It seemed he’d taken over as bartender while Eric and Mags were busy changing a diaper.
“I could say the same about you.” She gladly accepted the wine and leaned in. “Are you doing okay?” On a normal day, Colt didn’t seem to enjoy being the center of anyone’s attention—especially people he didn’t know all that well. Though everyone seemed to have forgotten what had transpired earlier. The party was in full swing. A few more people from town had shown up, and the Cleary family seemed to have started up a lively conversation with Ike.
“I’m…fine.” The man’s long pause wasn’t all that convincing. “Is Rose still around?” He almost seemed to wince as he said the words.
“She’s around here somewhere.” Dahlia had been scanning the property on and off since she and Mags and Sassy had come down here twenty minutes ago. “She’s off talking with our mother somewhere.” Hopefully they would both be in one piece. She was still kicking herself for not insisting that she go after Lillian with Rose. Her sister likely could’ve used the backup.
“Why? Did you want to talk to her about something?” She didn’t mean to tease Colt, but she was dying to know what he was thinking. She’d never been able to read the man. Was he in love with Rose too?
“Yeah.” His half smile told her nothing. “I suppose we have some things to talk about, she and I.” And not you, his expression seemed to add.
But she was Rose’s sister. She couldn’t help but meddle some. “That was sure something how she jumped out of the canoe for you, huh?” She propped her chin on her fist. “I mean, she really put herself out there.”
“Yup.” Colt gazed at the pond. He had one of the best poker faces she’d ever seen.
“You know, if you need help figuring out what to say to her when she comes back, I’m really good at talking through things.” She sipped her wine. “Nobody knows Rose better than me.”
“I don’t need help, but thanks.” The man pulled a bottle of beer out of the ice trough and handed it to Nolan a few feet away.
Poor Nolan. Since she obviously wasn’t going to get anything out of Colt, she moved on to the Clearys’ grandson. “Great party, huh?” she asked casually.
The man gave her a deadpan look. “Don’t worry about me. I’m good. I already knew Rose wasn’t into me.”
“You did?” She set down her glass.
“Sure. I could tell. She liked me, but she also friendzoned me the first few minutes we met.” He glanced at Colt with a grin. “I figured there had to be a reason, and I was right.”
“I know she thinks you’re a great guy.” But as Rose had said before, she didn’t get to choose who captured her heart.
“She’s pretty great too.” He grinned. “Impulsive, but pretty great.”
Dahlia had to laugh.
“Uncle Nolan! Come take my picture.” One of his nieces called him away.
“Duty calls,” he said, adjusting his camera before hurrying to the pond.
With no one else to talk to, Dahlia’s gaze wandered to Ike again. Now he was holding little Luca against his chest while he talked to Eric and Mags. Just when she thought her heart couldn’t hold any more love for him…
“He looks like a natural.” Colt leaned into the bar next to her. “I’m pretty good at figuring out what to say too. If you need advice.”
Dahlia sent him a sideways glance. “Any advice on how to get a tween girl to be fine with her mother dating someone? Because that’s all I need help with at the moment.”
“Not a clue.” Colt pulled out a beer and popped the top before taking a sip. “According to Sassy if you give things time, they tend to work out.”
She couldn’t resist the opening. “But you don’t want to take too much time.” She raised her eyebrows so he wouldn’t miss her meaning. “You especially don’t want to wait too long before discussing your real feelings for someone.” Hint, hint. Rose was already sure Colt didn’t care for her the way she cared for him. He needed to change her mind fast.
“Don’t worry.” Colt walked around the bar and stood by her. “I won’t wait too long. If you see Rose, tell her I’m looking for her.”
She was about to ask what he planned to say, but the man seemed too wise to continue standing by her any longer. He walked to a nearby table and started to collect empty glasses.
Dahlia checked her watch and again scanned the area for Rose and her mother, but there was still no sign of them.
“Everything okay?” Ike wandered near the bar.
“I don’t know yet.” She told him about the confrontation between Lillian and Sassy. “I’m about ready to send out a search party.” She couldn’t imagine why they’d been gone so long.
