“Grammy called it True Love’s Torte.”
Kelly took another bite. “Always the romantic. Probably believed you’d meet your soul mate within a day of eating it, huh?”
Megs nodded, and they both smiled faintly. The idea of Kelly meeting her soul mate in Lake Mildred was as likely as meeting the person who would make her dreams of a singing contract come true. She shook her head and took another bite of the cake. But it would be just like Grammy to make both of those things happen even from the grave.
They silently ate the cake, remembering the woman they both loved.
KELLY OPENED ONE eye then another and peered around the bedroom. Purple exploded from every corner, and it took her a moment to realize where she was.
She turned over and looked into the face of Mr. Wiggles, a worn teddy bear who had been her first friend when she was a child. Had she gone back in time? She sat up and fingered the crocheted afghan that lay over her, a gift from Grammy after her father had died. Yes, she’d been transported to being fifteen once again. She snuggled under the covers and brought the edge of the blanket to her nose and sniffed. It smelled faintly of, well, of Grammy.
She wiped her eyes with the afghan. She had to get through the day somehow. Had to be strong. Had to keep moving forward, not just for herself and Megs, but for Grammy. She could almost hear her grandmother whispering, “You can do it.”
If only Grammy really knew.
Her cell phone on the nightstand beside the bed started to buzz and sing a country song. She stopped the alarm, then sat up and swung her legs off the bed. She thought about finding her old bathrobe, to cover up the nightshirt she’d put on before climbing into bed, but figured there wasn’t anything she had that her sister hadn’t seen before. She opened her old bedroom door and sniffed appreciatively at the scent of coffee climbing up the stairs.
As Kelly stepped into the kitchen, the coffeemaker gurgled its last gasps. She took a deep breath and walked to it, but froze when a man beat her to it. She jumped back and grabbed the toaster to defend herself if she had to. He was taller than her, but then it didn’t take much to tower over her own five foot two. And he was built, as in construction-guy built. The back of his flannel shirt strained across his shoulders. He turned and gave her a nod, then poured himself a mug of coffee. “Good morning.”
“That’s all you have to say after breaking into my grandmother’s home?” She raised the toaster higher, ready to take whatever action would be necessary to defend herself and her sister. It might have helped if she’d unplugged it first, so she reached over to do so. She’d taken a self-defense class years ago, and the advice that had been drilled into her repeated in her mind now, just in case she needed it.
He raised one dark eyebrow over his gray green eyes. “I didn’t break in.”
“Are you saying you used a key?” The man was delusional. Hot, yes, but definitely certifiable.
“Yes. Mine.” He dug into his front jean pocket and brought out a silver key ring with a familiar gold key hanging from it.
Grammy was giving out keys to strange men? She’d obviously missed a lot being gone all this time. He leaned on the counter, watching her as she put the toaster down. But she kept her eye on him as she poured her own cup of coffee and added cream and sugar to it. He grimaced. She looked down at the creamy color. “Problem?”
“Good coffee doesn’t need all that stuff. And this is good.” He saluted her with his mug.
She rolled her eyes and sipped from her mug. Steps behind her alerted her that Megs had joined them. “Oh, good. You’ve met,” her sister said.
She glared at Megs. “Who is this guy? He let himself in with his own key.”
Megs put a tea bag into a mug and poured water into it before putting it in the microwave and pressing a few buttons. “Grammy told you she was having work done on the house. This is Sam.”
The way Grammy had spoken about him, she’d think he walked on water as he fixed things at the bakery and at home and had maybe even repaired her grieving heart. She’d mentioned that this Sam was good looking, but Kelly had expected older. Much older. Like Grammy’s age. And her grandmother hadn’t mentioned the muscles. Or those gray-green eyes that reminded her of a river with sun sparkling off the surface. Or the smile that sent shivers down her spine. “Sam the Saint? You don’t look like you’re in your seventies.”
He smiled at that. “Maybe because I’m not.”
“Grammy 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,