They spilled out of the car. “Let’s get this over with and get back to McGillicuddy’s.” James took point, his feet crunching against the frozen oyster shells of the drive. “I’ve never seen two people more in need of blowing off some steam.”
That was as good a place as any to leave it for the night.
Not knowing why Brody got into the inn.
Not knowing if his judgment was permanently broken.
Not knowing if he could believe what Teague had laid on him. If he could dial back his responsibility-meter.
Not knowing how to balance what Sydney’s actions cost him against his feelings for her.
The only thing Alex did know was that this St. Patrick’s Day would be one for the books, if it was the last thing he did.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Don’t you have anything better to do than sit in a hospital room watching them drip poison into my veins?” Daisy demanded in a querulous tone.
The medical marijuana might’ve made her grandmother’s chemo rounds more bearable, but they were wearing on her, for sure. Sydney didn’t blame her one bit for being out of sorts to start yet another treatment.
Didn’t make her bad mood any fun, though.
Sydney tapped a finger against her lips, pretending to think. “Well, when you put it like that…no. I don’t have anything better to do. It is literally the reason I came home, remember?”
“You came home because you thought I was dying.”
“Meh.” She batted away that answer like it was a gnat. “That was just the tipping point.”
Daisy gave a viciously strong pull on her cranberry juice box, hollowing in the sides. “You came home to fill in for me at the Mercantile.”
“Yes, but Dad could’ve hired someone to do that. I came home to keep you company, you crotchety old woman.”
“And I’m eternally grateful.” Fast as a whip crack, Daisy’s mood morphed to teary-eyed sweetness. She reached over to pat Sydney’s hand. “Seriously. I realize this was a big stall-out for you, my darling girl. Coming home. A sacrifice, both to your heart and your career. One I can’t ever repay.”
Sydney’s emotions had been hovering uncomfortably close to the surface ever since Alex dumped her three weeks ago. It was sort of like having all of her nerves on the outside of her skin. The faintest brush would set her off.
So her eyes welled at her grandmother’s gratitude.
“Gram, you raised me. You helped put me back together after Mom left. You taught me to use hair spray to prevent static cling on a slip. That it’s okay to say no when someone asks you out. That it’s okay to embrace your dreams no matter what.” Sydney leaned in to whisper in her ear. “And you just taught me how to bake.”
“That last one, I do deserve a medal for, I don’t mind saying.” Daisy cackled and slapped her leg. Then she winced when the motion pulled at her IV line. “All right. You can stay.”
Sydney kicked back into full recline mode in the treatment chair. No other patients this morning meant she got to be super comfy.
And comfortable was exactly what she’d finally settled into in Chestertown.
It wasn’t anything she’d ever thought she wanted. It sure felt like what she needed, though. The closeness. The sense of community. The new friendships that were so much more…vital and interesting and fun. They sure beat sitting cross-legged on a scratchy hotel comforter night after endless night.
It was comfortable not feeling wrecked by jet lag. Comfortable having new inside jokes with her dad and brother. Comfortable having people to turn to instead of insisting that she do everything herself.
Home had never mattered.
Now that Sydney was back home, she’d discovered that it mattered more than anything.
“You’re wrong, you know, Gram. I thought coming home was a sacrifice. But it turned out to be a real gift.”
“Because of Alex moving here?”
Yes…and then no. “Because of lots of things. I missed all of you, but I didn’t realize quite how much until I was with you again. I don’t want to do that again. Be so distant. I want to be a part of your everyday lives, triumphs, laughs, and losses.”
“You’re giving up globe-trotting?” Daisy hitched herself up on one elbow on the armrest to scowl at Sydney. “Did that fiancé of yours insist on it? That’s going too far. If you want to spend every week in a different country for your career, that’s your decision.”
“Thanks for the empowerment. I’m not quitting. But I am figuring out how to make some