Before Nell knew what was happening, Meredith—several inches shorter than her—had pulled her down into a tight squeeze of a hug.
Her eyes stung. “It’s good to see you, too, Mrs. Templeton.”
“Don’t you dare call me that.” Meredith pushed her back and peered into her face. “I’d heard that you began working for Vivian. She’s the only Mrs. Templeton around here. And I have to say that Cheyenne’s loss is certainly Weaver’s gain.” She twirled on her bare foot again, skipping slightly as she hurried over to a doorway. “Carter! Put down the book and come see your son.” She practically danced back to them and she wrapped her arm through Nell’s. “Come into the kitchen. I’m testing out a recipe for the women’s wellness expo next month.”
“Beware,” Carter said as he entered the room and followed them into the kitchen. “This is her third go at it. She’s been trying to bake chocolate brownies without using real sugar, flour or chocolate.”
He stood as tall as Nell remembered—and looked just as stern and formidable, particularly now that he had more gray than brown in his hair. Carter offered a glimpse into the future of Archer’s looks, because their handsome faces were nearly identical. His gaze rested on Nell and there was a faint smile in his eyes. “Considering you’re working for my mother, you’re looking well.”
“She looks better than well,” Meredith chided. “She looks positively wonderful!” She let go of Nell and pulled on an oven mitt. She opened the oven door and a strong scent of chocolate wafted out even before she withdrew the pan and set it on a trivet. When she was done, she tossed her oven mitt aside.
“Now.” She turned once more to the accompaniment of soft bells and the swishing skirt around her ankles. “Tell me everything that’s going on in your life. How do you like working for Vivian? Is Montrose behaving himself? Where are you staying?” Her bright gaze landed on her husband. “Oh, Carter, don’t you wish she could stay here?”
Carter’s expression when he looked at his lively wife was a combination of indulgence, bemusement and abject adoration.
It was as wonderful a thing to witness now as it had been when Nell was a teenager. And it was one of the realities that had most nagged at Ros—the fact that her mother was so deeply happy with her new family. A new family that hadn’t really included Ros no matter how often Meredith reached out.
“I think she’d get a little tired of commuting between here and Vivian’s house in Weaver,” Carter told his wife with the same dry tone that Archer so often used. His gaze took in Nell. “But of course you are always welcomed here. We have plenty of empty bedrooms. Only times they’re used these days are when we’re watching one of the grandkids.”
“Which is never often enough,” Meredith admitted ruefully. “And because we don’t have enough of them. Did you hear me, Archer?”
“I heard. You tell me often enough.” Archer’s amused gaze met Nell’s for a moment before he turned away and pulled open a drawer.
Feeling a little overwhelmed, Nell looked from Carter to Meredith. “That’s very kind of you, but—” She shook her head. “It would be a long drive every day.” There were other reasons why she’d never agree—their son, Archer, being chief among them—but it was by far the easiest excuse.
“Of course it would,” Meredith agreed. “Archer’s place is much closer to Vivian’s. You could stay with him.”
Nell nearly choked.
“I tried telling her that.” Archer gave a helpless shrug.
The problem with that, of course, was that Nell had never known him to be helpless for a single day in his life. “I’m looking for something to rent in Weaver,” she said, hoping to put an end to the topic altogether.
She hadn’t actually devoted any time to the endeavor in the last few days, but then again she hadn’t actually had much time to do so.
“Meanwhile, she’s at the Cozy Night,” Archer informed his parents. He’d pulled a fork from the drawer and shoved it closed with a little snap.
Meredith looked dismayed. Carter’s brows pulled together.
“It’s fine,” Nell said quickly. “There’s a really nice woman and her three boys who have the room next to me and we’ve grilled out together by the pool and...and everything.” Yes, it was an exaggeration, but under the circumstances, she thought it was a forgivable one.
“But it’s the Cozy Night,” Meredith protested weakly. “It was closed down last year because of drugs.”
“And it opened up again,” Carter reminded her. “All cleaned up. Unless you don’t believe Ali. She’s the police officer in the family. She ought to know.”
“Of course I believe Ali.” Meredith looked at Nell again. “But surely there’s a better solution while you try to find something suitable to rent. Vivian would certainly have room—”
“She doesn’t want to live at Vivian’s, either,” Archer said. “All those years living with Ros must have rubbed off on her. Stubborn as the day is long.”
The last thing Nell wanted was to get onto the subject of Rosalind.
“I’ll probably be out of the motel in a week,” Nell told Meredith with an optimism that she miraculously conjured out of nowhere. “And I’m hardly ever there anyway. I appreciate your concern but truly, there’s no need to worry about me.” She spread her hands and smiled. “I’m a little more grown up now than I was the last time I was here. I’m used to looking after myself.”
Meredith clasped one of Nell’s hands in hers. “And I know you’re positively brilliant. Archer has said so more than once.”
Nell’s cheeks warmed and she couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Archer. Fortunately, he was poking the fork into the contents of the hot pan so he didn’t notice.
He lifted out a little hunk of brownie, blowing on it for a moment before gingerly putting the morsel in his mouth. He swore around it and swallowed quickly before sticking his mouth right under the faucet
