said she had a new man in her life. But I didn’t expect someone so...” Gorgeous. Mouth-watering. “Young.” She put her mug down. “You’re not what I expected.”
“I could say the same about you, Kelly.” He finished his coffee then placed his mug in the kitchen sink and ran water in the cup. “It’s been fun, but I’ve got to get to the job site early.” He nodded at Kelly, then pointed at Megs. “You’ll let me know about tomorrow?”
Megs agreed and retrieved her steaming mug from the microwave. “I’ll know more tonight. Dinner at Rick’s tonight, say seven?”
“You bet.” He winked at Kelly. “Nice to meet you.”
Of all the nerve. And if he didn’t make her stomach flop, she would swear she was coming down with the flu. She turned to her sister. “Does he come over every morning?” She narrowed her eyes. “Is there something going on with you two?”
Megs shook her head and walked to the refrigerator. She pulled out a carton of eggs and a tub of butter. “Sam is just a friend. And he lives in the apartment above the garage. When he runs out of coffee there, he comes over and uses Grammy’s. It’s no big deal.”
Kelly took a seat and watched her sister crack eggs into a bowl and whisk them together. Next, her sister got out a frying pan and melted butter in it over the stove before pouring the beaten eggs into it. She retrieved a loaf of homemade sourdough and cut thick slices, then dropped them in the toaster, which she plugged back in.
“Seems like a big deal if you and Grammy couldn’t tell me that he was living here,” Kelly said. Her mouth watered as the eggs cooked golden yellow. “By the way Grammy talked about him, I thought she was half in love with him.”
“Maybe she was. In a grandmotherly way.” Megs took down two plates and brought them to the stove. “Sam is a great guy. Not that you gave him much of a chance this morning.”
“He startled me.”
“Mm-hmm.” Megs placed a piece of toast on the plate then spooned the cooked eggs over it. She put another pat of butter on top, then handed it to Kelly. “Can we discuss this while we eat? I’m starving.”
Kelly normally didn’t eat breakfast but her stomach growled loudly at the sight of the eggs and toast. “Grammy made this for us the first night after Mom left.”
“I know.” Megs took a seat on a stool at the kitchen island. “Seemed appropriate.”
Kelly took a seat across from her. She picked up her fork then laid it back down next to her plate. “I don’t know what to do without her.”
“I don’t, either.”
* * *
SAM STEERED HIS pickup truck into the driveway and followed the curve until he had almost reached the lake. His potential client hadn’t arrived yet, so he got out of the vehicle and walked to the truck bed and got out his red tool box.
He took a deep breath, reveling in the scent of pine and water. When he’d first arrived in Lake Mildred, he hadn’t expected to find this sense of home. He assumed he’d take on a few well-paying jobs then move on to the next town, always searching for something.
Home.
And he thought he might be able to find it here in this sleepy lakeside town. A big part of that had been Adelaide Sweet, and he swallowed at the lump in his throat the reminder brought. Come on, Addy. What am I going to do?
Memories of Addy brought the image to mind of meeting her granddaughter that morning. Her worn nightshirt with a cat on it, plus the long blond hair in braids and huge blue eyes gave her an air of innocence. The way she threatened him with a toaster only added to his impression of her. Petite and cute, she was also strong, independent. Definitely a young woman raised by Addy. But something remained, which he couldn’t put his finger on, that made him want to get to know her a lot better.
The appearance of a silver pickup truck in the driveway broke Sam from his thoughts. The truck pulled up and parked behind his. He shielded his eyes then waved at Rick Allyn, the mayor and hopefully his next, future client. Rick hopped out of the pickup and approached him. “I got stuck in a budget meeting.” He made a face, and Sam squelched a grin.
The men shook hands then strolled down to the dock. Sam sighed and put his tool box down. He tugged the small notebook out of his back pocket and nub of a pencil. “I had a look at the supports, and they’re still good. It seems to be the boards on top here that are causing problems.”
Sam crouched and peered at the rotting boards of the dock. He could remove the old ones, replace them with solid planks and then treat them so that they’d last for years. He mentally calculated the cost of the materials. He stood and made some notes on his pad. “It’ll take me about a week to do the work, and I can get started on the job in a day or two.”
Rick nodded. “And the price?”
Sam gave him a figure to which the mayor whistled.
“More than I’d hoped, but still it’s half of what another company quoted me.”
So he had competition for the job? Not that he expected less from a man who ran the town with a fair, but frugal hand, despite his dislike of budget meetings. Sam shifted his weight on his feet. “I can guarantee my work. I’ll give you references if you need them.”
Rick held up one hand. “You forget that I’ve seen your work at the Stones’ house. I’m convinced. You’ve got the job.”
They shook hands to seal the deal. Sam made more notes. “I’ll get the contract and itemized materials list to you by the end of the day.” He looked up at Rick as they walked back to their trucks. “Megs mentioned that you and I are pallbearers tomorrow for the funeral.”
“It’s my honor.” Rick stopped at his truck and rested a foot on the back tire. “It’s a real blow to the town. Mrs. Sweet was the cornerstone to a lot of charities besides providing all the pastries and desserts for town celebrations. She’ll be missed.”
Sam nodded, but couldn’t say anything. He’d breezed into town over two years ago, looking for a job and a place to stay. Mrs. Sweet had opened up her home to him as well as introduced him to people who had brought work his way. She had encouraged him to find his dreams when he’d been ready to walk away.
She’d given him the kick in the behind when he’d needed it, too. Said the words he hadn’t wanted to hear, but ought to understand.
What was he going to do now? He cleared his throat. “An amazing woman. One of a kind.”
“Megs said they’re meeting with Gene this morning at the funeral home.”
He knew they would make the right decisions for Addy. She’d had a lot of love and pride in her granddaughters, but he’d seen little of Kelly to know if Addy’s belief in her granddaughter had been warranted. She’d spoken often of her amazing voice and how she was trying to pursue her singing career in Nashville. He knew firsthand what that could cost. He hoped she’d returned home before it had changed her.
The fear in her eyes this morning when she’d discovered him in the kitchen told him that it might be too late. He realized that was the difference between the sisters.
