At Bluebonnet Lake (Texas Crossroads Book #1): A Novel (27 page)

S
omething was wrong. Sally wasn’t acting like herself this morning. She hadn’t sung in the shower, and she’d been quieter than usual as they’d walked to breakfast. Kate twisted the paper napkin between her fingers as she wondered if she had missed the signs yesterday. The day had passed in a blur, everything colored by her recognition that what she felt for Greg was more than friendship. Kate didn’t know how it had happened, how love had grown so quickly. All she knew was that her feelings for Greg were deeper and more powerful than anything she had experienced. This was the real thing; she knew it.

But love, as glorious as it was, hadn’t helped her find a concept for Aunt Ivy’s. She and Greg had forgone their tennis match and evening walk so that Kate would have more time to work, but it had been to no avail. Though her brain was filled with thoughts of Greg and the wonder of his kisses, it was devoid of viable ideas for marketing peanut butter.

And while Kate had been daydreaming of white lace, gardenias, and happily-ever-after, she’d paid only cursory attention to Sally. How could she have been so selfish?

Kate watched as Sally spun the lazy Susan, bringing the coffee
pot closer to her. Although she’d finished her breakfast a few minutes earlier, instead of preparing to leave as she normally did, Sally showed no sign of wanting to leave the dining room. Instead, she poured herself a third cup of coffee and turned to look at Kate. Her color was good, but there was an unfamiliar wariness in Sally’s eyes that worried Kate.

“We need to talk,” Sally said, her voice shakier than normal.

The oatmeal that had tasted delicious five minutes ago settled like a lump in Kate’s stomach, but she forced herself to smile. “About what?”

Sally’s smile looked equally forced. “I hope you won’t be too shocked, but I’m thinking about selling my home.”

Kate felt as if she’d been bludgeoned. She wasn’t simply shocked; she was horrified. Growing up, Kate had heard both Sally and Grandpa Larry say that they hoped to live in that house until the day they died. Grandpa Larry had. If Sally was planning to sell, her health must be worse than she’d admitted.

“I thought you said the doctor wasn’t overly worried about you.” The words came out in a burst, propelled by fear.

Sally laid her hand on Kate’s and squeezed. “I’m not dying, Kate. Not yet. That’s not the reason I want to sell it.”

“Then why?” Kate asked, no longer pretending to smile.

“It’s larger than I need. Most of the time, I feel as if I’m rattling around there.” Sally took a sip of coffee before she continued. “And then there’s the weather. Those cold, damp winters are hard on old bones. Every year when the first snow falls, I tell myself that should be my last northern winter.”

Kate took a deep breath in a vain attempt to stop her heart from pounding. Sally wasn’t simply talking about selling her home. She was also planning to move, and when she did, Buffalo would no longer be Kate’s refuge. Though she felt as if the world had tipped off its axis, she tried to keep her voice even as she said, “You’re not old, Sally.”

Her grandmother gave her an indulgent smile. “Of course I am. There’s no denying it. I’ve already lived more than the three score and ten the Bible promises.”

Though Kate was familiar with the psalm, she also knew that life spans had increased substantially from biblical times. Not counting Methuselah, that is. “That’s old-fashioned thinking,” she told Sally. “Lots of people live longer than that now.”

“And others don’t.” Like Grandpa Larry, who’d been less than sixty-five when he’d suffered a fatal heart attack. The sorrow Kate saw in Sally’s eyes told her that her grandmother was remembering her husband.

Though her heart might be heavy, Sally’s voice was brisk when she spoke. “Don’t worry, Kate. I’m not planning to die any time soon. I just want to spend my final years, no matter how many or how few they may be, surrounded by warmth and beauty. For me, that’s here.” She looked around the room, her smile broadening. “You know I always thought this place was special.”

