1105 Yakima Street - Debbie Macomber [72]
His attitude infuriated Lori. Linc was a decent, honest, hardworking man. Her father should thank God that she’d married a man as wonderful as Lincoln Wyse. Leonard was determined to control her life and she wouldn’t let him. Because of that he was punishing Linc and, through Linc, her.
When she’d phoned home and severed her relationship with her family, Linc felt she’d overreacted. It was true that she’d acted on impulse, but she’d meant every word.
Linc arrived home just as she finished sorting out the silverware. “Looks like you’re making good progress,” he said.
“What amazes me is how much stuff I’ve accumulated.”
“Pretty shocking, isn’t it?” Linc slipped his arms around her from behind and buried his face in her neck. “Do you think we could initiate our new home tonight?” he whispered.
“That’s a distinct possibility,” Lori whispered back, her hands covering his.
There was a polite knock at the open front door.
Instantly Linc dropped his arms. They both turned to find Kate Bellamy standing on the other side with a small gift bag in her hand.
“Mom,” Lori said, forgetting for the moment that she was no longer speaking to her family.
“I stopped by the apartment and the neighbor told me where you’d moved,” Kate said. “I brought you a small housewarming gift.”
She seemed to be waiting for an invitation to step inside. Lori was too stunned to react.
“Mrs. Bellamy,” Linc said, taking charge. “Come in, please.” He pushed aside a series of empty boxes, clearing a path for Kate. She made her way to the small table in the breakfast nook, where he pulled out a chair for her.
Lori was uncertain of what to say. She’d stood up to her family, and pride wouldn’t allow her to back down. Still, this was her mother; she couldn’t very well ask her to leave. Especially since her real problem was with her father…
“Would you like some coffee or tea?” Linc asked.
“So you’ve unpacked the kitchen?” Kate asked, eyeing the cardboard boxes stacked against a wall.
“I know where the tea bags are and I can boil water,” Lori said. Mary Jo had unboxed the pots and pans, so she knew exactly where to find one.
Her mother grinned. “I taught you well,” she said in a joking voice.
“As a matter of fact you did,” Linc said smoothly. “Lori obviously picked up her cooking skills from you.”
“Oh, honestly, Linc, you’d been eating your brothers’ cooking. Anything was an improvement over that.”
“Mary Jo cooked, too,” he was quick to tell her.
Ignoring him, Lori said to her mother, “Actually, I could stir fry crabgrass and Linc wouldn’t complain.”
“I remember when your father and I were first married,” Kate said with a wistful look. “I was a terrible cook. I ruined almost every meal and yet he ate all those atrocious, burned dinners and said they were delicious. That’s what love will do for you.”
Lori set the kettle on to boil and found three mugs. A canister in the cupboard held the tea bags.
“Open your gift,” her mother said, handing her the package.
“You didn’t need to do this,” she said as she took the bag. The pink tissue paper inside was folded into peaks. Her mother had always been a stylish woman whose sense of elegance and beauty transformed everything around her. Since those early days of her marriage, Kate had learned how to cook, and every meal was as lovely to look at as it was to eat. Beauty had become her watchword in all things. Even now, dressed in slacks and a sweater with a rain jacket, Kate resembled a model. She was tall and slim and Lori had rarely seen her without perfect hair and makeup.
Lori wished she could be more like her mother, although she believed she’d inherited her interest in fashion from Kate.
“It’s just something small,” Kate murmured.
Lori pulled out the paper and discovered a handheld blender. She didn’t have one. “Oh, Mom, this is great. Thank you so much.”
“I love mine, and I hoped you hadn’t bought one yet.”
“No, I haven’t. You’re always so thoughtful.