The Stillwater Bay Collection (Books 1-4): Stillwater Bay Series Boxed Set Page 23

  “That’s what I’m there for, you know. To help. Sometimes I get so caught up working on other people’s yards that I forget you need me in the store, so I’m apologizing for that. It wasn’t on purpose, but it just…”

  Tears formed in Paige’s eyes as she struggled to finish. “I hate crying.” She grabbed a napkin off the table, dabbing the tears away while her smile faltered.

  “I know you think I spend too much time up at the golf course, and I probably do.” Paige inhaled slowly. “You were right when you said I’ve been slacking, that I’ve paid more attention to the gardens at the golf course than anything else. I know it’s silly, that there really wasn’t anything between Ethan and me, at least not yet, but there could have been, you know?”

  “I know.”

  “Sometimes I think that in all of this, he’s often overlooked. I mean, compared to Katie and the kids.” She stared past Camille’s shoulder and shook her head. “No one seems to remember that Ethan was killed. So I thought…” She stopped, but Camille knew what she’d wanted to say.

  “By keeping his gardens alive, you were keeping his memory alive.”

  Paige nodded.

  “It probably helps that you prefer to be outside rather than stuck in the store, too,” Camille said.

  “I do, but that’s no excuse. You need more help, and it’s not fair of me to not be there.”

  Gina interrupted them by setting a basket of baked bread on the table.

  “Fresh out of the oven. Now, have you had time to look over the menu, Paige, or would you like to go with the house special?” Gina pointed to the chalkboard on the wall.

  Tonight’s special was chicken Parmesan with browned-butter pasta. Camille placed her order and then asked for an extra take-out container. She loved Gina’s food, and this saved her from cooking dinner tomorrow night.

  “You know I can’t pass up your pasta, and the chicken sounds delicious.” Paige reached for a piece of bread. “I’m starving, so really, anything you offer would be good.”

  Gina patted Paige on the cheek. “You’re such a good girl. Why don’t we make a deal? You help me with my garden out front and I’ll put aside a fresh meal for you once a week. We all know about your cooking skills, and you won’t be having your sister take care of you soon, from what I hear.”

  Paige glanced from Gina to Camille and back to Gina. “When did you hear this?”

  Gina shrugged. “Word spreads like wildfire here; you know that.”

  “What kind of help do you need with the garden, Gina? It looks fine to me.”

  Camille smiled as Gina explained that she was getting old, her back wasn’t what it used to be, and she couldn’t be bothered with the weeds anymore.

  “This sounds like a deal made in heaven. Why don’t I come by tomorrow and we can go over a schedule?”

  After Gina had left, Paige leaned back in her seat. “This seems like the perfect time for me to bring up what I was trying to say earlier this afternoon,” she said.

  Camille studied her sister, not missing the look of excitement building in her face. Her smile was wide, her eyes bright as the words burst out of her.

  “Since Mom and Dad died, we’ve done our best to keep their dream alive.” Paige grabbed Camille’s hand. “I think it’s time that we change the focus from them to us. Our dreams, our goals…our lives. I know you love the flower shop, creating arrangements and chatting with people as they walk down the street. But I…” The smile on Paige’s face grew. “I love to be working outside, in the gardens.” She drew in a deep breath.

  “Where are you going with this?” Camille asked.

  “What do you think about creating a division, expanding our company with the landscaping? Make it official, rather than just a side gig?” Paige asked.

  For a moment Camille said nothing, just sat there as if in shock. This was not what she’d been expecting at all. Expand the company?

  “I’m serious,” Paige insisted.

  “I can tell…” Camille’s eyes watered. “I think–”

  “As the landscaping grows, we’ll be able to hire someone to help in the store, giving you a break. With the additional income, you can go on your trip with Anne Marie and—”

  Camille stopped her. “You’ve already sold me. We should probably look to hiring seasonal help anyway so we both don’t get too stretched.” Camille looked around and then leaned forward. “As long as you don’t make too many of these special deals like you are with Gina,” she said quietly.

