Chapter 6
Cate
Kitchens should be in a certain order. But Cate still didn’t know what that might be.
When they moved into their Tribeca condo in New York many years ago, Monty had called in a company to do all that.
Should she call Gabby? Their decorator had become a friend, but she might roar with laughter to find out that Cate was helpless in her own kitchen.
Monty had always been the one who had a gift for a project like this.
“What are you doing?” Sam stood in the doorway.
Her wonderful chestnut hair with copper highlights was drawn up onto the back of her head.
Dressed in yoga pants and a hoodie, her niece looked so comfortable.
Doing business from her bedroom office was working out for her.
When she had a Zoom call with a client or her own staff, she merely dressed from the waist up.
Maybe Cate should pick up some of those comfortable stretch pants, although she had more stomach ripples to hide than her niece.
“I’m organizing the kitchen.” Cate motioned to the counter, where mugs crowded the surface along with several wine goblets. “Will you just look at this mess?”
“I offered to do this for you.” Grabbing one of the mugs, Sam snatched a cartridge from a drawer and dropped it into the coffee maker.
Yes, her niece had offered to organize the kitchen, but Sam was always so picky. It might take her forever.
“They say it’s easier if we know where everything is.” Cate opened some of the cupboards. “Having a terrible time, really. Why are the spices over here near the wine?”
“Didn’t Gabby tell us to make sure the wine goblets were near the refrigerated wine rack?”
Drawing closer to the stovetop, Sam opened a drawer. “I think she said spices were best close to the cooking area.”
“Of course. That makes sense.” Cate pushed her short bob behind her ears. “Maybe I need a map.” Grilling someone in front of a judge, she was level-headed. But a kitchen project? She closed the cupboard with a bang and poor Sam flinched.
“Sorry, dear.” This task was not bringing out the best in her.
“There is a plan somewhere.” Sam spun around. “I think Seth drew it up for us.”
“Did he? Where would that be?” Standing in the center of the kitchen, Cate studied the white cabinets.
But why was she wasting time on this now?
Maybe she wanted to divert her attention from the fact that Samantha had been testy recently.
That wasn’t like her. Aunt Cate wanted to know what was going on.
“Why don’t we sit down. Don’t you just love these leather stools?
” Grabbing her own mug, she took a seat at the island.
“I love all of it, but it does take some getting used to it.” Sitting down on the stool next to her, Sam sighed. Cate didn’t believe kitchen organization was the reason.
“Something troubling you, dear?”
Pushing back her long bangs, Sam nodded. “Yes, but don’t worry. I’ll work it out.”
But wasn’t that why Cate was here? That was the silent promise she’d made in her own head to her sister Joanna. She’d be here for Jo’s girls. “Well now, whatever it is, might help to run it past someone. You know, someone close.”
Sam’s frown turned to a suspicious grin. “You mean someone like my aunt?”
“Could be.” Now they were getting someplace. Cate squeezed Sam’s hand. “I’m here for you, sweetheart. That’s why we all moved here, remember?”
Leaning back, Sam nodded. “I got an email this morning from a pharmaceutical company in California. The head of their marketing department is basically asking me to do a pitch for their new product. They’re not happy with the work done by their current agency.”
That was not at all what Cate had expected. Sam didn’t look happy. “That’s great, right?”
“Yes, of course it is.” Sam circled the lip of her mug with a finger. “But I haven’t done a pitch without Kurt. We were always a team.”
“Certainly you’re capable of doing it yourself. My guess is, you worked on each project and knew it by heart.” She’d never told Sam that her blow-hard husband had never been one of Cate’s favorite people.
Sam was nodding. “You’re right. I did.” But her expression was still bleak.
“And you don’t have to produce the collaterals yourself, right? You have a staff?”
“Oh sure. I have resources for all of it and a designer inhouse. An idea is brewing in the back of my mind.” Her voice tingled with excitement. How nice to see this.
“There. You see. You’re already working on it. Kurt doesn’t have to be in the picture for you to be successful.”
“You’re right. I guess.” Sam’s eyes dropped. “Besides, Kurt is busy with his new baby.”
“Yes, I heard.” That crazy ex-husband. Cate could kill him for what he’d done to Sam. But she couldn’t let her niece know how much it bothered her. “Are you all right with that?”
