Willow Brook Road(75)
She sighed. “Maybe, just a little. He stopped by the house the other day and got on my case about finding a man. I told him I had lots of prospects, when the truth is there are none. Since I didn’t want him to decide to fill that particular void in my life, I decided to invite you here today. All the stuff about Bobby making new friends was true, too. It seemed like a win-win.” She gave him an imploring look. “Can you play along, just for the afternoon?”
To her relief, Sam looked more amused than distressed, “Gee, pretend to be interested in a beautiful woman for a couple of hours? Especially when I’ve had no luck up till now getting her to go out with me? Hmm, I don’t know.” He held her gaze. “That’s asking a lot.”
She nudged him back. “Are you up to the task?”
“Just how serious does your grandfather get about his matchmaking? Will he be booking the church for a wedding next week? Should I avoid signing the final papers for the house just in case I need to make a hasty getaway?”
Carrie laughed. “I think I can hold him off on that. We’ve all had a lot of experience at keeping Grandpa Mick from getting ahead of himself. It’s just that it’s easier to play along and let him think there’s someone special in our lives. I’m catching enough grief over my career choice these days. I don’t need him bugging me about men, too.”
“How is the day-care location hunt coming along? We haven’t had much of a chance to talk about it since you started looking at property.”
Carrie beamed at him. “Not quite as crazy fast as your house hunt, but I think I’ve found the perfect spot for it just off of Main Street. The kids would be able to play on the town green in good weather. It has a big yard, too. Julie and her daughter are going to come over next weekend to take a look. If they think it’s as perfect as I do, I’ll put in an offer. They’ve promised to walk me through any necessary renovations. I have a hunch once I can get my grandfather involved in that project, he’ll back off on his search for the perfect man for me. The truth is he revels in being involved in our lives and a project like that will be totally absorbing, even if it’s a thousand times smaller than what he used to do when he designed and supervised the building of whole towns the way he did with Chesapeake Shores.”
“How long are those renovations likely to take?” Sam inquired.
“Probably not long enough to keep us safe from his meddling for more than a month. Brace yourself.”
She realized Sam was studying her curiously. “What?” she asked.
“I’m surprised, that’s all. Not that long ago you were making a pro-con list and now you’re obviously all in.”
She laughed. “I am, and you’re not the first to comment on my sudden enthusiasm. My whole family seems torn between relief that I’ve found a new direction and shock that it’s something like day care.” She shrugged. “What can I say? Working at Julie’s place has reinforced what I already knew about myself.”
“Which is?”
“I love being around kids, especially little ones. They’re endlessly curious and sweetly innocent.”
“And you’re sure this is what you want to do with your life? No lingering longing to run off to Europe or New York?”
“I’m more sure of this than I have been about anything in a long time,” she said with confidence, then smiled as Patrick wandered over and snuggled against her. “My little brother,” she told Sam. “Mom got a late start on a second family. We’re a family that’s just full of surprises.”
“I can see that,” Sam said, his warm gaze filled with appreciation.
“What about your family?”
“There’s just Bobby and me now,” he said, grief once again darkening his eyes. “My folks died a couple of years ago, just months apart. And you already know about the accident that took my sister.”
“No other siblings?”
He shook his head.
“I can’t imagine growing up without a huge family,” she said. “I was so lucky to be part of this one.”
Sam gazed around at the children, who’d now been joined by several of the adults in an increasingly rambunctious game of tag. His expression turned wistful. “I can understand that.”
Something in his voice, though, suggested otherwise. “Even so, you find it a little overwhelming, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “To be honest, yes. I’ve always been a bit of a loner. Now that there’s Bobby to consider, I’m going to have to change my ways. No more all-nighters for work. No more forgetting to eat or even to buy groceries. Bobby and I hit the store to stock up yesterday and the amount of food in my grocery cart was probably more than I bought in six months in the past. I might even have to figure out how to use the washing machine and, heaven forbid, an iron.” He shuddered dramatically.