The Summer Sisters (Juniper Springs Book 2) Page 18

  “There you go defending her again.” Lillian stood. “I’ve lost you. I’ve lost my family.”

  That seemed to snap Rose out of her stupor. “Mom—”

  “Forget it.” Their mother pushed in her chair and crossed the room. “I’m going for a walk.”

  That was what Lillian had always done—she’d walked away from honest conversations. And Dahlia had always tried to go after her. This time was no different. She caught up to her mother at the front door. “Where are you going?”

  “Into town. I know the way.” She stepped outside. “Let me be. Please.” The tears seemed to have dried up, and now Lillian’s face hardened into a look of indifference.

  She’d shut down her emotions. They wouldn’t get anywhere with her right now. “Fine. Do you have your phone?” The last thing they needed was for their mother to go missing.

  “Of course.” Lillian turned and walked away from her, crossing the yard and continuing on down the sidewalk.

  Well, that did not exactly go how she’d planned. Dahlia wandered back into the kitchen in a fog and joined Rose at the table again.

  Her sister glanced across the table, wide-eyed and pale. “Do you believe her? I mean, do you think Dad really—”

  “Yeah. I do.” Dahlia started to clear the plates. It was obvious no one was going to eat anything. “I know they put on a good front, but they never seemed happy. They were comfortable and compatible most of the time but never overly affectionate.”

  “I guess that’s true.” Her sister walked to the sink and started to clean the dishes while Dahlia stashed the food in the refrigerator. “Geez. We can’t let her wander around Juniper Springs all afternoon.” Rose shut off the water.

  “No, I suppose you’re right.” Their mother had never had a stellar sense of direction. “We can drive down to Main Street and meet her. That way we’ll be able to give her a ride home when she’s ready.”

  “Perfect.” Rose grabbed her purse off the counter. “I have to run some errands for the party tomorrow anyway.”

  They got into Dahlia’s car and talked through what they’d learned while Dahlia drove to Main Street and found a parking spot.

  “It’s so unbelievable,” Rose said for at least the tenth time.

  Rose continued to talk about her shock, but Dahlia had stopped listening. Ike stood across the street—in line at the Crazy Moose. And Dr. Jolly was with him. Both of them had traded in their scrubs for casual summer attire, and they were chatting with the ease of old friends.

  “Do you think she forgave him before he died?” Rose asked.

  “Mm-hmm. I would guess she did,” she answered halfheartedly. She couldn’t seem to force her gaze away from Ike and Dr. Jolly.

  “Dally, what’s—” Rose followed her gaze across the street. “Oh.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m paying attention. Really.” She cut the engine and withdrew the keys, holding them tightly in her fist. “I’m sure Dad and Mom came to terms with everything before he passed away. They did go on a few vacations together after we all moved out.” She hoped they’d had at least a few happy years together.

  Now Rose was the one who wasn’t paying attention. She stared at Ike and Dr. Jolly. “You think they’re on a date?”

  Dahlia didn’t want to know. “Dr. Jolly is amazing. I would be happy for them both if they ended up together.” She climbed out of the car determined to make those words true. Living in Juniper Springs, she’d likely run into the two of them a lot. It was something she’d have to get used to.

  “Sometimes love really sucks,” Rose muttered. She came around the car. “Maybe pretending is the better way to go. Then you don’t have to feel the agony of all the emotions.”

  “But then you don’t get to feel the passion either.” Dahlia linked her arm through Rose’s and pulled her to the sidewalk, walking in the opposite direction of the Crazy Moose. “I think the passion has to be worth the agony once you find something real. Don’t you?”

  “I guess.” Her sister rolled her eyes. “At least according to the Hallmark Channel.”

  Despite the ache beneath her breastbone, Dahlia laughed. “At least we have each other in the midst of the agony.” That seemed to make it more bearable. At least for her.

  “And at least we have each other to deal with our mother,” Rose added. “Speaking of…where do you think she’s gone off to?”

