Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
SAMANTHA
W hen Josh phoned her midweek, Sam almost didn't answer the call. Her mind was spinning from what Aunt Cate had discussed with Sam and her sisters. What would the future bring for her? She was beginning to realize whatever lay ahead depended on her and her response to it. Seeing her aunt and sister Marlowe energized by some pretty exciting plans had given Sam her own ideas. She had to rise to meet her future, which was thrilling and scary at the same time.
“Hey, Josh,” she said when she picked up the call. “What's happening with you? How did your Christmas Day emergency go?”
“Mrs. McGee is fine. Had a fall and broke her hip. But all will be well,” he said with pleasing conviction. “Surgery went well and she’s in good hands right now.”
Sam could imagine Josh talking to his patients like that. Comforting. Positive.
“How is your ankle? Is your sprain feeling any better?” He had adopted his doctor tone.
At the time Sam was sitting in front of the tree. That had been the most comfortable place for the past couple days. As they talked, she held out her left leg. The night before she'd loosened the wrapping. “I think it's getting better,” she told him. “I didn’t use the scooter yesterday.”
“You can return that any time. I think I have their number somewhere. They may even pick it up.”
“No problem. I can handle it.”
“Now when have I heard that before?” Josh chuckled and Sam didn't know whether she should feel insulted or not. “I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch sometime this week. I'm thinking we could go to the Weathervane. Sit on the channel and watch the boats.”
“That sounds wonderful. We can do that in the winter?” She loved that restaurant.
“Of course. There won’t be many boats. Most are in storage by this time, but there might be one or two going through when the drawbridge goes up.” Immediately Sam began going through her pathetic wardrobe in her mind. Seeing Aunt Cate and Marlowe in one great looking outfit after another this holiday season had made Sam realize her wardrobe was sadly lacking. And wasn't that pathetic? “Want me to meet you there?”
“I do know where you live,” Josh said slowly. “And driving can’t be comfortable for you right now.”
“Okay, point taken.” What was she doing? Her inbred independence sometimes worked against her. They agreed that he'd pick her up the next day at eleven thirty.
That night Sam watched “Home Alone” in front of the fireplace with her sisters and Aunt Cate. While they laughed a lot, they all agreed that they were glad they weren't in that young man's predicament. Holly was sound asleep upstairs and so they were careful to keep it down, but they did get a lot of enjoyment out of that classic.
They also talked about New Year's Eve and agreed that Marlowe would grill steaks outside.
“Do we all intend to stay up until midnight?” Sam herself hadn't done that in years. The question made her family turn to her with horror in their eyes. “Of course we are, you bumpkin,” Marlowe said. “We're celebrating, remember?”
“Okay, celebrating what?” She searched her mind.
“Finding each other again.” Marlowe looked totally disgusted with her. “Planning with each other the way we did years ago.”
Had she been preoccupied or what? Aunt Cate was nodding her head. Sam hadn't thought about this get-together in that way. Marlowe was so good at drilling down and summarizing. Sure, Sam was very glad to have had these special days with her family. They'd been life-changing, and she had to smile remembering how grumpy she’d been on the journey up here.
“Honestly, Sam.” Izzy was shaking her head. “Sometimes I don't know what to make of you.”
Izzy had a point. Her sister’s words came back to Sam while she waited for Josh in the hallway the following morning. What was she doing? When Marlowe and Aunt Cate heard about her date…and despite what she said those two insisted that it was a date…they both immediately offered their wardrobes. As a result she was wearing Marlowe's turquoise sweater with a pair of black jeans and a quilted silver vest. Aunt Cate had given her a favorite pair of green ornament earrings. And somewhere Izzy had found some turquoise tinsel for Sam's hair. She still wasn't sure about that.
But as she got dressed that day, she decided maybe it was time to take some chances and get outside her comfort zone. The doorbell rang and Sam was ready.
Josh’s eyes popped as she opened the door, reminding Sam of the first time she'd worn a bikini to the beach. Of course, in those days a bikini had been more of a two-piece suit, not the thongs she now saw in magazines. But she’d surprised him.
“We Wish you a Merry Christmas” was still playing when Josh gave her a quick hug, smelling of some wonderful type of woodsy fragrance. Wearing manly boots, worn jeans and a quilted navy parka, Josh had aged well. This was a guy who reminded her of tall pines, and at that moment Sam felt like the melting snow.
“Like the earrings.” Josh's smile broadened and he reached out to touch one. “You look…you look....”
