.
He eyed her from head to toe. “She needs you right now. And if that means you paste a smile on that pretty face and pretend that going out to dinner with us is the best idea you’ve ever heard, then you do it.”
He thought she was pretty? She squelched the pride that compliment rose in her chest. “You’re wrong. She doesn’t need me.”
He shook his head. “The woman she loved like a mother is gone, and no one can ever replace her. But you’re a close second. So go wash your face and meet me downstairs in five minutes. And do it because you love your sister enough to be there for her. Understood?”
He made it sound so easy. But what did he know about losing the woman who had meant the world to her? He had been friends with her grandmother, sure. But Grammy had been her everything.
Just like she’d been for Megs.
Her refusal to go to dinner started to sound hollow in her ears now. Maybe she should go. Her sister appeared to be doing well, but what if she was as messed up as she was? What if the carefully constructed outside only covered up the grief and turmoil on the inside? She glared at him. “I may not have been around lately, but I love Megs.”
He picked up her jacket from where she’d hung it over the back of her desk chair. “Prove it by coming to dinner with us.”
She looked at the jacket, then snatched it from his hand. She stood. She thrust her arms into the sleeves. “Why does it matter to you, anyway?”
“Because I loved Addy, too. And tonight I want to be around people who loved her as much, if not more. I want to hear stories about her and remember the good times. I didn’t get enough of them, and I want to hear your memories.” Sam took a deep breath as she buttoned the jacket, then grabbed her purse. “Thank you.”
“I’m coming to dinner for Megs, not you.” She pulled her hair out from underneath the jacket.
“At least you’re coming.”
She followed him down the stairs and to the pickup truck. Megs sat staring out the passenger side window. When she saw Kelly joining them, she scooted towards the center of the seat. “I didn’t think you were coming.”
Kelly glanced at Sam’s figure as he walked around the truck and got in on the driver’s side. “Changed my mind.”
She kept her gaze fixed on the passing landscape as they drove the five miles from the countryside into town. Sam parallel parked the truck on Main Street, then hurried around to give a hand down to both of them. They strode down the street to the diner and entered. The overwhelming scent of grease in the air made Kelly’s knees buckle and wish she had more of an appetite. Instead, she followed Sam and Megs to a back booth and squeezed in next to her sister.
A waitress brought them menus, but Sam and Megs laid theirs aside. Obviously they knew what they wanted while she had no clue. A salad? Probably should, but it didn’t appeal to her. A burger? She remembered that Rick made the best, but she wrinkled her nose at the idea. She thought of Grammy and the dinners that she used to make for them when she was growing up. Grammy’s roast chicken with stuffing had been her favorite hands down, although her meatloaf was a close second. And real mashed potatoes.
She sighed. Comfort food wouldn’t heal her hurting heart, but it wouldn’t harm it, either. She skipped to the dinner section and settled on her choice. Meals ordered, Kelly sipped her ice water and tried to think of something to talk about. She glanced at Sam briefly, then settled her gaze on Megs. “Is anyone else feeling lost, or is it just me?”
Megs tried to smile. “I was thinking the same thing. We brought Grammy here every Tuesday night for their all you can eat spaghetti and meatball special.” Megs’s eyes misted. “Doesn’t seem right that she’s not here to tell the waitress to keep those plates coming.”
Sam chuckled. “Or that the shaker of parmesan cheese better be on the table before the spaghetti arrived. And the garlic bread—”
“Better be fresh.” Megs nodded and smiled. Her voice quavered. “She’s really missing out.”
Kelly tried to smile in return, but she felt at a distance from the conversation, like usual. With Grammy and Megs, she’d felt as if she was intruding on their cozy group of two. They were more alike than Kelly was and her grandmother, and she’d felt like an outsider watching a family, rather than being a part of it. And now Sam and Megs had a routine they followed, and she felt as if she had intruded on that, as well. She played with the wrapper from her straw, and wished Grammy could be here, too.
Sam cleared his throat and glanced her way. “I wish you could have been a part of it. We had some good times.”
Right. Times she hadn’t been a part of. Could never be now. Instead, she’d chosen to pursue a dream.
She’d left for Nashville the morning after her twenty-first birthday with a kiss from Grammy, five hundred bucks in her pocket and a promise that she’d make it big. But after years of rejection, she’d wanted to give up. So many times, she’d been close to packing her bags and heading home. But a call from Grammy would convince her to stay. Her grandmother believed in her, in her talent. And she hadn’t wanted Kelly to give up on it. She shrugged. “I have my own memories of Grammy.”
She sat back as the waitress set down their salads and the parmesan cheese. Megs picked up the cheese and stared at it. Her sister looked across the table at Sam and they shared a smile, then she bowed her head and cried. Kelly put her arm around her sister and rubbed her shoulder. Maybe coming here hadn’t been a great idea.
Megs leaned into Kelly and took several breaths. “Thank you for coming out with us. I don’t think I can get through these next few days without you.”
Again, Kelly was struck with how little her sister could see her own strength. “It’s me who can’t get through this alone. I’m sorry I didn’t come home sooner.”
“Grammy would have packed your bags and sent you back to Nashville if you’d tried.” Megs sat up straighter and wiped her eyes with her paper napkin. “She really believed in you. She was determined that you make it as a singer.”
“I was just as determined.” Kelly glanced over at Sam as she picked up her fork. “And I guess I should thank you for insisting that I come tonight.”
Sam didn’t say anything as he speared a piece of tomato. Instead, he chewed and gave her a wink.
She attributed the flip in her belly to the food, rather than the man sitting across from her.
* * *
SAM STOOD AT the diner’s cash register and paid for their meals, then turned and watched the sisters as they gathered their jackets and purses. He thanked their waitress and gave her a tip, then walked to the front of the diner and waited. Megs reached him first, but Kelly lingered behind. Glancing around the diner, seeing something in her mind that he could tell was related to Addy. The sadness in her eyes threatened to spill over on to her cheeks, so he approached her and put his arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay, kid.”
She looked up at him and sniffed, but nodded. On Main Street she glanced over at the department store. “What time does Roxy’s close? I need a couple of things.”
Why did any emotion bring out the shopping urge in some women? He gave a nod. “We have about a half hour.”
Megs wrinkled her nose. “You two go ahead. I’ll wait in the truck.”
Sam used the key fob to unlock the door. He watched as Megs walked to the truck, but followed Kelly into the store. Bright lights and the scent of heavy perfume assaulted him. Kelly headed off to the right, and he trailed behind her as she approached the women’s section. She frowned. “It’s years since I’ve been in here. I have no idea where anything is anymore.”
Not that he frequented Roxy’s that often, but he knew the basic layout. “What are you looking for?”
“Grammy always said a lady wears panty hose with a dress, and