Three's a Crowd

by Fern Michaels

Genres: Women's Fiction; Short Stories

Synopsis

Originally published in Home Sweet Home
 
A heartwarming novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels that explores the meaning of home, motherhoods, and friendship . . .
 
This summer will be the first in three years that Samantha Stewart has spent with her parents. And she’s bringing a very special gift—the baby granddaughter they’ve never met. Sam’s work as an overseas reporter was exhilarating and dangerous. Now she’s seeking stability for little Caroline and answers for herself—and finding them in a homecoming full of surprises . . .
 

Release date: June 28, 2022

Publisher: Zebra Books

Print pages: 103

Sample

Samantha was thirty years old, and with no serious relationship to keep her stateside, she was prepared to take the assignment as soon as the network wanted her to start. Her roommate, Maria Salvatore, head meteorologist at Miami’s affiliate station, MWNN, knew she’d been waiting for this opportunity, and both were prepared for her absence. She’d sublet her share of the apartment as agreed upon, and when she returned to the States, she would find a new place. Sam knew she’d never find another roommate like Maria, but at thirty years old, she secretly hoped her next roommate would be a partner, preferably a husband. Not that she was actively looking, but her biological clock was ticking. While she was a long way from being too old to have children, as an only child, she had always wanted a family and at least three children. Maybe more. Her parents were the best, and though they’d already been in their early forties when she was born, she’d always longed for a brother or a sister. Growing up in Naples, Florida, she’d been surrounded by aunts and uncles, and a dozen cousins, but at the end of the day, she was still an only child. Someday, she wanted a big family of her own. Samantha never told her parents she had these thoughts though they’d always been in the back of her mind.

Now, having achieved her lifelong career ambition, Samantha knew that her dreams of a family and happily-ever-after would have to be put on hold, and right now she was okay with that. In her line of work, she’d had to learn to adjust to whatever circumstances she found herself in, which hardly ever involved establishing a normal daily routine. One day, she’d be reporting in Miami, and the next day she would be chief White House correspondent, working out of Washington but ready, on a moment’s notice, to travel wherever the political news of the moment took her. It was an exciting life, and knowing that her political reporting days were numbered, Samantha felt a shimmer of excitement at what lay ahead. What with a new beginning in a foreign country, she knew this assignment would be the riskiest of her career, even life-altering, but she’d dreamed of this for so long that she was able to put aside the normal fears of embarking on such an assignment. Tonight, she would make a trip to Naples to deliver the news to her parents. It was too important to tell them about it over the phone. Knowing that her parents would be against her taking this assignment, which carried no little risk, she would do her best to assure them of her safety and convince them that she would stay in touch as much as the situation allowed. This would do very little to ease her mother’s anxiety, but it was the best she could offer.

Though she was the wife of a retired police officer and thereby accustomed to fearing for her husband’s safety, her mother was cursed with an overactive imagination. Add to that the addiction to mystery novels she had developed as a librarian, her mother was a worrier. To provide her parents with some extra assurance, Samantha would teach them how to use FaceTime on the new phones she’d given them for Christmas. Just the knowledge that her mother could actually see her would probably do much to alleviate the anxiety of having her only daughter in danger.

Samantha had a zillion things to take care of before her trip across Alligator Alley this evening. Life was about to change, and she was so over the moon, it was all she could do to contain herself. Smiling, she set about finishing her final day as chief White House correspondent.

Almost.

And that’s what had aged her. The days spent with the soldiers, her sources, the fixers, her driver and interpreter, searching for the latest stories fit for the evening news, then hurriedly wiping her face with wet wipes, tugging her hair in a ponytail, and swiping on some lipstick to ensure she’d look halfway decent on camera. She would spend about five minutes reporting, then slip into her flak jacket, dust off her Blundstone boots, and prepare for a special report if called on. She’d been embedded with the army for only six weeks when she learned of her new assignment. Part of her felt relief, but another part of her was sad to leave the men and women she’d grown close to in such a short period of time. It was just another aspect of her job, one she didn’t like too much, but it is what it is, she’d told herself.

Now, here she was on a plane headed back to the States, back to Florida, to spend Mother’s Day with her mom for the first time in three years. As planned, she’d kept in close contact with her family through e-mails, an occasional letter, and FaceTime chats. She’d missed her parents more than she would admit and hoped they would slip into the familiar ease they’d always shared. More mature than when she’d left three years ago, Samantha had witnessed so much violence and sometimes death that it had hardened her. The soft edges of her former self were nothing more than a sweet memory. She smiled, recalling her arrival in Afghanistan. Despite the culture shock, she’d quickly learned the ropes and jumped into her new position as though she’d been doing it her entire life. But it was now time to look to the future as she had enormous, completely life-changing responsibilities.

“Ma’am, you’ll need to buckle your seat belt, we’re ready to taxi,” a pretty young flight attendant instructed her.

Samantha had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t paid attention to what was going on around her. She fastened her seat belt, then adjusted the belt securing the infant seat next to her. Caroline was sound asleep.

Her daughter, almost eight months old, was used to travel. Samantha marveled at how adept she’d become in her short life. They’d been on the move two weeks after she’d given birth in Italy, and travel was just a part of their routine. She’d taken a leave of absence from the network when she was six months pregnant, telling her parents that her on-air assignment had changed. She still FaceTimed them, but she was always careful not to show anything more than her face. Her mother had mentioned a few times that she had a glow about her, and Samantha told her it was a new face cream she was using. She hated to deceive her mother, but she would learn the truth soon enough; there was no way around it.

The network had been supportive of her choice and sent a new—and much younger—reporter to take her place. Samantha had taken an assignment as a staff reporter of sorts for the Associated Press, e-mailing her articles to them daily. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it would keep her out of the States for a few months.

She’d reluctantly given her flak jacket to the . . .