Harbor Lights (24 page)

Shanna was aware of the shock that registered on Kevin’s face right before he turned on his heel and walked out of the bookstore, but with Henry clinging to her and Mrs. Hamilton waiting, she didn’t dare run after him. Besides, this moment was too sweet, too long in coming, for her not to savor every second of it.

The boy she loved was actually here, in her arms. He’d grown since she’d last seen him. His hair was streaked blond from playing outdoors in the summer sun, and there were freckles across his nose. His skinny little arms were tight around her.

“I am so glad you’re here,” she told him again and again, lifting her gaze to include Greg’s mother. Mrs. Hamilton might not be her favorite person, but right this second Shanna adored her for bringing Henry here.

When Henry finally released her, he looked around, his eyes alight with curiosity. “Your store is really cool. Can I check it out?”

“Of course,” she said at once. “You pick out some
books you’d like, and your grandmother and I can have a chat.” She turned to Greg’s mother, noted the weariness in her eyes, the resignation in her expression. “Can I get you some tea? Or coffee?”

“I’ll have tea if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” Shanna assured her. “Earl Grey?”

She seemed startled that Shanna had remembered her favorite. “Yes, please.”

Shanna busied herself in the back room pouring the hot water and brewing the tea, all the while trying to imagine what on earth Mrs. Hamilton and Henry were doing here. Not that it mattered, as long as she was able to spend even a little time with Henry.

She returned to the main room and found her former mother-in-law seated in the children’s section watching Henry with a mix of adoration and sorrow. Oblivious to her mood, he was pulling books off the shelves and chattering about the ones that were his favorites and those he wanted to read. In that moment, Shanna was reminded sharply of just how much he truly was an older version of Davy.

She handed Mrs. Hamilton her tea and settled on the edge of the chair across from her. “I really am glad you came,” she said simply. Her gaze wandered toward Henry. “I’ve missed him so much.”

“He’s missed you, as well,” Mrs. Hamilton said. She hesitated, looking as if she was still undecided about something. Eventually she said, “Could we speak privately? In the back room, perhaps?”

“Of course.” Shanna paused long enough to ruffle Henry’s already tousled hair. “We’ll be right back, sweetie.”

“Okay,” he said, barely giving her a glance as he chose a pile of books he wanted to read.

In the back, Shanna gestured toward the more comfortable chair at her desk, then drew up a stool. “Is everything okay?”

Tears welled up in the older woman’s eyes. “No. Greg isn’t recovering the way we’d all hoped. There’s been damage to his liver.”

“I’m truly sorry,” Shanna told her, reaching for her hand. “I mean that.”

Mrs. Hamilton looked startled, either by her touch or by the sincerity behind her words. “I actually believe you do.”

“I tried so hard to convince him to get help,” she said. “He didn’t think he had a problem.” Though she managed to keep an accusing note out of her voice, she added, “Neither did you.

“His father and I just didn’t want to accept it. I suppose we were even a bit embarrassed that it took someone like you to point out that our own son was in trouble. People in our social circle have a few cocktails. We assumed Greg was the same.”

Shanna tried not to take offense at the
someone like you
comment. Apparently, though, Mrs. Hamilton realized how she’d sounded.

“I didn’t intend for that to sound so demeaning,” she said, her tone genuinely apologetic. “I just meant that you hardly knew Greg, yet you saw the problem.”

“You’re his parents. You didn’t want to see it,” Shanna said, able to be more generous in her opinion now that she had some distance from the volatile situation. “I didn’t want to acknowledge it at first, either.”

“Well, I’m sorry for how we reacted when you came to us,” she said. “Especially now that I’ve come to ask you for a favor.”

Shanna regarded her with surprise. “What can I do?”

“Look out for Henry,” she said. “He’s not happy with us. His grandfather and I are too old to keep up with an energetic young boy. There are no children his age living nearby. I’m afraid the situation is only going to get more difficult. Greg will be coming to our house. We’re hoping he’ll improve, but he might not. At this point, he’s not a candidate for a transplant apparently, so there’s no telling what will happen. Henry shouldn’t have to live with that kind of uncertainty.”