“Maybe they’re just somewhere talking.” Ike somehow always managed to put her at ease.
“I hope so.” She peeked up at him, her cheeks getting all warm and tingly like they had when she’d kissed him. “I think Maya is okay, by the way. At least, she seemed to bounce back when she came down here to play.” Her daughter had sure been excited about whatever it was she and Ollie had wanted to show Sassy.
“I’m sorry she saw us though.” He blew out a sigh. “It’s my fault. I should’ve waited to talk to you until we were really alone.”
“No.” Dahlia almost reached for his hand, but then thought better of it. “I’m glad we got to talk. And…” She smiled a little. “And, well, I’m glad we got to kiss too. I’ve really missed that.” Really, really, really missed it. She’d forgotten how wonderful it felt to have Ike touch his lips to hers.
“I’ve missed it too.” A gravelly quality lowered his voice.
“I hate that we can’t kiss more right now.” Sheesh. Just talking about kissing him made her breathless.
“Me too.” Ike never seemed to look away from her when they were talking. “But let’s look at it this way. Waiting a little longer will build more anticipation.”
“I already have quite a bit of anticipation.” Just ask her heart. It seemed to find a different rhythm when Ike came close. “Every minute will be—”
“Ike! Dr. Ike!” Maya’s terrified scream pierced the party’s cheerful volume. Her daughter came sprinting out of the woods, and Dahlia’s heart dropped.
Everyone went silent, gathering around the bar with looks of concern.
Ike ran to meet Maya. He took a knee in front of her. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“It’s…Auntie Sassy…” Her daughter wheezed as though she couldn’t catch her breath.
“Where is she?” Ike was back on his feet, already running to the woods.
Dahlia started to clumsily jog, catching up to her daughter.
“She’s…she fell.” Maya started to cry. “She fell and now she won’t open her eyes!”
“Where?” Ike had stopped to wait for them by the trees, and now Colt and Graham had joined them too.
Dahlia took Maya’s hand. “Can you show us?”
“I think so.” Her daughter started to run again.
“Call nine-one-one,” Ike instructed Colt. “Tell them we need an ambulance here now.”
Colt was on the phone talking before Ike even finished the sentence.
God. Dear God. Tears blinded Dahlia’s eyes too. Not Sassy. They couldn’t lose Sassy. She tried to find strength, but nothing could’ve prepared her for what she saw when Maya stopped running and pointed.
Her beloved aunt lay sprawled on her side in the tall grasses, her eyes closed, her body still.
Ollie was crying over her while some of the Cleary children stood back, looking stricken.
“Sassy?” Ike knelt and immediately grabbed her aunt’s wrist, his fingers checking for a pulse.
Dahlia forced herself to keep looking in his eyes. He gave a slight nod as though trying to put her at ease. Her aunt’s heart was still beating. She was alive.
Moving in closer, Dahlia pulled Ollie into her arms, holding him tight while he cried on her shoulder.
“Sassy? Wake up. We need you to wake up.” The do
ctor seemed to do a visual inspection of her body and then shifted, placing both hands on either side of her head. He looked at Colt. “Help me roll her gently onto her back.”
Together, the two men carefully moved Sassy, and Ike leaned over her. He was listening for breath.
Please. Please. Dahlia’s hands pulled into fists.
He nodded at her again, and the relief nearly forced her to her knees.
“What’s wrong with her?” Maya wailed, throwing herself down next to Sassy. “Is she dead?”
She was about to pull her daughter away, but Ike turned fully to Maya. “She’s okay,” he murmured in a soothing tone. “Thanks to you, we can help her.” He reached his hand to Maya’s face and wiped away some of her daughter’s tears. “We will help her. I promise. You did good, honey. You did real good.”
Her daughter nodded, her lips still trembling.
“Hold on.” Colt smoothed Sassy’s beautiful red hair away from her face. “The ambulance said they were only ten minutes out. We’re getting you help. You have to hold on.”
The terror in his normally strong voice nearly tore Dahlia’s heart in two.
“What does she need?” Graham approached them at a jog. “What can I do?”
