The man smiled warmly, believing that he knew exactly why she wanted to see the woman. “I think she’s in my study admiring the collection of books that you girls got me.” Henry winked at his daughter, “Go on, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind having some company.”

The smile broke across Brooke’s face, “Thanks, Dad. You’re the best.” Brooke reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek, then scurried off toward the den.

“What’s she so excited about, Dad?” Rick spoke up as he watched her leave.

“She looks like she’s in love,” Brian added, then both men turned to look at Henry for confirmation.

“Who knows?” Henry shrugged, not wanting to add to the pressure that Brooke was already putting herself under. He feigned any knowledge of the reason, “You know Brooke…little things tend to excite her.” Henry turned to see his daughter slip into the den, closing the door behind her, while a smile settled on his face.

Hearing the door close, the woman turned to see her niece’s friend. “Brooke,” she called out as a smile came to Sandy’s face, “Your parents have such a lovely house. I was just admiring the bookcases here in the den.”

“I’m sure that they’d be happy to hear that.” Brooke moved into the room, “Uh… Ma’am, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Why sure, Dear.” Sandy looked over, giving Brooke her full attention, “Anything that I can help you with?”

“Actually yes, there is.” Brooke motioned to the couch, “Please, have a seat.”

“Oh my, this sounds important.” Sandy sat down, then looked up to Brooke. “Is there something on your mind?”

“Well.. It’s a couple of things actually.” Brooke bit on her lip, then nodded.

“Hmm…” Sandy watched as Brooke paced for a moment then stopped and stood before her.

“First of all…” Brooke started, “I’ve been thinking about Christmas for Sam. I was wondering if you could help me out.”

“Oh dear, I’m not sure that I know her sizes,” the woman strained to think.

“No,” Brooke chuckled. “Nothing like that. I know Sam would like to see her parents and spend the holiday with them, and Sarah.” Brooke looked into Sandy’s eyes, “I know she really misses her father.”

“Oh, Brooke, you’re so right.” Sandy nodded, “She was very close to her father at one time, but I’m afraid her mother is the one that is so dead set against her influencing Sarah.”

“Well..I’d uhm…” Brooke rubbed the back of her neck with her hand, “I’d kind of like to talk to them. That’s where I need your help.” Brooke sat down on the couch next to Sam’s aunt. “I definitely wouldn’t let them know who I am.”

“Do you think you can…” Sandy searched the determined blue eyes, “but how?”

“Can you give me their address?”

Sandy nodded her head. “I can give that to you but I’m not sure it will do any good.”

“I at least want to try… for her.” Brooke got up from the couch, crossing to the desk, then returned with pen and paper and handed them to the woman.

The older woman took the offered writing tools, “Here, let me jot it down for you.”

She scribbled out the address, and listed the phone number underneath it, then handed it back to Brooke.

“Thank you, Aunt Sandy.” The dark-haired woman stared down at it committing it to her memory, then tore the page off the pad and shoved it into her pocket. “This means a lot to me.”

“Brooke,” Sandy waited until she had the woman’s attention, “I’d be careful how you introduce yourself.”

“I will, I promise.” Blue eyes assured her sincerity in the matter.

“I know you will.” Sandy patted the empty couch next to her, “Okay, so that’s one thing, what’s the other?”

“The other?” Brooke looked puzzled for a moment, then remembered, “Oh yeah, I uhm…” the first inklings of a blush could be seen coming to the young woman’s neck as she sat down. “I wanted to do this the right way.”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad.” Sandy reached over and gave Brooke’s hand a pat, “You know, I was once young, too. Just talk to me like you would one of your friends.” The older woman leaned in to get a better view of Brooke’s face.

“Okay,” Brooke took in a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. “I love Sam very much, more than anything, actually. You’re the one person in her family that she still loves and trusts, besides Sarah and Crystal.” Brooke paused for a moment to wet her lips. “I’ve been thinking about something and when I made up my mind I decided to talk to you about it because it would be the honorable thing to do.” The young woman looked directly at the woman. “I want to ask Sam to marry me and I wanted to ask for your permission first.”

Brooke watched, as the older woman’s face remained motionless as only her eyes seemed to be able to move, running their paths deep into Brooke’s own. “I know it’s not legal but, that’s not really the point. I just…”

“Honorable thing…” Sandy was finally able to mutter out, “My word, girl…”

“Ma’am?” Brooke became concerned. “Excuse me?”

“You’re everything that she says you are. Sam said that you’d probably ask to be serious about her and she was right.”

“Sam said that?” Brooke looked surprised, “When? I haven’t said anything to her about this.”

“It was right after that movie.” Sandy pressed her memory for facts, “Now what did she call it… cluesworth?” She looked up to Brooke for help.

“Clueless?”

“Yes, that’s it…Clueless. She said you were so honorable and polite in the theater that she had to make the first move.”

“Yes, she ah… she did,” Brooke smiled at the memory.

“She said you seemed a little old fashioned.” Sandy smiled as she watched Brooke blush.

“A little?”

Sandy leaned over to Brooke and whispered, “Don’t worry… it becomes you. I like it, as I do you.”

“Really?” Brooke looked into Sandy’s face for the truth.

“Really,” the woman winked, confirming her words.

“Then do I have your blessing to propose to your niece?”

“My blessing, my wishes. If it’s what makes Sam happy, I’m all for it. The way she talks about you, it will make her very happy. Yes, Brooke, you have my blessing to continue seeing Sam. I personally can’t think of a better person for her than you.”