Shanna hardly dared to hope she was understanding correctly. “Do you want me to be his guardian? A temporary foster mother? Would you let me adopt him?” The possibilities tumbled out.

The questions seemed to fluster Mrs. Hamilton. “We haven’t discussed the legalities among ourselves, though I know we must. I was so anxious to talk to you that I just got in the car with Henry and drove here.”

Shanna desperately wanted clarity, but under the circumstances maybe she couldn’t expect it, much less demand it.

“Why don’t we consider this an extended visit, at least until school starts?” Shanna suggested. “That way Henry won’t get his hopes up that he’s going to live here permanently, and you all will have time to decide what kind of long-term arrangement would be for the best.”

Mrs. Hamilton regarded her with amazement. “You’re being very generous under the circumstances. I thought you might turn us down after what happened at the custody hearing.”

“All I care about, all I’ve ever cared about, is what’s best for Henry. I love him. If I can do anything to make things easier for him, either temporarily or permanently, I will.” She said it without hesitation and with no thought at all to the toll it would take if she had to let him go again.

“I’d want it understood that he’ll come home frequently to see his father if the situation allows for that.”

“Absolutely,” Shanna said at once.

Mrs. Hamilton hesitated. “You have room for him? It won’t be an inconvenience?”

“I have a two-bedroom apartment right upstairs. You can see it now, if you’d like to. I can fix the second room up for him.”

“You have your store, though. Will you be able to manage that and having a young boy with you?”

“Are you trying to discourage me?”

“No, I’m just being practical,” Mrs. Hamilton insisted.

“Well, like I said, the apartment is right upstairs. Henry can come here during the day, or I’ll arrange for him to spend time with some other children his age.”

“Day care?” Mrs. Hamilton asked, her expression horrified.

Shanna nearly laughed at her reaction. “I have a friend with twin girls who are Henry’s age. She has a nanny who looks out for them and for her nephew. I’m sure they’d be delighted to include Henry from time to time.” Assuming Kevin didn’t flatly veto it, she thought, knowing how upset he’d been when he left earlier.

“I wouldn’t have expected families in a little town like this to have nannies,” Greg’s mother said, sounding every bit the society snob.

“Actually Abby is an extremely successful Wall Street stockbroker who’s now running the Baltimore office of her brokerage company. Her fiancé is a graphic designer with an impressive client list of major companies. Her father is the architect who designed this town and many others across the country.”

Mrs. Hamilton looked taken aback. “I have to admit I’m surprised and impressed.”

“You should drive around a bit before you go home. I think you’ll discover that it’s a wonderful little town. Henry will have a great time while he’s here.”

“He’ll be with someone who loves him. That’s the only thing I care about,” Mrs. Hamilton said.

“Were you planning to leave him with me today?” Shanna asked, hardly daring to hope for that.

“No,” she admitted, looking flustered. “I drove down here on an impulse. I suppose I wanted to take a look around before making a final decision. I’ll speak to my husband and Greg tonight.”

At Shanna’s suddenly defeated expression, she soothed, “Not to worry. They’ll agree that this is for the best, I’ll see to that. Why don’t I bring Henry back on Friday? Will that work for you?”

It took everything in Shanna to contain her desire to utter a whoop of pure joy. “Friday would be great. It’ll give me time to fix up his room.”

Mrs. Hamilton put aside her cup. She’d barely sipped her tea. Shanna suspected it had merely been a prop to steady her nerves.

Shanna stood when she did and was shocked when Mrs. Hamilton gave her an awkward hug.

“Thank you for agreeing to this,” she told Shanna. “I know I had no right to ask.”

“When it comes to Henry, you will always have a right to ask anything of me,” Shanna assured her. “Shall we tell him now?”

“If it’s okay, let me be the one to tell him,” Mrs. Hamilton said. “I’d like to wait until I’ve spoken to his father and grandfather.” Her lips curved slightly. “And it will be nice to be the one giving him the best possible news for a change. He’s going to be very excited about this. He’s
been asking for you ever since he moved into my house. As for Greta—” she gave a little shake of her head “—I swear that woman sings your praises from morning till night. If it would be a help, I’ll send her down here. I’d pay for her to have her own place.”

