The Art of Romance (22 page)

Sassy looked for the clock—which was no longer hanging on the wall but packed in a box. “What time is it?”

“It’s twenty of.” Sage, famous for always being the last one ready to go anywhere, planted her fists on her hips. “And here I thought you’d be waiting for me to be ready to go.”

“I think, actually, you slipped out to change clothes to get out of helping to pack up the kitchen.” Caylor smirked at her younger sister.

“Yeah, well, that, too.”

Sassy stretched her aching back. “Don’t worry. There will be plenty left to do when we get home.”

Sage followed Caylor upstairs when she left to change clothes for the Bradleys’ New Year’s Day open house. Sage had been doing that quite a bit—going up to Caylor’s loft—and Sassy was glad to see her granddaughters getting along and spending time together after several years of virtual estrangement.

The only thing that would have made Christmas perfect would have been if Sassy’s younger child, Samantha, and her husband and children had been able to come. But they could not leave Peter’s elderly, infirm parents, with whom they lived.

That reminded her, she needed to get on the computer tonight, confirm her reservation, and check in for her flight to Maine tomorrow. She used a scrap piece of packing paper and the black marker to write herself a note, which she carried into her bedroom with her so she wouldn’t forget. She pulled out a favorite pink sweater set and gray slacks and changed into them. Perty wouldn’t mind if Sassy showed up in blue jeans, like most others did, but Sassy wouldn’t disrespect her best friend in that way.

She dressed and went into her bathroom to put on some lipstick and fluff her hair.

“Sassy, can I talk to you for a minute?” Sage hovered in the doorway to Sassy’s room.

Sassy stepped out of the bathroom and motioned Sage to enter the bedroom and have a seat in the desk chair. Sassy sat on the cedar chest so she could put her stockings and shoes on.

“Has Caylor told you?” Sage twisted a strand of her long, straight red hair around her finger.

“If you’ve shared anything with your sister, she hasn’t broken your confidence.” Sassy pulled the thin trouser socks up to her knees then slipped on the black loafers.

“I didn’t tell her she couldn’t.” Sage sighed. “I need to stay here for a while, Sassy.”

She crossed her legs and clasped her hands around her knee. “All right.”

“I mean for
a while
. I can’t go back to Oregon. I…well, I lost everything. My car was repossessed, and I was evicted from my apartment. All I have with me is what I was able to get out of the apartment before they threw everything out on the street and the scavengers took it all.”

Sassy didn’t want to know what kind of neighborhood her offspring had been living in that all of her furniture and belongings would disappear like that. “You’ve told Caylor this already?”

“Yes ma’am. She said it was okay with her if I stayed here indefinitely, but that I needed to clear it with you.”

Indefinitely. The way Sage treated everything in her life. “There will be stipulations if you stay.”

“Stipulations?” Sage caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “Like rules?”

“Like rules. First and foremost is that if you’re going to stay here, you’ll get a job. Full-time or part-time—in this economy, I’m not picky. Then, once you have a job, you’ll help pay utilities, as much as you can afford each month. Your sister pays them all now, so it’s only fair you chip in toward the extra cost having another person in the house will generate.”

Sage’s chin trembled as if she were about to burst into tears. “Okay.”

“You will commit to me that once you find a job, you’ll stay in it for at least six months.”

“I’ve never”—Sage cleared her throat—”I’ve never held a job that long, but okay. I can commit to that.”

“And finally, I want you to go back to college and start working toward your degree. I’d like you taking at least one class every semester. Talk to Caylor, talk to some of her friends at Robertson about the different majors there.” An idea struck, remembering the way Sage had flirted with a certain young man the day she arrived in Nashville. “Talk to Paxton Bradley about programs at Vanderbilt, too. Until you can afford to pay for it yourself, whether through saving money now while you’re living here or by student loans, grants, or scholarships, I will pay for you to take one class each semester at Robertson or however many classes that same amount of money would cover at one of the state universities or community colleges.”

The hazel eyes that had been dull and listless for the past two weeks finally sparked to life. “Really? Sassy that would be—I promise you, I won’t disappoint you.”

“I know.” At least she hoped so. Sassy stood and went to her dresser where she pulled a key ring out of the top drawer. She kissed the silver locket that dangled from it—the locket holding pictures of herself and Frank from their wedding—and handed it to Sage. “You’re going to need to get around, so you can use the Falcon.”

Sage’s eyes widened as she accepted the keys. “I’ll take such good care of it, Sassy.”

“Please do. That was the first car your grandfather and I ever bought brand new, back in 1963. Right up until the end, one of his favorite things to do was to put the top down and drive around out in the country on a Sunday afternoon, even after we had newer, more comfortable cars.” A lump grew in Sassy’s throat. The day when Frank had been too weak, too tired to take her for their Sunday afternoon drive had been when she’d known he wouldn’t be with her much longer. Caylor had come over and taken them for their drive, Frank sitting in the backseat with Sassy, holding her hand, reminiscing over times long past.

Though Sassy hadn’t found out until later from Caylor, that was the night Frank had asked Caylor to move in and take care of her after he was gone. He’d slipped away in his sleep three days later. She didn’t know how she would have survived that first year if it hadn’t been for Caylor. Now she was afraid her granddaughter had given up on ever having a life of her own.

Not if she had anything to say about it!

