Sherryl Woods - Willow Brook Road

Carrie met her sympathetic gaze. “You’re talking about Marc.”

“Not exactly. I’m talking about what you did to yourself. You worked yourself into exhaustion to impress a man who didn’t appreciate it,” Megan corrected. “The good news is that you had sense enough to leave before you were trapped by a marriage that was doomed.”

Carrie rolled her eyes. “Trust me, marriage was never on the table, except maybe in my fantasy. Marc had an entirely different agenda. He was a selfish, manipulative man who took advantage of the feelings he knew I had for him. I can see that now.”

“Good for you! You won’t make a similar mistake again, will you?”

“I sure hope not.”

Her grandmother studied her worriedly. “You’re not going to let that one mistake keep you from taking risks or opening your heart again, are you? Because that would be a real tragedy. You have so much potential, Carrie, so much love to give.”

“But I need a purpose,” Carrie told her. “Grandpa Mick has been harping on that ever since I left Europe.”

“And he’s right. Everyone needs a purpose, a passion that makes them want to get up in the morning.”

“So you think I’m wasting time, too?”

“No, I think you’re taking your time trying to avoid another mistake. That’s not you. You’re my impulsive, embrace-everything granddaughter, but suddenly you’re scared. I think that’s what I hate most about Marc Reynolds. He robbed you of that wonderful, spontaneous spirit that made you special. If I may offer one piece of advice, it’s this. Start taking chances again, Carrie. If something feels right, try it. If someone feels right, open your heart.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Carrie acknowledged. “Maybe I have been playing it safe.”

She gave her grandmother a plaintive look. “Or maybe I simply have no idea where to go from here.”

Her grandmother wrapped her in a tight embrace. “You’ll know it when it comes along. In the meantime, I’ll try to get your grandfather to give you some space.”

Carrie laughed. “Thanks for the offer, but we both know that’s a losing fight. I’ll just tune him out.”

She tried to imagine how well that would work and couldn’t. “I’d better get Jackson home. He’ll be awake again any minute and he tends to wake up cranky. We don’t want him scaring off your customers.”

“Wednesdays are usually slow. I’m not worried. I’m glad you came by, sweetheart.”

“Me, too. Love you.”

Surprisingly, though there had been no sudden bursts of inspiration during their conversation, Carrie felt at peace when she left. That lasted two whole blocks until she spotted Sam Winslow sitting on a bench by the playground, and his nephew heading straight for the top rungs of the jungle gym.

Carrie’s breath caught in her throat as she pushed the stroller as fast as she could in their direction. She didn’t dare call out for fear the boy would take a misstep and tumble straight to the ground.

With her eyes glued to the boy, she made it to the base of the jungle gym and stood there watching his every move, ready to catch him if he fell.

She sensed Sam’s approach, but never looked away.

“What were you thinking?” she said in a quiet voice. “Did you have any idea what he was doing?”

“Of course I did,” Sam said defensively, his welcoming smile immediately fading. “I’m not completely incompetent. Bobby’s been climbing jungle gyms since he was four. He’s a little daredevil.”

He leveled a look at her. “Don’t believe me?” He whipped out his cell phone and showed her a picture of a triumphant little boy atop another jungle gym with a woman who was clearly his mom standing watch just below, a tremulous smile on her lips.

“Your sister?” Carrie asked.

Sam nodded.

“She looks terrified.”

“But she let him do it,” Sam pointed out.

“The difference is she was standing right below in case he fell.”

“And I was sitting a few feet away. I may have looked distracted to you, but trust me, I saw his every move. And you saw firsthand how quickly I got over here when you turned up.”

“I suppose.”

“Carrie, I may be new at this, but I’m not going to let anything happen to Bobby. My sister trusted me to get it right, and I will.”

She looked into his eyes then and heard the sincerity behind his words. “Then I should relax and leave you to it.”

“Or you could go to the café with us. I promised Bobby a milk shake and a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.”

She was a little too tempted by the invitation. “I should probably get Jackson home.”

Sam looked at the sleeping baby and smiled. “Is this your nephew?”

“The one and only Jackson McIlroy,” she confirmed. “His dad’s the doctor in town. With an adventurous kid in your life, you’ll want to get to know him.”

“Absolutely,” Sam said. “Now, about lunch. How about it? You can grumble that nothing I’m feeding Bobby is healthy.”

Carrie laughed and thought about what her grandmother had just advised, opening her heart to new experiences, even if she wasn’t quite ready for a new man.

“Well, when you put it that way, it should be fun,” she said. “Maybe I’ll even let you hold the baby, if he wakes up crying. That could be even more entertaining.”

“Hey, I’m barely holding my head above water as it is. One kid at a time, okay?”

“Okay,” she relented. “I’ll go save a table. It’s going to be hopping in there soon.”

Even as she walked away, she heard him trying to persuade Bobby to climb down. The boy promptly refused.

“Don’t make me come up there after you,” Sam warned.

As much as she wanted to turn around and watch the test of wills play out, she kept going to Sally’s. Lunch promised to be one of those interesting adventures that had been in short supply recently.

5

“Twice in one day?” Sally commented when Carrie walked into the café. “To what do I owe the honor?”

“I’m meeting a friend. At least I am if he can get his nephew to leave the playground.”

“Ah, you must be talking about Sam,” Sally said, proving how efficient the Chesapeake Shores grapevine could be. “I heard about what happened, that out of the blue, he’s got his nephew to raise.” She shook her head. “Poor little thing. He must be feeling so lost without his mom and dad. And Sam must be feeling completely out of his depth. Your uncle Kevin would know what that was like.”

Carrie immediately sat up a little straighter. “Why didn’t I think of that? Uncle Kevin suddenly found himself a single dad when Georgia was killed. The whole family pitched in with Davey until Kevin got his feet back under him. I should arrange for Sam to meet him.”

Sally gave her a long look. “How did this become your problem?”

“I told you. Sam’s a friend.”

“I thought he was new to town.”

“Okay, we just met, but he obviously needs help. Kevin can give him some encouragement, tell him he won’t feel as if he’s floundering for long,” Carrie said, warming to the idea. “Look at Kevin’s life now. He’s married to Shanna. They have Davey, and an adopted son, Henry, and two kids of their own.”

“You planning to step in and be this man’s Shanna?” Sally asked, a spark of devilment in her eyes.

Carrie’s jaw dropped at the question. “No, of course not. I’m just being neighborly.”

Sally looked doubtful. “Keep telling yourself that. You want your usual to drink—an iced tea?”

Carrie shook her head, determined not to be so predictable. Maybe it was silly, but she viewed it as a first step toward getting more spontaneity back into her life just as Grandma Megan had advised. She’d been right. Playing it safe wasn’t Carrie’s way.