Kelly grabbed her glasses back from Peter and put them on before she leaned over to kiss Julie’s cheek. “That’s exactly right.”
Jill frowned as she peered up the stairs. “Is Grandmama ever going to come down?” she asked in a stage whisper.
“Grandmama is here.” The small, familiar figure of Kelly’s grandmother was upright and meticulously dressed, even at such an early hour, as she descended the stairs. “The flowers are lovely, but what are you thinking, Kelly, going into public in such an outfit.”
Kelly hid her bra strap under the strap of her tank-top. “I spilled coffee on my T-shirt.”
Grandmama tsked her tongue. “You should learn from your husband. He’s always dressed appropriately.”
Peter looked surprised and then adorably pleased as he glanced down at his gray T-shirt and beat-up trousers. As the two girls pulled them out of the house in their haste to go see their new brother, Peter whispered to Kelly, “That’s the nicest thing she’s ever said to me.”
***
A couple of hours later, the entire family was gathered in one of the maternity suites in the hospital, taking turns gawking at the new baby.
Rose and James had named him Robert Beaufort Harwood. Robert had been their father’s name, and everyone was pleased with the appellation, particularly Grandmama, who said it was a fine name for a fine child.
Rose looked exhausted and a little pale, but she was obviously happy, leaning against James, reaching to hold her son when Peter passed him back over to her.
Kelly wondered if she would feel that way, look that way, if she and Peter ever had a baby.
Maybe they would. One day.
After a brief lull in conversation, James asked, “So how are things going with Eden Manor? Rose said you’re getting ready to start the work.”
“Yes,” Peter said, with a seemingly casual expression that Kelly knew was disguising how excited and proud he was of their property. “The contractors are scheduled to start next week.”
“Contractors?” Mitchell asked. He was the only one who hadn’t held the baby, although Deanna had teased him about doing so. “You have more than one?”
Peter and Kelly exchanged amused and slightly guilty looks. “Uh, yeah,” Peter said. “That’s how it worked out.”
“Why?”
“We couldn’t decide,” Kelly explained. “One was really good with the fine craftsmanship. I guess she’s got connections to the best workworkers in the area, and there is some historic restoration and stained glass that we want to make sure we preserve. But the other guy had much better prices for the basic stuff, so we decided to use both of them, splitting the work between them. There aren’t that many good contractors in the area, and they both seemed fine with the arrangement.”
“So one of the contractors is a woman?” Deanna asked. “That’s great.”
“Yeah. I liked her a lot.” Kelly cleared her throat. “I, uh, found out later that she really doesn’t like the contractor who’s doing the other work. He seemed like a decent guy to me, but I guess they hate each other.”
“Oh, my,” Rose said, her eyes wide. She was still holding her new son, but she looked genuinely interested in this conversation, in her sister’s life, a fact that caused affection to tighten in Kelly’s chest.
“That should be interesting,” Mitchell said with soft chuckle.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Peter said, putting an arm around Kelly. “They both seemed like professionals. It’s not like they really have to work together. They just need to do their respective jobs.”
“I can’t wait to visit,” Deanna said with a grin, “once the place is done.”
“It’s going to be a while,” Kelly said. “But we’re trying to get the work done as quickly as possible. We’ve got to get someone to do the landscaping and garden too. Then there’s all the furniture and decorating. It’s a huge project.”
She met Peter’s eyes then and knew he was as excited about the project as she was, no matter how big it was.
Just then, Robert Beaufort Harwood let out a loud, undignified burp. They all turned their attention back to the baby as Rose wiped a little spit-up from his face.
“He’s beautiful,” Deanna said with a fond smile.
Grandmama cleared her throat as she narrowed her eyes at her oldest granddaughter. “You could have a beautiful baby of your own, you know. I don’t expect this fine boy to be my only great-grandchild.”
Mitchell was visibly startled by this comment, but Deanna just laughed. “We’re pretty happy as we are for the moment.”