Page 36 of A Lonely Road (Spruce Hill #2)
Chapter Thirty
Nora
“ H ello?”
“In here,” Sam called.
I followed her disembodied voice up a few steps that led into a bright, compact kitchen. Our hostess was fussing with a fruit tray and wearing a red polka dot dress with a frothy petticoat underneath. When I appeared in the doorway, she beamed at me.
“Nora! I’m so glad you’re here. You look great,” she gushed.
“I love your dress,” I said with a smile. “I’m ashamed to admit this is the only one I own. I was hoping you might be up for another shopping expedition sometime soon. This time, I promise I’ll keep it together. I think it’s time to expand my wardrobe a bit.”
Sam popped a chunk of watermelon between her very red lips and blasted me with the full force of her dimple. “Need more clothes to fill a bigger closet over at Jake’s?” she asked, lowering her voice dramatically as she fluttered her lashes.
“I didn’t move in with him,” I protested, then I paused, frowning a little. “Okay, I mean, I sort of did, but not in an official kind of way?”
“Right. You’re just staying there indefinitely, sleeping in my brother’s bed, and keeping all of your stuff over there,” Sam deadpanned.
I choked on a laugh. “Okay, fine. That sounds accurate, yes. Regardless, I’d definitely like to freshen up my wardrobe. While we’re on the subject, do you and Casey always hang out this much?”
Sam shrugged, but her eyes twinkled. “We’ve all been friends a long time.”
“And by that you mean you’re dodging the question?”
“Absolutely, I am,” Sam replied. “Now, if you’ll grab that stack of plates, we can bring these out and get this party started.”
I grabbed the pile of plates and utensils, then held the door open for Sam. To my amusement, Jake also seemed to be keeping a close eye on the interactions between Casey and his twin as the two of them set the table, trading jokes and glances so hot I felt it even from six feet away.
Jake caught my eye and winked across the table. Apparently the twins were always rooting for each other, no matter what. If I hadn’t already fallen for Jake Lincoln, that would've nudged me right over that particular cliff.
Just as we finished setting out plates and napkins, the sound of laughter came from the direction of the driveway.
All four of us fell immediately silent, looking at each other as though preparing for battle before Sam let out a nervous giggle. Jake took my hand in his warm, firm grip as the full trio of parents rounded the corner of the house.
My father looked like a completely different man today than he had at The Mermaid.
He wore a blue Hawaiian print shirt with khaki shorts and—to my absolute astonishment—sandals in place of his usual shining dress shoes.
He looked relaxed and happy, with his head tilted toward a woman I would've recognized as Jake and Sam’s mother even without an introduction.
Their coloring was the exact same as hers, though her caramel hair was accented by strands of shimmering silver among the gold.
Jake’s parents were a lovely couple in their sixties, both with laughing blue eyes and ready smiles. The twins’ dimples apparently came from their father, whose wife was giggling at something my father had said as they reached the yard, so Jake’s dad was the one who called out, “Hey, kids.”
“And this must be your beautiful Nora,” his mother cried, pulling me into a swift hug. “I’m so happy to meet you. What a wonderful welcome home for us, meeting you and your father.”
“I’m happy to meet you, too, Mrs. Lincoln,” I replied when she held me at arm’s length to look me over .
“Oh, please, call me Cheryl. You are just as gorgeous as Jake’s been telling us! And Sam, too,” she added, throwing her daughter a smirk.
I cocked a brow in Jake’s direction but he only shrugged, grinning, as he shook my father’s hand, then embraced his dad in a tight bear hug.
“Dad, this is Nora,” Jake said as they turned toward me. “Nora, my dad, Dave Lincoln.” I had to tear my gaze away from Jake’s sweet smile in order to shake his father’s hand.
“Nora, I am absolutely delighted to finally meet you,” Dave said.
When he smiled in welcome, that familiar dimple creased his cheek. In another twenty years or so, I imagined that Jake would look just like his father. The man was a silver fox. Later, when we were in private, I fully intended to tease Jake about that fact.
