Some Day Somebody (27 page)

“If you want to think about it, I’ll save it for you until the first,” the man told her.

She reached for her purse and pulled out a checkbook. “I’m making an executive decision. This place is perfect. How much do I make this for?” she asked, hoping Sam hadn’t misquoted the man.

“Sam’s a good friend and he’s vouched for you. A hundred dollar deposit and January’s rent of two hundred. As far as I’m concerned, you can move in immediately and the rest of December is free. The back yard is fenced in if you have a dog. No pets in the house—I think you can understand why.”

Carrie grinned across at her new landlord, who stood about the same height as she did. “It’s bad enough having three teenagers in my house. I did my time when my kids were little and always bringing home strays...puppies, kittens, baby birds, even
a new
-born, baby nutria once.”

“Really?”
Len’s brows rose in surprise. “How’d that work out?”

She tore out the filled check and handed it to him. “Actually, it was the best behaved and easiest to train out of all of them. I don’t think Joey realized he was
a nutria
.”

“You trained him?”

“The kids did. When they called him, he’d waddle right to them to be petted. He’d grunt at the door to go out, and he’d grunt to come back in.”

“We had a pet raccoon when I was growing up. He acted just like a dog,” Len told her. “My grandmother, a mean old woman, was terrified of him, so we took every opportunity to bring him around when she was at our place.”

“Hey, the raccoon lived there—she was just a guest,” she said, chuckling.

“That’s what I tried to tell the old crone before
she
`bout twisted my darn ear off. She only caught me once, though. I got faster after that.”

Carrie laughed, thrilled to have such a pleasant man for a landlord. “Oh, but you haven’t truly lived until your huge pet nutria comes waddling up the front porch steps right in front of a pair of nice, old black ladies witnessing Jehovah.”

Len slapped his thigh as he guffawed. “You win with that one.” He put the check in his wallet and handed her a business card and a set of keys. “Glad to have you, Ms.
Jeansonne
. If anything goes wrong in the house, call me, night or day. My numbers are on there.”

She took the card and the set of keys before shaking his hand.

Sam walked inside from the backyard bringing the smell of brisk winter air with him. “Len, you have some dead limbs overhanging the edge of the house. You may want to get those trimmed soon.”

Len gave him a nod. “Got somebody coming to trim those the day after Christmas, Sam, but thanks for the heads-
up.
Let me know if you catch anything else I might have missed, will you?”

Sam leaned over to shake his hand. “Sure will, buddy.” Len walked out, leaving Carrie and Sam alone in the house. “Doesn’t he want to lock the place up?”

Carrie picked up her hand and dangled the keys in front of him. “I guess he thought I could handle it. So, how do you like me now, neighbor?”

“Seriously?”
Sam pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her neck. “I think I like you even more. Can I help move you in tomorrow?”

“I need something to move first. My cousin lives in a huge two-story house and has several sets of living and bedroom furniture, and she said I could borrow a few pieces.
 
It’ll hold me until I get some of my own stuff.”

“Are your kids okay with this?”

Her throat tightened at the thought of her children. “No, but Mom swears they’ll come around. She told me to make the change and eventually both of my girls will end up with me.”

Sam brushed one finger down one side of her cheek. “Do you believe that?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be doing this. I also believe Grant is serious about graduating in Gardiner.” Shaking off the urge to cry, she headed straight for the back door. “Come with me to check out the yard.” She walked onto the back porch, newly screened in, and just right for a bistro size table and chairs. It boasted a ceiling fan for those hot summer afternoons, as well as plenty of shelter for Toto on cold winter nights.

“Your dogs are outside dogs, right?”

She flipped the light switch, illuminating part of the fully fenced in back yard, and nodded. “Oh, I love gardenias,” she groaned, seeing several shrubs, along with two huge oak trees. “I’ll only have Toto here.”

Moonlight filtered through the branches of one oak that had to be at least fifty years old. She raised her arms toward the evening sky, and inhaled the cold, crisp air of the late December night. “I don’t know about Toto, but I could be very happy here,” she said, adding somberly, “As long as my kids are here, too. I’ll try to hang on until the end of this school year. If they’re not here by then...” Carrie let the comment trail off, avoiding Sam’s gaze.

She pulled her coat tight against the icy wind, and turned to examine the back side of the house. “Can’t see inside the bedrooms because of those new blinds...that’s good,” she mumbled. Her gaze gravitated toward the huge picture window in the dining area that faced the back yard, the only one with no covering. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with that window,” she said quietly. “You can see clear into the living room through that thing.”

