Chapter 22
Marlowe
Marlowe was feeling super charged up, and she pulled into the garage going way too fast. She nearly rammed into the back wall and hit her brakes hard. Dropping her head to the steering wheel, she laughed at herself. She was so eager to share her news.
Shrugging off her purple quilted coat, she hung it on the antique hall tree. “Anyone home?” she called out, sweeping through the open living room and kitchen space they’d spent all summer renovating. Empty. Even the porch was quiet. Where was everyone?
Marlowe hurried through the dining room, which sometimes served as Sam’s office. But there was still no sign of her sister or Aunt Cate. Climbing the stairs, she found Sam’s bedroom door closed. That was strange. Her car was in the driveway. Was she napping?
Marlowe knocked. “Sam? You awake?”
The door flew open. Sam stood there with red-rimmed eyes and blotchy cheeks. Marlowe’s heart dropped. She had forgotten about Sam’s appointment with the cardiologist today. Maybe she’d gotten bad news.
“Oh, Sam…” Marlowe stepped inside as her sister crossed to the dressing table for tissues. Sam’s heels lay abandoned on the peach-and-gray rug. The room, once decorated with a historical rosebud décor their mother had sewn for Sam, now glowed warm and modern. But her sister was a mess.
Marlowe perched on the orange hibiscus-patterned loveseat and reached for her sister’s hand. “Tell me. How did the tests go?”
Sitting down next to her, Sam exhaled shakily. “Not well. Dr. Huggins came in personally instead of waiting for a follow-up. That’s never a good sign. I kind of knew before he said anything.”
“What did he say?” Marlowe’s chest tightened. Sam had been her anchor since their parents died. Things sure had changed.
“I have a significant heart murmur. He said there’s no way I could safely carry a pregnancy.” Sam gave a short, bitter laugh. “He phrased it more delicately, but that’s the gist of it.”
The words hit Marlowe like a punch to the gut.
This news had just closed a door for them.
Sam had been so full of hope. Now Marlowe was the only candidate left.
One part of her felt happy. There would be no more conversations about who was a better candidate.
But she didn’t like seeing her sister’s peace of mind destroyed.
“I’m so sorry, Sam.”
Her sister lifted her chin, her Quinn stubbornness taking charge. “Don’t you dare pity me. And don’t you dare think this changes what you have to do. You need to keep going with the psych evaluation. You know that, right?” She pressed a tissue to her eyes.
Marlowe swallowed. “Yes, but I’m not happy about this heart murmur.
” Part of her had considered giving up on the surrogacy if Sam continued to insist. Now that seemed to be off the table, but Marlowe faced another problem.
Sam was devastated. She almost hated to continue if her sister would be torn apart by not being the one to carry Izzy’s baby.
“Stop. I know what you’re thinking.” Sam sat straighter, fire returning to her eyes. “Do you honestly think I’d want you to drop out? That wouldn’t help Izzy one bit.”
“You’re right,” Marlowe murmured, though uncertainty still gnawed at her. “I just… I don’t know if I have it in me when you’re hurting like this.”
“We still have a fifty-percent chance of making something wonderful happen for our baby sister.” Sam’s voice trembled but didn’t break. “And I’m backing you all the way.”
Tears prickled in Marlowe’s eyes. “But what if I fail the psychological test?” If this could happen to Sam, Marlowe was worried. The process suddenly felt perilous.
“Probably,” Sam said, managing a dry cackle. “You’ve always been the crazy one.”
This felt better. “True,” Marlowe deadpanned. “But I’ve done a great job hiding it. How perceptive of you.”
Sam huffed a watery laugh. The tension eased and the two of them seemed back on even footing.
“So when is this appointment with the shrink?” she asked.
“Tomorrow. I’m not thrilled about it.”
“Afraid he’ll detect your fatal flaws?”
“How did you guess? Boy, you’re on fire today.”
Before Sam could answer, they heard the front door open downstairs.
“That must be Aunt Cate,” Marlowe said, jumping up.
“Anyone up there?” Cate called.
“Yes ma’am!” Marlowe shouted. “We’re plotting a coup.”
“Excellent. I’ll join you.”
Sam dashed into the bathroom to fix her face, leaving Marlowe to greet their aunt.
Aunt Cate arrived on the landing breathless, gripping the newel post. Her impeccably highlighted blonde hair gleamed under the hallway light.
“Where have you been?” Marlowe asked.
“Grocery store,” their aunt puffed.
“Are the bags in the car? Need help bringing them in?”
“Maybe. No.”
What was this? Her aunt’s eyes were wild. “Seth Barrett asked me out.”
Marlowe blinked. “He did?”
Sam emerged behind her. “As in a date?”