  Paige’s face flushed. “I don’t have to take the food. I’ll manage on my own.”

  As if on cue, Gina appeared with plates of chicken Parmesan. “Honey, we all know how well you can manage. How many pots of water have you burned?”

  Paige attempted to frown. “Hey, now. You promised not to bring that up. Seriously, I can manage. There’s such a thing as TV dinners and ready-made meals.”

  “Take the deal with Gina. She’ll give us free advertising, won’t you?” Camille winked at Gina, who winked back.

  “I sure will. Once you get a sign made, you can put it out in the garden, and even leave some flyers up by the register.” She pointed to the food. “Now, eat up and enjoy.”

  After enjoying a few bites of her meal, Paige put her fork down on her plate. “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “One hundred percent. We need to make this work for us in a way that will mean something. And while I’m not all that thrilled about you moving out, I get it.”

  “There is a benefit, you know. Now you can turn my bedroom into that office you’ve always wanted.”

  Camille thought about that for a moment. As far as she was concerned, her sister could take forever to move her things out of the house.

  “Guess that means you need to hurry up and get your stuff out of there.” She lowered her gaze. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep the smile there.

  “This is hard for you, isn’t it?” Paige asked.

  Camille shrugged.

  “But you agree that it’s time, right?” Paige pushed.

  Camille sighed and put her fork down. “You know how well I react to change.”

  “Cam…” Paige pleaded.

  “Having the cottage to myself might be nice. Especially if it means I get an office.” She actually really liked that idea.

  It was the look on Paige’s face that did it for Camille: The tears came after she saw a flicker of happiness and contentment.

  “You are not allowed to cry,” Paige told her.

  “Too late.” Camille laughed while dabbing her eyes with her napkin. “Promise me one thing?”

  “What’s that?” Paige said.

  “That we’ll put aside one night a week for us? We’ll do dinner and talk—about the business or about our lives, anything. Okay?”

  “I’m only down the road, silly, but of course. How about we save Sundays for our time together? You can cook me dinner, I can bring dessert, and we can do some gardening together in the backyard.”

  Camille nodded. That would work. Sundays were always family days when their parents were alive. They would go to church together and then either play games back at home or go on a road trip. It would be nice to bring back that tradition.

  “Now, about this idea. Can we talk about names?” Paige said.

  “How about Bloomin Landscapes?”

  “Oh, I like that. Look at you, using that marketing degree of yours,” Paige teased. “It totally works with the family name too.”

  Camille breathed in deep, filling her soul with happiness. She liked the idea of changing the focus in her life, of rediscovering her dreams and having new goals. There were a lot of changes coming their way, it seemed, but Camille would just have to learn to roll with it.

  How hard could it be, after all?

  11

  GRACE

  “So it’s official.” Faith raised her phone and waved it. “I got an extension on my vacation time. Hope you don’t mind having a houseguest for a little bi
t.”

  “Seriously?” Grace grabbed a top from the pile of laundered shirts and folded it. She smiled at her sister, glad that she was able to stay. She felt…complete with Faith here. Happier. Peaceful now that they were talking again. “How much time?”

  “Till the end of summer.” Faith flopped down on the bed. “Which means I can help you with the picnics for the kids, craft lessons, lying on the beach, eating ice cream, and getting ready for your first day of school.”

  “Teddy-bear picnics? You want to help with those?” Grace couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.

  Faith shrugged. “Why not? It’ll be fun, right?”

  “I’ll talk to the mayor and see if she still wants me to help, I guess.” Grace knew she’d said she wanted help, that she needed to be pushed a little, but this felt like too much pushing all at once.

  “We don’t have to, if you don’t want. I’m totally okay with lying on the beach and working on my tan. We could do some day trips down the coast too. My apartment in New York is a bit sparse and needs some coastal touches.” Faith grabbed some laundry and began to help with the folding, and before Grace knew it they were finished.