  “Only God knows.” Dahlia scanned the streets. A few people were window-shopping at the storefronts, but the whole downtown area seemed pretty deserted. Given that it was still the lunch hour, most people were probably seated in the restaurants along Main Street. She gave in to temptation and snuck a peek over her shoulder.

  Ike and Dr. Jolly must’ve gone inside.

  “Call me crazy, but maybe we should check Grumpy’s.” Rose veered off the sidewalk, and Dahlia followed her across the street.

  “I guess that would make sense.” Well, it wouldn’t make sense, exactly. Rose had told her all about their mother’s kitchen rendezvous with Grumpy, but Dahlia still had a hard time picturing the man calling her mom Lil. “I really hope they’re not making out in the kitchen or something.”

  Rose visibly shuddered. “There are no guarantees, I’m afraid. I swear Grumpy was making eyes at her that day when I caught them in the kitchen.”

  “Dear God.” Dahlia braced herself and opened the coffee shop’s door, prepared for the worst. A few patrons sat at tables sipping coffee. One woman had a laptop open on a table near the window, and two elderly men were playing chess.

  “At least they wouldn’t be here alone,” Rose whispered on their way to the counter. “I don’t even want to—”

  Dahlia shushed her so she could hear the voices coming from the kitchen.

  “They don’t seem to appreciate me at all, Elroy. I don’t understand how my own daughters could be so ungrateful.”

  Yep, they’d found her.

  “Knowing Rose and Dahlia like I do, they appreciate you more than they let on.” Grumpy’s voice had taken a soothing tone. “They’re good eggs, those two. You raised them right, Lil.”

  Dahlia shared a look with her sister and prayed that they wouldn’t find their mother lip-locked with the coffee shop owner when they went back there.

  Rose edged her back against the wall and eased behind the counter like some secret agent.

  Dahlia had to hold her hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t laugh. Following her sister’s lead, she got close enough to peek into the kitchen.

  Holy guacamole with chips and salsa. The man had his arms around their mother, hugging her while he ran a calming hand up and down her back.

  “There now. Your girls love you. I know they do.”

  Dahlia didn’t want to interrupt, but this was also the perfect opening. She stepped fully into the room. “It’s true. We love you, Mom.”

  “And we’re sorry you had to struggle for so many years,” Rose added. “That had to be incredibly hard.”

  Lillian lifted her head, her eyes still bright with tears. “It was. It really was.”

  Grumpy stepped away. “Look now. Your girls came to find you. I told you they were good eggs.” He smiled at her and Rose. A real smile. Dahlia was almost too shocked to smile back.

  “I’ll make us all an almond milk latte,” Grumpy offered. “And we can sit and have a chat together.”

  “That would be wonderful. Thank you, Elroy.” Lillian squeezed his hand with obvious affection, and Dahlia didn’t miss the way their eyes met.

  What in the world?

  Never in a million years would Dahlia have dreamed Grumpy would be the one to catch their mother’s eye.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sassy

  Well look at you, Miss Talk of the Town.”

  Moe blew into the office with the force of a tornado and dumped his satchel on his desk before walking to hers. “I knew there was something going on between you and Graham. Kissing in public in broad daylight?” The man clapped his hand ove
r his heart. “It’s downright scandalous.”

  Sassy continued to focus on her notes for the town council meeting, but she couldn’t hide a smile. “Well, how could I resist him?” It was a good thing she was sitting down, because thoughts of kissing Graham tended to make her knees buckle.

  There were a hundred reasons why she shouldn’t be kissing him, but none of them changed the fact that she’d like to kiss him again sometime. “And you know how much I like to give people in this town something to talk about.”

  It had been years since she’d been the one churning the gossip mill. “I figure making people talk simply means I’m living my life.” Maybe living more than she had for the last several years. “Or at least what I have left of my life.” She hadn’t had another headache episode since Moe had witnessed her dizzy spell, but even with no headaches she hadn’t felt quite right. Lately, she’d been having trouble sleeping, and she found it difficult to focus on anything for too long.

