“Thanks, Mom,” Erin managed to say with an easier smile than before. Cora nodded and smiled before sitting.
“So, Jules, you were telling us about something Becca did?”
“Yeah.” Jules chuckled. “I was talking to Noah, and Becca was on her back on the bed. When she heard his voice, she kicked so hard that she rolled over on her stomach and tried to raise her head.”
“What? That’s amazing,” Cora gushed.
“At two months, and she’s already such a brilliant little girl,” Jo spoke in amazement.
Erin poured syrup on her pancake, beaming inside at the thought of her niece’s genius.
“She is.”Erin looked over at her father, smiling with pride.
“Wasn’t Jamie invited to breakfast? I’m sure he’s someone who’d take family seriously,” Erin spoke, her irritation creeping up.
The tension that had been slowly ebbing away suddenly poured back in like a flood, and the table went silent again. Erin immediately regretted her snarky remark.
“Jamie couldn’t be here because he’s with his daughter and her fiancé. He’ll come by later,” Cora spoke up after a few minutes.
“So, have you guys set a date yet?” Rory, Erin’s cousin, asked.
“No, not yet. With everything that’s happened in the last couple of months, we thought it would be better to just wait for a little before setting a date.”
There were consecutive nods of understanding around the table. The conversations around the table remained light after that, and Erin kept her head down, focusing on her food.
“I have an announcement to make.”
Erin’s attention turned to her sister.
“Noah and I found a house,” Jules told the expectant faces. “We’re moving in next week.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s great. I’m happy for you both,” Cora chirped.
Erin’s heart clunked to the bottom of her stomach. “I didn’t know you were planning on moving out, especially with Becca being so young. I thought you needed Mom’s help,” she rushed out, fixing her sister with a desperate stare.
Jules gave her an apologetic look. “Noah and I have been talking about it for some time, but we decided to wait for a little, but now…now I think it is a good time to do it.”
Erin managed to put on a brave smile as she said, “I’m proud of you,” even though inside, she was panicking.
“What are this young man’s intentions with you?” Joel asked.
At this, Erin pushed away from the counter. “I’m going to go for a walk,” she informed them. She didn’t wait to hear from them. Rushing up the stairs, she got her sketchpad and pencils and rushed back down the stairs and through the front door. Ten minutes later, she was seated by the gazebo behind the inn.
Her pencil moved quickly across the paper as she drew lines and shapes that outlined the silhouette of the design that was floating around in her head. She had finished the sketch and was pleased with it before moving on to the next blank page. Her hand moved deftly across the page, bringing her imagination to life as it did so.
“Wow! That’s amazing.”
Startled, Erin’s head snapped up to see Jamie looking down at her, drawing in amazement. “Hi, Jamie. I didn’t…I didn’t hear you come up,” she greeted, pushing a strand behind her ear and resting her sketchpad beside her on the sectional.
“I was replacing a few rotted posts around the garden,” he informed her.
“But don’t you have workers who could take care of that?” Erin asked, with an incline of herhead.
“I do,” Jamie replied. “But I like doing this, especially when it’s for someone I care for.”
Erin nodded in understanding. “I’m glad Mom has you. She sure needs someone who has her best interest in mind at all times.” She smiled.
Jamie gestured for her to scoot over. “Your mom is a wonderful woman.”