Shanna regarded her with amazement. “It would certainly be less disruptive for Henry to have that consistency. Are you sure?”

“Well, I can’t very well put the woman out of a job after all she’s done for the boy, can I?” Mrs. Hamilton said. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Thank you.”

Back in the front room, Henry had winnowed his stack of books down to three that he absolutely had to have. “Is that too many?” he asked worriedly.

“Absolutely not,” Shanna said.

He gave her a wistful look. “I wish you could read them with me.”

“Me, too,” she said, barely resisting the urge to tell him that she would do exactly that in just a few more days. She owed Mrs. Hamilton the chance to be the one to tell him. She knew exactly what it was costing her to make this decision for Henry’s sake.

She put the books in a bag, then walked outside with Henry and his grandmother. She knelt down and gave Henry a fierce hug. “I love you.”

This time, with his face buried in her neck, she heard him murmur the words, “I love you, too.”

Surprisingly, when she stood, she realized that the perpetual ache in her heart, which had been there since the divorce, was finally gone. It had been replaced, miraculously, by hope.

G
rateful that some of the big box stores were within an hour’s drive of Chesapeake Shores, Shanna left immediately after closing the shop to pick up everything she thought she might need to decorate a little boy’s room. She’d already put aside several more of the books Henry had been looking at. She would put those beside his bed. Though she wondered if she should wait for a final word from Mrs. Hamilton, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from preparing for Henry’s visit as if it were a done deal.

By the time she got back home at ten, she’d ordered a twin bed and matching dresser, which required assembly, then picked out sunny yellow paint, sheets and towels, a lamp with a sports theme and posters of his favorite baseball and football teams for the walls. Those were the things she remembered from his room at home. She would have bought even more, but when she was about to go completely overboard, she’d decided Henry should have a say in choosing the remaining items for his new room.

Back home, far too excited to sleep, she stayed up past midnight to put a first coat of paint on the bedroom walls. With only a few days until Henry would most likely be
here for an extended visit of at least a month, she wanted everything to be perfect.

In the morning, the boxes with the bed and dresser were delivered just as Mick O’Brien was exiting his car and heading toward Sally’s. He immediately detoured in her direction and gestured toward the boxes being carried inside.

“You going to be able to manage those?” he asked. “I assume they’re going up to your apartment?”

Shanna nodded. “I had no idea the boxes would be so big.”

“How about I watch the store for you, and you can direct the men to take them upstairs and put them where you want them? That way you won’t be struggling with them later.”

She hesitated, wondering if it was wise to have Mick involved in any of this. Kevin might view it as a betrayal. He was obviously furious with her. She’d tried calling him repeatedly during her shopping excursion last night, but every call had gone directly to voice mail. Other than pleading with him to call her so she could explain what had happened at the store, she made no other mention of Henry. It wasn’t something she could clear up in a brief message. The situation was too complicated.

Finally, pushing aside her doubts about Kevin’s reaction, she opted for expediency. Mick was here and she could use the help. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”

“Wouldn’t have offered if I did,” he told her.

“Thanks,” she said, and immediately directed the men out the back door and up the stairs.

When they’d put the boxes in the spare room, she ran back downstairs to find Mick engrossed in a paperback thriller he’d picked up off the bestseller display.

“Suppose I have to buy this now that it’s got me hooked,” he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a twenty. When Shanna started to speak, he stopped her. “I’m not taking it as a gift. You keep giving away merchandise to thank people, you’re going to go broke.”

“It probably is a lousy business practice,” she admitted. “I get so excited about putting books into people’s hands, I forget that the object is to make money.”

“If you feel that way, maybe you’d be better off working in a library where the books are free,” he said.

She laughed. “You have a point. Thank you, though, for looking after the place for me.”

“It was a couple of minutes. No big deal. How about that furniture, though? You have any idea how to put it together?”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out.”

“I have some time. I could do it for you.” He gave her a sharp look. “Unless you were planning to ask Kevin.”

“I don’t think that’s an option,” she said regretfully.

