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She’d spoken of her difficult first marriage to an alcoholic who was constantly gaslighting her and emptying out their bank account. She was pretty broken when she was rescued by Calvin. And yep, it was a love-at-first-sight sort of thing. Apparently, Drake is the spitting image of his dad. Poor woman had no hope of not falling for him. To her, Calvin was a stable influence. A hardworking man who was rough around the edges but tried to give Nora and his sons what he could. She spoke of tender moments, like when he would take her on picnics and bring home wildflower bouquets he had picked himself.
But it all came with its troubles. Nora wasn’t used to the back-breaking work farm life required, and Jameson resented Calvin for trying to love him. And like Drake had said, Jameson was stuck between two worlds and he idolized city life. And Drake idolized Jameson. The feeling was mutual, according to Nora. Jameson loved his little brother. He thought of himself as his protector and would get in between Calvin and Drake anytime Calvin tried to discipline Drake or offer correction. Nora was exhausted by all the fighting. It’s all she knew in her first marriage. She couldn’t stand it anymore and thought leaving would bring everyone peace. She realizes now, no one was at peace about it. It’s funny how sometimes you have to be willing to wage a war before you can have peace. She regrets not fighting harder.
I asked why they had come to the inn. With tears in her eyes, she said it was Calvin’s attempt to show her how much he loved her. She said he never took any time off, but he’d surprised her with a one-night stay here. I didn’t ask for any gory details, but the blush in her cheeks said it all. That, and the way she kept running her fingers over the walls as she’d walked around my beloved place. It was as if she were trying to recapture the night she’d spent here. I had done the same thing the first time I had come back to visit George.
Jameson stretched his arms up high. “When I’m this big, my dad said I can drive all his cool cars. And maybe blow something up in one of his movies.”
Nora laughed and reached out to touch his curls. She looked about as enthralled with those babies as me. I bet Calvin had curls.
I stood up from the table. “Before you blow anything up, you need to feed Fiona.”
Jameson jumped up. “I’ll be right back,” he told his grandma. “Don’t move, because I’m going to tell you all about the time machine I’m going to build so I can go back and see the dinosaurs.” He ran off.
Nora smiled after him. “He’s so full of energy. He reminds me so much of Drake.”
“It’s hard to see Drake as anything but moody. I mean, definitely lovable—but oh so broody.”
Nora nodded. “He became that way after we moved to Seattle. I think, deep down, he, too, wanted his dad to stop us from leaving.”
I bit my lip. “You know, Calvin came to his first play.”
Nora’s jaw dropped. “I never saw him.”
“Drake did. He didn’t want you to know.”
“Oh, Calvin,” she breathed out. “Stubborn fool. Like I’m one to talk. I was absolutely miserable in Seattle, but my pride and heart had been wounded. I refused to go crawling back home. A home I realized how much I missed, even if it was small and drafty in the winter and hot during the summer. Calvin had made me a cute window seat in our bedroom where I could read and watch the boys play in the backyard.” Her chest rose and fell.
“That’s sweet.”
“It was. But I always wanted more—better than what we had. You could say I had been born with a silver spoon in my mouth. But there are things money can’t buy, and I realized that too late.”
I reached across the table and patted her slender, elegant hand. “I don’t think it’s ever too late. Drake and I are a testament to that. At least I hope so.”
“I hope so, too. When I hear Drake talk during interviews, he’s a different person now. I see the little boy who used to sit on his dad’s lap and tell him he wanted to be a farmer when he grew up.”
“I don’t think Drake remembers that.”
“Probably not. He was quite young, and unfortunately I let Jameson turn Drake against Calvin.”
I tilted my head.
“I didn’t encourage it,” she added, “but I didn’t do all I could to stop it either. I was so afraid Jameson would leave me to go live with his biological dad’s family.” Her voice filled with emotion. “I never wanted to rock the boat with Jameson. Instead, I sunk our family’s ship.” She sank into her chair as if the weight of the world had fallen on her.
