Noah chuckled. “I imagine you can hear the laughter already.”
“Well, I can,” Cait said. “Jackson’s going to love it here. And, Carrie, you’re going to be a huge success!”
“I agree,” Noah said. “I checked out all of your first-aid supplies and can’t think of a thing you missed.”
“Thanks for doing that,” Carrie said. “Though it’s a big comfort knowing your office is right up the street.”
“I wish I could stay an extra couple of days to throw a big open-house party for you to spread the word,” Cait said.
“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t need a party. I just want to get the doors open and get to work,” Carrie said.
“But the entire region needs to know about this place,” Cait argued. “You were in marketing and PR. You know that.”
“I already have a waiting list for places,” Carrie told her. “It’s killing me to turn people down. The last thing I need is even more people wanting to get on that list.”
“I suppose you have a point,” Cait conceded. “There’s no reason to create a demand you already know you can’t meet. What about a family party?”
Carrie laughed. “Are you kidding me? You said it yourself just a minute ago. I don’t think there’s a single person in our family who hasn’t wandered in and out of here on an almost-daily basis. Everybody wants to be the first to see how it’s coming along. Grandpa Mick is basking in the glory of being both construction foreman and tour guide. He may not entirely agree with my plans, but he takes great pride in his workmanship.”
“Of course he does,” Cait said. “Then just let me add my stamp of approval.”
Carrie gave her sister a fierce hug. “That means a lot. You know that, don’t you?”
“The same way it means the world to me that when my son isn’t with Noah or me, he’s in your hands,” Cait said. “Love you.”
“Right back at you.”
Something deep inside Carrie eased after the exchange. Though she would never have admitted it aloud, her sister’s approval—the whole family’s for that matter—meant everything to her.
Over the course of the afternoon at Mick’s, Sam found himself fascinated by watching Carrie with her twin sister. It seemed to him that the two women couldn’t have been more different. Oh, not in appearance. There was no mistaking that they were identical twins. But Caitlyn looked as if she’d dressed in a hurry and perhaps in the dark. At the same time Carrie, even in her new day-to-day wardrobe, looked as if she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine. Apparently once she’d learned the skill of dressing, she could achieve a stylish look with a simple twist of a scarf or a well-chosen piece of costume jewelry, though something told him that was 18-karat gold she was wearing and that the stones were real gems, not fakes.
He was pondering the differences in style and personality, when Noah came over and asked about Bobby.
“I got a quick look at his stitches as he raced past a minute ago,” Noah said. “No sign of infection. Bring him in this week and we’ll get them out. Any afternoon’s okay. Just drop in.”
“Thanks,” Sam said.
“How did things go at school? Problem resolved?”
“For now,” Sam said. “I suppose there are always going to be kids who say hateful things. I just want to be sure Bobby doesn’t become one of them.”
“A goal every parent should have,” Noah agreed. “Even though it’s tough to monitor them every second of the day.” He studied Sam more intently. “You doing okay? You were thrust into parenthood pretty unexpectedly.”
“I’d like to think I’m getting better every day at figuring out how not to mess things up,” Sam said. “Carrie’s been a huge help on that front.”
“If you don’t mind me saying so, you didn’t seem all that thrilled to have her help the other day.”
“You saw that?” Sam said, chagrined. “My insecurities were in full swing. I thought I should be the adult dealing with the crisis. Bobby wanted Carrie. I hate to admit it, but on some level I was jealous.”
To his surprise, Noah laughed. “I’ve been there a time or two myself. Carrie has a way with kids, including my son. You have no idea how my heart twists when he’s sobbing and throwing his food at me. Then she walks in and it’s as if the sun’s come out. He’s suddenly all smiles. Worse, he cooperates with whatever she wants from him. Maybe it’s because she reminds him of his mom or maybe she has a magic touch with kids. Either way I feel like a failure, and then I feel like a jerk. I should want my child to be happy, right? It’s not about who assures that.”