“Like I don't get out much?” Sam said, trying to ignore the soft brush of his hand on her chin. Marlowe and Aunt Cate had worked on her makeup and wardrobe all morning. The two of them had enjoyed it way more than she did. Calling from work, Izzy was so disappointed that she wasn’t there to participate. They stepped into the cold air outside.
“Apparently that's the opinion of my family and they could be right.” When she looked up, Josh was looking from her left ankle to the steps behind him. Marlowe had sprinkled them with salt that morning.
“Do you need your scooter today?” Josh looked back from the top step.
“I'm not sure.” Maybe she should have gone out through the garage. But then she would have to negotiate that long driveway, which could be slippery. “Marlowe put down a lot of ice melter.”
“I have a better idea, if you don't mind.” And with that Josh scooped her up into his arms. By that time Aunt Cate and Marlowe had come running out onto the porch like overly concerned parents to wave goodbye.
Sam gave them a quick wave. “Are you sure you won't drop me?” The community wouldn't thank her if their orthopedic surgeon got injured while taking her out for lunch.
“Never.” His arms tightened around her as if to prove his point. “Hang on, woman. I'm going to balance myself against the railing.”
Woman? Thank goodness that old metal railing was very sturdy. With her arms looped around his neck, Sam felt secure. This gentlemanly gesture was something Kurt would never have attempted. But halfway down the steps, Josh came to a halt. Face red, he carefully set her down. She knew that flushed face wasn’t from the cold air. “Am I too heavy?” How humiliating. All that rich Christmas food might have caught up with her.
He shook his head, concentrating on the steps. “Nope. Not at all.”
“Josh, come on. Level with me.” Sam wasn’t letting him get away with this. Sure it was embarrassing, but she didn’t want the guy to go into cardiac arrest from carrying her. Holding her left foot up, she grasped the cold railing. “Let’s face it. I’ve gained a few pounds in the past twenty years or so.”
“And I’ve gained a few years.” Golden specks flashed in his hazel green eyes. She knew that look that allowed no questions. “Ready to make another go of it?”
Laughing, she nodded, glad that in some ways, Josh hadn’t changed. Swinging her back up into his arms, he set his chin. They continued down the steps without any mishaps. When they reached the road, he set her down as if she were one of Aunt Cate’s delicate Lladro figurines.
Sam took in the flashy red vehicle. “Is that Jeep yours?”
“Yes, don't sound so surprised.” Josh cocked a brow as he tucked her into the front seat. “Were you thinking that I would pick you up in the family SUV? You know, the one I use to take the kids to school?”
“I guess not.” She was still laughing as he made his way around and climbed in next to her. “And manual shifting?” Josh had always had a thing about manual shifts in his cars. And he got it from his dad and his red pickup truck.
“Some things never change,” he said. “But the SUV is automatic. I'm not taking any chances with my kids until they get older and I have time to teach them how to use a clutch.”
“Make sure you teach them both and not just Hayden.” She didn't know where that advice came from. What did she know about children and childhood development? Maybe Izzy and Holly could teach her. They ended up laughing almost all the way down to the restaurant.
The Weathervane sat next to the drawbridge, above the channel connecting Lake Charlevoix to Lake Michigan. The popular restaurant had been around for a long time and was known for its view of the water. “Come for the food, stay for the view” was used in their ads.
Sitting at the window table with the sun shining through, Sam knew that Josh had probably had this reservation for a while. Sitting outside would have been wonderful but it was a bit nippy that day. Everyone was tucked inside. So many memories came back as she sat there. When she was growing up, they'd come here for at least one family dinner during the summer.
Although she'd been nervous about the lunch, soon they were talking about the good old days. Their conversation flowed easily and so did the memories. Those high school years had been good, “golden days,” as Josh called them. They laughed about how she'd managed to make it out of the house, often with Marlowe helping her, as they scrambled down to the beach at night.
The waitress came and took their order. Time flew as quickly as some of the ospreys flying overhead. They had so much to catch up on, and it got easier with each word, every funny story they dredged from their past. Before she knew it they’d finished the crab cakes and wonderful bread with brie and sat sipping their coffee.
“So what's next for you, Samantha Quinn?” Josh asked, stirring creamer into his coffee.
“Next?” She pulled herself back from the view. The drawbridge was just lowering after a magnificent yacht had passed through.
“Yes, I'm curious.” His eyes sure looked serious. “This visit seemed to be an effort to connect with family. That's my take on things after talking to your sisters and aunt.”
Small talk had never been Josh’s thing. He knew how to get to the point. “Did they share any family secrets with you?” Sam hoped they hadn’t told him about Kurt, not any details anyway.