“I guess so.” Kurt was a fool but Sam wasn’t answering her question.
Cate waited until Sam continued. There was definitely more to this.
“I know Kurt will be furious when he hears about this new account. As part of our divorce, we divided our clients. But we still operate under the same umbrella, Ramsey and Associates. One of my current clients gave my name to this drug company and they contacted me. Getting that account would be a coup.”
Cate had never thought that keeping the company whole had been a good idea but Sam hadn’t asked her for advice.
Now that they were living in the same house, Cate could see that sometimes Sam might lack the confidence to forge ahead.
“When you’re ready, you really should change that,” Cate said.
“Establish your own company. It’s been a while and your clients know the situation. ”
“Yes, they do. A couple of Kurt’s accounts switched over to me.”
That made Cate chuckle with delight. “Was Kurt okay with that?”
“Of course not. I got an earful, but we’d agreed on that point. If a client wanted to switch, we’d both be okay with it. But I don’t think Kurt thought anyone would do that.”
“When’s the pitch?”
“Three weeks out.” Sam nipped her lower lip.
“Very doable, I would think.”
“Yes. But I’ve taken on some volunteer work here in town.”
“You mean the bingo at Tall Oaks?”
But her niece shook her head. “No, I’m volunteering at the hospital. The nursery.”
“Surely you can fit that in.” Cate hesitated for a second. She didn’t want Sam to know she’d heard about this from Marlowe. “But you probably want to spend more time with Josh.”
Sam stiffened and her eyes grew sad. “Yes and no. Yes, I’d like to spend more time with him. He keeps trying to include me in some family outing, like a movie, but it feels awkward. His kids just aren’t ready. And neither is his mother.”
Cate’s heart pinched. “Maybe it takes time.”
“It’s been two years since his wife died.”
“He’s not the carefree boy you knew during your summers here.”
Sam shook her head. “No, he’s not. But then I’ve changed too.”
How could Cate help her with this? “Josh’s work as a surgeon must keep him very busy. He seems to be respected here in town. His practice and his family probably take up a lot of his time.”
“I suppose.” Her niece was staring into her coffee mug as if it might hold an answer. “If only we hadn’t broken up in college. If only we’d married and had a family. Our family.”
Oh my. Sam sounded so hopeless. “But life isn’t like that, sweetheart, and you know it. Going to a community college seemed like the right thing for you at the time.”
“It wasn’t what we’d planned. We both thought he’d go to Notre Dame and I’d be at St Mary’s just across the road.”
Looking back never led to a solution. “Maybe someday his children will accept you. Certainly they want to see their dad happy.” Or they’ll go off to college. But she couldn’t say that.
“His mother is having us all over for dinner Sunday,” Sam said, but there was no joy in her voice.
“That sounds nice. I’ve met Marie.” Josh’s mother had seemed very structured, very sure about her role in her son’s life.
“She volunteers at Tall Oaks on another night for bingo. But I rarely see her.”
“And Josh’s father is gone?” Cate struggled to recall the details.
“Oh yes. It’s been a long time. Mrs. McCall never married again, and I kind of think that’s the future she sees for Josh.”
“That’s crazy. He’s still a young man.”
“Right, in his forties.” Pushing away from the island, Sam stood up.
“Well, back to the grindstone. I’m going to work on sketching out my ideas for that new client.
Then I’ll bring the staff in so they’re thinking about some ideas too.
Later this afternoon, I go to the hospital.
Did I tell you that I get to rock babies in my arms? ”
“Is that what you’ll be doing? How wonderful.” Cate honestly didn’t know if she’d want to be doing that.
Snatching a few grapes from the refrigerator, Sam popped one into her mouth and chewed. “The mothers need their rest. But the babies still are fussy. And that’ll be my job. See you later.” Sam put her mug in the new Bosch dishwasher.
“Right. Later.” After Sam was gone, Cate wondered if she’d helped her at all.
Rocking fussy babies. That sounded awful to Cate.
With a groan she saw the time on the new modern clock Gabby had suggested for the wall.
She had a hair appointment but this counter was a mess.
Moving down the line, she opened cupboards until she found an empty one.
Then she quickly stored all the mugs and goblets on the shelves and closed the doors. No one would know or care.