Page 10 of Sing with Me

“I can make coffee,” Diehl offered.

“Feel free.” Skye flipped the sausage patties.

“Must be hard to cook for one,” Diehl said.

“It can be.”

“How about if you cooked extra, and I’ll microwave them tomorrow morning so you don’t have to send anyone until lunch?”

Skye didn’t answer right away. “I guess I can cook more sausage and bacon.”

“I should’ve said that sooner.” Diehl found the coffee maker. It wasn’t much of one, but he knew that Brinley didn’t drink much coffee—especially now while she was carrying her first child.

“What about pancakes?” Marlo asked.

Diehl shook his head. “I’m not sure I want pancakes every day, you know.”

“Yeah.”

“Where are the coffee beans?” Diehl asked.

“I saw some in the pantry,” Skye said. “The grinder is in there too.”

Marlo stepped over to the coffee maker. “I’ll take care of it, sir.”

Diehl nodded. “Now I have nothing to do.”

“You can go fill the bird feeder and pour clean water into the birdbath,” Skye suggested.

“Where are they?” Diehl asked.

Skye pointed toward the window above the farmhouse kitchen sink. “In the side garden. You might ask your sister where she keeps the birdseeds.”

Diehl made his way through the kitchen and breakfast area to the back door. There was a low deck that led off to a side garden.

But first, the view.

He thought the view from the upstairs master bedroom was spectacular, but it was here too, on the ground level. Beyond the deck was a well-mowed backyard, leading to a boardwalk over some dunes and sea oats, and then it was the beach and sea and sky.

He thought he might go for a swim in the ocean, though he’d rather not go alone. Ever since Parker drowned out there, Diehl had been loathe to step into the ocean.

It was irrational, he knew, but he felt the weight of his brother’s responsibilities on top of his. With Parker gone, Diehl was the first child now. He felt that he had to make sure his parents lived out their retirement years without any needs or wants.

Ironically, Dad had gone to Atlanta to bat for him, to cover for him, and to fix the five-billion-dollar errors he had made in the last two months. At least Dad didn’t yell at him over it. Diehl was sure that Dad could salvage the deal. Either the merger would not go through or they would walk away with great investments.

It could go either way.

But he wasn’t going to think about that now. His job was to rest for three months until he healed from this pain in his heart. And then he’d be raring to go back to work.

What pain, exactly?

He walked around the house toward the garage—which was closed. Of course. Sigh.

Before he returned to the house to open the garage door, he texted Brinley to find out where the birdseeds were.

She called him immediately. “How’s lunch?”

“I’m sure the risotto is good, but they’re making me breakfast.”

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