Sam didn’t know what qualified a house as charming, but this one did feel exactly right somehow. It even had a working fireplace in the living room, built-in bookshelves and one of those white picket fences he’d always thought to be the worst sort of cliché for the kind of quaint, suburban life he didn’t intend to live. How often had he expressed his disdain for such a life to his sister. She must be having a good laugh at the way she’d turned his life upside down.
He realized Carrie was again studying him intently. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I guess I’m a little distracted.”
“I know you’re just settling in and must have a million things to do, so I won’t bother you, but if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know, okay?” She glanced around at the empty room again. “How are you going to manage without furniture?”
He smiled. “We have beds. That’ll do for a couple of nights.”
“What about dishes? Pots and pan?”
“All in due time,” he said. “I gather from Susie that she’s been raiding various O’Brien attics and will be bringing in castoffs on Monday. After that, I’ll be shopping for whatever else we need.”
“Well, then, I guess I’ll take off,” she said and started down the steps. As she reached the sidewalk, she turned back. “I don’t suppose the two of you would like to go to my grandfather’s for dinner tomorrow, would you? It’ll be the usual Sunday madhouse, but Nell’s cooking, so I can promise you a delicious meal, and it’ll give Bobby a chance to make some more friends.”
Sam hesitated. Given what she’d told him about her grandfather’s matchmaking tendencies and what he’d seen for himself when Mick had come by the newspaper office, maybe this wasn’t such a hot idea. Carrie was skittish enough and neither of them needed extra pressure these days. He was overwhelmed by all the sudden changes in his lifestyle and she was sorting through a million details to decide whether to open that day care. All very valid considerations, he concluded.
In the end, though, he had to think about Bobby. It would be a whole lot easier for him to adjust to Chesapeake Shores if he was surrounded by even more kids his age. Sam wanted him to feel as if he belonged here, rather than constantly hearing that he wanted to go back home to see his real friends.
“Are you sure it’ll be okay if you bring a couple of last-minute guests?”
She laughed at that. “You’ll see. In the mob scene at Grandpa Mick’s, they’ll barely notice two more. And you already know Susie and Mack, plus me and Luke, so you won’t feel that out of place. And you’ve met my grandfather and survived, so it should be all good. Nell will, no doubt, seize the chance to give us both another cooking lesson. She’s complained about us missing the past couple of Saturdays.”
Sam nodded. “Okay, then. Thanks for the invitation.”
“Would you like to ride over with me?” she asked. “There’s no reason to take two cars, since we’re neighbors.”
“Why don’t I drive?” he suggested instead. “My car has Bobby’s booster seat.”
“Sure. I’ll walk over here just before five.” She gave him a wave and took off.
Sam stood in the doorway and watched her go, enjoying the sway of her hips in those shorts probably a little more than he should. Bobby slipped up beside him and tucked a hand in his.
“Was that Carrie?” he asked.
“It was.”
“Why was she here and why didn’t I get to see her?”
“She came to invite us to Sunday dinner with her family tomorrow.” He ruffled Bobby’s hair and waved the plate of cookies under his nose. “And she brought a housewarming present.”
“Cookies!” Bobby guessed at once. “Can I have some?”
“Just one,” Sam said. “Then we need to go to the grocery store to buy milk and some other supplies.”
“Peanut butter and jelly for school lunches?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“And cheese and bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches for here?”
“Sure.”
“And pancakes?”
When Sam hesitated, Bobby said, “They make frozen ones. Do we have a toaster?”
“Not yet, but we will,” Sam said, moving that to the top of his mental list of necessities. “If we drive to the big Walmart on the main highway, we can get food and a toaster.”
“All right!” Bobby enthused, shoving the last of his cookie into his mouth. “Let’s go.”
Sam couldn’t help chuckling. Apparently when properly motivated, Bobby forgot all about how much he missed home and was ready to embrace Chesapeake Shores. All it took was the promise of a few familiar treats...and warm cookies from a neighbor who was sneaking past Sam’s defenses, too.