Page 7 of Sweet Obsession
“Took you long enough to remember where you belong.” Alice Sweet took a half step in retreat, her eyes twinkling, her tone a perfect blend of sweet welcome and gentle scolding.
“Sorry, ma’am.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say, or meant anything more sincerely. He should have come back sooner. Shouldn’t have hidden away.
“It is so good to see you, son. But you’re too thin.”
He laughed. A real, unforced sound. “It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Sweet. And I promise, I’m eating.”
Alice Sweet’s gaze shifted to her daughter, then back to him. Linking elbows with him, she began walking toward the house. “Let’s go inside and then you can tell me what brings you here after all these years.”
Jillian fell into step beside her mother. “Blake’s here for his grandmother.”
“Sara?” Mrs. Sweet’s step halted. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Blake pulled his arm from hers and opened the screen door.
“That’s why he’s here.” As they walked to the kitchen, Jillian brought her mother up to date on Blake’s concerns.
Taking a seat at the familiar kitchen table, the same one that had been here since he was a kid, he filled in the details for his best friend’s mother.
“I’m so sorry, sweetie.” Mrs. Sweet’s expression softened instantly with motherly concern. “Jillian did the right thing. Of course, you’ll stay here. We have plenty of room. But I wouldn’t hold my breath on keeping you a secret for long.” She held her hand up. “Don’t get me wrong, we’ll do our best, but eventually, someone is bound to recognize you coming and going from your grandmother’s house.”
He knew she was right, but he just couldn’t deal with the small-town grapevine and any media bedlam that would follow once word got out that he was in town without stone walls and iron gates to keep him safe. “Which is why I thought I’d wait till after dark to go talk to Mom and Dad.”
Alice shook her head. “You’d need more than the cover of night to hide from the grapevine. I’ll call Betty and have them come here for dinner tonight.”
It wasn’t a question or even a suggestion. As sure as he knew his last album had topped the country rock charts, he knew that his parents would be sitting at the Sweet dining room table tonight.
“Supper’s already started. I’ll just head upstairs and get your room ready.”
“I’ll help.” Jillian pushed to her feet.
“No.” Alice shook her head. “This isn’t a two-person job.” She scurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs, leaving Blake and Jillian in the sudden quiet of the late afternoon.
“Your mom is one of a kind.”
“She is.” A soft smile touched Jillian’s lips. She gestured toward the back of the house. “It’ll be a bit before everyone straggles in from their day. I’ll pour us a couple of drinks and we can sit out on the back porch.”
A sudden memory of Alice Sweet’s strawberry lemonade made his mouth water. “Lemonade?”
Jillian giggled, much like she did when she was only ten years old, but there was no doubt in his mind she was far from a little girl now. “Two strawberry lemonades coming up.”
The drinks poured, each with a glass in hand, he followed her out the door to the sprawling back porch. He remembered this place. This was where the real heart of the Sweet family always seemed to beat. He sank onto one of the many rockers on themassive porch, the familiar creak of the wooden seats a sound straight from his youth.
Jillian took the seat beside him, pushing off gently with her feet. For a long moment, they were quiet; the only sound a distant lowing of cattle.
“I remember you and Rachel used to sit on those steps right there and watch us boys play football for hours.”
She laughed, a light, musical sound. “From where we sat, you all just looked more like a chaotic pile of arms and legs rather than an organized game with rules and regulations.” Turning her head, her gaze met his. “So, now what do you plan to do about your grandmother?”
The question brought the weight of the day rushing back. “I’ve spoken with a band member whose mother had dementia. She’ll need some basic tests done first. I’ve got a list of the best neurologists in the county. I’d prefer to take her to UT Southwestern but I know better than to think she’d be willing to go all the way to Dallas if she doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with her.”
She nodded, her expression full of an empathy that felt like a balm on a raw wound, when unexpectedly a hint of a smile teased at one corner of her mouth. “I don’t suppose you’ve considered slipping her a mickey, because I don’t think there will be any other way to get her to any doctor, never mind a specialist.”
It shouldn’t have been funny, and yet, it was. His grandmother’s feistiness was one of the things that he’d always loved about that old woman. He had no idea what was going to happen next, but there was one thing he was most definitely sure of, coming here had been the right thing to do—and maybe slipping his grandmother a mickey wasn’t such a bad idea either.
Chapter Five
Nursing the strawberry lemonade Jillian had poured for him, Blake sat in the rocker next to hers, his gaze fixed on the sprawling pastureland that melted into the distance. As if sensing her gaze, he turned his head, his lips momentarily pressed into a thin line. “I know it’s too late,” his voice came out low and raspy, as if he hadn’t spoken for days, “but I’m so very sorry for your loss and that I couldn’t make it back for your dad’s funeral. I wanted to be here. Your dad meant a great deal to me.”