Mick studied her intently. “I know he’s not exactly skilled with a screwdriver, but your bookshelves have stayed together. He can’t be totally inept.”

“I’m not questioning his skill, just his desire,” she admitted candidly. “He was here yesterday when someone from my past came for a visit. I think he misunderstood. So far, he doesn’t seem willing to give me a chance to explain.”

“You want to tell me?” Mick asked hopefully. “I could pass the information along.”

She grinned at his obvious ploy. “You’d love being in the middle, wouldn’t you?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” he said, his tone noble, a twinkle in his eyes.

“I don’t think so. Then you’d know something before he does, and I don’t think he’d be happy about that.” She shook her head in dismay. “I’ve made such a mess of this. I should have told him everything weeks ago. Bree warned me about that, but I thought I had time.”

Mick nodded. “Life has a way of getting away from you. Seems to me it’s always better to get things out there and deal with them.” He grinned. “I know a thing or two about that, so you’d be wise to listen to me.”

“Hopefully I’ll never face a situation quite like this again,” she told him.

“Now you’ve got me even more curious,” he said, then waved her off when she started to protest that she wasn’t talking. “It’s okay. I won’t ask any more questions. In the meantime, at least let me help with that furniture. It won’t take but a minute to put it together.”

She hesitated, then decided it made sense to take skilled labor when it was offered. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.” She handed him her apartment key. “You’ll see the boxes in the guest bedroom.”

“I’ll find ’em,” he said.

He was back downstairs in less than half an hour. “You’re all set,” he said, returning her key. “That bright blue bed and dresser look real good with the yellow paint. It’ll make a nice room for a young boy.”

She knew he was fishing for an explanation, but she had no intention of satisfying his curiosity. “Thanks for your help, Mick. You’ve been a lifesaver.”

“Company coming?” he persisted.

“Something like that.”

He gave her an exasperated look. “You’re not going to tell me a blessed thing, are you?”

She laughed. “Nope.”

“Tell me this much at least,” he said, his expression somber. “Does my son have cause to be upset by whoever’s coming to stay?”

“I don’t think so,” she said honestly. “But from his perspective, he might feel otherwise.”

“Well, that’s clear as mud.”

“I just can’t say any more,” she told him. “Not yet. The situation could change.”

He studied her. “But whatever’s going on, you’re happy about it?”

“Happier than you can possibly imagine.”

“Well, then, Kevin will just have to adapt, that’s all.”

She gave him an incredulous look. “Coming from you, that’s quite a statement. From everything I’ve heard, O’Briens are not the most adaptable people in the universe. Stubborn as mules seems to be the universal consensus.”

Mick laughed. “If you’ve figured that out, you’ll do real well as one of us.”

Alarmed by the expectation she heard in his voice, she said, “Mick, things really aren’t good between Kevin and me right now. I’m not sure they can be fixed.”

“They will be,” he said confidently. “Trust me on that. We may be stubborn, but we do know a good woman when we find one. A lot of women in this town tried to catch Kevin’s eye when he first moved back. He had no interest in any of them until you came along. You’re obviously special to him. Don’t give up on him just yet.”

As he left to join his buddies at Sally’s, she sighed. She hoped he was right, but she certainly wasn’t going to count on it.

Not long after Mick left, Shanna’s cell phone rang. The minute she saw Laurie’s number, she answered.

“Guess what?” she said excitedly before her friend could even say hello.

“Henry’s coming to stay with you,” Laurie said, though she didn’t sound half as thrilled about the news as Shanna was.

“Don’t you dare try to bring me down,” she told Laurie. “How’d you hear about this, anyway? It’s not even official yet.”

“There was an item on the society page the other day mentioning that Greg had been hospitalized, so I checked around to find out what was going on. Last night a friend of the Hamiltons told me the big news was that Mrs. Hamilton had decided yesterday to bring Henry to you. Is he there yet?”

Not surprised that Laurie was so well tapped into the society grapevine, Shanna said, “Assuming Greg approves of the idea, he’s coming Friday.”

“For how long?”

“Until school starts. Maybe longer.”