“Yes, a date. Or at least dinner. I asked just to be sure.” Their aunt looked half-thrilled, half-terrified.
Marlowe bit her lip to keep from laughing. “So… not just coffee?”
“Apparently not,” Cate muttered, wobbling slightly.
Marlowe eased her onto the hibiscus loveseat while Sam closed in. “Tell us everything. How did this come about?” Sam would want to start at the beginning.
But Aunt Cate had eyes and they now were directed at her oldest niece. “What’s going on, sweetheart? Have you been crying?”
Sam drew in a ragged breath. “Not good news from the cardiologist. Heart murmur.” She tapped her chest.
Aunt Cate’s face had grown pale. “That sounds serious.”
“Oh, it’s not. Probably not going to kill me. But…” Here her voice cracked and Marlowe’s heart cracked with it. “…but it means I shouldn’t be carrying a baby.”
“We need to get to the bottom of this, Samantha.” Aunt Cate always used Samantha when a situation looked serious.
“Later. We’ll get to it later,” Sam waved her heart issue away with a tissue. “Now, tell us more about Seth.”
They watched their aunt take a deep breath as if she were organizing her thoughts. “Well, I stopped at his house one day.”
Now, that was a surprise to Marlowe. “You never told us.”
“Why did you go to his house?” Tucking her tissue away, Sam was staying on track.
“We, uh, had some things to discuss.” Their aunt was being vague, which meant she didn’t want to tell them.
“Is that when he asked you out?” Sam was becoming impatient and so was Marlowe.
“Sort of.” Aunt Cate gnawed at her lower lip. “Of course I told him that was impossible.”
“What? Why?” Questions were exploding in Marlowe’s mind like fireworks.
One hand pressed to her chest, their aunt began again. “The age thing, of course.”
“What age thing?” Sam looked puzzled.
“I’m two days older than water and he’s… not.” Aunt Cate’s voice ended on a pitiful wail.
“That’s not a factor at all,” Sam said briskly. “I wouldn’t have seen any difference in age the way you two canoodled in the kitchen sometimes.”
“We canoodled?” Aunt Cate’s forehood wrinkled as much as it could. Marlowe often wondered if their aunt might have work done on her face. She imagined New York had excellent plastic surgeons.
“I would agree. Not about canoodling but you two definitely got along during the renovation.” Marlowe thought this was wonderful. Instead of scheming to fix up her nieces, their Aunt Cate’s life had come full circle, or so it would seem. Marlowe had always liked Seth.
“Okay, we’ll expect a full report after the date.” Sam moved right along. “So what are we having for dinner tonight? Weren’t we having enchiladas? I took them out of the freezer.”
“Dinner?” Aunt Cate dropped her head into her hands. “I may have left the groceries behind.”
Her nieces exchanged a look. Marlowe had trouble holding in her laugh. She’d never seen Aunt Cate like this. But she barely had time to take this all in when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Marlowe said, jumping up and bounding toward the stairs. Aunt Cate followed with Sam close behind.
When Marlowe opened the door, there stood broad-shouldered Seth, two grocery bags in his arms.
“Home delivery.” His eyes went to Aunt Cate, who was hiding behind Sam. This was too good to be believed.
Stepping up, Aunt Cate froze. “Seth, you didn’t have to do this.”
“Oh, come on. Seemed a shame to let good bread go to waste. I’d be happy to take these back to the kitchen.”
“Come on in.” Marlowe couldn’t help grinning like a crazy woman.
Wearing a dazed expression, Cate stepped up and Seth came in. His smile seemed to be only for her. “You really did this?” She followed him back to the kitchen with Marlowe and Sam right behind.
“Of course.” Seth set the bags on the counter. “Couldn’t have you wondering what to have for dinner.”
Cate made a strangled sound. “We wouldn’t starve. I would just reorganize dinner options.”
“Uh huh.” Seth pulled a single perfectly speckled banana from the bag. He held it out to her. “You forgot this too. Breakfast. Ripe, but not too ripe.”
Cate accepted the banana like it was a diamond bracelet. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Probably,” he said easily. “I try not to take myself too seriously. Especially when a lady leaves her groceries behind.”
She laughed and the soft, startled sound left Seth looking quite pleased. They stood there in the kitchen, smiling at each other like two people already halfway into trouble.
“See you tomorrow,” Seth said at last. “I can show myself out.”
“Goodnight, Seth,” Cate murmured, trailing behind him as he strode to the door.
The moment the door clicked shut, Marlowe began to unpack the bags and Sam helped. Giggling like three high school girls, the three of them managed to stow everything away while they plied their aunt with questions.
Marlowe would later discover the bananas tucked neatly beside the drinking glasses. Sam nearly had a fit.