And it was. Though it needed a lot of work to restore it, Rainbow’s End would always hold a special place in Kate’s heart, because it was where she had met Greg. For Sally, the appeal must be even greater. She had spent a week here with her husband, and when she’d returned, she had met another man whose company she enjoyed. Though Kate doubted Sally was proposing to become a permanent guest at Rainbow’s End, she suspected she was thinking about moving to Dupree to be close to Roy.

“It’s not just Rainbow’s End that’s the attraction, is it? It’s Roy.”

Sally nodded. “I won’t deny that I enjoy being with him. Roy makes me feel almost young again.” The sweetness of her smile underscored the truth of her words. Just speaking of Roy chased years from Sally’s face.

Kate was happy for her grandmother, but at the same time, she felt as if her world was crumbling around her. The foundation on which she’d built her life was shifting.

“Are you going to marry him?” The question escaped seemingly without conscious thought.

Sally was silent for a moment. “I don’t know,” she said. “Nothing’s definite. Roy and I haven’t discussed marriage. I’m not even certain I’m going to leave Buffalo. I’m just thinking about it.”

Kate shook her head slowly as the words registered. Sally might say she hadn’t made a decision, but Kate did not believe that. Sally would move to Texas, and when she did, both of their lives would change.

“You look like you lost your best friend.”

Greg studied Kate. Though she’d waved her hand and smiled when Roy helped Sally into his truck to take her out for lunch, Kate’s smile had seemed forced, and there was an unmistakable sadness in her eyes.

This Kate was a far cry from the woman he’d held in his arms yesterday. That woman had glowed with happiness when they’d finally broken apart. Before that, she had been the vision of an avenging warrior princess, her eyes flashing with anger at Drew and his accusations.

Greg had been almost speechless at the sight of Kate challenging Drew, all because she wanted to defend him. It was the first time in many years that anyone had done that. When he’d been a young boy, Mom had taken his side during his father’s diatribes, but that had ended. Greg wasn’t sure why, other than that she must have realized it made no difference. But yesterday when he’d believed he no longer needed a champion, Kate had taken on the role.

That had surprised Greg almost as much as little Fiona’s
assertion that he was going to marry Kate. Why on earth had Lauren told her daughter that? It was true that he loved Kate and that maybe in a year or so, if everything worked out, he might ask her to marry him, but how could Lauren know that? She hadn’t, he told himself. She had merely wanted Fiona to understand that Greg would never be her new daddy.

Forcing thoughts of marriage away, Greg kept his eyes fixed on Kate.

“I’ve definitely lost something,” she said, taking the hand he offered as he led the way to the gazebo. “I feel like my world is changing, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Greg knew the feeling. Though it had been his decision, once he’d agreed to sell the company, he’d felt as if events had spiraled out of control. He didn’t regret the decision—seeing Drew again had convinced him that he’d been right to leave S-squared—but there had been days, even weeks, during the transition when Greg had felt distinctly uncomfortable with the changes the new owners planned.

“What happened?” Though Greg imagined that Kate was still worried about the peanut butter account, the way she had looked at Sally made him doubt that her concerns were related to her job. It was more likely Sally’s health that made her look as if she had been abandoned.

“Sally’s talking about selling her house and moving to Texas.”

To Greg’s mind, that was good news, because it meant that Sally was not facing any immediate medical crisis, but Kate obviously did not share that sentiment. There was something else at work here. Greg thought back to the first day Sally had had lunch with Roy and how Kate had tried to mask her concern. She appeared to like Roy, and she wanted her grandmother to be happy, but something about the situation bothered Kate. Greg wished he knew what it was.

“Is she moving because of Roy?” That wouldn’t surprise Greg.
He’d seen the sparks between the two of them. Still, they’d known each other only a couple weeks.

“Roy’s one of the reasons.” Though Kate confirmed Greg’s supposition, her expression seemed to signal that Roy was not the reason she was upset. “Sally says the weather’s a factor too. She claims Buffalo winters are hard on old bones.”

Perhaps Sally’s health was the issue after all. Greg couldn’t change that, but perhaps he could lighten Kate’s mood. “Tell her not to make any decisions until she’s been here in July and August. Roy says Texas summers are not for the fainthearted.”