“You've been gone a long time and haven't been back much at all. Not that I knew about, anyway.”
“This wasn't my husband's favorite place.” She’d leave it at that. Although Kurt had liked to come up here once in a while during the summer, he'd found Sunnycrest dated and dark.
“But what about you?” Josh asked. “Now that your life is changing, how do you feel about Charlevoix?”
Glancing around, Sam let out a sigh. “I'm thinking this place feels welcoming. Like home.” Maybe she'd said too much and she bit her lip. Sam needed time to think about all of this. The holiday break had passed too quickly in the wonderful rush of getting to know her sisters and aunt again.
“Charlevoix sure seems like home for your sister Izzy,” Josh said. “She's become an important part of the community. People love her place.”
“Oh, yes. Definitely.” Sam couldn’t deny that. “It’s been her home since she married Skipper, right out of high school.”
“And you ladies seem to hit it off. I’m surprised that you didn’t come here more often in the past.”
“I'm not really sure why we haven't seen each other more.” Of course Izzy had been keeping her at a distance and Sam had been comfortable with that. She’d been trying to figure out her own life at the time. But she wasn't about to admit that.
“Trust me, the years pass too quickly.” Josh shifted his gaze to the channel flowing below. “It’s good to keep up with folks. You want family to be more than a picture in your album.”
What Josh was saying was so true. And it had been a gift to have her eyes opened this holiday season. She’d been way too preoccupied with her own life. Had she let that nasty divorce consume her? Not worth it and she turned her full attention to Josh. All that stress hadn’t gotten her anywhere.
Sam liked looking at her old friend. He’d always had a strong profile and she found the touch of gray at his temples flattering. The boy was gone but the man was very much here.
“Sometimes I see that in the lives of my patients,” Josh continued. Obviously he’d given this a great deal of thought. “Many of them are older and have lost their mobility. That improves with their surgery and some good rehab. But working with them makes me think about life. Our adulthood, I mean. Maybe it goes too fast.” And he turned back to her with a wry grin.
She knew what he meant. At least she thought she did. Sam was forty-one. Did she have the life she’d dreamed of back in high school? Divorce had never been part of her plan, that’s for sure.
“Maybe you don't know what you have to lose until it's gone.” Where had Sam heard that? She was painfully aware of it now, and she sure didn’t want that to be true for her. Thank goodness Aunt Cate had encouraged her to take action this Christmas. Otherwise she may have stayed home, ashamed of her failed marriage. This trip to Sunnycrest had given Sam more than a great holiday. Time with her family had given her a whole new outlook on life. It had given her hope.
Josh nodded. “You always did have your profound moments, Sam.”
“And you always did know how to flatter a girl,” she shot back, loving the way he threw back his head and laughed without reservation. A couple at the next table glanced over and smiled. Sam knew that look and wanted to tell them, We’re only friends.
Dropping his head to one side, Josh studied her. “So what’s the plan? Do you have one?”
“We're having a family New Year's discussion,” Sam said. “But I definitely hope to be coming here more often. Izzy needs our support and Charlevoix isn't that long a drive for me.” This wasn’t the time to talk about the plans that had been forming in her mind. She didn’t want to give Josh the wrong idea, but he may have made some assumptions anyway.
With each word, Josh's eyes brightened. “I don't want to be pushy, Sam, but I'd like to see more of you. I hope you’ll give Charlevoix...and me…a chance.”
If it was possible to choke on coffee, then that's what happened to Sam. She began to cough until her eyes watered. Alarmed, their waiter started walking toward them. Josh even got up to come around the table. But Sam grabbed her water and took a sip that quieted her throat. The waiter drifted away. Josh settled back with a cautious smile, the question lingering in his eyes.
Was what Josh had said that shocking? She had so much to think about. Shortly after that they got up to leave. Although the day was beautiful and the conversation came naturally, it didn't seem fair to tie up that table. Other people were waiting, lined up at the door.
When they reached home, Sam insisted on limping her way up the stairs while Josh gave her several reasons why she shouldn't be doing that. “Miss Independence,” he told her, with a disapproving shake of his head when they finally reached the porch. Had she brought her key?
“That much hasn't changed, I guess.” The door probably wasn’t locked.
“Trust me, nothing much has changed,” Josh said with certainty in his voice. “Nothing important anyway.”
What? Was he talking about her? Or was he talking about them?
While she floundered, Josh gently tipped up her chin. “And now, if there are no objections?”
Sam was shaking her head when he kissed her, so gentle yet so thorough. The one hand on her chin could be her undoing. She couldn't remember a kiss that had felt so good.