Willow Brook Road(41)

“Everybody is making way too much of this,” Carrie said. “Sam’s single and he’s attractive. However, he just started a new job and he just assumed custody of his nephew after a terrible tragedy. I’m sure he’s not looking for a relationship any more than I am. We both are way too busy trying to get our lives on track.”

“And yet you’re taking time this morning to have Nell teach you how to cook,” Abby said. She grinned. “Clever move, by the way.”

“It wasn’t some sort of ploy,” Carrie claimed. “Sam can’t cook. He has a six-year-old who needs to eat.”

“Very logical,” Abby said, her eyes sparkling. “And you? Where did your sudden desire to learn your way around a kitchen come from? Up till now you’ve been perfectly content to take your meals with family or at the pub or Sally’s. And I know you’d have a ton of frequent diner points at Panini Bistro or the pizza place if they offered them.”

“And who set that example for me?” Carrie retorted, drawing a startled laugh from her mom.

“Touché. I am a master of takeout. Thankfully that hasn’t driven Trace away yet. He knew what he was getting when he married me, and it wasn’t gourmet cooking.”

Since she’d managed to one-up her mom and doubted she’d pull it off again, Carrie stood up. “Mom, I’d love to stay and chat, but I really do need to pick up Sam and Bobby and get over to Gram’s.”

“Fine. Go, but I expect to meet them very soon. If you don’t bring them around, I’ll go looking for them. At least I know where to find the lot of you on Saturday mornings. You’ll be in Nell’s kitchen.” She grinned. “How convenient!”

“Weren’t you banned from Nell’s kitchen a long time ago?”

“Only if I try to get near the stove,” Abby retorted, laughing. “Now go. Have fun.”

“Love you,” Carrie said, kissing her cheek.

“Hey,” Abby called when she was just a few feet away.

Carrie turned back.

“I hear you’ve decided to stay in town. I’m so glad about that. We all are.”

“Boy, it didn’t take Grandpa Mick long to spread that word.”

“I suspect he was texting before he left your house,” Abby replied. “He said it was the best news he’d had in weeks.”

“I’m glad I could make his day.”

It remained to be seen if the decision was going to work out half as well for her, but she was definitely hopeful.



Kevin’s offer to pick them up for T-ball had been a stroke of genius, Sam thought as he watched Bobby shadowing the older, very friendly Davey on the field. Soon Bobby was talking to other boys his own age, taking his turn at bat and listening closely to whatever the coaches had to say.

Of course, Sam also noticed that Bobby never went more than a couple of minutes without glancing his way. With some kids, he suspected that would be no more than a quick check for parental approval, but in Bobby’s case, Sam had a feeling it was another example of the boy’s need to reassure himself that Sam was close by.

It was Bobby’s team’s last at-bat when he felt Carrie’s presence nearby. He turned and grinned at her. “We’re almost done.”

“How’s he doing?”

“The kid has pretty good eye-hand coordination. He’s had more hits than the other kids on the team. That’s made him an instant hero.”

She glanced around the field and spotted Bobby waiting for his turn at bat. He was laughing with another little boy. For the first time since she’d set eyes on him, he looked like every other child his age having a great time at the ball field.

“Whose idea was it for him to play T-ball?” she asked.

“His. He asked if there were teams. I checked with Kevin and here we are.”

“He’s obviously played before.”

“Apparently,” Sam said. “Not that I knew much about his life before I got custody. Thankfully he’s starting to speak up about the things he likes to do.”

Carrie gave him a curious look. “You knew about his fondness for the jungle gym.”

“My sister sent pictures from time to time. It was one of her ways of keeping the lines of communication open. When we spoke, we tended to butt heads, so we didn’t do it often.”

“That surprises me,” Carrie said. “Especially since she trusted you to take custody of Bobby.”

“It surprised me, too,” Sam confessed. “I think maybe she thought it would never come to that.” He sighed. “I guess now I’ll never know what she was thinking.”