“Me, too,” Athena said. “Do you ever go back to Kentucky?”
Samantha shrugged. “Haven’t been back. I might. I still own the house I inherited from my grandparents. It was left to my mom, technically, but she ran out and…” Realizing she was saying too much again, she just offered, “It’s not much of a house. Just a cabin. Needs a lot of repairs. Probably isn’t even livable.”
Athena nodded. “I bet it’s beautiful there. But we’re glad you’re here now. And I can’t wait until you come play at the nursery for the first time. You know, I have some cards out in the car with the nursery info printed on them, like the gate code, our number in case you ever need to call, and that sort of thing. Walk out with me and I’ll grab one for you.”
Samantha’s stomach turned an excited somersault. Was she really being invited to officially join Auntie Athena’s WestHollywood Nursery? And not the rich Tonya. But Samantha—the dirt-poor hillbilly from the Appalachian Mountains.
Athena, Caroline, and Trevon thanked everyone before leaving.
Outside, Trevon and Caroline split off from Auntie Athena and Samantha, walking to a large pickup. Trevon opened the passenger door and helped Caroline in like a true gentleman. Samantha didn’t have the sense that they were a couple, but rather he was just a polite guy.
Once Samantha was standing in front of Athena’s car, the older woman smiled and said, “It was lovely to actually meet you.”
What did she mean byactually? Perhaps she’d just heard Kendrick talking about her so much that it was nice to see her in person.
She opened the front passenger door, leaned in, and pulled something from the console. Turning back around, she handed Samantha a small wallet-sized card.
“Keep this on you. Call if you ever need anything.”
“Yes, Ma’am. And thank you!”
They hugged.
Once they were done, Athena didn’t walk to the driver’s side right away. It seemed as if there was something she wanted to say.
A moment later, she spoke.
“I choose to see the best in people. Very few people are actually bad. We’re all sort of… mixed bags.”
Samantha drew a deep breath, wondering where the Auntie was going with this.
“I love the people inside that mansion. And I don’t think you’d ever hurt them. At least,Samanthawouldn’t.”
Samantha froze. Her eyes stared unblinkingly at Athena.
Auntie put a hand on her arm. “It’s not my place to tell. But I’ll just say this. If you want your relationship to be a success, I would make sure it’s built on honesty. Trust is… everything. Don’t pour the wrong foundation.” She leaned in and hugged Samantha again. “Just some friendly advice for what it’s worth.” After the hug, she moved her hands to Samantha’s shoulders. Smiling warmly, she said, “You’re a good person, honey. Don’t beat yourself up. Just… make good choices.”
With that, Auntie Athena got in her car, drove away, and left a very stunned Samantha standing at the curb.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kendrick stood at the door, watching Samantha walk outside with Athena and the others as they headed to their cars.
He believed what Athena had said and had no doubt she wanted to give Samantha a card with the nursery’s info. But there was something else to it. She wanted to tell Samantha something, too. He knew Athena well enough to know the wheels had been turning in her mind.
What was it about? Was it the same suspicion he had—that Samantha was hiding something?
It wasn’t any of his business. He even felt strange about leaning against the doorjamb and watching, so he pushed off it and retreated to the den where he poured himself a drink at the bar.
Ace and Matteo were at the pool table, playing a game.
“What’s on your mind?” Ace asked as he sent the cueball toward the colorful triangle of striped and solids.
“Can’t a fella just have a drink when he wants one?” Kendrick asked.
“Oh yeah. We have some, too.” Ace leaned his pool cue against the wall and picked up the glass of amber liquid that sat on a tall bar table positioned just a couple feet away from thebilliards table. He took a sip, and then in his best Dean Martin voice said, “Any time is a good time for a little drinky-poo as far as I’m concerned.”
Kendrick toasted him. “Hey, that’s pretty good. Sing something.”
