Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Logan and Bella’s house was out of town, surrounded by acres of lush grass and trees that shivered in the breeze, pines as high as the eye could see, pointing like arrows up to the sky.
The house was pretty traditional on the outside, but inside—Maeve gasped out loud when she saw the view out the wall of windows of the rolling, unadulterated landscape.
It was nice to have a distraction from the nerves.
“This is a beautiful house,” she gushed.
“Better now it’s got some furnishings,” Bella replied, looking archly at Logan who shrugged as if he’d never really got the hang of home decorating.
Then Martha came in through the open bifold doors, glass of lemonade in her hand, and said, “Maybe you’ll buy some furniture soon, Brodie?”
Maeve felt her whole body tighten with trepidation at the sight of Martha, statuesque and beautiful in wide olive-green pants and a wraparound black shirt.
Brodie went, “Ha-ha, very funny.” Then, placing his hand gently on Maeve’s back in a quiet gesture to say that it was going to be okay, he added, “Maybe I already have.”
Martha seemed surprised at that and said, “Really? What have you bought?”
Brodie dropped his hand, reached for a glass that Logan offered him, Maeve felt both the loss of the supportive touch, and more able to breathe with it gone. “Okay. I haven’t actually bought anything, but I do acknowledge that some pictures on the walls might be good.”
The others laughed. Martha raised her brows in fond disapproval, then turned to Maeve and said, “Hello, Maeve, sweetheart? How are you?” With a big wide smile, a little like her son’s and in turn a little like Zoey’s, that made Maeve instantly relax a fraction.
“I’m good, thank you, Martha.”
Martha nodded, still with her welcoming smile, and as they moved outside, turned to Zoey and said, “And you, I hear you had quite an adventure in the river.”
“Oh, I wasn’t scared at all,” Zoey replied and Martha shook her head and said, “Well, aren’t you brave, I would have been terrified.”
Zoey said, “Should I call you Grandma?”
“You can call me what you like, darling.”
They walked outside, Martha with her hand gently on Zoey’s shoulder, to where Emmett was talking to Logan.
Zoey said, “Okay, I will. And I’ll call Emmett Grandpa.”
Emmett was mid-sentence and simply stopped talking, turning to stare at Zoey, momentarily lost for words.
Maeve watched his hand reach for the back of one of the chairs—possibly, to steady himself from the shock.
Martha said, “I’m sure he’d like that very much.”
They all looked to Emmett who managed to find his voice to say, “It would be a privilege.”
Zoey beamed.
There followed an odd moment of silence. A glance from Emmett to Brodie, Martha smiling. Maeve aware of undercurrents she knew nothing about.
Then Logan said, “Hey, Zoey, you want to come and see the horses?”
Brodie made a face. “What horses have you got here?”
Bella rolled her eyes. “There’s two. One is injured and the other is here so it doesn’t get lonely.”
Brodie laughed, “Steady, Logan, you’re turning into Noah.”
They all went outside, all except Maeve and Martha, who knew they’d been given this opportunity to connect in private.
Maeve glanced down at the wooden floor for a second then said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
Martha sighed, the fine lines at the sides of her eyes creasing with a sad softness, and she took a couple of steps forward.
“I’m not angry, Maeve. Well, I am a bit,” she relented.
“It’s my grandchild. I guess I’m more disappointed—not in you, but in missed opportunity.
I could have looked after her, I could have helped more. ”
“You did help,” Maeve cut in quickly, feeling the guilt heavy like stones.
Martha shook her head. “I could have done more.” Then she reached forward and placed her hand gently on Maeve’s arm and said, “I am very familiar, though, with the concept of could have done. And the thing is, Maeve, I understand.” She gave her arm a squeeze and then took her hand away.
“I’m upset, but I understand.” She tucked her jet-black hair behind her ear, little gold horseshoe studs in the lobes.
“I understand what a mother will do to protect her child. Would it have been me, I’d have found it very difficult to trust Brodie at that time of his life; especially with his—” she paused, then said less warmly “—marriage.” It was the only time Maeve had seen even a hint of disdain on Martha Carter’s face.
Maeve nodded, she felt too overcome for a second to say anything. That this woman could be so nice to her after everything, could be so understanding. It made her think of her own parents, made her realize that compassion was a gift, not a given. “Thank you, Martha.”
Martha smiled, her eyes glinting just like Brodie’s. “Thank you, Maeve. Zoey is my first grandchild, and I am absolutely thrilled to have her—and you—in the family. Now come on, let’s head out and join the others.”
They went through the house and out the back where most of the men had gone with Zoey and Logan to see the horses. Even Emmett was out there with them. Maeve watched as the older man got a packet of Polo mints out of his shirt pocket and gave Zoey a couple to feed the two inquisitive horses.
Noah and his girlfriend, Ren, had been left in charge of the barbecue.