  “I can help with Sophie too, if you want,” Faith mentioned.

  Grace stilled.

  “She certainly took a liking to you yesterday,” Grace said, her voice weak. That was a good thing, Sophie taking to Faith. It meant things might not be so hard come September.

  “You don’t have to sound so surprised,” Faith grumbled.

  “No, it’s probably good. She needs to get used to people other than me. You and John have a point.”

  “Good enough that you’re going to start taking steps to…” Faith didn’t finish her sentence, but she didn’t need to.

  “To let go of Sophie? Even though it feels like I’m letting her down?” She sat down on the bed and hung her hands between her legs. “Do I really have a choice?”

  “You’re not letting her down, Grace.”

  “Doesn’t feel that way.”

  Nathan had come by late last night for Sophie, and when he asked whether she’d be around in case anything came up, as hard as it’d been, Grace said she had plans. Her hands had shaken as she’d closed the door behind Nathan, and her heart felt torn as she forced herself to walk away from Sophie’s cries. But her husband was right: She wasn’t Sophie’s mom and she couldn’t always be there to make Nathan’s life easier.

  “Lunch is ready.” John appeared in the doorway. “Hope you guys are okay with burgers and salad.”

  “Fresh off the grill?” Faith jumped up from the bed. “I haven’t had a good barbecued burger in a long time. Or steak, for that matter.”

  “Is that a dinner suggestion I’m hearing?” John asked.

  “If you don’t mind. I could run down to the store and pick up groceries,” Faith offered.

  “You’re not paying for groceries—seriously, Faith.” Grace said.

  “Hey, if I’m staying for the rest of the month, I need to contribute in some way. Let me help with meals, okay?”

  “Staying for a month?” John’s brows rose.

  “Will that be a problem?” Faith asked. She looked from Grace to John and back to Grace.

  Grace shook her head. “Not a problem. Right, John?”

  He nodded. “Not a problem at all, just caught me off guard.” He breathed in nice and slow, and Grace realized right then just how much her husband was willing to bend and change for her. For them. For their marriage.

  She needed to do the same.

  “Faith mentioned wanting to help with the teddy-bear picnics.” She hoped he understood what that meant, that he could read between the lines.

  The smile on his face said it all. He’d understood.

  “First she mentions steak and then this…could this day get any better?” He came over and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “If having your sister here makes things easier, then I’m okay with it,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly, for his ears only.

  The home phone rang and they all quieted. She hesitated for a moment, not sure whether she should answer it, but John had already picked it up.

  “She’s not available right now, Nathan. What can I help you with?” John braced one arm against the doorframe.

  Different scenarios ran through her head: Something was wrong with Sophie; he couldn’t get her to sleep; she was running a fever, wouldn’t eat her food, or he couldn’t get her to stop crying.

  Grace opened her mouth to say something but he held up his hand as if to stop her.

  She frowned.

  “Yeah, I can hear her in the background. She doesn’t sound happy. You should probably deal with that.” There was a level of hostility to her husband’s voice she didn’t like hearing.

  She tapped him on the arm but he ignored her.

  “Dude, I feel for you. I really do. But this is your child. You need to learn how to comfort her before calling my wife for help.”

  Grace tapped his arm again, harder this time. She got what John was doing but it wasn’t fair to Sophie. Her heart raced as she listened to the little one’s cries in the background.

  John looked at her finally but shook his head.

  “No, you’re right. I have no idea what it’s like raising a child by myself and I hope never to find out. But this isn’t my problem. I know it may sound harsh, but man up. Take responsibility instead of expecting my wife to always be there to help out. Have you thought about what will happen when Grace is back at work?”

  Grace winced.

  “No, I hear you. I do.” John said, his voice now softer. “But when does it stop? Have you once thought about how it affects Grace? How hard this is for her?” John stared into her eyes as he spoke, and Grace realized he wasn’t just speaking to Nathan, but to her as well.