“Oh, sweetie, you’re setting yourself up to get your heart broken,” Laurie said worriedly. “That family will think absolutely nothing of using you right now, then snatching Henry back the minute it’s convenient for them.”

“I know that’s a possibility,” Shanna conceded. “I’m okay with it. I’ll take any time with Henry I can get.”

“You’re too softhearted for your own good.”

“The important thing is that Henry needs me right now. He’s going to be a part of my life again. I can’t wait. Please be happy for me.”

“You’re being naive if you think it’s not going to hurt like hell when he goes back. And he will go back. That’s practically a given. The Hamiltons will never give him up permanently.”

“He could wind up staying,” Shanna said, unable to
keep the wistful note out of her voice. Naturally Laurie seized on it.

“There you go. You’re already setting yourself up for disappointment.”

Shanna lost patience. “Well, you tell me what I was supposed to do when Mrs. Hamilton asked me to look out for Henry for a few weeks.”

“After what those people put you through, you should have said no.”

“And who would that have hurt the most? Henry, that’s who,” Shanna said heatedly. “That little boy isn’t responsible for any of this. He needs to be with someone who loves him, especially right now with Greg so sick.”

Laurie uttered a sigh of resignation. “Okay, I can see I’m not going to change your mind, so let me ask one last question and then I’ll drop this.”

“What?”

“How does Kevin feel about this?”

“He doesn’t know,” she admitted.

“You haven’t filled him in on what’s happening?”

“Actually, he was here when Henry came for a quick visit yesterday with his grandmother,” she admitted.

“So he knows Henry’s your stepson.”

“Not exactly. Kevin heard Henry call me Mommy and then he took off. Obviously he thought I’d kept something pretty major from him.”

Laurie groaned. “Look, I know I haven’t been a huge fan of that relationship, but are you going to throw it away over this? Greg and the Hamiltons are your past. Kevin could be your future.”

“Kevin’s the one who’s refusing to talk. I’ve tried to explain, but he won’t take my calls. I don’t have time right now to worry about it.”

“You’re making a mistake.”

“Several, according to you,” Shanna said. “I can only do what seems right to me.”

“Okay, then,” Laurie said. “I love you, sweetie. I hope all of this works out the way you want it to. I’ll try to get down there in the next couple of weeks to check on things.”

“Only if you’re going to be supportive,” Shanna warned. “I don’t want you around here criticizing my choices, especially when they involve Henry.”

“Hey, I love Henry, too,” Laurie declared. “He’s a great kid who’s gotten a raw deal. I’m not going to do anything to upset him. That doesn’t mean I can’t look out for his stepmother.”

“I’m going to be just fine,” Shanna said.

But having her best friend plant seeds of doubt in her head certainly didn’t help her to make the claim with confidence.

Promptly at noon on Friday, Mrs. Hamilton arrived at the bookstore with Henry and what appeared to be enough suitcases for months, not weeks. As soon as the car stopped, Henry leaped out and ran to Shanna.

“I’m gonna stay with you,” he announced happily. “For a really long time.”

“I know,” she said, as excited as he was. “It’s going to be so much fun.”

“Will I have my own room?” he asked. “It’s okay, if I don’t.”

“You’ll have your own room,” she told him. “If you give me a couple of minutes to make a phone call, I’ll take you upstairs and show it to you and your grandmother.”

She called Bree’s shop to let Jenny know that she
needed her now. She’d made arrangements for the teenager to shop sit for a couple of hours, while she showed Henry around the apartment and took him out for lunch. Bree had readily agreed to the plan when she’d been told Shanna’s stepson was coming for a visit.

“Jenny can watch the store for you whenever you need her,” Bree had offered. “I have a new full-time employee, and she’ll be able to handle things here if I’m not around. I seem to be spending more and more time these days on theater business.”

“If you don’t mind me borrowing her, I’ll pay Jenny anytime she fills in here,” Shanna assured her. “I promise not to take advantage of you.”

“You work the payments out with her,” Bree had said. “She can balance her hours between us however she needs to.”

The arrangement they’d made promised to work out well. Jenny had been delighted to have the possibility of a few more hours of work.