work was never done, it seemed. And, oh how she loved this. Loved being needed. The years before her girls had come back to her were too quiet and too lonely. Now that Mags and Dally and Rose were all back, she would drop
anything and everything when they called on her.
She faced Graham, ready to apologize, but knew at once he wanted her to go be with her nieces. “I’m happy to introduce myself to everyone.” Confidence shone through his smile.
She’d like to think she had something to do with drawing him out of his shell the way he’d drawn her out of her loneliness, but perhaps he’d always been friendlier than she’d given him credit for.
“I’ll be right back,” she promised already following her nieces up the hill.
“I’ll be waiting for you.”
She had come to love the sound of Graham’s voice, that comforting low baritone. And those words…I’ll be waiting for you. No one had ever been waiting for her. It had always been her waiting on those she loved.
“We’re really sorry to pull you away from the party.” Mags fell in step with her. “But you should probably know what you’re walking into.”
Dally moved to her other side. “Mom is up at the house.”
Sassy ground to a halt. “Lillian is here?” Hope swelled beneath her ribs. “For the party?”
The two sisters shared a long look that told her what she needed to know. Lillian hadn’t come to celebrate her.
“She doesn’t know you’re here,” Dally admitted.
“But Rose is telling her now, so hopefully by the time we get up there…” Mags let her sentence trail off.
Hopefully what? There would be a lightning strike and Lillian wouldn’t walk out on her the second she saw her? Sassy found it hard to move. Because once she reached the house and saw the sister she still loved every bit as much as she had when they had been girls playing dress-up, she would have to watch Lillian walk away again, and she didn’t know if she could bear it.
“She can’t get far.” Dally had always had such intuition in knowing what people were thinking. “Even if she tries to walk away. It’s not like she has a car.”
Yes, Lillian might be forced to stay, but that wasn’t how Sassy wanted things. “If she wants to leave when she sees me, one of you girls needs to drive her back to your place.” She gently squeezed Dally’s arm. “I don’t want to keep her here against her will. I have been waiting to see her for a long time, and when I do, I will say my piece.” This might be the last opportunity she had to tell her sister how much she loved her. Those doctor appointments on Monday were looming ever closer. “But if Lillian wants to leave, I will let her go.” The same way she had years ago.
“Oh, Sassy.” Mags hugged her tight. “I just have this feeling everything will work out this time. I don’t know why, but I believe it.”
“Then I will believe it too.” Standing side by side with her nieces gave her the courage to move again, to face the possibility of a crushing disappointment. “At least I have you three.” She would hold on to her girls, no matter what happened with Lillian.
They remained silent for the rest of the walk up to the house. Sweet Mags and Dally seemed almost as nervous as she was. When she started up the steps to the porch, a wave of dizziness seemed to crash over her from nowhere, but she couldn’t tell if it was the anxiety mounting inside of her or another headache on the horizon.
Not now. She didn’t have time to deal with a headache. She had to be fully present for this. What if she never saw her sister again?
“Here we go.” Dally opened the door and gestured for Sassy to go first. She teetered her way into the house, pressing her hand against the wall as she walked down the hall and into the living room.
Lillian sat on the couch with Maya. Rose was standing in front of her mother, arms crossed, face red.
A hundred tears seemed to gather in her eyes all at once, nearly blocking her vision. She had waited years to be in the same room as Lillian, and she didn’t care if her sister was happy about this meeting or not, she intended to make the most of it.
“My God, Lil. You’re still every bit as beautiful as you were in your thirties.”
Lillian merely stared at her, her face an expressionless mask.
“Maya, honey, why don’t you run back down to the pond and play with Ollie and the other kids?” Dally coaxed gently. “Uncle Eric is down there. We’ll be right behind you.”
“Okay.” Maya scooted off the couch, her eyes wide, as though she felt the gravity of this situation. “Happy birthday, Auntie Sassy.” The girl gave her a hug on her way out of the room, and Sassy savored the show of affection. Would she find the same warmth from her sister?
“I don’t want to talk to you.” Lillian spoke first after the front door had opened and closed. “I didn’t even know you were in town.” She stared at the wall, so Sassy moved right in front of her.
“You don’t have to talk. You don’t even have to look at me.” All she needed was for Lillian to hear her. “But I will ask you to listen.”
Mags and Rose and Dally drifted to the outskirts of the living room but didn’t leave them alone, which was just as well. They should be a part of this conversation.
