Amy leaned back and met Heather’s gaze. “Did you score a date with your dream guy?”
Heather tried to contain a soft smile as her cheeks pinked. “We had a nice conversation.”
“I bet.” Amy took on a far-off look. “We all had a mad crush on him at one point or another.”
Sierra eyed Amy, surprised by her admission. Maybe it was inevitable back then. Amy and Mason were the same age and in the same high school class. But Sierra spent the most time at his place because she loved to ride.
Heather stared down at her feet. “As usual, he was nice. Hallee loved him.”
“I think every female who sees him falls a little in love with him.” Amy patted her heart, her eyes wistful with a touch of mirth.
Heather didn’t let it go. “He’s a good guy. I could use one of them.”
“He’s definitely a better choice than the deadbeat dad you picked.” Amy sometimes didn’t know when to keep her thoughts to herself.
Heather glared. “He wasn’t a deadbeat dad. You don’t know what happened, so shut up.”
Amy held her hands up in surrender. “Okay. Touchy subject. Got it. But one of these days you’re going to have to spill the beans about your baby daddy.”
Heather bounced off the railing and headed for the front door. “Leave it alone.” She walked in and slammed it behind her.
Sierra would have gone after her, but she wanted a little while longer out on the porch in the peace and quiet of a beautiful starlit night while the kids watched a Disney movie. “You shouldn’t badger her about Hallee’s father.”
“Don’t you want to know who it is?”
“I’m curious, but I also know it’s none of my business.”
Amy bumped shoulders with her again. “Come on. You know you can’t stand not knowing. I think she keeps it a secret because she had a one-night stand and doesn’t even know the guy’s name.”
“Why not just say that then?” It would suck not to know. People would judge. But in this day and age of swipe right Sierra bet there were a few thousand kids out there with moms who didn’t know their hookup’s real name.
“Too embarrassed. Who wants to admit that?” Amy stared up at the night sky. “Maybe the guy is married or a serial killer.”
Sierra laughed. “A serial killer who left Heather pregnant and alive? There’s a few holes in that scenario.”
“Maybe she slept with one of her friend’s boyfriends and now she can’t say anything because she doesn’t want to lose her friend.”
Sierra shrugged. “Whoever it is, he isn’t in the picture. Maybe she doesn’t say anything about him because she and Hallee are better off on their own. Maybe the guy turned out to be a real shit. Maybe he hit her. Maybe he’s a total loser with no job and no prospects and Heather did the grown-up thing for her kid and shut him out so she didn’t have to take care of two children.”
Amy frowned. “You’re better at this than me. That sounds exactly like the kind of guy Heather used to like, only out for a good time, sponging off others, and never taking anything seriously.”
Sierra could imagine it. “She discovers she’s pregnant and grows up fast. You have to be an adult sometime, and expecting a baby will put your life into a whole new perspective.”
Amy braced her hands on the rail, much like Sierra stood. “Poor Heather.”
“What about me? I’m a single mom to two boys. I’m outnumbered.”
“Yeah, but you’ve always had your shit together. Heather’s a dreamer, always looking for someone to take care of her and looking in all the wrong places.”
“We always took care of her.”
“What are big sisters for? I’m still helping her out. I watch Hallee when she’s sick and can’t go to day care. I’ve come through with the school treats for holidays, taken her late-night calls when Hallee is sick and she doesn’t know what to do, and generally been her go-to help the last few years you’ve been away.”
“I’ve taken my fair share of what-do-I-do phone calls. Though she hasn’t done much of that since David passed.” A lot of people stopped calling, asking her for things or her time. They didn’t want to bother her. They didn’t know what to say to the widow. “Well, I’m back and happy to help with the load.” She wanted to be part of her sisters’ lives in a real way now.
“I’m surprised you came back.”
Sierra glanced at her sister. “Why?”
“You seemed happy up there, just you and David and the kids living your picturesque life.”
“Napa Valley is beautiful, but expensive.”
“So is Carmel.”
True. But Napa lost its shine. Carmel still held a wealth of happy memories and you couldn’t beat the beautiful valley and gorgeous beach. “There’s too many memories and nothing left up there. You know?”
Amy pressed her lips tight. “Yeah. I know. I’m real sorry, Sierra. It sucks that you lost your husband and your home all in one year. One’s bad enough, but both.” Amy shook her head in dismay.
Sierra changed the subject. “How’s your hunky husband? How come he didn’t stop by? And don’t give me that shit about him working late.”
“I asked him to give me tonight with you and Heather. It’s been too long since it was just us with Mom. Plus, he’d be the odd man out, so he was happy to steer clear of the estrogen party.”
“The boys would love to see him.”
Amy nodded, her lips pressed tight. “They miss their dad.”
“Every day. I try to be there for them and give them what they need, but I know there’s a huge hole in their hearts and lives without him here with them.”
“Have you thought about dating again?”
It had been almost a year. And Sierra really hated being alone. “Who has time to think of such things with two kids and a job? It’s all I can do to keep up with them, work, the house, the bills.” And dating after all these years seemed scary. She was out of practice. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d even flirted.
Amy grew quiet for a long moment. “Don’t lose yourself taking care of everyone else. You deserve to be happy, too.” With that, Amy walked back into the house to check on the kids, leaving Sierra alone on the porch.
As she looked out across the land and saw a glimpse of light across the way that could only be a light from Mason’s place, Sierra felt as alone as she’d ever felt after David’s death and wondered how long she’d feel this way before she did something about it.
Chapter Six
Sierra peeked through the ajar door into the boys’ dark room and smiled at them sleeping. Her mom had redecorated, swapping out the neutral “guest-room” quilts for blue-and-red-striped comforters. She’d added stained wood toy boxes at the foot of each twin bed. The comforters and toy boxes were for the boys to keep when they moved into their next home. They’d get to take something familiar with them, instead of another round of entirely new things.
New was fun and exciting to a point. Then, you just wanted to be around the things that made you feel comfortable, that made you feel like you belonged there because they were your things. You saw them, surrounded yourself with them and the memories they held.