Shoved (Moonlit Lake Matchmaker #4)

Chapter 23

STORM

To say my parents were overjoyed to have guests would be an understatement. And I wondered if I’d made a mistake in offering this as an option. Not for safety reasons. I felt confident Serena and Sadie would be safe at the farm. But my mom would take this development and run with it—all the way to a Justice of the Peace, if she could. Heck, she was probably already decorating a room for Sadie, like any doting grandma would. And yes, that’s exactly how she’d see it, that their move to the farm was equivalent to adding them to our family tree.

I rubbed my temples to ease my sprouting headache. What was I thinking?

It wouldn’t have been so bad if I had just sent Serena and Sadie to the farm while I stayed at my own place. But I wanted to be the one to protect them and make sure they were safe. To do that, I needed to be there with them. It’s what any good attorney would do.

Does a good attorney kiss his client and take care of her when she’s sick?

My inner voice was right. Serena meant a lot more to me than a client or even a friend. Her kiss last night, even if it was unintentional, woke up a part of me I didn’t realize was asleep. Or maybe I preferred it that way, so I could focus on my career. If I’m being honest, I think that part of me had been trying to claw its way out before I moved home. It wasn’t happy working eighteen-hour days, seven days a week. It wanted more. More than casual, meaningless dates and lonely nights. This part of me wanted the whole shebang.

It wasn’t just Serena’s kiss that had me rattled. It was everything that came with it—all caving in on me like an avalanche. My inner struggle wasn’t so much about Serena and Sadie, but about what I really wanted. For so long, I’d believed that all I wanted or needed was my career. I loved my work and was really good at it. But there had been something missing. I’d thought my move home to spend more time with my family would fill that void. But maybe there was more to it than that.

Glancing out the window, I saw the snowplow drive by clearing my road. If only it could plow through my thoughts and feelings as easily.

The morning passed quietly, with Sadie cuddling and playing with Lulu and Serena resting on the couch. I tried to do a little work on my computer but spent more time watching them. Somehow, they just seemed like they belonged here.

At lunch time, I made my famous grilled cheese sandwiches. Famous in the sense that they were one of the few things I actually knew how to cook, and they were quite good. They each scarfed down a whole sandwich and asked for more. The tightness in my chest loosened and I breathed a sigh of relief that they’d both apparently recovered from their illness.

In the afternoon, my dad came with his truck and blade to plow the driveway. When he was finished, he came inside. His black snowsuit was covered with a dusting of snow, so he stood on a rug by the door. “Sorry, it took me so long to get here. I had to clear ours and Tillie’s before coming here. Sure is a lot of snow.”

“Thanks for coming to help. It would have taken me all week to shovel all that. Did you happen to see Serena’s car in the ditch on your way in?”

“No, the plow must have buried it. We can go out and take a look, but if it’s that deep in the ditch, you might have to call a tow-truck to get it out. And I’ve heard Toby’s been swamped with calls today.”

“Makes sense. How were the roads?”

“All plowed but snow-covered. You’ll have no trouble getting to town and to the farm.”

Sadie had been throwing a tennis ball for Lulu to fetch across the living room and perked up when she heard mention of the farm. “Can we go to the farm? I want to play with the goats.”

Serena looked at my dad with her brow raised. “Are you sure it’s okay? I hate to impose. We could stay with my mom in her apartment. It’s not a big deal.”

A huff of air escaped Dad’s lips as he waved off her concerns. “Nonsense. Our house has been way too quiet lately. We’re excited to have you.”

Serena pulled Sadie onto her lap. “Storm’s parents, Honey and Rob, invited us to stay with them at the farm for a few days. What do you think of that?”

“Yippee!” She jumped up and danced with excitement. No stinkin’ flu bug could keep her down. “Can Lulu come too?”

“Yep, Lulu and I will be staying there with you.” My heart warmed hearing how she wanted us to be with her. This little girl. “And my parents, my sister Junie, and my brother Jasper will be there, too.”

“Wow, that’ll be an even bigger slumber party!” She spread her arms out wide to show how big the party would be. “What about Junior? Will he be there too?”

“I don’t know. Junior splits his time between Jasper and AJ, so I’m not sure who’s house he’ll be at this week.”

Dad shrugged and slowly shook his head, then squatted down to pet Lulu. “Junior was at AJ’s when I left. But I never know when that troublemaker will be back.” My dad complained about Junior, but he adored that dog, who had been his little shadow while he recovered from his heart attack.

“We’ll pack things up here, and then stop at Serena’s place to pick up whatever they need. We’ll plan to be to the farm later this afternoon.”

“Sounds good. It’ll be fun having a houseful again,” he said to Serena, then winked at Sadie. “See you soon, Shortcake.”

Sadie giggled. “He called me Shortcake. That’s funny.”

I closed the door behind him, to keep out the cold, and felt the corners of my mouth tweak upward at this sparkly ray of sunshine. “Strawberry shortcake happens to be his favorite dessert, so it must mean he likes you.”

Sadie beamed. “I hope that doesn’t mean he wants to eat me. I don’t think I’d taste very good.”

I walked by and ruffled her curly head. “Who knows, maybe you taste like strawberries? Have you tasted yourself?”

She pushed her sleeve up, licked her arm, and wrinkled her nose. “Nope, not strawberry.”

“Then, I guess we’ll have to find a different dessert for tonight.” I winked then turned to Serena, who was re-packing Sadie’s bag. “Give me a few minutes to pack, and then we can get going. Unless you’d you rather stay here a little longer and rest. It’s no hurry.”

“What I need most is a hot shower and clean clothes.” She held her shirt out to sniff it and scrunched her face. “Oy!”

“I could loan you some sweats, if you want to shower here before we leave. Or you can do it when we get to your house.” My mind immediately went places it shouldn’t, and I mentally slapped myself across the face. Get it together, Storm.

“I think it would make the most sense to wait until I get to my house, where I have my own clothes and shampoo and everything. I can wait that long. As long as you don’t mind waiting for me to do that. I’m at your transportational mercy right now.”

“It’s no problem. I need to stop at my office to pick up some things, so I’ll drop you and Sadie off. You can clean up and get packed, and I’ll swing back and pick you up in about an hour.” Hopefully, a little space would help me better maintain my control and focus. “Hey. Do you want me to call Toby to get your car on his list to tow?”

“That would be great. Whenever he can get to it, is fine. It’s probably good that my car is missing right now. Anyone looking for it won’t know where we are.”

“Maybe I should have him leave it here in my driveway after he pulls it out. I’m happy to be your chauffeur until we have a chance to come out here to pick it up.”

She hesitated, biting her lip, looking more vulnerable than I’d ever seen her.

I crossed the room and place my hands on her shoulders. “Serena, it’s okay to let people help you sometimes. You don’t have to do everything yourself.”

“I know. I’m trying. It’s just really uncomfortable for me to have to rely on other people for everything.” Her shoulders drooped as she sighed in resignation. “If it weren’t for the fact that I’d do anything to keep Sadie safe, I’d insist on taking care of all this myself, but after last night, I don’t want to take any chances. I’ll do whatever you think is best.”

Her trust in me was humbling, but it also lit a fire in me and made me want to pull her into a closet and kiss her senseless. But that would have to wait.

After losing her husband and then finding out his past, I knew she didn’t trust easily. And I’d guard that trust with everything I had.