Ike was holding Sassy’s wrist again. “Just let her know you’re here.” He gestured to Sassy’s other side, and Graham sat beside her, taking her free hand in his.
“Her pulse is stable, so that’s good news.” Ike took his time examining Sassy’s head. “I don’t see any obvious wounds.”
“Right before she fell, she said she had to sit down,” Maya told them, whimpering. “She said she was dizzy and she needed to rest.” The tears started to fall again. “We shouldn’t have made her walk out here with us…”
“It’s not your fault.” Ike lifted Maya’s chin. “This is not your fault. Okay? You were brave. You did everything right.”
Still holding on to Ollie, Dahlia lowered herself next to Maya and held both of her children. “It’ll be okay,” she murmured over and over.
“Sassy.” Ike spoke authoritatively. “Open your eyes. We’re all here. We want to see you open your eyes.”
Her aunt groaned in response.
“That’s it.” Ike checked her pulse again. “Wake up, Sassy. Come back to us.”
Dahlia studied her aunt’s face. She swore her aunt’s eyelids fluttered. “Aunt Sassy? Where do you hurt? What do you need?” There had to be something they could do for her…
“Graham?” Her aunt opened her eyes. “Oh, Graham.”
“What is it?” The older man stroked Sassy’s face with tenderness. “What do you need, sweetheart?”
“I’m sorry.” Her eyes closed again, and it was all Dahlia could do to not shake her back awake. Thankfully Ollie was still hugging her as though he was afraid to look at anything else, so she clung to him too.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” the man insisted. “You rest. We have help coming. Everything will be—”
“Headaches,” her aunt interrupted. “I’ve had terrible headaches.”
“For how long?” Ike’s expression noticeably tensed.
“Over a month.” Sassy’s eyes filled with tears. “Sometimes dizzy too. I…” She cleared her throat. “I have some appointments in Denver on Monday…”
She’d been having headaches for over a month and hadn’t said anything? Dahlia rested a hand on her aunt’s shoulder but kept the questions to herself. All that mattered now was that Sassy got the help she needed before it was too late.
“Do you remember what happened?” Ike seemed to be taking mental notes.
Her aunt smiled weakly. “The children made a heart out of flowers. And I loved it.” Her eyes found Maya’s, and Dahlia’s daughter planted a light kiss on her great-aunt’s cheek. “We were going to walk back when the dizzy spell hit. And then…everything slowly faded away.”
“Good. That’s good that you remember.” Ike appeared to check her eyes. “Do you know what day it is?”
“It’s my birthday.” Sassy squeezed Graham’s hand. “I should’ve said something about the headaches.” Her eyes found Dahlia’s. “To all of you. I was going to as soon as I knew what I was dealing with.” Her aunt’s eyes closed again. “I didn’t want to worry everyone.”
“How’s your headache now?” Ike asked. “Do you still feel pain anywhere?”
“It’s not as bad now,” she murmured too weakly for Dahlia’s comfort. “I still feel the headache, but I’m not as dizzy.” Her aunt started to sit up, but Ike gently guided her to lie down.
“Not so fast.” The doctor was smiling, but Dahlia could read the concern in his eyes. He suspected something, she could tell.
“We need you to be real still,” Ike told Sassy with the perfect blend of sternness and compassion. “We’re going to send you to the hospital in an ambulance to make sure everything is all right.”
For the first time, Ollie pulled his head off Dahlia’s shoulder. “An ambulance?” The prospect of first responders seemed to pique her son’s interest.
“Ambulances are cool,” he told Sassy solemnly.
“Maybe you can ride with me then.” Her aunt reached up to pat the boy’s cheek. “You and your mom, of course.”
“Can we, Mom?” Light had found her son’s eyes again. “Will they let us ride in the ambulance?”
“I sure hope so.” Because she didn’t want to leave Sassy’s side.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rose
Will you stop running away from me?” Rose followed her mother down the shoulder of the road, hoping Lillian wouldn’t make good on her threats to walk all the way back to town.
That would eat up the rest of the afternoon, and they really needed to get back to the party.
