Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
DANNY
F rankie slips her hand in mine again as her mom walks in the door. Lee Armstrong looks washed out, as you would if you’d flown halfway across the world to be met with the news that your pregnant daughter’s been rushed to hospital. She’s still stunningly beautiful, though, slender and graceful like a dancer, with long red hair that’s not been dyed because you can see faint streaks of gray. Frankie’s grip on my hand tightens. I squeeze back, reassuringly, but I’m not sure she notices. Her eyes are fixed on her mom.
Who has eyes only for Shelby. Lee Armstrong ignores us all and heads straight for the bed. Nate fetches her a chair, and she sinks into it with barely a glance his way.
“Oh, my dear.” She takes Shelby’s hand in both of hers, and gazes intently at her daughter. “You’re better. I can see that now. I’m so relieved.”
Shelby smiles. “Hello, Witchy Mom. Yes, I’m better. But I’ll have to get used to being bed-bound.”
“May I?” Lee hovers her hand over Shelby’s pregnancy bump. Shelby nods and Lee gently lowers her palm and rests it on the bump, closes her eyes and breathes in, deeply.
Frankie clutches my hand again. Can’t tell whether she’s concerned about what her mom might pick up, or whether she’s annoyed that her mom’s being weird in front of everyone. I glance at my own parents. Mom is wide-eyed, but Dad is peering, fascinated. It occurs to me that for all his rationalism, he’s a complete sucker for woo. When he had his heart problems, he researched every crazy alternative treatment out there. We were lucky he didn’t book a one-way flight to freaking Peru.
Nate is too focused on Shelby to notice, but I catch Ava’s eye and she grins. Her finger makes a circling motion by her temple to indicate the presence of looniness in the room. She’s got her other arm hooked firmly in Cam’s, and I sense a gesture of possessiveness. The big man’s watching what’s going on at the bed, but who can tell what he’s thinking.
Lee opens her eyes and smiles beatifically. “I can’t wait to meet this little one out in the world,” she says. “They’re a treasure.”
Finally, she acknowledges the treasure’s father-to-be. “Nate, dear. What a time you’ve had.”
“Glad you made it, Lee,” he says, politely. He has his poker face on, which means he’s working hard to stay in control, poor bastard.
“And Ginny and Mitchell.” Lee turns to bestow a smile on my parents. “Isn’t this incredible? Our first grandchild.”
My mom is the kindest and most courteous person I know, so of course she says, “It’s wonderful.” But I get the strong impression that she’d prefer it if her co-grandma wasn’t dominating the room’s attention quite so much.
“Frankie, my dear.”
Oh, shit. Lee’s smile is as warm as ever, but she greeted my parents before her own daughter.
“Hey, Mom.” Frankie sounds relaxed, but her grip on my hand is cutting the circulation from my fingers.
“You and I must make time for a proper catch-up,” says Lee. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“Sure.” Frankie crushes my hand so hard, I wince.
“And Danny.”
Last, but not least, I hope. I put my best charming face forward.
“So generous of you to come all this way to help out.”
“Very glad I did.” I make a point of smiling at Frankie. “Wouldn’t have got to know this treasure if I hadn’t.”
Lee looks genuinely pleased, but I can feel Frankie bristling beside me. I understand. My dad has that effect on me. Good thing he’s been relegated to the background here.
“Mom, you must be exhausted,” says Shelby. “Go home and rest. Come and see me tomorrow.”
I sense at least half the room silently willing Lee to agree. Honestly, she seems like a sincerely warm and kind person, but there’s no denying that when she’s around, it’s like royalty is present. Everyone defers to her, whether she realizes that or not.
Lee stands, bends over and kisses Shelby’s forehead, like she’s a little kid. Well, I suppose she is Lee’s kid, so that’s fair. Once a mom, always a mom.
She drops her hand on Nate’s shoulder and looks over at Cam. “May I trouble you for a ride home?” she asks him.
Cam turns to Ava. “I’ll drop Lee off and meet you back at ours.”
“That you will.”
Ava says it lightly but the firm undertone does not go unnoticed. Nate and I exchange a glance. Ava’s establishing the ground rules, and it will not go well for Cam if he ignores them.
Cam’s smarter than he looks, because he says, “I’ll swing by The Silver Saddle and bring home dinner.”
Ava’s smugness is a sight to behold.
Lee gives Shelby a last hug, and everyone else a smile. When she’s gone, Cam following on behind, Frankie finally lets go of my hand. Which is good because the ends of my fingers are starting to turn black.
“Could someone get Nate some food?” Shelby asks. “I don’t think he’s eaten all day.”
“Shel, I’m fine,” he protests, embarrassed.
“Oh, I completely forgot!” Mom reaches into her tote bag and pulls out a snaplock container. “I brought cookies!”
‘Huzzah!” says Ava. “Let me at ’em!”
“You need protein for real energy, Ava,” says Dad. “Not empty calories and a glucose spike.”
“That is so true, Dad,” says Ava, who already has the lid off. “But this has been a tough old day, and we need cookies.”
She hands them round, and everyone but Dad and Shelby takes more than one. They’re chocolate and salted caramel, and they disappear in a flash. Ava’s right. There are times only cookies will do.
Nate’s color starts to come back. I can’t even imagine what he’s been going through emotionally.
“Bro, can we bring you dinner?” I ask. “There’s a Denny’s next door.”
“Nate’s going to come home with us and we’ll feed him there,” says Mom.
Nate gives me and Frankie an apologetic look. “Thought I might crash at Mom and Dad’s for a couple of nights. Be closer to Shelby. Would that be okay with you?”
“Tell us what you need,” I say, without hesitating. “Frankie and I will hold the fort.”
“Thank you.” Shelby blows us a kiss.
“Time to go.” Frankie walks to the bed and gives her sister a hug. “Bye, Shel. Take care. Obey all medical directives.”
“I will. I promise.” Shelby smiles. “You two should go back to your date that I so rudely interrupted.”
Frankie raises a wry eyebrow at me, and says, “Maybe a quiet dinner for two?”
I’m filled with affection for her. I thought she’d want to crash into bed for an early night, but she’s chosen to spend a little longer with me.
“Sounds perfect,” I tell her.
It’s only after we’ve said our final goodbyes and are walking back to the parking lot that I realize why Frankie might not want to rush back home. With Shelby and Nate gone, it’s only her and her mom at the house. No buffer between them at all.
I’m okay with Frankie using me as an excuse to stay away as long as she can. Means she might spend more nights with me in the tiny house. If you look hard enough, there’s always an upside, isn’t there?