Hah, Kaylee had thought. A little over eight months and she still missed her mother so, felt so lonely at times. And though she could see her mother’s bright, laughing face and sometimes hear her voice, she was never coming back. She dreamed of her sometimes, just a little scene here or there, wanting it to be more, to feel real, to hear some of her sage advice or laugh together till they almost lost control… And she would wake up, sometimes feeling warm and sentimental, sometimes feeling the loss all over again.
What would Meredith think of this new twist, her daughter moving into a rather handsome man’s guesthouse? If she were a little bit more stable and restored, she might even see the potential for a relationship. But a man was about the last thing Kaylee needed. She needed her best friend. There was just no substitute for Meredith.
When she drove up to the Sheridan house, Mel was sitting on the porch. She had a bottle of wine and two glasses and was once again braiding Emma’s hair.
Kaylee stopped and got out of the car, shouting to Mel over the open car door. “Are you waiting for me?”
“I am,” Mel said. “I’m not on call tonight. You can celebrate that with me if you like. I’m dying to hear about the places you saw today.”
“Let me park, check on the kitty and I’ll be right back.”
Emma’s head jerked up as if she’d gotten an electric jolt; she was all attention. “Kitty?” she said.
“Can you bring your kitty?” Mel asked.
“Sorry, I forgot Jack wanted me to keep that kitty kind of secret.” She nodded toward Emma.
“Jack’s a coward. Bring the kitty. Emma would love to just hold it for a little while. If that’s okay.”
“It’ll just be a few minutes.”
Kaylee did what she had to do, placing the kitty in the litter box, getting some results, then putting her back in the little carrier. She opened a can of food and carried everything back around the house to the front. Emma sat down on the porch floor, crossed her legs and reached out her little hands, just waiting. The expectation on the little girl’s face made her shine.
“After you hold her a little bit, then we have to feed her. She’s so little that I have to offer her food three times a day.” She put the kitten in Emma’s anxious hands. “Be very gentle, sweetie.”
“I’ll be gentle,” Emma said. “I know how. I held babies. Real babies.”
“Then I guess you’re an expert.”
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Mel said. “Emma wants to be a baby doctor.” She lifted the wine. “Is white okay?”
“Just perfect.”
“So, what did you find?”
Kaylee quickly explained the first three houses and then Landry’s. “It’s really pretty beautiful. Very nicely decorated, plenty of room, a nice porch with a swing and it’s immaculate. Like it’s been cleaned with a toothbrush. One thing, though. It might be a problem. He has dogs. I told you, I’m not very good with dogs.”
“A bad bite, you said,” Mel remembered. “But Landry sometimes trains dogs. It’s not his main business but he’s developed something of a reputation. Mostly hunting dogs, I think. But if he’s a trainer, there shouldn’t be out-of-control dogs tearing up the countryside. Right?”
“I hope so, because that could spoil the whole thing. He said he’s also some kind of artist.”
Mel nodded. “I’ve seen some of his pottery and glass—very beautiful. He ships a lot of stuff to San Francisco and other places and he usually has a booth at some of the town fairs. There are lots of artists tucked away in these hills. We have a good friend who paints wildlife portraits. Colin Riordan. He and Landry are friends.” Then Mel’s eyes twinkled. “He’s cute.”
“Colin? Or Landry?”
“I guess they both are, but I was commenting that your new landlord is cute. Are you in the market?”
“Nah,” Kaylee said. “I’m in recovery. I struggle every single day with my mom’s death. I’m not ready to open up to anyone new.”
“But your life is getting bigger,” Mel said. She lifted her glass in Kaylee’s direction. “May it get bigger and bigger.”
* * *
It took Kaylee a little more than an hour to wash her linens, clean the bathroom in the casita, load up her belongings and kitten and head across town to Landry’s house. As she drew close, she passed a vegetable stand. It was mostly late summer vegetables like squash, melons, berries, cauliflower and broccoli. There were still tomatoes but the lettuces and kale were looking a bit tired. The artichokes were amazing, and she loved artichokes. She had seen a nice grocery in Clear River the day before; she planned to make a run later for butter, bread, bacon, tuna, sliced turkey, cheese. Also chips, salsa, garlic, eggs and a few other things.