Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
CATE
S amantha looked like she was having trouble swallowing that last mouthful of pecan coffee cake.
“Families recover. We know that. His daughter is darling,” Cate wanted to give Samantha time to collect herself. “Almost sixteen, going on sixty. She reminded me of you at that age, Samantha. Very mature for her age. We had a little chat yesterday.”
Isabel rolled her eyes. “I know. I swear Mia is the youngest person that comes into my shop and drinks coffee. Not that I mind, but I was still drinking hot chocolate at that age.” They all chuckled, but Samantha still seemed to be digesting the news.
“Mia will be sixteen soon,” Cate said. “She can't wait to drive.”
“I think she already does all the grocery shopping,” Isabel said. “Hayden’s a couple years younger than Mia. And he’s definitely a guy. Not interested in shopping for food. Josh is probably on his own in that department.”
“Those poor kids.” Samantha was obviously taking the news hard. Maybe she was thinking about her own adjustment after her parents were gone. “That’s so sad.”
“Yes, Cynthia was sick for a while,” Isabel said. “Hard on the kids. Lots of visits to Ann Arbor specialists. Josh seems to be doing pretty well, but you never know. For a while there was a casserole caravan leading to his door.”
“I can only imagine.” Cate chuckled at the mental picture. “And everyone here seems so nice.”
“His work keeps him busy.” Izzy wet a dish towel and wiped off Holly’s hands.
“Those poor children.” One look at Samantha's face told her that her niece felt the same.
But the day was moving on, almost nine o’clock. Isabel was cleaning Holly up and getting her ready for the day. Sitting here with her nieces felt so good. Cate would have liked to laze away the morning like this. Waffles, coffee and wonderful memories. The smell of coffee, cinnamon and the Christmas tree hung in the air. When the phone in her pocket vibrated, Cate jumped. She hoped it wasn't the office. Glancing at the phone, she smiled and hit the button. “Marlowe? What's up?” Maybe her niece had good news for her.
Isabel had turned and stood waiting in the doorway. “Put her on speakerphone,” she whispered.
Setting her phone on the table, Cate pushed the button. “We're all here, Marlowe. Having breakfast.”
“Boy that sounds good. I can't wait to get there.”
Samantha and Isabel both gasped. Cate felt she should explain. “I didn't want to mention this, ladies, in case your sister couldn't come.”
“A new realtor joined our office recently,” Marlowe said. “Young, but I think Jenna can handle things while I'm gone. There's a closing on a big property right after New Year's. No problem. I'll probably be back in Naples by then.”
A full family reunion. Maybe this year, without any prior planning and a few nudges, they’d be able to pull this off. “When are you getting in?” Cate asked.
“Today. Sorry to be so last-minute. For a while it looked as if I might not be able to make it. But Jenna’s taking over and I’m coming. I should be there in late afternoon, unless I get hung up in Chicago and miss my connecting flight.”
Cate crossed her fingers. That Chicago airport could be chaotic. Looking over at Samantha, she was pleased when her niece nodded. After all, she was the one who had the car. “Fine, we’ll be there.” The girls chatted for a little while, but Isabel had to get going and Marlowe wasn’t finished packing.
The holiday excitement had ratcheted up with Marlowe’s call. Anticipation zinged in the air. It wasn't often that they could all coordinate their schedules. One year they’d tried to come up here to the house for Christmas but then Samantha had needed an emergency appendectomy. And a couple of years ago they’d tried again but then Marlowe had gotten COVID.
Looking over at Samantha, Cate said, “We can go get her together.” But her youngest niece didn’t look happy. “Is something wrong, Isabel?”
Wrapping one of her long green curls around her finger, Isabel was looking at the baby. “Are you gonna tell her about…you know, Holly?”
This ridiculous secrecy was bound to become a problem. “That’s your news to tell. But yes, someone should. She might wonder about the highchair and everything else.”
Samantha looked like a balloon about to burst. “What’s the problem with letting us know? I don’t understand.” She flung her hands out in mute appeal.
