Late Bloomer Read online

Brody pulled up and parked. “That your grandmother?”

  “Yep, sure is.” She couldn’t help the pride in her voice. After Grandpa passed away, Mama V had created a new life in Santa Fe. Not many women could do that, especially at her age.

  Brody came around. Carolyn jumped out and stretched. “Wonder where her walker is.”

  Mama V had turned, setting her palette on a bench. Her lime green skirt swirled in the breeze and a loose, flowered coat billowed around her. At Christmas, she’d worn her hair long. Now it was short and pushed up in sassy peaks.

  “Mama V!” Waving, Carolyn smiled to imagine what her mother would think of this new Bohemian look. Pendleton plaid had been Mama V’s uniform in Chicago.

  Brody trailed through the open gate behind her.

  “Darling!” Mama V opened her arms.

  Dipping below the brim of her grandmother’s hat, Carolyn gave her a tight hug. “Look at you! But where’s your walker?”

  “Oh, walker, smalker. I don’t bother with that.” Hands on Carolyn’s shoulders, her grandmother pushed back and studied her. “So glad to see you, darling!”

  Then her faded blue eyes swung to Brody and sharpened.

  Sweeping off his hat, he extended a hand. “Brody Wolf. Delighted to meet you, ma’am.”

  “Well, my goodness.” Grandma’s eyes circled between the two of them. “Me too.”

  Carolyn flushed. Oh, no. She had to set things straight. “Brody, this is my grandmother, Vera Stanford. Brody’s a former student. We ran into each other at the airport.”

  Her grandmother’s head took a girlish tilt. “Why, how fascinating.”

  Chapter 2

  Fascinating? Oh, no. “Isn’t it amazing? Our suitcases got mixed up. So nice that His H––. Brody offered me a ride.” Then she clamped her lips shut. Good grief, she’d almost let His Hotness slip out.

  But her grandmother wasn’t listening. Instead, she circled the poor man like a barracuda about to take the first bite. Where the heck was her walker? But Mama V was hardly limping as she continued to study Brody.

  He seemed to enjoy the attention. “Nice gallery you’ve got here, ma’am.”

  Mama V glanced back at the long, low structure with a pleased smile. “Thank you. We’re growing. I suppose I could paint inside my studio but with a day like this? It’s much more interesting outside.” Brushing back a wisp of silver hair that had escaped her hat, she left a blue trail on her cheek.

  “Brody probably has to get going. Could I get my bag out of your SUV, please?”

  Carolyn was charging back to retrieve it herself when Brody caught her arm. Sensation sizzled through her. “I’ll take care of it. You visit with your grandmother.”

  Before she could protest, he’d sprinted to the road with long, muscled legs that could evade a lineman to sack their quarterback. Her grandmother wiggled her brows at Carolyn. “So. Handsome,” she mouthed.

  Carolyn didn’t want her grandmother getting ideas, but Mama V ignored her. She only had eyes for His Hotness. Carolyn dreaded the conversation sure to come once Brody drove away.

  “Here you go.” He set the suitcase next to her.

  She stuck out a hand. “So nice to see you again. Can’t thank you enough for your hotness...help. Your help.” Carolyn dropped her eyes to his boots.

  Brody engulfed her hand in both of his. “No trouble at all. Glad I ran into you, Miss Knight.”

  What did a melted hand look like? She pulled her hand away and studied it. His eyes twinkled. Like he’d asked her for another bathroom pass and she’d given in. Again.

  “Miss Right? Did you say Miss Right?” Mama V inched closer.

  “No, Brody called me Miss Knight, like he did back at school.” Order had always been her strong point. But his impish expression tempted her to ditch decorum. “After an hour in the car together, I guess he can call me Carolyn.”

  Brody looked pleased. Her grandmother’s lips formed a pink O. “Now I get it. And what were you two doing for one hour?” Her shoulders squeezed together.

  “No. No. Not that.” Carolyn waved her hands, as if she wanted to erase those words. But she couldn’t. They hung in the air, provocative and permanent. Wearing a wide grin, Brody was enjoying this. “I’m sure Brody is anxious to get home.”

  His eyes found hers. “Not really...Carolyn.” On his lips, her name sounded sensual. She melted into a puddle.

