Page 35 of The Secret of Emerald Cottage

Chapter Twenty

“Sweet mother of pearl, but that man shore is a feast for the eyes.” Miss Lilly sat between Molly and Brec on the sofa for their umpteenth viewing of The Greatest Showman, eyes agog as she stared at the screen during the final scene. Molly silently thanked Cat for lending her the DVD because it seemed to have captured Miss Lilly as much as it had Molly, helping her to get her mind off of Roy Lambert’s murder last week.

Molly’s lips took a slant. Of course watching it every night for the last five days might be a wee bit over the top, but Miss Lilly loved it, and Molly would stop at nothing to lift her spirits. She snuck a peek at Brec who sat on the other side of his aunt and couldn’t help but grin. Who would have thought that a big, strapping soccer star who preferred blood-and-guts movies would stomp his feet to the beat along with the cast?

Every single time.

Certainly not her, but then Brec McGill had been surprising her one way or the other since he crossed Miss Lilly’s threshold. She chewed the edge of her lip. Or more accurately, since he’d crossed the threshold of Molly’s room.

Miss Lilly shook her head, gaze glued to the screen. “I do believe I could watch this movie over and over again,” she said softly.

Molly couldn’t agree more. Turning her attention back, she watched Hugh Jackman and his movie wife at their daughter’s dance recital in the final scene, head tenderly bent against hers in the way God meant families to be. She sighed along with Miss Lilly, wondering if she would ever have that type of love with anyone. “Hear, hear, Miss Lilly, though I suspect your nephew will give you a staunch argument on that point.”

“And whoo-ee, that Zac Efron ain’t so bad for a young’un either,” Miss Lilly continued as if she hadn’t heard Molly’s comment, still mesmerized by Molly’s—and now Miss Lilly’s—favorite movie.

Brec made a noise of dismissal, rising to reach for the remote to turn off the DVD and TV. “Come on now, Aunt Lilly, being married to a full-blooded Irishman like Uncle Hal, surely you think Colin Farrell would have done a better job than an Australian Brit Wolverine?”

“Mebbe,” Miss Lilly said as she lumbered up from the sofa, “but I guarantee you one thing, sonny, it’ll be Mr. Hugh that will be a-singin’ and a-dancin’ in my brain tonight. Okay, you two, give this old woman a kiss because P.T. Barnum is a-waitin’ for me in my dreams.”

“Good night, Miss Lilly.” Molly bent to press a gentle kiss to the old woman’s cheek before she gave her a tight hug. “And sweet dreams.”

“Oh, they will be, girly-girl,” she said with a low chuckle, turning to receive Brec’s sweet kiss on her forehead before she made her way to the stairs, flopping a backhanded wave. “Especially if ol’ Colin teams up with Hugh and Zac tonight.”

Brec shook his head as he carried the dessert plates into the kitchen. “You are a bad, bad influence on my aunt, Princess, you know that?”

Molly’s chin nudged up. “Only because Hugh and Zac are a bad influence on me, Striker Boy. Like Miss Lilly, I could watch that movie a dozen more times.”

“Uh, five times is more than enough for me, I’m afraid, although I will agree it is a musical trifecta like you said. The perfect blend of music, lyrics, and choreography, especially all that stompin’. Trust me, that’s high praise from a guy whose favorite movie is The Terminator.” He set the dishes in the sink, then shot her a wink over his shoulder. “Although Arnold does a fair amount of stomping of his own in that movie, as I recall.”

Chuckling, she shooed him out of the way so she could do the dishes, never overly comfortable when Brec McGill got too close. But at a distance, he was becoming a good friend, which is exactly how she wanted it to stay. “You made dinner and my favorite dessert, so the dishes are mine, remember? But I will let you make coffee for tomorrow since apparently, I don’t have your magic touch.”

His magic touch. Against her will, thoughts of Brec’s two stolen kisses came to mind, and she swallowed hard, quickly turning away to focus on rinsing the last of the dishes. No, no, no, Margaret Lorraine, she mentally scolded, thoughts of touches and kisses as off-limits as the real thing, so scour that mind of yours along with the dishes!

“I have to admit, I’m glad Uncle Hal’s appraiser is coming tomorrow,” Brec said as he filled the coffee pot with water. “I’m not comfortable with the coin collection being hidden in this house. If it’s appraised for as much as I think it will be, I’m going to insist Aunt Lilly keeps it in a safe-deposit box.”

Molly placed a soap packet in the dishwasher and turned it on. “I think that’s a good idea,” she said, wiping the counter down as she watched Brec grind coffee beans, the delicious smell wafting in the kitchen. “Hopefully we can convince her together.”

“Oh, you bet we will.” Brec filled the empty ceramic container with the freshly ground coffee and sealed the airtight gasket lid before returning the bag of whole beans back into the cabinet. “She’s a stubborn one, but when pitted against the two of us—two people who love her and only want the best for her?” He shook his head as he scooped freshly ground coffee into the coffee-pot filter. “She doesn’t stand a chance because we make a pretty good team.”

“Yes, we do,” Molly said, deflecting a blush by closing her eyes to sniff the coffee. “Oh that coffee smells so good, it makes me want a cup.”

“Well, why not?” Brec strolled over to the Keurig caddy, giving it a spin. “Lots of decaf here, Goldie, so how ’bout a cup with a second piece of peach pie?”

Molly groaned, head flung back with a dramatic pinch of her brows. “Noooo! I’m already over my calorie count today because peach pie is my absolute favorite dessert ever!”

“All the more reason to sit down and have a piece, Mol, because we’ve earned it.” Tweaking the back of her neck, he led her over to the table and pulled out a chair. “Sit, Princess,” he said with a prodding pinch of her neck. “After working in the yard all day and cleaning out the garden shed, we not only earned a piece of pie, but a scoop of cinnamon ice cream as well.”

Hand on her hip, Molly wagged a finger at him. “You are no good for my figure, Brec McGill, baking desserts every night of the week. I’ve gained ten pounds since you came to live with us.”

Eyes twinkling, his gaze meandered from the top of her messy ponytail down her pink and black “I’m a nurse, but we can’t fix ‘stupid” T-shirt to her black leggings and hot-pink toes. A slow smile slid across his lips as he roamed back up again, unsettling her with a half-mast look that toasted her cheeks. “Well, then, you’re welcome, Princess, because it’s obviously gone in all the right places, so sit.” He prodded her into the chair with a crooked grin. “With a side benefit of putting meat on Aunt Lilly’s bones, too, right? What flavor decaf you want?”

“I guess.” Relenting with a noisy sigh, Molly dropped into the chair with arms crossed on the table, unable to deny Brec had been a godsend for his aunt in so many ways.

“Butter toffee, please,” she muttered, giving up the ghost when it came to Brec McGill. Her mouth cemented in resolve. When it came to food and Miss Lilly only.

Nothing else.

“Coming right up.” He popped the appropriate K-cup in the Keurig, then pulled the peach pie out of the fridge to cut two healthy pieces that were anything but. After putting them in the microwave, he stirred a hefty dose of Half-and-Half into her coffee just like she preferred, promptly setting it before her with a wink. “After all, we had to do something to cheer her up after Roy’s death, didn’t we? And if filling her up with her favorite fattening foods and stomping to an Aussie wolverine ad nauseam serves that purpose, then so be it.”