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. Megs trusted everyone while it seemed her sister was wary of them.
Sam took a deep breath. “I need to get moving to the next job.” He held out a hand to Rick who shook it. “I look forward to restoring the dock.”
“Not as much as I do. Maybe my wife will finally scratch it off my honey do list.”
Although it sounded like a complaint, the twinkle in the mayor’s eye told Sam that he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, that he enjoyed it.
Sam took his leave. He wouldn’t mind having a woman in his life that put that kind of twinkle in his own eye. But he needed to focus on work instead of the absence of one woman and the appearance of another.
* * *
“JUST COME WITH US. It’s only dinner.”
Megs tried to hand Kelly her jean jacket, but she refused. “I’m not hungry. I’ll stay here.”
Megs folded her arms across her chest. “And mope and feel sorry for yourself? You’ve done enough of that already today.”
That wasn’t what Kelly had been feeling. She had missed her grandmother so much that the ache in her belly didn’t make food appealing. “I’ll be spending enough time with people over the next few days. I want to be left alone for a while. Is that too much to ask?”
Her sister opened her mouth, as if to say something, but shook her head. She tossed Kelly her jacket. “Fine. I’ll be back later. Call me if you want me to bring anything home for you.”
“I’ll be all right.” Kelly walked Megs to the door and glanced at Sam who sat in his pickup, staring at them. “You’re sure you two aren’t an item? He seems awfully attentive and concerned about you.”
“It’s called friendship.” Megs walked out the front door and down the steps to the truck and got in on the passenger side. Kelly held up her hand before Sam put the truck in reverse and backed out of the driveway.
Kelly shut the front door and leaned against it. Closing her eyes she listened to the night sounds of the house. The tick of the grandfather clock in the living room. The hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. She lingered for another moment, and trailed her fingers along the smooth wooden banister as she stole up the stairs to her old bedroom. Once there, she flopped on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
Grammy. The deep blue eyes that twinkled as she spoke of her life with Pop Pop. The white hair that she kept long and pinned on top of her head. Her tiny body wearing T-shirts and jeans underneath a pink apron with ruffles and pockets. She had often smelled of honey.
Grammy had grown up in Lake Mildred, and her own father had built the house she’d lived in until now. She’d married Pop Pop right before he shipped out to the Pacific during World War II and waited for him to return. Once Pop Pop was stateside, they tried for over a decade to have a child. She’d told the girls that their father had been a miracle baby because Grammy had given up hoping when she found herself finally pregnant. As much as she loved the bakery, she loved her son more and doted on him. When he died, a light dimmed inside Grammy, though she kept telling the girls that she was fine. Kelly remembered the look on her face each holiday as she stared at the empty chairs around the table.
And now hers would stay vacant, too.
Kelly flipped over onto her belly and sank her head into the pillow. She gave in to the despair she’d felt all day and sobbed.
Then there was a hand on her back. She shrieked as she found Sam sitting on the bed next to her. His voice was low, meant to be comforting. “I don’t mean to keep startling you.”
She propped herself up on one elbow and observed him. He looked as if he’d showered and changed since their meeting that morning. She could smell the faint but enticing traces of soap coming from him. “What do you want?”
His serious green eyes bore into hers. “You need to come to dinner with us.”
She shook her head. Didn’t they get the hint? “No. I already told Megs that I’m not hungry.”
“It’s