of seconds he laid his hand on her small, delicate shoulder. “Have a good day at school.” And he considered it a triumph when she didn’t instantly shrug him off.
It occurred to him he might not see the girls or Amber ever again. Not if he could convince his grandmother to leave town when she was released from the hospital. Suddenly, it seemed as if the oxygen in the trailer had vanished.
Amber got up from the table. “Let me walk you out.”
“I guess this is goodbye, then,” he rasped.
Stumbling to the porch, he grabbed the railing for support. That was a mistake that nearly pitched him over the side to the ground below.
What kind of bum of a landlord would leave a young mother and two little girls to live in such conditions? An entire punch list of items needed to be tackled at the trailer. His stomach knotted. But he wouldn’t be here to make sure everything was properly fixed.
“I can’t thank you enough for coming to my rescue, Ethan.” She wrapped her light gray cardigan around herself against the crisp chill of the April morning. “It—it was good to see you again.”
Never seeing them again unsettled him in a way he wouldn’t have previously believed possible. He had only the briefest acquaintance with the twins. But already, they’d somehow managed to entangle themselves in his heart.
Kind of like...kudzu. Or morning glories.
And then there was Amber.
His chest heaved. “It was great seeing you, too, Amber. And meeting your girls.”
“Thank you for making the effort to reach out to Stella.” She nudged her chin toward the trailer. “Lucy is so outgoing, people naturally respond to her, but her sister—”
“Just because she’s quiet and reserved, Stella should never be consigned to the shadows.” He jutted his jaw. “You, Lucy and Stella deserve only sunshine, blue skies and happy days.”
“Lucy and Stella, yes.”
The bone-weary defeat in Amber’s eyes almost undid him.
She squared her too-thin shoulders. “Please tell your grandmother goodbye for me and the girls. It will break their hearts when I tell them she’s moving away, but I understand, Ethan, that you have to do what you think is best.”
Her blue eyes pooling, she hastily stepped inside the trailer. Leaving him standing on the stoop, staring at the closed door. Questioning if he really knew what was best for his grandmother. Best for himself.
Best for anyone.
Ethan no sooner walked into his grandmother’s hospital room than he realized Grandma Hicks was loaded for bear. And he, apparently, was the bear.
“Before I can be released, the nurse said she has to go over instructions for at-home care with you. Or a responsible adult.” His grandmother sniffed, as if the likelihood of him proving a responsible adult was slim to none. “But we need to talk first.”
Hadn’t he said as much last night?
“GeorgeAnne, IdaLee and I have been thinking on my dilemma.”
Uh-oh. Here comes trouble.
“How about we make a deal?” His grandmother’s blue-denim eyes flashed. “I know how you love a good deal.”
Ethan narrowed his gaze. “What kind of deal, Grandma?”
“I promised Amber I’d take care of the girls until she graduates from nursing school in two months.”
He blew out a breath, praying for patience. “You’re going to be in this cast for weeks. Be reasonable. You can’t possibly take care of two little girls.”
She slitted her eyes at him. “But you can.”
He blinked. Twice. “You want me to nanny two little girls?”
That settled it—Grandma Hicks had officially lost touch with reality.
“Don’t tell me a big, strong marine like you is scared of a couple of four-year-olds?”
“I’d be outnumbered,” he grunted.
“You’re a chicken.”
“I am not a—” He pressed his lips together. “Besides, Amber would never allow her children to be...” He made a face. “To be nannied by me. What do I know about kids?”
“You were a kid once.” Grandma Hicks quirked her eyebrow. “Some would say you’ve never grown up.” She gave him a calculated smile. “But there’s nothing like a kid—or two—to mature a man.”
“I don’t know anything about girls.”
She raised her eyes to the ceiling. “If that’s not the truth...”
“Grandma,” he growled.
“You want me to give up my entire life and come live with you? My friends. My house. My church. My business.” Her gaze locked with his. “I have a proposition for you. Stay with me in Truelove for two months while I finish my convalescence. Take care of the girls until Amber graduates, and then I’ll go with you to Wilmington.”
He frowned. “You’ll actually sell the house? Pull up stakes? Move away? Without protest?”
“I will.” Grandma Hicks lifted her chin. “Do we have ourselves a bargain, Ethan?”
He stared at her. His plan to have Grandma live where he could watch over her lay almost within his grasp. They could spend more time together.
Ice cream. Sand. Ocean waves.
And all he had to do was to consent to this unorthodox arrangement?
It troubled him how he’d left things with Amber. The crushing burden Amber shouldered alone weighed him down. He knew a lot about being alone.
“Amber will never agree, Grandma.”
Her eyebrow rose. “If you put your mind to it, I’m sure you’ll convince her. She values your insight.”
Since when? But he couldn’t afford to relinquish the prospect of getting Grandma to the coast.
“If I agree to this... And it’s a big if...”
His grandmother’s blue-veined hand smoothed the coverlet. “It will work out, Ethan. Trust me.”
Those words coming from Grandma Hicks’s mouth sent a shaft of terror into his heart, only slightly less frightening than the thought of being in charge of four-year-old twins.
Key word—slightly.