“I’m turning seventy today, Lil.” That was the first time she’d said her new age out loud, and it sounded strange and formidable. Seventy. So close to eighty. Nearing the end of her life. But in so many ways, her life was really just beginning. With Graham. With her beautiful nieces and great-niece and great-nephews. Maybe with her sister too. “I am so sorry I hurt you all those years ago.” She paused to let the words have the space they deserved. “But I wasn’t choosing Robert over you. Regardless of what you might think, I have always loved you, and I considered you my very best friend.”
Those years seemed to come rushing back through her—the memories of her and Lillian lying out by the pond in the summer and singing Christmas carols around the tree with the girls when they would come to visit in the winter.
“I thought you were my friend too.” The coolness in her sister’s voice seemed to match the ice in her eyes. “But you weren’t there for me when I needed you the most. And I can’t forget that.”
“I’m not asking you to forget it. I’m telling you I’m sorry. Choosing between you and Robert seemed impossible. So I didn’t ask him to leave. I couldn’t.” She hadn’t wanted to lose either one of them, but she had no doubt Lillian had been in pain after learning her husband had cheated on her. “I understand why you felt I abandoned you, but I am asking you to move past it. Finally. After all these years. We could be a family. All of us. Together.” It didn’t matter if Sassy had two years left or twenty-five, she wanted the rest of her life to be about love and family. “I love you so much, Lil. If you could only forgive me—”
“Forgive you?” Lillian rose from the couch. “What was it about Robert that made you choose him?” Her hip kicked out the same way it had when she had been a feisty teenager. “Was it his felony record? His lack of a job? I was your sister.” The first trace of emotion wavered through her words. “I had always been there for you, Sassy. I brought my girls out to visit you and gave you a family. And then you turned your back on us.”
“Mom!” Rose marched into the fray. “Enough. That all happened years ago. The only thing that matters now is the future. It’s past time for you to stop being so bitter and cruel.”
Lillian seemed to wilt right in front of them, and Rose squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“I’m going for a walk.” She stalked out of the room, and Sassy didn’t try to follow her. That would only chase her farther away.
Dahlia was the first one to move, following in her mother’s footsteps, but Rose held her sister back. “I’ll go after her. That was my fault.” She turned to Sassy. “I’m sorry. I lost my temper and ran her off. But I will bring her back to the party. I promise I’ll find a way.”
“I said what I needed to say.” And she had no regrets. Not anymore. She’d voiced her apology. She’d told Lillian she loved her. There wasn’t anything else to be done.
Sassy comforted her niece with a loving squeeze of her hand. “Now the rest is up to her.”
Rose nod
ded, but the slump in her shoulders hinted at her pessimism. She hurried from the room and disappeared out the door.
“Why don’t we go back to the party?” Mags suggested. “I’m dying to meet this Graham fellow. He sure sounds like a charmer from what Dally and Rose said.”
“Oh, he is, though.” Sassy followed her nieces outside, giving her temples a quick squeeze while they weren’t looking at her. The headache was coming—starting in the shadows, but it wouldn’t be long before it gained momentum. Maybe not until after the party though. Then she could lie down…
“Rose and Dally said you and Graham bonded over roses?” Mags asked.
On the way down the hill, Sassy told them about how she’d walked into that garden prepared to negotiate with a miser, and she’d walked out with a growing affection for the man. “And it seems to grow every time I’m with him,” she finished, watching Graham chat with Mr. and Mrs. Cleary as though he’d known them forever.
“We’re thrilled for you.” Dally punctuated the words with a happy sigh.
“I’m thrilled for me too.” Sassy brought them to Graham and made the necessary introductions.
Mrs. Cleary’s wink told her that her old friend approved.
Just as she and Graham were walking to the bar to get a drink, Maya and Ollie came running out of the woods. “Auntie Sassy! Auntie Sassy! We made you a present! You have to come see!”
She gave Graham an apologetic look, but he simply smiled and waved her away. “I’ll get our drinks and see you in a few.”
“I can’t wait.” She took Ollie’s and Maya’s hands and let them lead her toward their surprise.
It seemed a great-aunt’s work was never done either. But it didn’t matter how many times she walked away, she knew Graham would be there waiting on her when she came back.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dahlia
You look like you could use a drink.” Colt handed Dahlia a glass of chardonnay over the bar.
The Summer Sisters (Juniper Springs Book 2) Page 22