Page 75 of Sycamore Circle

“Samuel.” She said his real name like always, like a breath of fresh air mixed in with warm-cookie goodness. “This is a nice surprise.”

He glanced at the time and winced. It was half past six. “Sorry about the time. Are you in the middle of supper?”

“I am not.” She sounded affronted. “I’ll have you know that I ate an hour ago, just like always. I’m just sitting here on the front porch watching the sun as it thinks about going down.”

“I’m jealous.” He knew exactly where she was. Their old farmhouse had a beautiful front and side porch. It was wide and painted pale blue and filled with wicker furniture that seemed determined to withstand the test of time. For as long as he could remember, his mother would sip coffee there in the morning and spend her evenings there watching the sun set.

Back when he was a teenager, he’d been sure it was a waste of time. There wasn’t much of a view from the front porch. Just an expanse of yard and the neighbor’s house across the road.

“If you’re jealous about watching the sun set, I believe you need to come home soon and visit for a spell.”

“I’d like that.”

“Do you have some time off?” Her voice was filled with hope.

That was the thing. Of course he did. Lincoln didn’t hold with things like vacation days or timeclocks. Plus, Bo did so much of his job at off times—whenever the guys needed him—no one would ever blink twice if he said that he needed to take a week and visit his family.

So why hadn’t he?

“I’d love to come see you, Momma.”

“Except...”

He smiled. “Except that I’m kind of dealing with something right now.”

“Ah. What is that?”

“I’m starting to see a woman.”

His confession startled a laugh out of her. “Out of all the things I thought you were going to say, a woman was at the bottom of my list.”

“Wonders never cease, right?”

“Indeed. Well, come on now. Tell me about her.”

“All right. Her name is Joy. She’s got long brown hair, brown eyes, and is as kind as all get out. She’s also divorced and has a girl named Chloe.”

“Does she, now?” Warmth filled her voice. “How old is that child?”

“Sixteen.”

“Sixteen. Well, now. I’m sure she and you are getting along.”

“We’re just starting to get to know each other. Joy keeps a pretty close eye on her.”

“I imagine that’s smart.”

Thinking about Joy’s stalker, he nodded. “I reckon so. A woman can’t be too careful.”

“If I had to take a wild guess, I’d say Joy is taking baby steps in the relationship department because she’s worried about her daughter getting too attached. Or herself.”

“Yeah, maybe. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“That’s because you’re not a mother. Don’t worry. Before you know it, you and Chloe will be chatting like y’all are good friends.”

“I don’t know about that, Mom. She’s sixteen, not six.”

“I don’t think that’s going to make a difference. Girls have always liked you. That was never your problem, was it?”

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