The phone rang in the distance. Unwilling to answer it and risk breaking the mood, Rachel let the answering machine pick up.
“Ms. Pendergast, this is Cedar Cove Realty,” a man’s voice said. “Could you return this call at your earliest convenience? We have a renter for the house and need the exact date you plan to vacate.”
Jolene stared at Rachel, eyes wide. “The house has already been rented?”
“Sounds like it,” Bruce responded, looking far more pleased than he should.
“If Rachel doesn’t marry you now, she won’t have anyplace to live.” Jolene’s voice was horrified.
“That’s not true—” Rachel started to say, before Bruce cut her off.
“Guess so.”
“Bruce!” Rachel wanted to jab him in the ribs and would have if he’d been sitting beside her instead of Jolene. “I can stay with friends.” She could bunk down in Teri’s huge house for a couple of months. It would be an imposition, but Teri was the kind of friend who wouldn’t have any objections—who’d insist on it, for that matter.
“Then…you and Rachel should get married this week,” Jolene said after a moment.
“I say we wait,” Rachel returned decisively. She needed to let her soon-to-be stepdaughter know that she heard her concerns and took them seriously.
Bruce glared at her. “I want to marry you now. You want Rachel with us, too, right, Jolene?”
Jolene met Rachel’s eyes. After a long pause she slowly nodded. “Right, Dad.”
Thirty-Two
Olivia was gradually regaining her strength. She sat in the sunny kitchen and soaked in the warmth as she sipped a cup of green tea.
Justine was coming by later and Grace had just left. As little as two days ago she would’ve taken a nap but Olivia didn’t feel she needed one now. That was encouraging. She really was recovering from the surgery and the infection. Her chemotherapy would start soon after the holidays, as originally scheduled. She’d joked that it was a late Christmas gift—the gift that kept on giving—and to her surprise Jack had looked at her with somber eyes. “Yes, Olivia, it is. It’s giving me you. Your life, your health—to me that’s the greatest gift.” He usually joked and bantered his way through everything, so his emotional statement had moved her deeply.
She heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and immediately recognized it as Ben’s. Ever the gentlemen, he parked, climbed out and came around to open her mother’s door.
Charlotte seemed to sense that they were being watched and glanced up at the kitchen window. Seeing Olivia, she smiled and waved.
Olivia waved back. She stood up and went to the back door.
“We have company,” she called out to Jack who was walking on the treadmill. He’d made a habit of exercising ever since his heart attack. Olivia enjoyed finding small ways to reward him for his diligence.
“Who…is…it?” Jack called back from the master bedroom, panting between each word.
“Mom and Ben.”
“Give me…five…minutes.”
Her mother and stepfather approached, and Olivia swung open the door. Charlotte carried a white wicker basket with a sprig of holly and a bright red bow attached.
Olivia bent to kiss her mother’s cheek and then Ben’s.
“My goodness, Olivia, you look wonderful! There’s color in your cheeks and you’re looking much more like yourself.”
“I’m feeling better, Mom. Come and sit with me. Want some green tea?”
“Lovely.” Charlotte set the basket on the table. “I’ll get the tea. You and Ben take a load off your feet.”
“Mom,” Olivia protested, “I can do it.” Her mother refused to listen, and Olivia realized that ever since her diagnosis, Charlotte needed to wait on her. It was one of the few ways she could feel any sense of control—by taking care of her daughter. That typically involved food.
“What’s in the basket?” Olivia asked.
“Dinner for you and Jack.”
Everyone had been so kind and thoughtful. Grace had brought over a taco casserole the night before. She’d made it from scratch, using her homemade salsa and lots of cheese in hopes of tempting Olivia to eat. The fact was, Olivia had lost ten pounds in the last two months. Those were pounds she could ill afford to lose. Her clothes hung on her.
Jack, on the other hand, still struggled with his weight and all these delicious things around the house tormented him. He’d had two helpings of Grace’s casserole while Olivia had barely managed a few bites. They’d frozen the leftovers.
“What’s for dinner?” Olivia asked as she removed the layer of foil covering the basket.
“Soup,” Charlotte answered. “Chicken noodle.”
“Oh, Mom, that’s perfect!”
“And fresh-baked bread.”
“Any Christmas cookies or candy?” Jack wanted to know, stepping into the kitchen. He’d draped a towel around his neck and his face was red.
“Jack!”
“Hey, it’s Christmas.” He poked around inside the basket and triumphantly brought out a plate of decorated sugar cookies.
“My favorite!” he cried delightedly. “Sugar cookies.”
“Every kind of cookie’s his favorite,” Olivia told Ben under her breath.
Ben chuckled and whispered back, “That’s how I feel. Anything Charlotte bakes is instantly my favorite.” He smiled at Olivia’s mother as she puttered around the kitchen, making a fresh pot of green tea.
“Thanks, Charlotte,” Jack said. He peeled back the plastic wrap and grabbed a cookie. On his way out of the kitchen, he kissed his mother-in-law’s cheek.
Once the three of them were sitting around the table, Olivia asked, “So what’s new with you?”
Ben glanced at Charlotte. “We leave for our cruise in the morning.”
Olivia gasped. “Already?” With so much else happening, she’d completely forgotten about the cruise.
Charlotte placed her hands on the table. “I’m still not sure we should leave you.”