While Dave and Cheryl turned to greet Sam and Casey, I kissed my father’s cheek. “Hi, Dad,” I said softly.
“Hi, Bear,” he said, squeezing my shoulders. As we turned to look at the rest of our little crew, he added quietly, “They seem like a really great family. I’m glad you’ll have some support nearby. I hate thinking of you all alone for so long.”
In truth, the Lincolns were everything that we were not—boisterous, affectionate, constantly touching one another.
Even before my parents’ divorce, I couldn’t remember a time when my parents had been like that, not with each other and definitely not with me.
Somehow, my dad managed to blend right into this crowd anyway, slapping shoulders with Dave in a way I'd never seen him do with anyone.
Jake, bless him, kept his attention focused on me, making sure I was comfortable, pulling me back into the moment when I started to get a little overwhelmed.
“Doing okay?” he asked softly, brushing the pad of his thumb across my cheekbone. I nodded but didn’t speak, my eyes caught by his tender expression until Sam announced that dinner was ready.
The meal was accompanied by more lively conversation, though I was interested to note that Sam was not the driving force—she seemed more inclined to tilt her head toward Casey and murmur in an undertone while the parents discussed some of the travel destinations they had in common.
My father spoke more during dinner than I could recall him ever doing in the course of an entire day.
Though Jake chimed in readily enough, he seemed content to sit and toy with the little curls at the back of my neck, and I was content to let him. We both enjoyed the simple pleasure of having me tucked against his side as we sat there, surrounded by family and food, love and friendship.
After dinner, the two of us retreated to a corner of the yard that boasted a handmade wooden swing hanging from an enormous oak tree. I sat on it, pushing myself slowly back and forth with one foot while Jake leaned against the trunk of the tree beside me.
“Your family is wonderful,” I said .
Jake, unsurprisingly, caught the wistful note in my voice, so he moved to stand behind me and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. Grasping the ropes, he gave the swing a gentle pull and let it go, sending me slowly forward. I laughed a little and tipped back far enough to smile up at him.
“I have no complaints. No real ones, anyway, though sometimes I wished I was an only child when I was growing up,” he replied, grinning back down at me. “Even your dad seems to be enjoying himself.”
“Yes, he does. I’ve never seen him like this.”
“Like what?” Jake asked as he drew the swing toward him until my back was pressed against his chest. His lips teased my temple as I leaned back into him.
“Happy,” I whispered.
A lump caught in my throat at the realization that maybe my parents had never been truly content together, not really. As a child, it was easy to ignore, but now that I felt that joy myself, the memories all felt tinged with the pain of this new knowledge.
“Nora, honey,” he said gently, brushing his lips just behind my ear, “the past is the past. And I’m pretty damn happy right now, so it’s only fair that everyone else here should be, too.”
I turned my head so my lips met his, then Casey called out, “Hey, lovebirds! Ready for a game of horseshoes?”
Jake slowly lowered the swing so I could rise to my feet. All trace of wistfulness evaporated from my expression at the prospect of a competition, and I taunted, “Okay, but I’ll probably crush you, so don’t say I didn’ t warn you.”
Cheryl and Dave entertained us throughout the game with enough embarrassing and hilarious childhood tales to make up for my father telling them all about my teddy bear pyrotechnics.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so much.
By the end of the night, my cheeks were sore from it, but my heart felt full enough to burst.
I watched my father actually kiss Cheryl’s cheek as he said goodbye, clasp hands with Sam and Casey, and give both Jake and Dave the one-armed guy embrace that I’d seen other men use, but never John Cassidy. Then he hugged me tight to his chest, an equally rare occurrence.
“I love you, Bear,” he whispered against my temple.
I squeezed him back. “I love you, Dad.”
When he released me, Sam caught my elbow to discuss plans for another round of shopping. Before my father left, however, I overheard him as he leaned in closer to Jake and murmured, “Walk out to the car with me, would you?”
My heart sank as they walked away. I should have known real life would intrude again the minute I let my guard down.