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  “Oh, yes!” Chelsea replied. “My best friend, Paige, met her husband through the Wish I May Foundation, when he became a wish granter for her son, Jason, who’d been diagnosed with brain tumor.”

  A child’s illness—any child’s—affected Sam deeply. He’d thought this would have been a safer topic, but apparently not. “I’m very sorry...” he murmured.

  “No, no. It’s a happy story!” Chelsea assured him. “Paige and Daniel are married, and it’ll be the third Christmas this year that Jason will be cancer-free.”

  There were examples of critically ill children whose stories did have happy endings, Sam reminded himself. It hadn’t worked out that way for Nicolas, but wanting to make a difference for kids trying to beat the odds was one of the reasons he volunteered with the Wish I May Foundation. “That’s good. I’m glad,” he said, but he was struggling to shake off the depression that engulfed him whenever he thought of Nicolas.

  “Anyway, that’s not all,” Chelsea continued, oblivious to his mood. “One of my former neighbors married the organization’s executive director, Laura Armstrong. Well, she’s Laura Weatherly now. She’s an angel, and boy, did she ever bring Mr. Weatherly out of his shell! You must know Laura if you work with the foundation.”

  “I do know Laura, and I like and respect her. She has a way of getting people to commit to things before they realize they’re doing it.”

  Chelsea laughed. “Yes, she does. You should ask Paige’s husband, Daniel, about that!”

  Sam’s good mood was being restored by Chelsea’s enthusiasm and beguiling chatter.

  “Paige and Daniel are having a dinner next weekend. Why don’t you come?”

  “Because I don’t know them and I haven’t been invited,” he said with a quick grin.

  Chelsea gave him a playful swat on the hand. “Very funny. They...ah, they’ll have a bunch of people there, I think. Probably Laura and her husband, too. I’m allowed—in fact, encouraged—to bring a date. Consider yourself invited!”

  He pulled out his cell phone and checked his calendar. He wasn’t working that evening. “Then I’ll accept the invitation. Now, back to these schoolkids enjoying the art at the gallery—do you think I should take some of the kids I sponsor through the Wish I May Foundation to the gallery?”

  She smiled. “You’re more than welcome to. I’m not sure, though, if it’s because of the art rather than getting a day off school that these kids are so enthusiastic, but I’ve yet to meet a kid who didn’t have a great time.”

  When Chelsea yawned, he suggested they call it a night.

  “I’m sorry. It’s not the company. I promise,” she said, quick to apologize. “Thanks to the issue with the Babineux and the additional duties I’ve taken on to learn about the operation of the gallery, I suppose I’ve been burning the candle at both ends.”

  “No offense taken. I’m glad I drove so I can get you home safe and sound and not have to worry about you falling asleep behind the wheel.”

  Twenty minutes later, he pulled up in front of her apartment building.

  He walked her to her door. When she looked up at him, her smile was sleepy. “Thank you for joining me this evening. I hope you didn’t find it too boring.”

  “Not at all.” He didn’t think he could ever be bored by being with her.

  “Well, good night.” She placed her palm on his chest, rose up and kissed him lightly. “Thank you for a nice night, and for driving me home.”

  The feel of her lips on his—as brief as it might have been—stayed with him as he watched her let herself into her apartment.

  Maybe he hadn’t completely closed himself off to the prospect of a relationship.

  Maybe there was still hope for him...with Chelsea.

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHELSEA VISITED PAIGE after work the following Monday.

  “I’m always happy to see you, but to what do I owe this unannounced visit?” Paige asked.

  “Does there have to be a reason?” Chelsea responded as she crouched down to greet the family’s black Lab mix. “Hey, Scout. How’re you doing?” She scratched the dog behind his ears and along his back, prompting him to lean into her and whimper with pleasure.

  As Chelsea straightened, Paige watched her closely. “What’s that saying? You look like the cat that got the cream? Or is it the canary?”

  “Do I?” Chelsea’s grin broadened, and she followed Paige into the kitchen.

