Willow Brook Road(33)

“You do know that Caitlyn and I look exactly alike,” she responded.

Feigned surprise spread across his face. “Do you, now? There are two of you?”

Carrie laughed and kissed his cheek. “You know there are. Where’s Gram? She’s not still asleep, is she?”

He looked appalled by the very thought. “This late in the day? Not a chance. She’s on her knees in the garden, despite me telling her she has no business doing all the weeding herself. Since I can’t make her see reason, see if you can’t lure her inside for a cup of tea and a good long chat.”

“It’s such a lovely day, maybe I’ll make the tea and take it outside, instead,” Carrie suggested. “She’s much more likely to take a break if she can enjoy her precious garden at the same time.”

Dillon nodded approvingly. “And that’s why you’re the smartest great-granddaughter, as well as the prettiest.”

Carrie laughed. “I’m so glad you brought that blarney with you from Dublin, right along with your love for Gram.”

“No choice in the matter, my darling girl. No choice at all. There were far too many years when we were apart. I intend to spend whatever time we have left on this earth side by side, wherever that may be. Chesapeake Shores and her family are too much a part of my Nell to ask her to come to Ireland to be with me. And I’m blessed to have my own granddaughter Moira here now, too, with Luke.”

“Funny how things work out, isn’t it?” Carrie said, as she poured boiling water over the Irish Breakfast tea leaves her grandmother preferred. Bringing a tea bag into this house would be considered practically sacrilegious. Tea was to be made the old-fashioned way, or not at all. “There are always surprising twists and turns.”

“Life amazes me every day, to be sure,” Dillon agreed. “That’s how I know I’m living.”

“Do you need help carrying that outside?” he asked as she put two of Nell’s prettiest cups, the antique china teapot with its crackled finish, a matching sugar bowl and a few slices of lemon on a tray.

“I have it, but thanks,” she said.

“Enjoy your visit.” He reached for some wet wipes and a towel. “Take these along. Nell never wears gardening gloves the way she’s promised to. She’ll want to clean up before touching those precious cups of hers.”

Carrie smiled as she left the kitchen of the cozy little cottage overlooking the bay. Dillon truly was a treasure, and his long-held love for Nell had been a wonderful discovery on the family’s trip to Ireland several years ago. Reunited after years apart, they set an example for the whole family of how love could endure, despite nearly a lifetime with other people.

Carrie set the tea tray on a table beside two Adirondack chairs facing the bay, then crossed the lawn toward the gardens. She found her great-grandmother with her roses, humming an Irish tune that sounded familiar, though Carrie couldn’t come up with the words.

“Does music make the roses bloom better?” she teased.

Nell looked up, startled, then laughed. “Not mine, I suspect. But it makes me happy. What brings you by on this lovely summer morning?”

“I was hoping for a cup of tea and a chat with my favorite person.” She nodded in the direction of the chairs. “I’ve made it just the way you like it. Can you take a break?”

Nell frowned. “Did Dillon put you up to this? He’s been pestering me all morning about the dampness making the arthritis in my knees worse.”

“He worries about you.”

“Oh, I know that, and I love him for it, but I’ve been gardening for enough years to know that the pleasure outweighs a few aches and pains. But a cup of tea and a chance to catch up with you would be welcome.”

As she struggled to get to her feet, Carrie held out a hand, but as she’d expected, Nell ignored it and made it on her own. Carrie handed her the wipes and towel.

“I imagine these were Dillon’s doing, too,” she grumbled, though her blue eyes sparkled with affection.

“He says you forget to wear your gardening gloves.”

“I don’t forget a thing. Half the joy is getting a little dirty.”

Carrie put an arm around Nell’s waist. “Ornery old thing.”

“I am that,” Nell said with pride as they walked across the lawn. “How do you think I’ve lived so long?”

When they were seated and the tea had been poured, she turned a serious gaze on Carrie. “What’s on your mind? You aren’t letting Mick pressure you about what you’re going to do next, are you?”

“He has a point,” Carrie conceded. “I should make a decision of some kind.”