A Christmas to Remember (4 page)

“He could annoy me anytime,” Penny cut in with a giggle.

“To each her own, I guess,” Bess said languidly.

“He is wild.” Charlotte glanced at Lillian. “My parents would never let me date a man who’s been divorced.”

“My parents wouldn’t mind, not with all his money,” Bess said. “There are two sides to every story, girls. I heard his wife walked out on him. What else could he do?”

“I heard she walked out after she caught him running around,” Penny countered.

Charlotte had mentioned Oliver’s divorce last night, though she hadn’t given Lillian any details. It sounded as if no one knew the facts, and Lillian didn’t want to ask more questions and reveal her curiosity. Not to these girls.

She kept her gaze fixed on her book, though she wasn’t reading a word, her ears tuned to every word.

“Well, he got that girl from Ipswich in trouble. Louise…what’s her name. She worked at the bank, remember?” Penny shrugged a bare shoulder. “I heard Oliver’s father paid off the family, and she went to stay with relatives down south.”

“Really? I thought she went up to Maine,” Charlotte said.

“I don’t know where she went, but I heard she was trying to trap him. And she wasn’t even pregnant either.” Bess closed her magazine and stretched out on her blanket. “She’s just a gold-digger.”

Once again, none of them seemed to know the facts of these shocking stories. Lillian found herself annoyed at them for the careless gossip, then she felt even more annoyed at herself for caring.

Lillian forced her attention back to her book for a few minutes but was too restless to concentrate. “I think I’ll take a walk. Would anyone like to join me?”

The other three looked at each other and practically groaned. “I’ve had enough exercise for one day, thank you.” Penny stretched out on her blanket. “I’m ready for a nap.”

“Me, too,” Bess said, laying her magazine aside.

Charlotte already had her eyes closed, so Lillian set out alone. She preferred her solitude anyway. She had just invited them to be polite.

The stretch of shoreline ahead of her was just about deserted. The sky was clear and the sun strong, but a stiff wind whipped the waves to high, rough peaks. Lillian watched a few boats out on the water, dipping and bobbing. She walked at a purposeful pace, her steps tracing through the foam on the smooth wet sand.

A walk on the beach was an excellent way to clear your mind, Lillian had always found. And she was in need of a clear mind. As hard as she tried and no matter what she told the others, she couldn’t stop thinking about Oliver Warwick. The way he had looked at her. The sound of his voice. The way he touched her arm, held her hand.

The way he kissed her.

She certainly didn’t want to see him again. She didn’t even like him. So why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?

Lillian didn’t understand her feelings. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all.

Cape Light, Present-day

T
HE
C
LAM
B
OX WAS PRACTICALLY EMPTY
,
EXCEPT FOR A MAN EATING
at the counter and a couple sitting in the booth at the back. Sara took her usual table near the front window and settled in, waiting for Luke.

Charlie Bates, the diner’s owner, was busy at the grill and hadn’t noticed her come in. Which was fine with Sara. Though she and Charlie didn’t get along, she came here anyway. It was convenient and the food was pretty good.

Lucy Bates swept out from the kitchen and served the man at the counter. She smiled when she noticed Sara and raced over to her table. “How did you sneak in? I didn’t even hear the bell.”

She leaned over and gave Sara a hug.

“I know all the secrets. I used to work here, remember?”

“How could I forget? When you worked here I used to look forward to coming in,” Lucy said ruefully. “So what are you doing hanging around alone on a Saturday night? Where’s Luke?”

“He’s meeting me here. We had plans to eat out in Newburyport, but my grandmother had an accident. I just got back from the hospital.”

“Oh, dear. Is she all right?” Lillian did not have many fans in town, but Lucy’s big heart accepted everyone.

“She’ll be okay. She had a bad fall down the attic stairs. She broke her arm and her ankle and is pretty shaken up. It could have been a lot worse, though.”

“Yes, I guess she’s lucky she didn’t break a hip. Or get so upset
it sent her into a stroke. She’ll probably need physical therapy after the casts come off.”

Sara sat back. “I’m impressed. You sound just like the doctor, Lucy. Are you sure you aren’t going to medical school instead of nursing school?”

“Don’t be silly. Anybody knows that stuff.” Lucy smiled, color rising to her cheeks. “But we are getting into the heavy-duty phase now. I start hospital work tomorrow. Can you believe it? Real live patients. No more dummies in the nursing lab.”

“Wow. That is serious.”

Lucy nodded, looking like she hardly believed it herself.

“I really don’t know how you do it, Lucy. Working at the diner, your school work, and now the hospital, too. Plus the kids and Charlie. I can’t even imagine juggling my job at the paper and being married to Luke,” Sara admitted.

Lucy laughed. “Don’t worry. Luke’s the enlightened type. He’ll be doing the laundry and the dishes and walking around with the baby strapped to his chest in one of those Daddy pouches.”

Sara’s eyes widened. “Who said anything about a baby?”

“Lucy?” Charlie leaned over the edge of the counter and rang the little order bell until it sounded like it was going crazy.

Lucy slowly glanced at him over her shoulder. “Yes?”

“When you’re done entertaining the customers, there’s an order up for you.”

“Be right there.” She turned back to Sara. “It’s just a sandwich. The man’s still eating his soup.”

Sara was glad to see Lucy didn’t jump when Charlie barked at her. She used to just about jump out of her skin if he so much as gave her a dark look.

“I bet you can’t wait until your nursing degree is done and you won’t have to work at the diner anymore.”

“You got that right.” Lucy sighed. “Sometimes I think I might miss it….” She leaned over so that only Sara could hear her. “Then I say to myself,
Are you out of your mind?
”

Sara grinned. “I can’t believe you’re almost done.”