  “Did you call a doctor in Denver?” Moe sat in the chair across from her, his expression a mixture of sternness and concern. “When is your appointment?”

  As much as she would’ve liked to forget about calling the doctor, she knew the man wouldn’t leave it alone. “I’ve made plans to drive to Denver on Monday. The appointment is that afternoon.” Well, the first appointment anyway. She assumed there would be labs and maybe an MRI or a CT scan to schedule. “I booked a hotel so I can spend a few nights there in case they need to run additional tests.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?” He didn’t hesitate before asking.

  “Thank you for the offer, but no.” Sassy gave his hand a tender squeeze. “This is something I want to do on my own.” Once she knew what she was dealing with, she would lean on her friends and her family.

  “All right then. I’m available if you change your mind.” Moe stood and walked to his own desk. That was one of the best things about him. He knew when to let something go. “Have you prepared a strategy for the meeting?” he asked, shifting into business mode. “Because I have a feeling half the town is going to be there to see how this scandal shakes out between you and Peg. And we still need the council to approve the partnership with the museum, all drama aside.”

  “My strategy is always to tell the truth and to do what’s best for this town.” If that wasn’t enough for the council and whatever spectators came to witness the drama, then she didn’t want to be mayor anyway. “Peg should be happy I was smooching Graham. I know she said it wouldn’t work for the museum to keep the land, but Graham and his board are fully committed to the garden. He’s not going to change his mind. So she’ll have to come around to the idea of a partnership whether she likes it or not.”

  Moe laughed and took a seat behind his desk. “I like your style.”

  “Sassy?” Rose’s voice drifted through the doorway.

  Oh goody! She felt like she’d hardly seen Rose at all lately. “Yes, we’re right in here.” She scrambled out from behind her desk to go meet her niece in the hallway.

  Rose and Dahlia were all the way at the other end, wandering.

  “What a treat!” Sassy met them each with a hug. “Getting to see both of you at once is such a rarity these days.” Dahlia had especially been absent from the inn lately. Not that Sassy could say much about being too busy.

  “We wanted to come to the meeting.” Rose had never been good at glaring, but she seemed to be trying awfully hard to come across steely and tough. “You know, the meeting we had to hear about from Tony, whose wife told him that Peg freaked out when she caught you and some Graham fellow kissing.”

  Ah, yes. The old rumor mill had been hard at work. Sassy glanced around the hallway. It seemed deserted, but around here you never knew. “Why don’t we go into the office?” She waved them through the door.

  “Glad to see there are reinforcements,” Moe commented from behind his computer. “I hope you two are staying for the meeting.”

  “We wouldn’t miss it.” Dally pulled some chairs up to the desk, and they all sat down.

  “So, tell us all about Graham.” Rose leaned over the desk, her eyes bright with excitement. “This is so exciting!”

  “Yes, do tell,” Moe taunted from the other side of the room.

  “You hush.” Sassy pointed at him but she couldn’t hide her smile. “I was going to tell you girls about Graham, but the truth is I didn’t even know how I felt about him until he kissed me yesterday.” How strange to say those words—and blush like this—at her age. She hadn’t seen Dally for even a minute, and Rose had been quite occupied with making sure the Clearys had everything they needed last night. “It all started the day I went to meet with him about that plot of land next to the museum. We wanted to put a community—”

  “Yes, Tony told us all about it,” Rose interrupted with an air of impatience. “A garden is great, by the way, but I want to hear about you kissing Graham.”

  What could she say? “The meeting I had with him that first day turned into working on the museum’s rose garden with him. We got to know each other.” She was pretty sure she’d had this goofy smile on her face since the kiss. “He’s a different man than I thought he was. He’s kind and thoughtful and very smart, but also open to new ideas. And he is the best listener I have ever met.” He made her feel like she was the only one who had anything worth saying.

  “That’s wonderful.” Dahlia shared a happy look with Rose.

