with laughter—but silently, over Emma’s head—Bree spun off another length of toweling and dried off the little girl. And Grant’s shoes. Thank goodness the deck was already red-tinted wood. “I should have just let Huckleberry spill them all at once and get it over with.”
Later, when the evening wound down, she found herself with Emma and Grace both on her lap, each toddler with an arm around Bree’s neck, echoing their cousins’ oohs and aahs as they all peered up into the summer sky, a full moon spotlighting the trail of a shooting star.
“Did you see it, Miss Bree?” Sadie’s voice was full of wonder as she scooted over and tucked her hand in the crook of Bree’s arm. “Did you? I saw it!”
“Me too. That was pretty cool, wasn’t it? Keep watching. Maybe we’ll see another one.” The cicadas started up their evening song, drowning out the rest of nature’s symphony.
How could she ever give this up? How could she ever let this family go? And yet, if she didn’t, would she ever know the joy of having her own children, of knowing a love like she’d had with her Timothy? She couldn’t go on feeling this . . . stagnant in her own life.
Sighing, she hugged the twins closer and squeezed her eyes shut to stave off the tears that threatened.
Chapter 3
3
I really think you should check on her, Grant. She just didn’t sound quite right on the phone.” Audrey stood with hands on her hips, watching him fix the garage door opener. Correction: watching him try to fix the opener. But Grant knew his wife’s tone of voice all too well. She wouldn’t rest until he’d complied.
“And you know it’s not like her to want to miss a Tuesday family night.”
“I’ll go,” he said, on the verge of feeling nagged. “If I can get out of the blasted garage.”
“I’d do it myself, but I’m racing to get the beds ready for tonight’s guests as it is.”
“I said I’d go. Stupid piece of junk!” He kicked a nearby cardboard box for good measure and went for the toolbox. But first he stopped and put his hands on his wife’s shoulders and kissed her. “I didn’t mean to snap. It’s not you I’m mad at.” Although this was not a good time for her to come up with an errand for him.
“I know. I’m just worried about your mother. I don’t know how much longer we can let her stay in that house by herself.”
He looked at her. “As if we could pry her out of there with a crowbar if she didn’t want to be pried.”
“I know. But how are you going to feel when she falls? Or runs off and gets herself lost? Or sets the house on fire?”
“I don’t think it’s quite that bad.”
“Not yet. But let’s don’t wait until it is, Grant. You’d never forgive yourself if there was a tragedy before we could make arrangements for her to move.”
He shook his head. Audrey had known his mother for forty-plus years now. Surely she knew it wouldn’t be as easy as she made it sound. CeeCee had a stubborn streak as wide as the Mississippi and twice as deep.
He motioned to the obstinate garage door. “If the door is up when you come out here next, just leave it. Don’t try to close it, or I may not be able to get the stupid thing back up again. I may end up having to go on into Cape to get a part.”
“Just let me know if you’ll be too late. Depending on what time our guests arrive, I thought you and I might eat out on the deck. If it stays this nice.”
A cool front had come through early this morning, pushing the stifling July heat on toward Memphis. At least for now. According to the weather service, the respite from the heat wouldn’t last long, but he’d learned to enjoy good weather while they had it.
He mulled over the problem of the garage door all the way to his mother’s in Langhorne, but he forgot all about it when he saw Bree’s Taurus in CeeCee’s driveway. That sweet girl. He knew Bree felt bad for being so late to CeeCee’s last night, but to give up her lunch hour to check on her . . .
He parked beside the Taurus and, out of habit, walked all around the car, inspecting the tires. He always wanted his girls to be safe, and he still considered Bree one of his girls. He sometimes felt frustrated when Bree’s own father didn’t worry about her the way Grant thought he should. Thankfully, Kevin Cordell had stepped up to the plate and helped his daughter get the Taurus. Grant had breathed easier once she’d gotten rid of that old Buick Tim had been so attached to. He would never have forgiven himself if something happened to Bree in the old beater.
Coming full circle around the car, he gave a sigh of relief. Bree’s tires looked fine. Almost new, in fact.
He climbed the three steps to his mother’s house and knocked on the door, not waiting for an answer before letting himself in. No one in Langhorne ever locked their doors, but maybe he should suggest that his mother start doing so. At least when she was in the house alone.
His mother and Bree sat on opposite ends of the ancient rose-colored sofa in the living room just off the entryway. “Anybody home?”
“Hey, Grant!” Bree’s face lit up when she saw him.
“Hey yourself. Do you have the day off?” He knew better.
“No. I’m just on my lunch hour.”
“How are you, Mother?”
She made a little whinnying sound. “I thought I was fine. But now that the two of you have sneaked over to check on me, I wonder if I must be dying.”
Grant and Bree exchanged looks, then burst out laughing.
“I’m just stopping by on my way to Cape to get a part for the garage door.” Best not tell his independent mother that Audrey had sent him to check on her.
“And I’m just here because I didn’t get to visit with you last night,” Bree said. “And I feel bad about being so late to pick you up. It’s my fault you didn’t go.”
“Well, you’re both off the hook. And apparently I’m not dying.” She heaved a sigh, then gave them a look that said they should both know better. “And since when is attendance mandatory at your little family nights, Grant?”
“It’s not, Mother. But we like having you there.”
“Well, I’ll try not to disappoint my loyal subjects again.” She started to rise from the sofa, but fell back halfway to standing. She scooted forward on the seat and tried again, this time successfully. “Have you both eaten?”
“Audrey will have lunch waiting.”
“And I ate a sandwich on my way out here. Sit down, CeeCee. I really need to get going anyway.” Bree leaned in and pressed her cheek to CeeCee’s, then straightened and hiked her purse up on her shoulder.
“I won’t stay either, Mother. Just wanted to drop in and say hi. Audrey sends her love.”
“Send mine back to her. And tell her thanks for having you check up on me.”
How