“You girls ready?” Dean stuck his head in the room.

“We’re ready.” Sassy put her arm around Sage’s waist and walked with her out to the driveway.

Sassy let her son assist her up into the front seat of the giant SUV he’d rented for the month he and Susan would be in the States. Sage slid into the center of the middle seat, flanked by her mother and sister.

The weather had turned warmer since Christmas, but Sassy still appreciated the heated seat, which Dean turned on for her. She pulled down the sun visor, ostensibly to check her lipstick in the mirror, but she looked at her two granddaughters’ reflections.

Unless she was completely mistaken, she and Perty might just be about to one-up Lindy and Trina by each having
two
of their grandchildren fall in love and get married.

Perty tried to focus herself on the guests who were arriving, not the ones who hadn’t shown up yet. It wasn’t like Sassy to be late. In fact, Perty had hoped her best friend would show up early so she could share her excitement.

The Breitingers arrived—Trina glowing like a lighthouse, telling anyone who might care that her granddaughter would be getting married Memorial Day weekend. Though when Trina and Lindy had taken them aside at the Christmas Eve service last week and announced this news, a flash of jealousy had hit before Perty could stop it, with what she knew now, she was able to smile and feel genuinely happy for her friends.

Lindy and Greely Patterson came in next, Lindy joining Trina in spreading their joy, Greeley joining the rest of the men in the second-floor family room to watch football.

Well, almost all the men. Perty wandered into the formal sitting room to the right of the entry hall. Dylan sat in front of the bay window, his easel in front of him, sketching whoever would sit for him. Perty had started him doing this when he was only twelve or thirteen years old—after she’d noticed him sitting in a quiet corner sketching their guests surreptitiously. For several years, it had been one of the highlights of the Bradleys’ open house—that the guests got a souvenir to take home. She was so pleased Dylan had suggested reviving the practice. Especially since it had allowed her to see—

The front door opened again, and the Evanses came in. Gerald appeared to greet them, and Perty tried to tell Sassy with just her eyes that she had something important to tell her. But first she wanted to witness…

Dylan finished his current sketch and handed it to the pastor’s wife. He stood to greet the Evanses—and Perty caught her bottom lip between her teeth. The stiff greeting between Dylan and Caylor seemed only to prove Perty’s speculation correct.

Grace came over to glad-hand everyone, though she’d promised she wouldn’t be campaigning today, and Perty slipped her arm through Sassy’s and led her down the hall, through the kitchen, and to the mudroom, where they could have some privacy.

“What is it?” Sassy pushed up the sleeves of her pink cardigan.

Perty reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of white paper. “I found this on the floor in the garage workroom that Dylan’s using for a studio.”

Sassy unfolded the page. Perty moved so she, too, could see the delicate pencil drawing of Caylor’s face in profile. Sassy’s blue eyes danced when she looked up from the sketch. “I knew it!”

“Knew what?”

Sassy shared the idea of the new novel Caylor was working on. “Don’t you see—the hero, the artist, it’s Dylan. Caylor is falling in love with him; that’s why she’s writing a romance novel about an artist.”

“And he’s drawing pictures of her.” Perty caught the tip of her tongue between her teeth. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

“That they’re attracted to each other. They are both creative types after all, and so they may not even see what their subconscious minds are telling them.” Sassy looked at the drawing one more time then refolded it and handed it back to Perty. “Of course, if your Dylan is anything like my Caylor, they may never do anything about it.”

“Then it’s up to us to make sure they do.”

“How?”

“Well…” Perty thought for a moment. “Oh—Dylan has agreed to teach an art class at church for the senior group on Tuesday afternoons starting in a couple of weeks. Make sure that Caylor doesn’t just drop you off—make sure she stays. And, well, I’m sure more opportunities like that, for us to get our families together, will arise over the next few months.”

“And then there’s Sage and Pax to think about, as well.”

“Sage and Pax?” With as much as Perty loved Sassy and her family, she wasn’t certain she liked the idea of Pax—or any of her grandsons—falling for Sassy’s flighty, irresponsible granddaughter. He’d probably end up with his heart broken when Sage lost interest and moved on, as she always did.

“Yes. Didn’t you see them flirting that afternoon when I was over here baking? Instant chemistry.” Sassy seemed quite pleased with herself.

“Won’t she be heading back to Oregon soon?”

“No—she’s staying here for the foreseeable future. She’s going to get a job and go back to school.”

Well, if Sage was actually growing up, maturing, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad match. “Pax will receive his doctorate in May, so there’s no hurry on that front. Let Sage get settled in before we start doing any matchmaking there. For now, let’s concentrate on Dylan and Caylor.” She held out the pinky finger of her right hand.

Sassy grinned and hooked her pinky finger around Perty’s. “Caylor and Dylan. I’m thinking a Christmas wedding.”

“That sounds like a great New Year’s resolution to me.” And then maybe a year from today they’d be speculating on how soon they could expect their first great-grandchild.

S
age, can I see you upstairs for a minute?” Caylor paused on the bottom step leading up to her loft. Though she had expected the Bradleys’ New Year’s Day open house to be uncomfortable—being the first time she would see Dylan since recognizing the dog in the painting—it had been worse than she possibly could have imagined.

Blissfully unaware that she had created any problems, Sage followed her up the stairs. Caylor waited until Sage gained the landing at the top before turning to confront her.