  Mama V had a bad case of the giggles. Carolyn reached for her suitcase handle to steady herself. “Well, my grandmother and I have things to do. Good-bye, Brody. Nice seeing you. Catching up and all that.” Basking in your hotness.

  Smile brightening, Brody said, “Look, maybe we should have lunch this week. Do you have time?”

  “Oh, well.” Carolyn stubbed the toe of her shoe in the walkway. “I expect to be very busy. Helping my grandmother and everything.”

  “Oh, sweetie, I told you. I don’t need that much help,” her grandmother piped up.

  “I could show you around.” Brody’s laser blue eyes gleamed.

  “That’s very kind.” Her lips felt frozen.

  “Great.” He put his hat back in place. “See you later, Miss Knight. I mean, Carolyn.”

  There it was again. The softening of her name. Did women swoon in the real world?

  “And so great to meet you, Mama V.”

  Her grandmother practically shimmered with delight as she wiggled her fingertips at him.

  What had just happened here? Lunch with a former student wasn’t on her agenda. Carolyn’s grandmother didn’t bother to hide her giggles. But how nice to hear her laugh after all she’d been through last Christmas.

  Whistling, Brody sauntered around the back of his SUV. That cocky confidence sure brought back high school. She could almost smell that tiled hallway and her smile faded. Confusion descended like a biblical cloud of gnats.

  The afternoon sun shone through the aspens as Brody drove away. Her long skirt swirling around her ankles, Mama V took her elbow. “Let’s get you settled. Wendy’s inside taking care of the gallery. You must be starving.” Together they walked down the small alley leading to her casita. Carolyn trundled the suitcase behind her on the unpaved walk.

  With every step, she struggled to clear her head of His Hotness. The sight of her grandmother’s tiny house drowsing in the sun helped. The confusion of the past hour vanished. Contentment washed over her in soothing waves. Why didn’t she come more often? Sure, Gull Harbor kept a slower pace. But this place was beautiful. And here her grandmother fussed over her in a way her mother never had.

  The blue gate in the low adobe wall creaked when Mama V pushed it open. “Come on, sweetheart. I think you need a soak in that new tub I had installed.”

  “You changed your tub? What was wrong with the old one?”

  Her grandmother lifted her shoulders. “Too small.”

  “Too small for you?” Carolyn laughed. Her grandmother seemed to get smaller every visit. Taking out a key, Mama V opened the door. If she didn’t lock it, tourists might wander in, mistaking the house for another gallery.

  Inside, the living room felt casually comfortable. Cushions provided dashes of brilliant colors on the rattan furniture. The rounded kiva fireplace in the corner showed signs of use, a pile of logs stacked next to it with the pleasant smell of wood lingering in the air. Everything in the room felt so earthy. Natural. Simple. So unlike the slick black and grey decor of her parents’ condo. Past the kitchen area, french doors led outside to the back garden.

  Carolyn was hanging up her jacket when her grandmother turned. “So, what’s up with this Brody?”

  “Nothing.” Was her nose growing?

  Sitting down on the sofa, Mama V motioned for Carolyn to do the same. Knees wobbly, she sank. “Really, we were both grabbing our luggage at the same time. He must have been on my flight, but I never noticed him.”

  “You didn’t notice him?”

  Carolyn totally understood her grandmother’s amazement. His Hotness would b
e a hard guy to miss. “Brody must have been sitting up front. Probably arrived late and was the first to leave.” And she smiled. That would fit. “Years ago, I taught him. But that’s all in the past”

  “Ah, hah.” Arms crossed over her flowered smock, Mama V cackled. “That’s not what I saw.”

  Memories unfolded in her mind like pages of a yearbook. “He was always acting up. That was my first year teaching, and I had my hands full.”

  “Boys are always late bloomers.”

  “Maybe. I could have done without all Brody’s jokes at my expense.” She wouldn’t go into the pencil dropping.

  “He probably liked you. Wanted your attention.”

  “Oh, no. It wasn’t like that.” Or was it? “Anyway, I was Miss Knight to him. And I still am.”

  “Oh, Carolyn.” Mama V did a pretty good imitation of Brody’s voice, giving her name a sultry twist. “I don’t think so, honey.”