“I think it’s ready, Noah,” Ren was saying, hands in the pockets of her shorts as she looked pointedly at the coals.
Noah was shaking his head. “That is not ready.”
Ren shook her head. “I don’t know why you can’t just have gas? Oh, hi, Maeve!”
“No one who wants to cook a steak properly has gas,” Noah replied. “Hi, Maeve.”
Maeve raised a hand in greeting, grateful for the ease with which they welcomed her. She knew Ren from the diner, Zoey said she made better milkshakes than the owner, Loriana, but Ren had sworn them to secrecy on that fact.
“You good, Maeve?” Ren asked, sipping on her lemonade. “You know, your Zoey can get through a Cookies and Cream Dream faster than I’ve ever seen anyone.”
Maeve laughed. “She’ll be very proud of that fact.”
Ren winked and went back to insisting that Noah start grilling.
Bella came out with the steaks and when he saw her, Logan jogged over to help, then Martha took over and told Bella that she should give Maeve a tour of the place. Over in the paddock, Emmett was helping Zoey up on one of the horses while Brodie stayed guard.
This was her daughter with her grandparents, Maeve thought, with a pang of regret that it hadn’t happened sooner.
Bella picked up her glass and gestured for Maeve to walk with her. They strolled down one of the paths on the property, this one led to a small stream with a bridge.
Once they were out of earshot, Bella said, “So, how are you doing?”
While Maeve and Bella had vaguely known each other from school, they had become friends through Bella’s mom, Heather, who was a nurse at the hospital. They often carpooled because Maeve lived next door to the orchard and had become friends with Bella as a result.
Maeve took a sip of lemonade, the ice clinking. “I’m okay.”
Bella raised a brow like she knew she was lying.
“I am,” Maeve insisted. “It’s all a bit weird, but in a good way, for Zoey.” She nodded toward where a horse was being slowly led round the paddock by Emmett. “He seems taken with her.”
Bella agreed. “I think Emmett can be quite a softie underneath it all.”
It was a warm day, white clouds drifting lazily on the pale blue sky. Bella stopped walking for a second to tie up her hair, then she looked at Maeve and said, “And what about Brodie?”
Maeve narrowed her eyes, she could see the sparkle in Bella’s expression. “What about Brodie?”
Bella shrugged and they kept walking, but when Maeve glanced sideways, she saw Bella was watching her. She looked the picture of innocence in her crisp white T-shirt, pale blue jeans and sandals, but Maeve recognized the shrewdness behind her eyes.
Maeve sighed. “Honestly, nothing’s happening between us. Of course there isn’t, we’ve gotta focus on Zoey, but—”
“But?” They’d stopped on the little bridge and Bella turned and leaned against it.
Maeve leaned against the other side of the bridge. “But sometimes it feels like there’s something there. Then, as soon as I say that, I think, every woman Brodie meets must say that.”
Bella laughed.
Maeve widened her eyes. “See, no one bothers denying it!”
Bella scuffed the bridge slats with her sandal. “What if it was different with you and him? He’s older now, maybe he’s ready for a change?”
“You think he’s bored of gorgeous supermodels?” Maeve asked wryly.
Bella shrugged. “You’re gorgeous.”
“I am not!” Maeve waved away the compliment, embarrassed. “It’s silly, I don’t know why I’m even talking about it. It would never work.”
“It might work.”
Maeve looked down at the ice cubes and lemon in her drink. “And what if it didn’t? What if it all went wrong? Then what? It’s bad for Zoey. Bad for me. And we’re back where we started.”
“Not entirely,” Bella replied, hoisting herself up so she was sitting on the side of the bridge. “He’d still be her dad.”
Maeve raised her brows in question.
“You don’t trust him to stick around if things went wrong?”
“He hasn’t exactly got the best track record.”
“True,” Bella admitted.
“That’s comforting.”
Bella laughed. “But people do change, Maeve.”
Maeve looked over to where Brodie had climbed up behind Zoey on the horse and was picking up the pace, riding them faster and faster round the paddock. “You think?” she said, nodding in Brodie’s direction.
Bella turned to look and laughed again.
Then they watched Emmett whistle through his teeth and Brodie immediately slow the horse down to a trot. Zoey whooped, asking to do it again, but Brodie shook his head, drawing them up level with Emmett and jumping down, handing the reins back to his dad so he could teach her properly.
Bella turned back to Maeve. “I’ve always had a soft spot for Brodie. I think he had a rough deal with Emmett growing up.”
“What kind of rough deal?” Maeve frowned. She did not want to add sympathy to her already complex feelings about Brodie.
“Steaks ready!” Noah hollered and everyone moved back toward the table. Brodie standing by the horse so Zoey could get down onto his shoulders.
“Why don’t you try asking him?” Bella smiled, jumped down off the bridge and started to walk back toward the barbecue.