She lifted the lid off the box and her breath caught in her throat. “It’s…oh, good lord, I’m going to cry.”
Andy pulled his arm free so he could lift the charm bracelet out of the box and fasten it on her wrist. With tears running unchecked down her cheeks, she touched each silver charm, one by one. A pair of scissors for Katie. A tiny ball on a chain for Mitch. She supposed it was probably meant to jokingly represent the old “ball and chain,” but it looked like a miniature wrecking ball. A hammer for Ryan. A combat boot for Sean, who’d served in the army. A coffee mug for Liz, and a tiny snowmobile for Josh.
It was a perfect choice for him, she thought. She’d almost expected a little house, but the lodge didn’t represent Josh. No matter where he went, though, he would always love sledding.
“Mitch almost did me in,” Andy said. “They don’t make explosives for charm bracelets that I could find.”
“It’s perfect,” she whispered. “So very perfect.”
When he slid his finger under her chin to tip her face up, she didn’t resist. The kiss was soft and sweet, and as perfect for her as the bracelet.
“Merry Christmas, Andy.”
He put his arm up and she snuggled back against his chest again. It was a very nice way to spend the day after Christmas.
“So when are you going to let Josh and Katie know they don’t have to sneak around the place like teenagers?”
She laughed. “When I stop enjoying watching them do it.”
“Do you really think she’ll be able to keep him here?”
“I hope so.” It was a sobering question, taking a little of the shine off her mood. “Paige brought up the possibility Josh might leave and talk Katie into going with him. That worries me.”
“I don’t think she’d leave here. I don’t think she’d leave you.”
“People do unexpected things all the time. Look at me, for example. Go door-to-door and ask how many people in Whitford would believe you if you said Rosie Davis kissed Andy Miller in front of her Christmas tree.”
His chuckle rumbled against her face where it rested against his chest. “Even I can hardly believe it.”
“What I find hard to believe is that Josh would actually leave.”
“I think he’ll leave, but I think he’ll come back on his own.” He kissed the top of her head. “People have a tendency to find their way back to the ones they’re meant to be with.”
Chapter Eleven
When Josh had agreed to get up at the crack of dawn and drive down to Brookline, he hadn’t known he’d be spending half the night before in the barn with Katie. He didn’t want to get up and he certainly didn’t want to drive four and a half to five hours—one way—to play moving guy.
On a more positive note, he had Katie to keep him company on the drive. She’d certainly kept him company last night, and he had the sore muscles to prove it. The good kind of sore, though, not the aches and pains he’d have after today. Four and a half hours in the truck, a few hours of heavy lifting, and then another four and a half hours in the truck was hard on the body.
They loaded up on coffee, grabbed some muffins out of the basket and hit the road. When they got to Lauren’s house, Ryan was just pulling down and securing the back door of the rented box truck.
He shook Josh’s hand and then hugged Katie. “I appreciate you guys giving us a hand. I’ll be so glad to have this behind us. Lauren will, too, though she’s a little emotional today.”
“Where’s Mitch?” Katie asked while they waited for Lauren to do a last sweep through cabinets and closets, making sure the house was really empty. Katie would have gone in and helped her, but she got the impression it was really a walk-through to say goodbye.
“He’s coming down with something, I guess. He said he couldn’t make the drive over here, never mind to Massachusetts.”
“Sure he is,” Josh scoffed. Funny how germs had a way of attacking when there was a moving truck to unload. It was the same principle as when they were kids and Sean always seemed to have an upset stomach when it was time to wash the dishes.
“He sounded like crap on the phone.” Ryan shrugged. “Said it was a stomach thing, and I don’t think he’s playing hooky. To be honest, I don’t think Paige would let him get away with it. She and Lauren are pretty close.”
“If he’s really sick, he needs to stay away from Rosie. And so does Paige. The last thing Rosie needs right now is a stomach bug.”