  What had gotten into her? “Really, Mama V, I’m here to help you.”

  Her grandmother propped sandaled feet up on the leather hassock. “Help me what? Help me paint?”

  “No, I’m going to cook and clean. Make sure things are shipshape.” But glancing around, Carolyn noticed everything looked pretty tidy.

  Her grandmother waved a hand. “Oh, Ana helps with that. Comes once a week.”

  “How is your hip?” She looked around. “Not even a cane?”

  “Don’t need one. My physical therapist was great.” She flexed pink-tipped toes. “I worked at it, and well, here I am.”

  Amazing. “Are you still doing your therapy?”

  “Nope.” Mama V shrugged. “Through with all that.”

  “Oh. Well.” Carolyn stared down at her sensible walking shoes.

  “Don’t look so disappointed, dear.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me?”

  Mama V leveled a look at her one and only grandchild. “Would you still have come?”

  She had a point. The visit might not have been as urgent. “I just want to, you know, be here for you.”

  “Because your mother isn’t?”

  She gulped. “Exactly.” Her grandmother could see right through her.

  “Carolyn, I came to terms with that a long time ago. Your mother and father are busy in Chicago. I’m willing to send checks to their foundations, fund raisers and galas. But I don’t want to attend.”

  “Neither do I.” She chuckled. “You’re so generous.”

  Another wave of the hand. “Whatever. I’m here because I don’t want that life.”

  “You were always there for me, Mama V.” Those weekends with her grandparents had meant so much. Stories at bedtime. Cocoa with marshmallows. Cuddling up to watch Jungle Book or Peter Pan. “It was always so peaceful at your house. That’s what I love about Gull Harbor. The peace and quiet.”

  A head toss met that remark. “But sweetheart, I’m in my seventies. You’re still so young, and you’ve hidden yourself in a small beach town.”

  Carolyn sat upright. “But I love the lake and my girlfriends. And I like my job.”

  “I know. But you’re hiding out there. Ten years and no husband?”

  This was something new and it hurt. “Maybe I don’t want to be married.”

  “You don’t?” Her grandmother’s brows lifted. “Why not?”

  “Maybe marriage doesn’t appeal to me.”

  Her grandmother’s features softened. “Not every couple has a marriage like your parents.”

  She gulped because she couldn’t even go there. Her parents hadn’t weathered a storm. They’d survived a tsunami.

  “Your grandfather and I were always very happy together.”

  “I know.” Carolyn smiled, remembering their private jokes and secret hugs. Her grandparents had adored each other. If only every marriage was like theirs. They’d golfed at the club, played bridge and even joined a cooking class together. How she’d laughed when her grandfather tried to teach her how to separate an egg. The yolks were everywhere and the butcher block, sticky with egg whites. Her grandmother had laughed hysterically.

  “You’re beautiful and smart, so why don’t you have a beau?”

  The old-fashioned term made Carolyn smile.

  “Oh, okay. A hot man.” Her grandmother put the last two words in quotes with her fingers.

  “Like His Hotness?” She felt a heat flash just saying that name.

  “Perfect. Is that what you call Brody?”

  Shaking her head, she tried to let that name go. “I don’t call him anything, Mama V. He’s just a boy who was a problem student.”

  How the heck did Brody change into His Hotness? “I’m too busy to search or whatever it is people do.” When she thought of plopping herself on a bar stool at the Mangy Mutt and trying to make conversation with the beach bums and boat owners who frequented the place, her stomach turned queasy.

  “Busy.” Her grandmother’s glance pierced her with eyes that saw everything. “Doing what?”

  “Teaching.” Her voice rose. “My career means a lot to me.”

  “I know it does, sweetheart, but there’s more to life than work.”

  “And I’ve made friends. In fact, I have a book group.” She smiled, thinking of Diana and Phoebe. They were the three in the group who hadn’t grown up in Gull Harbor, which made bonding easier.

  Her grandmother heaved a sigh. “Oh, dear. Are you reading about romance instead of having one?”

  The conversation began to feel like an argument, and tears prickled in Carolyn’s eyes. She didn’t want to cross swords with Mama V the way she did with her mother.