  She could hear Nathan talking but not the actual words. But whatever he said seemed to appease her husband.

  “You need to make a decision, Nathan. Man to man, it’s time you stepped up and took care of your family and stopped relying on others to do it for you.”

  If it wasn’t for the fact John’s voice was soft and warm, the words he was saying would come across as harsh and uncaring.

  She really hoped Nathan wasn’t taking it that way.

  There was a loud screech and John pulled the phone from his ear. Sophie’s screams were loud and clear, and Grace took the phone from his hand.

  Enough was enough. Sophie was being placed in the middle of this struggle for power between her husband and Nathan, and it wasn’t fair.

  He moved to stop her, but she stepped back before he could take the phone.

  “Nathan, I’ll be right over.” She didn’t wait for a reply before hanging up.

  John’s hand dropped. She read the hurt and disappointment on his face. “Grace, I thought we’d talked about this?”

  Sophie’s screams echoed in her ears, and she knew she couldn’t leave the little one like that. Nathan was in over his head, and as much as she’d tried to be there to help him, she’d probably done more damage. Her being there to help whenever he needed it was like putting a Band-Aid over a wound that would never heal.

  It was time to rip off the bandage. For both Nathan and herself.

  It was time for her to stop using Sophie to cover her own pain of losing her baby.

  “Trust me?” She placed a small kiss on his lips. “I love you and only you, John Bryar,” she whispered. She stopped at the room where Sophie slept before leaving. For the past month or so Grace had been writing in a notebook, little pieces of advice, names of those who could help Nathan once she went back to work. Now was as good a time as any to give it to him.

  Her sister waited for her, arms crossed over her chest.

  “Don’t do this.”

  “It’s not what you think, Faith. I can’t just leave Sophie like this. It’s not fair to her.” She needed her sister to understand that whatever changes G
race needed to make in her own heart, whatever issues she had…leaving Sophie to suffer wasn’t fair.

  “You have to stop running to him whenever he calls, Grace. You’re not helping him, just enabling.”

  “I know. It’s going to stop, I promise. I’m going to give him this.” She held up the notebook. “It’s a list of people he can call for help—people other than me.” She waited for Faith to step out of the way.

  “Why don’t you come with me?” Grace called over her shoulder as she walked out of the house. With Faith there, she would have no excuse to stay and settle Sophie down, as she’d want to.

  As they drove down the road, she looked back at her house and wondered why, if she was doing the right thing, it hurt so much.

  Sophie was such a part of her life. How could she not be with the baby daily? Her arms would be empty. Her house silent. Sophie filled a hole in her heart Grace wasn’t sure could ever be filled.

  She knew this was what her sister wanted her to do. What John felt she needed to do…but what if they were wrong? In her head, the analytical side of her knew they weren’t. But her heart? Oh, her heart hurt at the thought of not having Sophie in her life, of not seeing that little girl every day, or making her smile, hearing her laugh…it hurt more than she’d thought it would.

  What if, by pulling away, she was hurting Sophie? Was it fair for the little girl to have the only two mothers she’d ever known ripped from her life?

  Grace’s heart almost stopped.

  She’d just called herself Sophie’s mother.

  “Are you okay?” Faith reached for her hand. “Your fingers are freezing,” she said as she rubbed them. “What’s going through your mind?”

  Grace pulled up to Nathan’s house.

  “I was just thinking of how unfair it is to rip the only two mothers Sophie has ever known away from her. She’s too young for this kind of heartache.” Grace swallowed past the lump in her throat.

  “Oh, honey,” Faith said.

  “I love her, but what have I done? I’m not her mom; I can never be her mother, and I…” Tears streaked down her face as the burden of what she’d done hit her. She’d argued with John when he said she was trying to replace Katie. She’d convinced herself that she would never do that, that she could never do that, and yet…