Love Promises (Sully Point, Book 4) by Nicole Smith Page B

They have a great
view," Eric said.
    "Yes, it's a terrific house. Sam lived here
when he first came to Sully Point. But the house was burned down. After they
got together, he and Anna redesigned it to be exactly what they wanted."
    "And it turned out just like we wanted it to
be," Anna said from behind them. "Wine anyone?"
    Maggie introduced Eric to her, and Sam returned.
They all sat down in the living room. Maggie noticed that Sam and Anna were a
bit more dressed up than normal for a weeknight dinner.
    "Eric, we've heard that you used to work with
computers," Sam said. "Do you expect to go back to that?"
    Maggie jumped in before Eric could answer.
"Did Julia call you guys? Does everyone know who he is?"
    "Well, only the family for right now.
Although, if anyone in town Googles him..."
    Eric sucked in a breath. "Good grief! I
didn't even think of that. And here I was, thinking I'd be all incognito."
    Sam laughed and Anna looked at him fondly. Sam
said, "I know what you mean. I came here in the beginning without anyone
knowing who I was. Somehow that doesn't end up working too well in Sully
Point."
    Anna said, "Sam paved the way for anyone
dealing with fame, celebrity, or money. The town is quite protective of us
now."
    "In answer to your question, Sam, I do plan
to go back to computers in a way. I want to explore robotics and artificial
intelligence. That may require my returning to school. I was planning to look
in at MIT as a possibility."
    "Fascinating."
    "Maggie, what dish are you bringing to
Thanksgiving dinner?" Anna asked.
    "One of my specialties--green bean casserole.
There's no way I can screw that up."
    "The one with the fried onions on top?"
Eric asked, rather wistfully.
    "Yep, it has to have those. You know, Anna,
we should have Eric do lasagna. That's one of the things he cooks."
    Anna's eyebrows went up as Eric's face flushed.
"I think this year we'll let Eric just be a guest," she replied.
    "Is the kiddie monster in bed?"
    "Maggie! Don't call my son a monster,"
Sam said, but with a small smile on his face. "Joshua went to bed
willingly tonight."
    "That's because he was exhausted after
destroying my kitchen earlier," his wife said. "And it's all Sam's
fault. Don't even try telling them it was an art project of our little prodigy."
    "Who knew he could spread peanut butter
across the cabinets that fast? I swear I only took my eyes off of him for a
minute..."
    They all laughed, and then Anna encouraged them to
go into the dining room. Within minutes they were sitting down to a meal of
swordfish with lemon and crabmeat cream sauce, roasted green beans, and dinner
rolls.
    "It's a very light cream sauce, Maggie."
    "It's fine, Anna," she said hurriedly,
spooning some over her fish.
    "I know how important it is to you to eat
healthily."
    Eric choked and coughed, and then said, "What
did you say?"
    Maggie shook her head at Anna, but she didn't seem
to see it.
    "We always try to cook as healthy as possible
with Maggie around. She can be so strict about what she eats."
    Eric's eyebrows rose as he turned to stare at
Maggie. She smiled weakly at him. "I thought she loved desserts,"
Eric said.
    Sam laughed. "Oh, she does. But she only ever
indulges when she's upset. The rest of the time she is the picture of good
eating. We always know when Maggie has been angry or sad, or emotional in some
way, because she goes for the sugar."
    "I see," Eric said thoughtfully.
    "You let go of the rules at the holiday
meals, though. Right?" Anna asked.
    "Yes, yes, I'll have pumpkin pie. Now let's
change the subject. Sam, how's the latest book going?"
    The rest of the meal was filled with light, yet
interesting, conversation. The four of them were comfortable with each other
very quickly, and the evening went by in a flash. As they left, Eric thanked
Anna for a great meal, and reminded Sam of their plan to check out Cody's Bait
and Tackle Shop in the morning.
    The car was quiet as they drove back to Maggie's
place. Maggie waited, sure that it