Brooke smiled at Sandy. “Thank you. I don’t think you’ll ever know how much this means to me.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised. I know how much you mean to my niece,” Sandy let the lilt in her voice become very audible.

Brooke smiled as she played with the box in her pocket. “Thank you, so very much.”

There was a moment of silence as the two women sat thinking about the very same small blonde before Sandy began to speak. “So, when do you think,” she stopped short and then waved her hand, “Never mind me… you go at your

own pace and love every minute of it.”

“I want to ask her now but I don’t want her to think I’m rushing things. I’ll just wait until it’s perfect and the time feels right.”

“That sounds like a good plan. I’m sure she’d much rather have it that way.” Sandy started to get up from the couch.

“Yeah…” Brooke nodded her head, “Believe me… it’ll be perfect.” Brooke looked up at the woman standing in front of her with her arms held out to her and got up, leaning into the welcoming embrace.

“I’m sure it will, Brooke.” Sandy hugged the tall woman, “I’m sure it will.”

Mable Gordon put off calling everyone to the table until she went on one of her matriarchal rounds of the house. She saw her second eldest daughter emerge from the den behind Sam’s aunt, in good spirits. Altering her route through the first floor rooms, Mable smiled politely as she passed Aunt Sandy, then reached out to her daughter to get the beaming woman’s attention. “Brooke, it’s time to get everyone to the table. How about if you…”

“I know, Mom.” Brooke squeezed her mother’s hand. “I’ll go round up all the kids for dinner.”

“Thanks, Brooke.” Mable released her grip on Brooke and turned toward the doorway to the living room where the tall figure of her first born stood watching out into the hall. “Randi,” the matriarch summoned her, “Could you please go tell your father and the others that dinner will be served in just a few minutes?”

“Sure, Mom.” Randi pushed off the wall she was leaning against, then walked toward her mother on the way to the yard. “Any idea what was going on behind the closed door with Brooke and Sam’s aunt?” The lawyer paused, waiting for an answer.

“No idea at all,” Mable wiped her hands on her apron. “Now, talk turkey to me and I could tell you a wealth of information.” The older woman winked, then motioned for Randi to move along. “You’d better get going before Brooke and all the kids are feasting on the bird and your father won’t have even given the toast yet. You know how that man gets if things are done out of order.”

“I’m going.” Randi took a step or two down the hallway then stopped, turning back toward her mother. “You know, Mom… you can only run interference for so long. There’s a secret brewing here. I can feel it.” With that said, Randi took her leave.

The matriarch watched as her eldest daughter disappeared into the doorway leading to the next room before she let out her held breath. “Brooke, I hope you know what you’re doing,” she muttered, then turned to address the small group gathered in the living room. “Sandy, Peter,” Mable smiled seeing the young woman’s head come into view from around the musician’s frame, “Crystal. You might want to make your way into the dinning room now. We’re about to get ready for the start of dinner.”

“Gosh, Mrs. G.,” Peter spoke up, “We’d be happy to.” He looked over to Crystal, offering his right arm to the young woman, then to her mother, he offered his left arm, “Ladies?” When both women were in place on either side of him, he led them into the dining room with a proud smile on his face.

Smiling at Peter’s expense, Mable turned to go back out into the hallway when the sound of running feet and yelling voices made her stop abruptly from taking another step. Within seconds, Randi’s sons, David and Kevin came flying down the hall, yelling out their greeting as they passed her.

“Hi, Grammie,” the youngest waved as he passed, followed closely by his brother.

Seeing his Grandmother standing in the doorway, the older child slowed down, for a step or two as he turned to keep her in view while he passed by. “Hey, Gram. Don’t worry, I’ll stop Kevin.”

“You know better, David. Don’t go setting a bad example for your brother,” Mable scolded the lad with a shaking finger, then chuckled to herself, remembering her own children doing the exact same thing.

“Sorry, Gram,” David muttered as he slowed down to an exaggerated crawl.

The matriarch looked down the hall before stepping out of the doorway, knowing all to well that there was still another child to come by.

Brooke rounded the bottom of the stairs and saw the trepidation in her mother’s step. “Don’t worry, Mom. It’s safe, I’ve got the little rugrat.” The musician held up the giggling child in her arms as she walked down the hall toward her mother.

“Hey, Mom,” Sam’s blonde head stuck out of the doorway and looked down the length of the hall. “Do you want the pies left in to warm or would you like me to turn off the oven?”

“Ah…no…I…” Mable thought for a moment, “I’ll take care of it, Sam. Why don’t you just go have a seat at the table with Brooke.” The matriarch winked at her daughter who was now standing next to her. “You know, we do treat you like a guest the first holiday season. After that, well…” Mable shrugged her shoulders as she stole a quick glance at Brooke, “who knows, maybe we’ll consider you family.”

Blonde brows furrowed, trying to decipher the code. “Okay, Mom… anything you say.” Sam took in a breath as the older woman moved around her, heading for the kitchen. Looking up to the small child in her lover’s arms, the young woman smiled, focusing her conversation on the child. “And what’s your name, lil’ one? I don’t think I’ve met you yet.”

“Ju-lie…” the girl answered, her dimples showing with her shy smile.

“Yeah,” Brooke leaned down to kiss the tot’s brown hair. “Julie here has been taking her nap like a good girl. She’s three.” The tall woman wrapped her arm around Sam’s shoulder and started to move them toward the dinning room.

“That’s a pretty name.” Sam turned slightly, then held out her hand to the child. “Hi, I’m Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam.” The blonde smiled as they came to the doorway of the dining room. “And I’m a lot older than you are,” Sam glanced at Brooke and chuckled.