  Thank goodness, her grandmother must have felt it too. Shifting her feet from the hassock, she stood. And then Carolyn saw it. Getting up required effort. Mama V turned sideways and pushed up with her hands.

  “Oh sweetheart, I’m butting in where I don’t belong.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Almost two o’clock and you must be starving.”

  Carolyn’s stomach growled as if it agreed.

  “The usual?” her grandmother asked, walking into the kitchen area.

  “Yep, I’ll get out the peanut butter.”

  Working together at the counter, Carolyn helped her grandmother assemble the peanut butter and orange marmalade sandwiches they both adored. An unopened bag of cheese curls sat waiting. Ice cubes clinked in the glasses when her grandmother filled them with lemonade laced with tea. They both settled at the rough-hewn table.

  Carolyn was so relieved to be here. Apparently, her grandmother wanted to appear independent. Fine with her. Mama V must have worked really hard on her rehabilitation.

  When she’d licked every bit of marmalade from her fingers and finished the cheese curls, she pushed back. “I’m full as a tick.” One of her grandfather’s favorite phrases.

  Mama V smiled. “Better?”

  “Still a little tired.”

  “You know where your room is. I’ll just tidy up the kitchen.” Carolyn started to protest but her grandmother waved her away. “Skedaddle now.”

  She wasn’t going to argue and took her suitcase down the hallway to the bedrooms. A roomy bathroom stood at the end of the hall, with a guestroom opening to the right and her grandmother’s room on the left. The casita was small and cozy. At night she could almost hear her grandmother’s light snoring. Somehow that was comforting.

  Eager to get settled in, Carolyn swung her suitcase up on the bed. After shaking out her sensible cotton knit dress, she tucked tops and pants in the dresser drawers. The carved headboard of a queen size bed stood between two windows, and a skylight allowed extra light. At night she loved to stare up at the stars pinned to a sky skewing toward turquoise. A comforting sense of peace fell over her. She’d have her special week with Mama V.

  Grabbing her makeup bag, she took it in to the bathroom. The soaking tub her grandmother had mentioned was something else. It stood in front of the window and had a lovely high back. A small footstool was pulled up and a new grab rail was
on the wall next to the tub.

  She sniffed. No familiar lavender scent. No, a strange, new smell circled in the air. Had Mama V changed her perfume? Maybe a friend had spent the night, leaving a trail of her fragrance. Next to her grandmother’s pink electric toothbrush sat another one in olive green. Aw, Mama V was so thoughtful about the little things. Picking up her gift, she pressed the button and watched it vibrate.

  For a second she was tempted to try it out, but right now she needed a nap. She’d just stow her things away. Yanking open the drawer she’d always used, she stared at a man’s shaver, alongside toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

  What was this? Her mind carefully sorted through some sensible options. Maybe her grandmother used this to shave her legs, although she’d never seen or heard her do that. Casting a glance at the closed door, Carolyn slowly pulled the drawer out to see what was in the back. No, these blue pills and some kind of hair wax did not belong to her grandmother.

  Her heart pounded. This was really none of her business. And yet it was. How long since her visit? Three months ago nothing had been in this drawer. She set her pink cosmetic bag in a corner of the counter. Then she washed her face and hands, dried them on a fluffy white guest towel and walked back into the kitchen.

  Her grandmother looked up from the newspaper. “Everything all right, sweetheart?” How could Carolyn have missed the violet eye shadow or the cream rouge on the apples of her grandmother’s cheeks? And what had happened to the fine lines around her lips? Was she having them injected? “Thought you needed a nap after your long trip.”

  Uncertainty churned in Carolyn’s stomach. She perched next to her grandmother, who folded the newspaper and reached for her lemonade. Every family had boundaries. Was Carolyn about to breach one? “So, what have you been doing lately, Mama V?”

  Her grandmother’s eyes turned mischievous. “Oh, busy with the gallery, mostly. I’m making more friends. You know, people on Canyon Road.” A dreamy expression drifted across her face.

  “A lot of women in these shops, I suppose?”

  “Both women and men.” Mama V’s voice softened on the last word.

  “Really? Are there any single men in Santa Fe?” Men who like to brush their teeth at your house?