Page 16 of Sweet Trouble
“Thank you, Tripp,” she said again, feeling helplessly awkward.
“It’s my pleasure,” he told her.
His blue gaze was as warm as the Caribbean. She felt a blush rise in her cheeks, and she somehow couldn’t think of another word to say.
“Well, I’ll just finish up,” he said, turning back to her car.
Jillian just stared in amazement for few more seconds before gathering herself and heading back to the house.
She thought about trying to stop him and finish up herself, or at least help, but he was making short work of it, and she was afraid he would notice how hard she was blushing.
Walking back around the driveway without her heart in her throat from worry, she couldn’t help noticing how pretty the snow was. Now that the snow wasn’t threatening her schedule or her grandfather’s health, she realized that the trees looked soft, like something out of a painting. And the pink and gold dawn that filtered through the snowy branches cast pools of warm light on the snow below.
The peaceful sight had her feeling almost like herself again by the time she stepped back in the front door and started peeling off layers.
It was only when she started down thehall to start the coffee that she realized there were already noises coming from the kitchen. As she got closer, she picked out happy humming and the murmur of early morning news on the radio. She stepped into the room to find her grandfather standing over the stove in the kitchen island.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” he said cheerfully, looking up from a pan of bacon as she entered.
“Good morning, Grampy,” she said, joining him at the stove to wrap an arm around his shoulder and lean her head against him like she’d been doing since she was small. “Did you get up early to cook breakfast just for us?”
“I always cook breakfast,” he reminded her with a smile. “But yes, it’s just a bit early today so I can have some extra time with you and the girls.”
“That’s so nice of you,” she told him. “Gram’s sleeping in?”
“Not this time,” her grandmother’s voice floated down the back stairs just before the woman herself arrived, resplendent in a fluffy royal-blue robe. “I wanted to see you off today.”
Gram had never been a morning person by choice, but she had always gotten up bright and early anyway when it was time to take care of her kids or her grandkids. And after so many years, she had earned the right as a great-grandparent to sleep as late as she wanted.
“Not every day though, right?” Jillian asked. “You deserve to enjoy a little lie-in.”
“Maybe not every day,” Gram allowed.
“You know Tripp Lawrence is out there shoveling?” she remembered. “Isn’t that so nice of him?”
“Oh, yeah,” Grampy said. “He likes to come by for that. He says shoveling’s a better workout than the gym. Sometimes he pops in for a little advice for the team too.”
“And to drop off a milk delivery,” Gram added.
“Yep,” Grampy agreed. “Every week. He’s a good kid.”
The whole situation suddenly rearranged itself in Jillian’s mind.
It wasTrippwho was coming by to fill the fridge, and Tripp who had obviously been looking out for her grandparents in other ways too.
All that, plus the fact that Tripp had taken over coaching Grampy’s beloved Woodchucks was almost enough to make her wonder if she had the wrong idea about the kind of man Tripp Lawrence was.
“Mama, I got dressed,”Posey called out proudly as she skipped down the backstairs.
“Great job,” Jillian told her, trying to shake off her revelation about Tripp. “How’s Mari doing?”
“She’s still in bed,” Posey said sadly. “She doesn’t want to go to school today.”
“I guess Gram’s not the only night owl around here,” Jillian said brightly, heading up the stairs before her grandparents could panic. “I’m just going to check on her.”
But her own heart was sinking. Hopefully, nothing too terrible had happened at school yesterday to make her daughter want to avoid it today.
When she pushed open the bedroom door, Marigold was sitting on the bed, her eyes fixed on the window.