Poor Isabel . Cate watched her fold into herself. She hated to have that happen. “The timing should be yours, or so I thought, whenever you're ready.” She gave Samantha a pointed glance because obviously she had been holding back information too. Since when had this family become so secretive?
“I thought you weren’t going to approve.” Standing up, Isabel gripped the back of the highchair, as if she wanted to grab Holly and run.
“A baby? Are you kidding me?” Samantha wasn’t accepting that excuse. “You thought we wouldn’t approve?”
“The single parent adopting part.” Isabel looked to Cate for help and she totally understood. For so many years Isabel had been the one who couldn’t get it together. Everybody loved her to death, but she had a way of running off and doing things. She’d wanted to elope with Skipper until Monty had talked them out of it. Samantha and Marlowe would have been so hurt. But her second marriage? What had happened to Chuck? No explanations had been given. But that was ten years ago.
Adopting a baby was different. Cate’s thoughts swirled. Maybe she’d had too much caffeine. Her doctor had warned her about that because of her high blood pressure.
Thank goodness Samantha pushed her chair back, got up and went over to give her baby sister a big hug. “Look, I’m proud of you, Izzy. Look at what you’ve done.” But Cate knew that what Samantha was really saying was look at what you have . For the first time in years Isabel seemed genuinely happy and she had this beautiful baby who adored her.
“So all our secrets are out in the open now?” Cate gave Samantha a pointed look. They had a lot of catching up to do. She could almost feel her sister's presence in the room. Joanna would want her girls to be honest with each other. Wasn't honesty the glue that held any family together?
Samantha cleared her throat and sat back down at the table. Her hands reached for the red Christmas mug and held it tight. “Kurt and I got a divorce.”
“What?” Isabel yelped so loud that Holly began to cry. That poor baby's face squinched up and big tears trailed down her cheeks. “Oh, I am so sorry, honey.”
Lifting her baby from the highchair, Isabel rocked poor Holly in her arms. “She’s not used to loud voices. They scare her.”
My, oh my . Things had a way of coming around in families. Cate got up and poured herself another cup of coffee. So all the truths were coming out? But she wasn't ready to share her news. Besides, doctors were sometimes wrong.
“Why, Sam?” Isabel said, sitting back down with Holly in her arms. “Who wanted the divorce?”
Clearing her throat, Samantha didn’t lift her eyes. “This has been going on for a while. And like you, Izzy, maybe I didn’t want to unload it on the family. Could I leave it there?”
But Isabel obviously couldn’t. “Oh honey. I am so sorry. Here I thought you two had everything going for you.” Reaching over, Isabel picked up a piece of leftover waffle and handed it to Holly. The sticky treat did the trick. The baby quieted down and Isabel gently wiped away her tears with a napkin, although Holly batted her hand away. She may be adopted but with this feisty attitude, she could be a Quinn.
“So did I, Izzy. Thought we had it all.” Samantha was still holding a bucket load of sorrow. Cate saw that. But time was passing and Isabel glanced at the clock.
“Plenty of time to talk things out tonight, right?” Cate said pertly. Although she sensed that Isabel wanted to stay and talk more, she had to get to work. Besides, Cate wanted Marlowe to be here for this kind of conversation. After Isabel had taken Holly upstairs, Samantha seemed lost in thought.
“What is it?” Cate finally asked, slotting the plates into the dishwasher. “What’s on your mind?”
“It's not that I need anyone to approve this divorce,” Samantha said slowly. “I wasn’t going to ask my sisters for their opinion. Too late for that.”
Oh, the poor thing. She looked so troubled. “I understand. This seems like the next step for you, doesn't it? Telling people about it, especially family.”
“Yes, you’re right.” Samantha looked relieved. “I hope things get easier from now on.”
Well, that brought a laugh from both of them. Cate added the glasses to the dishwasher. “Samantha, you are a dreamer. You always were a girl who knew what she wanted. And you knew how to get it. Marlowe got that from you. I can’t wait to see her. How about you?”
“Me too.” Samantha pushed back from the table. “And one more thing.”
Ah, here it comes. Here was the one more thing she'd have to deal with, and she didn’t even have her makeup on yet. But this was family and she had to be strong. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“That dishwater is broken.”