“Me, either. I never thought I would get this far. I just took one step at a time and kept going.” She looked down at Sara and met her gaze with a serious look. “I never could have done it without you, Sara.”

Sara felt embarrassed by her friend’s gratitude. “Of course you would. I didn’t do anything.”

“Yes, you did. You helped me fill out all those college applications. You kept telling me I could do it.”

“Well, maybe I encouraged you but you did the rest yourself. You have a lot to be proud of.”

Lucy smiled quietly. “Thanks. It ain’t over till it’s over, though. I still have all this training to get through.”

“You’ll do fine,” Sara told her. “I’m sure of it.”

Charlie had walked to the end of the counter and now leaned over, speaking in a low growl. “Sorry to interrupt, ladies. But maybe Lucy could take a short break from socializing to wait on the tables? You know, that thing you do when you carry the food to people?”

“Okay, Charlie. Cool your jets. I’m getting to it.” Lucy winked at Sara. “Catch you later,” she said, heading toward the order window.

Charlie stood glaring at Sara a moment. Sara glared back.

She knew Charlie saw her as the source of his troubles—the high-minded college girl who had put the idea of going back to school into Lucy’s head. Not to mention his perennial feud with Emily, who he believed did not deserve to be mayor of Cape Light nearly as much as he did.

He hated the idea of Lucy going back to school and had done all he could to discourage her. Lucy had even left him for a short time a few years back. She had taken the boys and moved in with her mother. The separation hadn’t lasted long, just long enough to show Charlie that even Lucy had her limits.

“Did she even take your order?” Charlie growled.

“I’m waiting for Luke,” Sara said.

Charlie’s mouth curled in a disdainful smile. He didn’t like Luke much either. “Right, I should have guessed…. When are you two getting married?”

“We haven’t set a date yet.”

“Well, don’t rush into anything. Marriage is a tough row to hoe, I’ll promise you that.”

Married to you, it would be
, Sara wanted to say. She was more like her grandmother sometimes than she liked to think.

The bell over the door jangled and Luke walked in. His gaze swept the diner, quickly settling on Sara.

“Well, here he is now. Don’t get too comfortable. We’re closing at ten tonight.”

“Don’t worry, Charlie. We’ll eat fast and get out.” Luke gave Sara a quick kiss, then sat down in the seat across from her. “And thanks for the hospitality.”

“You shouldn’t provoke him, Luke,” Sara said, trying to look serious.

“I know but it’s hard to resist.” Luke took her hands and held them in his own. “How’s Lillian doing?”

“She was pretty good when we left. She felt well enough to argue with her doctor. But she’s in her late seventies with two broken bones and a concussion.”

“Your grandmother’s head is as hard as a rock. I wouldn’t worry about that part of it.”

“Fine Italian marble, maybe,” Sara conceded. “She wouldn’t like hearing her cranium described as any old kind of rock, you know.”

“How long will she be in the hospital?”

“Why? Are you planning on sending her flowers?” Sara teased.

“I’d send her a roomful if I thought it would make her like me any better.”

“Oh, she likes you. She just enjoys taking a contrary position.”

“Sara, the woman despises me. I know she tells you to dump me every chance she gets. She had a fit when she found out we were engaged. At least admit it.”

Sara stared down at the table. It was true. For some reason, Lillian had never liked Luke. She told Sara time and again that he wasn’t good enough for her and she could do much better.

Luke was the finest man Sara had ever known. He had endured so many challenges in his life that had only made him stronger.

“I know Lillian has her blind spots about you. But in time, she’ll get to know you better, and she’ll—”

“She’ll find something new to complain about,” Luke finished for her. “Maybe when we get married, she’ll finally get it.”

Finally
was the key word, Sara knew.

She cleared her throat, hoping to sidestep the when-are-we getting-married conversation tonight. “There’s something I need to tell you about Lillian,” she began. “When she comes home from the hospital, she’s going to need help around the clock. But she doesn’t want a stranger staying overnight. She gets very upset by the idea. Emily and Jessica said they would stay, but you know how hard it would be for them….”

“Uh-oh. I don’t like where this is heading at all.” Luke rested his chin on one hand, already looking glum. “Go on.”

“I said I would stay over at night and keep her company. Is that so awful? She’s my only grandmother, you know.”

“Sure, I know. But will she ever admit it?”

“She admits it,” Sara answered quietly.

She thought about telling Luke how Lillian had asked her to call her Grandma while they waited for the ambulance. But somehow the moment seemed too private, almost secret.

“I need to help her out. I need to help Emily and Jessica. They’ll be visiting during the day and doing their share.”

Luke didn’t look very happy about the situation. “All I know is, now I’ll see you even less. And don’t tell me to come and visit you there. Your grandmother practically calls the police if she spots me walking down her block.”

“She’ll be bedridden. She won’t even know if you come by to see me.”

“Come on. I’m not going to sneak in and out like a teenager. I’m too old for that stuff.”

“Yes, I’m marrying an old man, aren’t I? I almost forgot,” Sara teased him.

Luke was older than her by almost ten years. Sara didn’t think about it much, though she knew he did.

“That’s right. I’m getting older every day. You better marry me before I need a walker to come down the aisle.”

Lucy came over with her order pad in hand. “Hi, Luke. Are you guys ready?”

Luke and Sara ordered sandwiches and coffee, and Lucy returned to the kitchen.

“I guess we can go across the street to the Beanery and have dessert,” Sara said, gazing out the window. “They stay open until midnight on Saturdays.”

“We should have had dinner there, too,” Luke added.

Sara didn’t answer. She knew he really didn’t care where they
ate, that he was annoyed at her. Frustrated about their wedding plans, or lack thereof.