Kate managed a weak smile. “Sally would say that’s why air-conditioning was invented.” As they sat down on one of the benches in the gazebo, Kate shifted her position so that she was facing him. Despite the smile, her eyes were serious. “I want Sally to be happy, Greg. Really, I do. It’s just . . .” Kate stopped, as if unwilling to put her thoughts into words.

“Just what?”

“You’re going to think I’m silly when I tell you that it’s the house that bothers me. That’s where I grew up. I never thought she’d sell it.”

A house. Greg tried but failed to empathize with Kate. Maybe it was a female thing, or maybe it was another example of the disconnects in Greg’s life. Unlike Kate, who seemed to still have roots in her grandmother’s house, Greg had been eager to leave his childhood home and the town that had known him as an awkward geek. Home for him had been first a dorm, then a condo. Perhaps the fact that Kate rented rather than owned factored into the equation. Greg wasn’t certain about that, but he did know that he had no emotional attachment to the house where he’d been reared.

“How long has it been since you’ve lived there?” he asked, trying to understand what linked Kate to her grandmother’s home.

“Six years. I moved out when I graduated and got my first job.”

And now she lived in a high-rise apartment. Greg wondered if it was the yard and the greater privacy she missed or whether her feelings were purely sentimental.

“Can you picture yourself moving back?”

Kate looked startled. “No, I can’t. That’s Sally’s house. I . . .” She let out a chuckle. “Listen to me. I’m worried about a pile of bricks and wood. If Sally could hear me, she’d shake her finger at me and tell me I need to stop fearing change. She would say it was time to chase a rainbow.”

Greg’s confusion over the seeming non sequitur must have been obvious, because Kate continued. “That’s Sally’s shorthand for taking a chance. She’s always telling me I need to take more risks and accept that change is part of life. I guess I never learned that lesson.”

Greg nodded as he thought about what Kate had said and what she hadn’t said. For her, the house was more than a pile of bricks and wood. For her, it was a symbol of continuity.

It didn’t take a degree in psychology to realize that Kate’s need for stability was the result of her parents’ death and her being uprooted when she was so young. Close family ties were essential for her. When she’d talked about her job, Greg had formed the impression that Kate viewed the firm as her family. The threat of losing the pseudo-family might be part of the reason she was so worried about failing the new client. And Sally’s announcement would only have aggravated a difficult situation, making Kate fear that she was losing her foundation.

“Change is harder than most people realize. I used to think I thrived on it, but look at me,” Greg said with a grin that he hoped would encourage Kate. “It’s been close to six weeks since I left California, and I still don’t know what I want to do with my life.”

Drew’s visit had cemented his belief that returning to Silicon Valley would be wrong, but the future was still unknown. Admittedly, each day left Greg feeling more rooted here, but that
could be because of Kate. She and Rainbow’s End had become inextricably entwined in his mind, like a braid with three strands: Rainbow’s End, Kate, and himself. Unfortunately, that was a dream with little likelihood of becoming reality. Even though he had begun to envision a future with Kate, Greg knew that Rainbow’s End would not be part of a future he shared with her.

Kate had no intention of staying in Texas, even if Sally did. Her career was in Manhattan, and though she could probably find an advertising position in San Antonio or Austin, it wouldn’t be the same. Not only would there not be as wide a variety of clients, but it would mean leaving the group Kate considered a family. Greg would never ask her to do that.

Kate shook her head slowly. “You’re being too hard on yourself. Six weeks isn’t very long, not when you’re talking about something so important.” She sighed. “That’s part of what bothers me about Sally. Her decision seems impulsive.”

Sally hadn’t struck Greg as impulsive. “It could be that she’s been thinking about moving for years and simply hasn’t told you.” Sally obviously knew that Kate was resistant to change. It was likely that she hadn’t wanted to upset her granddaughter until she had made a decision.