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My dad’s grin turns into a full smile. “Sometimes a dad has to do what he has to do. And look how well it’s turning out.” He motions his hand between Nora and me.
“Oh, Charles, stop it. You’re making Nora blush,” Mom jokingly scolds Dad for his implication.
“Here are you drinks,” Stormy nearly sings as she sets the large tray on the end of the table before passing them out.
As soon as she walks away, Marie says, “SJ was saying how much he’s enjoyed being home with you all.”
My parents’ smiles both warms my heart and breaks it simultaneously. They know I love them, and I know how much they love me. I haven’t come home to visit like I should. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I’ve been so busy with clients.
“Nora is really enjoying Sutter Creek, too,” Walt adds.
“We could always use help at the hardware store, and Sutter Creek can be a home base for Nora’s dancing career,” Sam says. She’s not very smooth at dropping hints.
“It doesn’t look like I’ll be dancing again soon.” As much as she tries to hide it, Nora’s words are filled with sadness.
She loves dancing more than anything. Between the injury and her stalker, the rug has been pulled out from under her.
Without thinking, I put my arm around her. “Hopefully, you’ll be back at it in no time. Colin is still watching David’s apartment and you’re healing.”
“Not fast enough. I won’t make the next show dates. I spoke with Alex this morning.”
“Oh, honey, why didn’t you tell us?” Marie asks, equally as sad as Nora. She knows dancing is everything to her daughter.
“I didn’t want to bring down the mood. It’s okay. I’ll be ready for the next one. And if not, there will be others. That’s just the way the cookie crumbled this time.” Nora forces a smile, but I can still see the sadness in her eyes.
There are still a couple of weeks before the next show starts. Nora wouldn’t have as much rehearsal time as some of the other performers, but she’s a natural. Part of me wonders if Alex isn’t doing this as some sort of punishment for coming to Sutter Creek with me.
Three servers come out carrying trays containing food ordered from our table. They make quick work of setting out plates for each person and then line the center of the table with each serving dish. We all start with the dish closest to us, spooning it onto our plates.
“There’s been no sign of the bastard terrorizing Nora?” Walt asks. The fury in his voice is understandable.
“Walt,” Marie scolds simply.
“Well, Marie, it really gets me that Nora has to deal with this. She’s at the height of her career and has to deal with some psychopath.”
“Unfortunately, no. We’ve had guys sitting on his apartment around the clock since Nora and I got to Sutter Creek. There’s been no sign of him,” I explain.
Once everyone has gotten their plates prepared, we all dig in.
“Could we not come up with a plan using Nora to bait the crazy guy in?” Sam’s suggestion is met with a stern response.
“No,” Dad says flatly.
“Absolutely not.” Walt’s fork clatters to his plate as he speaks.
“I wouldn’t even consider it,” I add.
“Keeping Nora safe is your brother’s responsibility, Sam. He certainly couldn’t and wouldn’t risk her safety to catch someone who is clearly unstable.” Mom’s voice stays calm and even as always.
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to… I just want this to be over for her,” Sam says apologetically.
“Of course, we all do,” Marie says, offering Sam a warm smile.
Sam leans forward, looking past me to make eye contact with Nora.
“Nora, I didn’t mean…” Sam’s still at a loss for words.
“No worries, Sam. I know you didn’t mean it in a bad way. I appreciate you being invested in wanting to get my life back to normal. I would say I’m not opposed to the idea, but we all know with this guy over here, it’s a no-go.” Nora sticks her thumb out, pointing it at my chest.