  “Uh-huh. Want to tell me why?”

  Chelsea did a little pirouette. “You remember I told you about the detective I met?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ve gone out a couple of times.” She plopped down on a stool by the center island. “I really like him.”

  Paige scrutinized her friend even more closely. “This is serious, isn’t it?”

  Chelsea pressed a hand over her heart. “It’s early days, but I think it could be. He’s the opposite of the kind of guy I thought I’d fall for. He’s reserved and serious.” She snickered. “He wouldn’t know a Picasso from a kid’s finger painting. It’s my heart and not my head that’s telling me he might be the right one.”

  Paige rubbed Chelsea’s arm. “Trust your heart, Chels. You remember how hard I tried to fight falling in love with Daniel?” Paige had the dreamy expression on her face that she always did when she spoke about her husband. “Where would I be...and how much would I have missed out on if I hadn’t given in to my heart?”

  “You two are perfect for each other. And Daniel is so wonderful with Jason and Emily, too.”

  Paige nodded.

  “I’d like you to meet Sam,” Chelsea said.

  “I’d love to meet him.”

  She gave her friend a sheepish grin. “I told him you were having a dinner this weekend. With the whole gang. The Bennetts, Laura and Harrison Weatherly. I know you only invited me, but I got carried away. I wanted Sam to be comfortable. He already knows Laura, and I thought it would be fun if he could meet everyone. Not that I’ve invited any of them, of course. If it’s too much trouble, I’ll tell him...something.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll call everyone. It’ll be nice to see them. Let’s just hope they can make it on short notice.”

  “You’re the best friend anyone could wish for!” Chelsea jumped up and hugged Paige. “I’ll help in any way I can. Cooking. Whatever.”

  Paige laughed. “It must be important if you’re offering to help with the cooking. Why don’t we agree that you’ll leave that to me, okay?”

  “Happily. But I do want to contribute—and I want to know what you think of him.”

  “Would how I felt about him make a difference?” Paige asked softly.

  Chelsea took a moment to think about it. “Please don’t take this the wrong way. Your opinion matters a lot, but considering how I feel about Sam, probably not. Having said that, I do hope you’ll like him, because you and Daniel are very important to me.”

  * * *

  “LOOK AT THAT, the house has an actual white picket fence!” Sam exclaimed as he pulled his car up to the curb in front of Daniel and Paige’s home on Saturday evening.

  “Great, isn’t it? When they were dating, Paige told Daniel she’d always dreamed of a house with a white picket fence. After they got engaged, Daniel found one for her. Wait until you see the rest of the place,” Chelsea said as she climbed out of Sam’s car.

  Paige must’ve been watching for them, because she opened the door as they stepped onto the front porch. Before Chelsea had a chance to make introductions, Jason ran up to her, Scout at his heels.

  “Hey, Aunt Chelsea!”

  She bent down to hug Jason, then ruffled Scout’s fur. “Hey, squirt. It’s good to see you.”

  “You, too, Aunt Chels.”

  The honorary title always made h
er feel warm because without siblings, she’d never have a niece or nephew except possibly through marriage.

  She placed her palm on Jason’s head. “Have you grown again, squirt?”

  “Uh-uh. I don’t think so.”

  “No. I’m sure you have.” She lowered her hand by about five inches. “I believe you were this tall last time I saw you.”

  Jason laughed. “You’re wrong! Tell her she’s wrong, Mom. I was that tall a couple of years ago.”

  Paige brushed Jason’s hair back from his forehead. “Not a couple of years, but not last month, either, so you’re both wrong.” She held her hand out to Sam. “I’m Paige. It’s a pleasure to meet you. And this is our son, Jason. Jason, this is Mr. Eldridge.”

  “Sam is fine with me, if it’s okay with you,” he said.

  “Sure,” Paige agreed. “Say hi to Sam, Jason.”

  Jason held out his hand as his mother had.