“Seriously, Mom.” She teetered along the gravel in her wedge sandals. If she’d known she was going to have to chase her mother all the way to Juniper Springs, she would’ve put on her running shoes.
“Why are you following me anyway?” Lillian whirled. “Why don’t you follow Sassy? You like her more.”
Engaging in this argument had been like spinning on a merry-go-round, but Rose couldn’t seem to find a way off. “We aren’t choosing Sassy over you.” She carefully controlled her tone so her voice wouldn’t rise. She had been trying to talk her mother down, but any minute now her temper might take over again, and they would be right back where they’d started.
“We want to be a family. That’s all we want. For you and Sassy to be sisters again so we can enjoy being together.” Rose approached her mother before Lillian decided to turn and walk away again. “Don’t you remember what it was like when we would visit here all those years ago? Don’t you remember the fun we had together?” There had been laughter and silliness. Much more so than there ever had been at their home in Savannah.
While they visited Sassy in Juniper Springs, Lillian used to act like a different person—she hadn’t cared so much what people around her thought. “Life could be like that again.”
“No. It can’t.” Her mother spun away from her and started walking again. Thankfully there’d been enough pauses that Rose could still see the turnoff for the resort’s driveway. But not for long, if they kept walking.
“You don’t understand what it was like.” Her mother’s shiny loafers scuffed through the dirt faster. “You have no idea.”
“Then tell me.” Rose caught her hand and pulled her to a stop again. “I want to understand.” More than anything she wanted to find a connection with Lillian, a way for them to relate so this didn’t have to be so hard. The fighting. The dancing around their issues. “Please, Mom. I’m listening.”
“I was terrified.” Lillian yanked her hand away. “I had three young daughters, and I thought your father was going to leave me.” A few tears trickled down her cheeks, but she angrily wiped them away. “I had never had a well-paying job. I was a mother. And a wife. What was I supposed to do?” she nearly yelled.
Rose stared at
her mother, at the tear stains on her cheeks, at the redness in her eyes. This woman looked nothing like the put-together picture of Southern elegance Rose remembered. But the outburst of emotion was good. Maybe they were finally getting somewhere. “That must’ve been so hard.”
The firmness in her mother’s jaw seemed to soften. “I was too humiliated to tell my parents about the affair. But I thought at least I could come and stay with Sassy for a while. I could’ve brought you girls and started over here. I could’ve built a whole different life, if only Sassy had listened to me.”
But where would that have left her father? Rose didn’t voice the question. Now—years after his death—the question didn’t matter. Lillian had stayed. Her family had stayed together. But she couldn’t decide if that was better or worse than the alternative.
She never would’ve called her parents happy. In her memories, they seemed to function well together. But they hadn’t laughed and teased each other. They hadn’t spent any time alone together that she had been aware of. Her father worked as much as he could—even going into the office on weekends.
Maybe her parents loved each other. Maybe they had to pretend. Maybe marriage had to be a little bit of both. The point was, the problems in Lillian’s marriage couldn’t be blamed on Sassy. “We still could’ve moved to the inn. Even with Robert and Colt living here.” She had no doubt that Sassy would’ve welcomed them.
Her mother blew out a sigh of obvious frustration. “I didn’t trust him. You don’t have children, so you can’t understand. My whole life, all I’ve wanted to do is protect you girls. I knew something was off with that man. So I stayed in Savannah. I stayed in the marriage and had to face your father’s betrayal every day for the rest of his life.”
Ah. Rose let the words simmer a minute. That’s where it all came from. The bitterness. The resentment. Instead of placing the blame where it belonged, Lillian had shifted the responsibility for years of unhappiness to Sassy. It made sense. Lillian had dumped her anger on someone she didn’t have to see, someone she didn’t have to live with. “Are you sure it’s not Dad you’re still angry with?” she asked quietly. “He’s the one who really hurt you. Not Sassy. You heard what she said. She loves you. She apologized. All she’s wanted over the years is to see you again, to talk to you.”
The Summer Sisters (Juniper Springs Book 2) Page 23