Part 1 (2/2)
Jack walked back around behind the bar. ”Sheridans,” he grumbled. ”We hang together pretty well in tough times, but we've been known to have a lot of differences of opinion. Bottom line is, you're welcome here anytime. You always have a place at my house.”
”And mine,” Brie said.
Angie chewed her lower lip for a moment. ”Okay, here's the thing. I appreciate it, I do, and I plan to spend a lot of time with you, but I was wondering, hoping, that you wouldn't mind letting me use that little cabin in the woods.” She took a breath. ”I need some s.p.a.ce. Honest to G.o.d.”
Silence hung in the air. ”Is that a fact?” Jack finally said.
Angie took a stool and her two aunts automatically framed her on their own stools. ”That is a fact. s.p.a.ce...and I wouldn't mind a beer. And maybe some takeout. It was a long drive.”
Jack served up a beer, very slowly. ”There's no TV out there,” he said.
”Good. But there's an internet connection, right?”
”It's slow, Ange,” Mel pointed out. ”Not as slow as dial-up was, but it's finicky. The internet connection in our guesthouse is much-”
”I think it's an outstanding idea,” Brie said, smiling at Angie. ”Try it out. If it gets a little too quiet, I have a guest room and Mel has the guesthouse.”
”Thanks, Brie.”
”Hey, when you're running away from home, you should at least have your choice of accommodations,” Brie added.
”I'm not really running away.... Well, okay, I guess that is what I'm doing. Thanks, you guys. Seriously, thanks.”
Mel laughed. ”It's not exactly an original idea. Brie and I both landed here because we were running away from stuff. I'm going to go get Preacher and Paige. They've been so anxious to see you. And I'll call your folks to tell them you made it here safely.”
”You had no trouble driving?” Jack asked.
”I like driving, but my dad insisted we swap cars. I have his SUV and he has my little Honda,” she said. ”But I wasn't nervous. Maybe because I don't remember the accident.”
But Angie didn't want to dwell on what had happened. She was here to relax, to escape, to move forward with her life. Changing the subject, she asked, ”And did everyone have a great Thanksgiving?”
”I might never eat again,” Brie said. ”How about you?”
”We were all at Grandpa's and it was good, except for a little melodrama about me leaving for a month. Between the aunts, uncles and cousins there seems to be quite a diversity of opinion on how I should live my life.”
”I imagine. And what did Sam say?” Brie asked of her father.
”Grandpa thought it was an excellent idea to come up here for a little while and he reminded us all that you did that yourself, Brie.”
”And you know what? He was very supportive and encouraging at the time, even though he was at least as worried about me as your parents are about you. He had guessed I was in love. Your grandpa is a pretty modern, savvy guy.”
”Yes,” Angie said quietly. She was close to Sam Sheridan and had often wished, over the past nine months, that she could tell him she had seen Grandma and that she had looked wonderful. But she wasn't sure she hadn't been dreaming or hallucinating, and second, Grandma had been gone such a long time. She didn't want to stir up grief in her grandpa.
Preacher came out of the kitchen with a look of stun and awe on his face as he pulled off his ap.r.o.n and tossed it over the bar before grabbing Angie up in his big arms, spinning her right off her stool. ”Aw, girl, girl, girl,” he said, hugging her tight. Then he held her away and looked her over. ”You are beautiful!” And then he had to let go of her to wipe his eyes.
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