  Sam shook it and bent down to pet Scout. “And who’s this?”

  “That’s Scout. He’s my dog.”

  “Great dog,” Sam observed.

  “Paige, would you mind showing Sam your house?” Chelsea asked. “I told him how wonderful it is.”

  “Of course.”

  It was evident how much Paige loved the house, and not just because it had the white picket fence she’d dreamed of.

  “The three-car garage is perfect for Daniel, since he has a small workshop in there. And here,” she said as she led them into an office area, “is my office. Daniel had it initially when he started his company, Heartfelt Legal Services, shortly before we got married.”

  “Heartfelt Legal Services? I haven’t heard of it.”

  “Daniel will tell you all about it, Sam, if you give him half a chance. It’s a legal aid business. He started small, but it took off, and the home office was no longer sufficient for him. Convenient for me, since I set up a business, too, and I needed a place to work.”

  “What do you do?” Sam asked with interest.

  “She’s amazing!” Jason, who’d tagged along with them, enthused before Paige could answer. “She makes websites for companies. Really cool ones. I designed the logo for Dad’s business.”

  “That’s impressive,” Sam told him.

  Paige touched Jason’s shoulder with affection. “He’s my best salesperson and all-around cheerleader. I have a web design and maintenance business.”

  “Her company has done very well and Paige could get a lot more work if she hired staff and found office space somewhere else, but she prefers to operate from home,” Chelsea explained.

  “The latter part is definitely true. I like keeping the business small and home-based so I can spend as much time with Jason and Emily as possible. Emily’s our baby. She’s in the family room with the others.”

  Paige led them through the bright, spacious kitchen.

  “Isn’t this a fantastic room?” Chelsea asked. “Better yet, Paige knows how to cook really well, unlike someone else standing in this room right now.”

  “Daniel, come and meet Sam,” Paige called to her husband as he entered the kitchen with a couple of empty glasses in his hand.

  They soon joined the others in the family room, and Chelsea took baby Emily from Laura and held her lovingly. Paige introduced Sam to her friends and former neighbors, the Bennetts. The elderly couple who lived in Chelsea’s building a floor below her greeted Sam warmly.

  “Chelsea is a wonderful, kind young woman, and a dear friend. She’ll make a great wife and mother someday,” Mrs. Bennett said to Sam, which made Chelsea’s face flush.

  Paige took Sam over to where Harrison Weatherly and his wife, Laura, were seated.

  “Sam, I’m so happy to see you,” Laura said as she rose to hug him. “This is my husband, Harrison,” she said.

  “Chelsea did mention that you know Laura,” Paige commented. “You’re probably aware that Laura’s the executive director for the Wish I May Foundation. It was through the foundation, and Laura’s miraculous work, that Daniel and I met. Actually, everyone here today was partially responsible for us getting together.”

  “How so?” Sam asked.

  “Oh, that’s a long story,” Paige said, taking Emily from Chelsea. “It’s best saved for another day.”

  “What do you do, Sam?” Mrs. Bennett asked him.

  “I work for the Camden Falls Police Department.”

  Jason looked up at Sam with wide eyes. “You’re a police officer?”

  “Yup.”

  “That means you do real dangerous stuff to keep people safe, right?”

  “Sometimes it can be dangerous.”

  “Will you tell me about some of the stuff you’ve done?”

  * * *

  SAM NOTICED THAT all conversation had stopped and everyone present was now focused on him. The center of attention was not his favorite place to be. “How about we save that for some other time, too, and you tell me what you want to do when you grow up.”

  Jason grinned. “I want to be an architect.”

  “Wow! That takes a lot of talent, I’ll bet.”

  “Jason,” Chelsea interjected. “Why don’t you show some of your drawings to Sam?”

  “Okay!” he said and ran off to his room, Scout scampering after him.

  “One day that kid’ll be exhibiting at the Sinclair Gallery,” Chelsea added.

