Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
A large wraparound porch filled with comfortable seating dominated the house. But the man and woman who stood at the top of the steps … they looked the same. The hair was grayer. The skin more weathered, but everything else was exactly the way he remembered.
He got out of the van, but hesitated next to the open door, as the others brushed past him to get out. He wondered if they would even remember him after … how many years had it been? Twelve, maybe thirteen, he thought. He’d been with Allegra for almost ten and that had come later.
“Carter? Is that you, boy?” The man took off his hat and slapped it against his leg. “I knew it, Ma! Didn’t I tell you it was him on the registration?” His mouth broke into a wide smile, flashing teeth that were too white and even to be real, and then he hooted so loudly that his wife smacked him on the arm.
“Pa, for heaven’s sakes.” She shook her head. “Stop your hollering before you scare off the guests.” With that admonishment, she strode down the steps to greet Carter. “It’s so nice to have you home, Carter. We wondered if it was you, or just someone with the same name.”
“Sorry, Ma.” He kissed her cheek, feeling like a teenage boy again. “I guess I should have sent you a message or something.”
Her eyebrows shot straight up and vanished into her hairline. “Or something definitely. It’s been a lot of years with you not calling or writing.” There was a stern tone there, and he ducked his head.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean … time got away from me,” he admitted as the heat rose up his neck. That was only part of the reason, of course, but what else could he say.
“Mphm. Well, I guess it does that to all of us. But enough of this. We can catch up later, for now … I want to meet this bride of yours.” She turned from him and fixed her gaze on his wife.
Allegra turned pink and looked like she’d prefer to be anywhere else. “Um, hello.” She clearly hadn’t been expecting this kind of greeting, and Carter knew he’d hear about it later.
“Aren’t you a pretty little thing,” Ma said, moving toward her with an aggressive stride. Allegra took a step back, looking almost panicked, but then Ma had her in a tight bear hug. “You are so welcome here, dear girl. I am very happy to meet you!”
Allegra melted into the older woman’s arms, which was shocking enough to Carter. His wife wasn’t a huge fan of strangers touching her. “Thank you.” A moment later she added, “I’m glad we came,” and it sounded like she meant it.
That worried him a little.
“This is going to be a wonderful vacation for you. Just you wait,” Ma said as she released his wife, and then headed over to greet the other couple. Pa had finally come down the steps and joined her, but he shot a wink at Carter when no one was looking.
Jim and Kevin looked relieved to get a less intense welcome, and a few minutes later she was pointing everyone inside. “Leave your bags here. They’ll be fine. Brunch is just being served now, so the rest of the guests are all in the dining room.”
She led the way with firm steps and a quick pace that had everyone hurrying to keep up with her, except Pa who was happy to trail along behind. He’d always been the more relaxed of the two.
Chapter Eight
Allegra had faced one shock after another and it was far too early in the morning to have her head spinning, but at least the food was good. Brunch was a serve-yourself deal, but not like a buffet. Family-size platters filled the table, and people had to talk to each other if they wanted the plates passed.
It was a clever way to get people acquainted, she supposed, but it made the brunch noisy, and she had too much to think about. The quick debrief that Carter had given her outside the airport seemed to have left quite a lot out. She suddenly realized that there was a whole section of his life that she knew nothing about, and she wondered why.
But that was a conversation for later, when there weren’t twenty people talking around her. For the moment, she busied herself with the food, and the small talk she had to make to get her hands on it. She ate far more than she should have, especially on top of the airport pretzels, but it was worth it.
As the mountain of food slowly vanished, the room grew quieter. And once it seemed that most people were finished, their hosts stood up. “We’d like to welcome you all to our home. My name is Grace Prendergast, and this is my husband Arlo, but most people call us Ma and Pa. Please use whichever you’re comfortable with.”