great care to keep hidden. He’d excelled at his chosen path and had the trophies and accolades to prove it. But inside was a boy who always felt second-best.
“You need to patch things up,” she reiterated. “What are you waiting for?”
Virgil shifted in his chair and let out a moan as he woke from his nap. What was Ty waiting for? He was excited about his new idea but he knew Virgil would think it was stupid. He wanted to say he was sorry but knew he’d just be told he was being weak.
If he was waiting for unconditional love, he’d be waiting a long time, and it was too hard to take the first step.
Ty reached for his hat, putting it back on his head. “I’d better get back to work.”
Clara sighed as the door closed behind him and he passed by the kitchen window, his long legs eating up the ground. “I think the person who needed you to come home the most was you, Ty,” she murmured at his retreating back. And she had no idea how to help either one of them meet in the middle.
CHAPTER THREE
AS MUCH AS CLARA LOVED her job at Diamondback, Virgil’s care was not enough for the full-time hours she was paid. Sometimes she felt like a glorified housekeeper. Not that it was a problem, but one of these days Molly was going to let her go and she’d have to find a new job. She would probably have to leave Cadence Creek; her stay at Butterfly House was only temporary until she could get on her feet. She’d been squirreling away money, but it cost a lot for an apartment and all the furniture she’d need.
She needed this job for as long as it held out and she was going to wring every drop out of the opportunity.
But for now she was sitting in one of the spare rooms, needle and thimble in hand, making tiny, even stitches in Molly’s latest quilt.
She enjoyed doing things with her hands. As a girl she’d learned to cross-stitch and knit; she and her mother had spent evenings in front of the television working on little projects. It had been her mom’s way of unwinding after working all day in an office, and it had been Clara’s way of spending time with her mom.
She’d spent a lot of time thinking about her mom lately. She’d learned so much from her mother, but the lesson that Clara carried now was how she had always insisted that a woman needed a way to support herself. No matter what, Wendy Ferguson had put in a good day’s work and still had time for her kids. As Clara fed the needle through the fabric, she missed her mother something terrible. She talked to Ty about mending fences, so maybe once she was settled she’d reach out to Wendy, too. Maybe they could be a part of each other’s lives again.
But for now Molly sat across from Clara, her own needle flashing in and out as she made stitches on the patterned lines of fabric.
“It’s almost ready to roll,” Molly remarked, tying off her thread and moving to cut a new piece.
The quilt was tied onto old-fashioned wood frames with metal brackets holding the corners. Once they’d quilted as far as they could reach comfortably, the frame would be rolled in and clamped tight. When it was all done Molly would bind the perimeter. But that was weeks away yet, especially since they only sneaked the occasional hour to work on it.
“It’s beautiful,” Clara replied. “The burgundy-and-green pattern is stunning against the cream.”
They stitched for a few more moments, but Clara got the sense that Molly wanted to say something. She shifted in her chair and there was a tension around them that usually didn’t exist. Clara’s fingers tightened on the needle. Did Molly have a concern about Virgil’s care? Or was it something else? Molly, along with the rest of Cadence Creek, had surely seen Clara run from Ty at the wedding. She’d probably seen how close they’d danced, too. And she would be foolish to think the older woman hadn’t noticed the strain around the house since his arrival. There was no question that despite breaking the ice, Clara and Ty still tiptoed around each other.
“Is something wrong, Molly?”
Molly put down her needle and sighed. “I suppose so, Clara. I find myself feeling a little bit selfish these days.”
Molly? Selfish? Impossible. Clara tied off her thread and snipped it with the scissors. “I don’t think you know how to be selfish, Molly.” She smiled, but inside she was feeling a bit uneasy.
“No, I am,” she admitted. “I have gotten used to having you here. I like having you here. And I have taken terrible advantage of you.”
Clara’s head swam with confusion. Advantage? She had so much to thank Molly for. If anything, Clara felt like she was taking advantage of the Diamonds’ generosity. “You gave me a job when I needed one, Molly. You made me feel welcome from the moment I arrived.”
“Virgil’s care is not a full-time job, Clara, and I feel I’ve kept you here when you might have found another better position somewhere else. And I’ve kept you for my own selfish reasons that have nothing to do with medical care.”
A cold line of dread snuck down Clara’s spine. Was this Molly’s gentle way of letting her go? She could look for something else, but it would mean she’d be even longer getting into her own place. She swallowed against the growing lump in her throat. It wasn’t just the money either. She’d come to care for Molly and Virgil very much. She already knew it was going to be difficult to say goodbye when the time came.
Molly sighed and began stitching again. “I never had a daughter around, you see. Never had someone to cook with or talk to or sit and quilt with. It was all boys all the time, and I’ve enjoyed having you here so much. But you’re a nurse, Clara, not a hired companion. I just want you to know that if you were to find another position it’s okay. I’d miss you, but I’d understand.”
Clara swallowed again as relief made her wilt on the inside. “You’re not letting me go, then?”
Molly lifted startled eyes to Clara’s. “Heavens, no! Was that what you thought?”
Clara’s cheeks heated. “I thought you were letting me down easy.”
“Oh, goodness.” Molly’s eyes softened with compassion. “We all adore you. But this is about you, not us.”
All adore her? She doubted it. Obviously Molly hadn’t included Ty in that equation. Since their talk things had been a bit easier, but it was a long way from being totally comfortable, and adoration was a joke.
“I’ll stay as long as you feel Virgil needs my help,” she replied carefully. “Honestly, Molly, sometimes I feel guilty taking a paycheck.” She offered a smile.
“How much longer are you staying at Butterfly House, then?” Molly didn’t look up but her stitches seemed to slow.
“I’ve been saving up for my own place,” Clara explained. “The program is great, but if I can find an apartment, that frees up my spot for someone else who needs it more.”
Molly’s voice remained conversational as she stitched along a dark green leaf. “This job could easily include room and board.”
Clara’s heart leapt. Oh, that was generous and so very Molly. And a few weeks ago she might have accepted—especially with Angela and Sam getting married and moving into their new house soon. But now there was Ty. It shouldn’t matter that he lived here now, too, but somehow
