Mending The Widow's Heart. Mia Ross

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СКАЧАТЬ and the wilder the better. “Okay, we’ll give it a try. But keep your food on the coffee table and sit right in front of it. If you spill it, you clean it up. Understand?”

      “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”

      “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she grumbled with a mock scowl. “Save the flattery for when you’re in trouble.”

      He laughed and turned to Sam. “Wanna come watch TV with me?”

      Something flickered in the contractor’s eyes, lighting them briefly before fading away. Holly got the impression that a part of him was trying desperately to claw its way to the surface but kept getting shot down by reality. Holly knew how discouraging it could be when the past kept smothering all your efforts to move forward, and she felt a pang of sorrow for him.

      “Maybe next time,” he replied.

      “Tomorrow?”

      Holly held her breath, praying that Sam wouldn’t make a commitment and then not show up. Or forget. Or think it wasn’t important. Or myriad other things that Brady had repeatedly done when Chase had attempted to reach out to him. Eventually, Chase had tired of being rejected and stopped asking his father to do things. Before long, Brady had become a stranger in his own home.

      “I’d hate to say yes and then not be able to do it,” Sam said quietly, as if he’d somehow picked up on Holly’s unspoken fear. “Soon as I can, I’ll watch that show with you. Is that okay?”

      Chase nodded eagerly. “I get it. Mom says you should always keep your promises.”

      Apparently satisfied, he left the two adults in the kitchen, an awkward silence hanging in the air between them. Sam gave her a long, pensive look, as if he was trying to decide what to say next.

      Finally, he told her, “That’s good advice.”

      “I have my moments,” she answered as lightly as she could, turning away to rotate the sausages before they burned.

      “Good ones?”

      “Mostly.” At least now they were, she added silently. Getting to that point had taken every ounce of her strength, but she’d done it for Chase because she was all he had. Setting their plates on the table, she took the seat next to Sam and debated telling him the rest of her story. Because she believed that it was important for him to understand where she was coming from, she took a deep breath and started, “Sam, I don’t normally do this, but since we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other around here, I need for you to know something. About Brady.”

      Misery clouded Sam’s eyes, and he grimaced so deeply, she almost felt it herself. Holly got the feeling that he wasn’t only sad for her, but for himself. Whatever had scarred him had left a mark so deep, it showed as clearly in his features as if it had been chiseled there yesterday. “Chase told me about him while we were playing catch. I’m so sorry he didn’t recover.”

      “Oh, he recovered,” she corrected him with a frown. “Most of him, anyway. He kept on hunting for the rest, and when Chase was old enough to do things with, I thought being a dad might help him find what he’d lost. Sadly, it didn’t, and two years ago, he finally gave up.”

      “That’s awful. No family should have to go through that.”

      Sam’s solemn response told her that he understood better than anyone what she and Chase had endured. In her experience, confiding in someone made them want to do the same, and she sipped her coffee, waiting for him to give her some idea of what had happened to him.

      But he didn’t.

      Instead, he stood and pushed his chair back into place. “The ramp for Daphne’s wheelchair came in this morning, so I’ll be installing it first thing. It’s gonna be pretty loud, but I’ll get it done quick as I can.”

      “That’s fine, but could you wait a few minutes? I really should check in with my parents. They were out last night, so I left them a message that we got here in one piece. They’d probably like more of an update, though, and I promised them some pics of the house.”

      “Sure.”

      Back to the single syllables, she noticed as he strode out the side door and headed down the steps that led to the driveway. Holly wasn’t certain what kind of response she’d expected from the reserved contractor, but she couldn’t help feeling that she’d fallen a huge step back where he was concerned. She’d taken a leap of faith to be honest with him, she reminded herself, and now she’d have to live with the consequences.

      Whatever they might be.

      Her laptop was charging on the counter, so she unplugged it and took it into the den, where Chase’s show was nearly over. He swallowed the last of his orange juice while she dialed her parents in Savannah, and by the time their images appeared on the screen, he was grinning from ear to ear.

      “Morning, Gramma and Grampa,” he said, adding a little wave. “How’re you?”

      “Just fine, honey bear,” Mom replied, beaming at him. “What have you been up to so far today?”

      “Having breakfast and playing catch with Sam.”

      “Sam?” her father echoed warily. “Who’s he?”

      “Auntie D’s neighbor,” Chase answered brightly. “He likes the Red Sox, too, and he’s awesome. We’re gonna watch the game together tonight.”

      They wouldn’t like knowing there’d be a stranger in the house, Holly knew, but she plastered on a smile and pretended she was fine with the arrangement. Don Fredericks was a cop, and her mother, Gloria, worked with at-risk teens, so they were trained to spot trouble and she didn’t want to worry them.

      Unfortunately, Holly’s acting skills left a lot to be desired.

      “I didn’t realize there was a single man so close by,” Dad commented in a casual tone that did nothing to mask his apprehension. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

      “Oh, Don.” Mom clicked her tongue at him. “Daphne hired him to work on her house, so she thinks he’s trustworthy. You know how great she is at reading people. Besides that, Holly meets new folks all the time, and she handles them just fine. Don’t you, sweetheart?”

      “Sam’s been a total gentleman,” she assured them.

      “Well, you tell him that better not change or he’ll have your father to deal with.”

      “I’ll do that,” Holly promised, forcing a laugh. “He’ll be too busy to cause any problems, though. This place is like something off one of those real estate disaster shows.”

      “D has always liked old things,” Mom said in a tone laced with fondness for her older sister. “Now that she’s retired, it’s good for her to have a project that will keep her occupied.”

      “It’ll do that, all right. I should let you two go for now. Once Auntie’s home from the hospital, we’ll call and have a nice family video chat.”

      “That would be wonderful,” Mom said approvingly.

      In unison, they said, “Love ya—bye.”

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