  “You deserve to find love,” Rose chimed in.

  “Hear, hear,” Moe called.

  “I’m not sure it’s love.” After all, it hadn’t even been a week. “But it does feel like something wonderful.” Her heart hadn’t been this light in years. “I wasn’t trying to hide my time with Graham from you girls. I would have told you. I simply haven’t seen as much of you as I’d like.”

  Dahlia and Rose shared a look Sassy recognized from her own past—a message traveling between sisters.

  “We’ve had a lot going on too.” Dally bit lightly into her lower lip—something she did every time she was nervous.

  “Mom is here,” Rose blurted as though she’d been dying to say those words for a long time.

  Sassy wasn’t sure she’d heard them right. “Lillian? Here in Juniper Springs?” Saying her sister’s name instantly choked her up. She’d been six years old by the time her mom finally gave her a baby sister, and they had been nearly inseparable until Lillian cast her out of her life, leaving a wound on her heart that had never fully healed.

  “She’s been here for nearly a week.” Dahlia’s voice bore an apologetic tone. “We didn’t want to hide her from you. We were only trying to figure out how we could get you two together so you could finally patch things up.”

  “I would love nothing more.” They made it sound like all she and Lillian had to do was tie up a few loose threads, but in reality their relationship had unraveled a long time ago. She’d given up hope for reconciling with her sister. Lillian had always been stubborn.

  “I don’t even know why we tried,” Rose grumbled. “She’s impossible.”

  Sassy tried to smile past a stab of pain. “She doesn’t want to see me.” It wasn’t a question. Lillian’s silence over the last eighteen years told her everything she needed to know. At first, Sassy had tried. She’d called and written letters. All of which had gone unanswered.

  Remembering they weren’t alone, she glanced across the room. Moe had focused on his computer and was obviously pretending not to listen. It didn’t matter anyway. The man was a vault. He’d never spill her secrets.

  Dahlia’s shoulders slumped. “We still haven’t told her you’re in town. I was afraid she would leave. But we’ve been pushing her on why she won’t see you, and…” She looked at Rose as though passing the baton.

  “She told us about the affair,” Rose said. “About how she wanted to come up here for the summer to figure out what to do, but you wouldn’t ask Robert to leave.”

  “And we totally don’t blame you, b
y the way,” Dally said quickly. “He shouldn’t have had to move out so we could stay. That would have been ridiculous.”

  Sassy glanced at the time and shut her laptop. Across the room, Moe had started to gather his things for the meeting. “I can’t believe she told you.” Maybe it wasn’t too soon to give up hope that Lillian would come around. She had told them about the affair. That meant she was acknowledging the past. Thinking about it. “Your mother feels like I abandoned her.” And maybe that was Sassy’s fault. She’d always spoiled her sister. Sassy had loved her so much, she’d always let her have her way. Lillian had been the youngest—the baby—and Sassy had treated her like a princess.

  “Harrumph,” Rose grumbled. “As if Mom has the right to feel that way.”

  “Of course she has the right.” She knew how humiliated her sister had been when she found out that husband of hers was cheating on her. “It was never my intention to hurt her, but her feelings are valid.” At the time it had felt like an impossible choice to make. “I struggled with the decision. And I almost asked Robert to leave. But he had Colt. They had nowhere to go. I loved him, and I couldn’t turn him out when he needed a place for his son.” As difficult as it had been, she’d made the right decision. When the police had eventually come for Robert, she had been there for Colt. He’d become a son to her. Raising him had been the most important thing she’d done in her life.

  “We tried to tell Mom you couldn’t just kick Robert and Colt out,” Rose said. “But she’s so stubborn.”

  The same could be said about Sassy. Pigheadedness happened to be a McGrath family trait, but Rose likely already knew that. She’d been cut from the same cloth. “I’m very thankful you tried. And I would like to see her when you think the time is right.” Maybe it was the doctor appointments she had hanging over her head that had sparked her hope again.