Rainshadow Road (Friday Harbor #2)(37)

Sam examined the part at the back of Holly’s head. “It’s as straight as a cat’s tail.”

She gave him a mildly exasperated glance. “Cats’ tails aren’t straight.”

“They are when you pull them,” he said, and gently tugged one of her ponytails. He set the bowl of cereal on the table. “You’re going to be late for school if I have to redo it.”

Holly heaved a sigh. “I guess I’ll have to go around like this all day.” She tilted her head at a compensating angle.

Sam laughed, nearly choking on a swallow of coffee. “If you hurry through breakfast, we might have time to fix it.”

“Fix what?” came Mark’s voice as he entered the kitchen. He went to Holly and knelt by her chair. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

Her arms went around his neck. “Good morning, Uncle Mark.” She kissed him and pressed a grin against his shoulder. “Will you fix my hair?”

Mark gave her a sympathetic glance. “Did Sam do it crooked again? I’ll take care of it. But first eat your cereal while it’s still crunchy.”

“How’s it going?” Sam asked, while Mark emptied the coffeepot and strainer basket. “Everything okay?”

Mark nodded, looking weary and perturbed. “Great dinner with Maggie last night—everything’s fine—we’re just trying to figure out some tricky scheduling.” He paused, his dark brows drawing together. “We’re trying to set the wedding date. Maybe move it up a little. I’ll tell you more later.”

“Why the rush?” Sam asked. “It’s not like there’s a time limit on your engagement.”

Mark filled the tank of the coffee machine. He slid Sam a guarded glance. “There is, actually.”

“I don’t get it. Why…” Then it hit him. Sam’s eyes widened. “We’re talking about a nine-month time limit?” he asked gingerly.

A slight nod.

“Is Maggie going to have a baby?” Holly asked around a mouthful of cereal.

Mark turned away and swore quietly, while Sam gave Holly an incredulous glance. “How did you know what I was asking?”

“I watch the Discovery Channel.”

“Thanks, Sam,” Mark growled.

Sam grinned and gave him a back-slapping bear hug. “Congratulations.”

Holly leaped from her chair and bounced up and down. “Can I help take care of the baby? Can I help name it? Can I have a day off of school when it’s born? When’s the baby coming?”

“Yes, yes, yes, and we don’t know yet,” Mark said. “Sweetheart, is there any way we can keep this private for a little while? We’re not at the point where Maggie wants to start telling people yet.”

“Sure,” Holly said brightly. “I can keep a secret.”

Mark and Sam exchanged a rueful glance, knowing that everyone at the elementary school would know by day’s end.

After Mark had dropped Holly at school, he came back to find Sam staining the newly installed wainscoting in the living room. The smell of the stain, a dark walnut color, packed a hefty punch even though Sam had opened the windows to provide good ventilation.

“Don’t come in unless you want a buzz,” Sam said.

“In that case, I’m definitely helping you.”

Sam smiled quizzically as Mark entered the room. “The news was a shock, huh? You two weren’t planning on this?”

“No.” Sighing, Mark sat beside him and picked up a paintbrush.

“This wainscoting’s a son of a bitch to stain,” Sam said. “You have to get it into all the grooves. So how did you react when Maggie told you?”

“One hundred and ten percent positive, of course. I told her it was the best news ever, and I loved her, and everything’s going to be great.”

“So what’s the problem?” Sam asked.

“I’m scared shitless.”

Sam laughed quietly. “That’s normal, I guess.”

“My biggest worry is Holly. I don’t want her to feel shoved aside. I wanted some time to focus on her, for me and Maggie to do things with just her.”

“I think Holly needs just the opposite,” Sam said. “I mean, hell, Mark, she’s had the two of us—and sometimes Alex—focused entirely on her for a year. The poor kid could probably use a break. With a baby coming into the picture, Holly will have some company. She’ll love it.”

A doubtful glance. “You think so?”

“How could she not? A mom, a dad, and a baby brother or sister—a perfect family.”

Mark worked the stain into the wainscoting. A couple of minutes passed before he could bring himself to admit what was really bothering him. “I hope to God I can be good enough for them, Sam.”

Sam understood. When you came from a family as dysfunctional as theirs, you had no idea how to do things. There was no template, no trove of memories to call on when you needed to know how to handle something. You wanted a guarantee that you wouldn’t somehow end up like one or the other of your parents. But there were no guarantees. There was only the hope that if you did everything the opposite of how you were raised, maybe things would turn out okay.

“You’re already good enough,” Sam said.