  When a timer went off in the kitchen, Chelsea glanced at Paige. “Do you want me to take care of...whatever needs taking care of? Or, my preference, I’ll hold Emily for you and you can go do whatever needs to be done.”

  “I think we’ll both be happier if you hold Emily and I go to the kitchen,” Paige said with a grin.

  “Works for me.” Chelsea took Emily and rubbed her back gently until she stopped fretting. “Let’s have a look,” she said to Jason when he returned. She got the boy settled between her and Sam, and Jason showed them his sketches.

  Sam was impressed by his talent. Although he tried to focus on what Jason was showing him, he couldn’t help watching Chelsea from the corner of his eye. She was such a natural with both kids. Somehow, at that moment she was the most beautiful he’d seen her. She seemed radiant. She looked up and offered him a warm smile.

  Sam forced his attention back to Jason and his drawings. “Those are terrific,” he said after Jason had reached the last page in his pad.

  “Thanks!” Jason’s face shone with pleasure.

  “Why don’t you go put your pad away so your drawings don’t get damaged?” Chelsea suggested.

  “’Kay. I’ll be right back.”

  Sam turned his attention fully to Chelsea. She was swaying back and forth, cooing to the baby whenever she made fussy noises. Somehow, the rest of the people present had drifted away, leaving the three of them—him, Chelsea and the baby.

  His mind transported him back in time. To a day when the sun was beaming down from a cloudless sky, a gentle breeze ruffling the leaves of the trees. And Katherine was holding baby Nicolas, just like Chelsea was holding Emily right now. Sam remembered vividly the expression on Katherine’s face. Her eyes were closed, her smile so achingly sweet it tore at his heart, and she’d swayed and clucked and hummed to their son.

  That day they’d both been so incredibly happy. Elated with life. Desperately in love with each other and their son.

  And only days later, their world had come crashing down...

  Sam felt a nudge on his shoulder. He looked up at Chelsea.

  “Where did you go?”

  “What?”

  “I was talking to you, but you seemed to have gone somewhere else.”

  He thought back to the vision of Katherine and Nicolas. “I’m sorry. My thoughts must have wandered.”

  “It’s okay. Paige said din
ner’s almost ready. Would you like to hold Emily while I help her with the final preparations?”

  Sam glanced at the beautiful baby, and the image of Nicolas superimposed itself on her. “How about if you keep holding her? She seems to be comfortable. There’s no reason to upset her. I’ll go help Paige.”

  Chelsea’s smile dimmed.

  “Well played, Eldridge,” he mumbled under his breath as he headed into the kitchen. She’d looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had.

  The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Sam had to admit that he liked Chelsea’s friends and neighbors. He and Daniel established an immediate rapport. Paige was extremely pleasant and intelligent. He did his best to avoid the kids and by the time they were preparing to leave, he felt guilty about it.

  “Don’t forget you said you’d come back and tell me stories about being a police officer!” Jason reminded Sam when they were saying their goodbyes.

  Yeah, he’d said that earlier. Before the memories of Katherine and Nicolas had barraged him. “What if I do one better?” he asked as an idea occurred to him. A way to ease his feeling of guilt.

  “How?”

  “Wait here for a minute.” Sam went outside and jogged over to his car, unlocked the trunk and pulled out something that he kept behind his back as he returned to the others.

  “What did you get?” Jason asked.

  Sam held out a black ball cap with the Camden Falls Police Department logo on the front.

  “That’s a cool cap!” Jason exclaimed. “Can I see it, please?”

  “Sure. You can have it.”

  The kid’s face lit up. “Really?”

  “Yes, really.” Sam adjusted the strap at the back and put it on Jason’s head.

  Jason placed his hands on top of it, grinning. “Thank you very much!”

  A simple gift seemed to have made the kid’s day, Sam mused as he drove Chelsea to her apartment.

  And what great kids both Jason and Emily were. He tried to pay attention to Chelsea’s conversation, but an incredible sadness descended on him as he thought that he’d never again know the joy of having a child.