She started for the house, as Sam followed. Once inside, she pulled a pad and ink pen from her purse to begin a list. Sam’s comment drew her attention.

“Len did a great job with this place, didn’t he?”

“It’s a wonderful house,” she replied. “The kids will be pleased. I think they believed we’d be stuck in a dump. Not that our house was a mansion or anything, but we were comfortable enough.” She stretched her arms out across the massive window. “I wish I had a measuring tape.”

Within minutes, Sam had retrieved one for her and she had the measurements she needed. She let the tape snap closed and noticed Sam’s ear to ear grin. “Sam, have you stopped to consider maybe you won’t
like
having me as a neighbor?”

“I’d be a damn fool not to.” He stepped in to close the gap between them. “It’ll be a huge relief to have you here.”

She blinked several times to stem the tears from forming. “I hope whoever’s making those damn calls doesn’t follow me here. I won’t feel good about this place until my kids are here, permanently. And I know they can’t be here until it’s safe for them.”

“Somebody needs a hug.” He rocked her in his arms and whispered. “Have you taken all the notes you need for the night?”

“I think so.”

After returning to Sam’s driveway, Carrie stopped to retrieve a plastic container from the trunk of her car. “I brought you some goodies.”

Once inside, Sam bit into a homemade fig tart, rolling his eyes in blissful appreciation. “Oh God, that’s good. Please tell me you baked these.”

“I can, but those are Mom’s specialty. I made the fudge and pralines, though.” She turned away as Sam grabbed a praline and held the container out to her. “Ugh, I’m still too full from lunch. We always have too much food.”

Sam rubbed his belly enthusiastically. “Sounds like a good time to me.”

She leaned up against his counter and sighed. “And we’ll do it all over again tomorrow.” She turned to Sam to explain. “My brother, Josh, is coming in from north Texas late tonight. No one’s seen him in over a year.”

“Your mom’s going to have a full house.”

“Sometimes it’s a challenge to get everybody together at once. I don’t get to see some of them as much as I’d like to. We’re close for a big family.”

“How about
your
kids?
I mean, do they get along with each other?” he asked.

“Not as well as they should, but nobody’s dead yet.”

“Not even the twins?”

“The twins are too busy fighting over clothes, friends, clothes, make-up,
clothes
, blow-dryers,
clothes
, who’s not cleaning their part of the room clean, and did I mention
clothes
? I keep telling them one day they’ll be the best of friends, but they can’t see it.”

Sam and Carrie spent the next hour seated beside each other on his couch, talking. One or the other got up to switch stations on his stereo when the urge hit. They kicked off their shoes and settled in close to each other, the television on, but muted, and listening to music.

Carrie had just finished telling him about what she would miss about her home...the smell of the fireplace on cold, winter nights, and the view of the lake from her front porch. She watched Sam’s mouth tighten as he pulled himself up from the couch and walked over to his stereo again.

Instead of changing the station, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and turned to her. “Carrie...”

She stretched her arms above her head and yawned.
“Hmmm?”

“Is, uh...I mean, would this place...” He stretched out one hand to indicate the living room and beyond. “If you decide you...” He released a frustrated sigh and clutched the back of his skull with one hand. “I don’t have a whole hell of a lot to offer you, Carrie.” His eyes scanned the place, from his living room and dining area on down to the hallway. “This place is all I’ve got. It’s not fancy, and I don’t have a lot of money or material things.”

Carrie’s breath caught at Sam’s heartfelt confession. She rose from the couch and walked over to meet him. “Money and things don’t matter to me, Sam. What matters is what’s in your heart.” She splayed her hand on the center of his broad chest. “I know you’ve got a good heart.”

Sam reached out and gently placed one hand on each side of her face. “Thank you for that. I think you know by now how I feel about you. I just worry that maybe what I have isn’t enough.”

“It’s enough, Sam. If we’re meant to be, what you have or don’t have won’t affect my decision, I promise you.”

He pulled her close. “I want you to know I’ll do everything in my power to get your kids to like me so they’ll all want to move here. I know that’s what would make you happy, and God knows I want you happy here in Kenton.”

She slipped her arms around his waist and gazed up into serious blue eyes. “Be careful, Sam. Talk like that could get you into big, big trouble.”

“How so?” he asked.

“Talk like that makes me never want to leave here.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

“Ah, but I still say once you get to know me you may not want me around.” She stood perfectly still as he traced the arch of her brow with one long index finger.

“Bring it on, Baby. I’m dying to get the chance to prove you wrong.”

She let him kiss her, clinging to him, her hand pulling his neck, his tangled in her hair. Another long exhibit of wanting and willpower as they both found the strength to separate.