Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
On Monday, Brynn accepted her mother’s invitation to come to the house for lunch. She drove slowly with the windows down, admiring the spectacular views of Green Bay while inhaling the fresh scent of pine until the house, which had been her home for as long as she could remember, came into view.
Designed by her father nearly thirty years earlier to fit in with the 1920s-era-style homes surrounding it, the large home sported a multigabled roof and stood at an angle in a wooded area at the end of a winding drive.
Knowing Brynn needed to return to the clinic for her afternoon session, her mother had lunch ready. The chicken salad that included bacon, tomato and avocado dressed with a lemony mayonnaise and served over crisp romaine leaves had Brynn’s taste buds sighing in pleasure.
Brynn kept the conversation focused on her mother while they ate, asking questions about the tearoom, called The Good Tea, her mother owned and what was going on in the lives of her two younger brothers.
Homemade cookies were on tap for dessert, and Brynn stood in the massive kitchen while her mother lifted a sheet of cookies from the oven and placed them on a cooling rack.
“There’s something on your mind.” Brynn rested her back against the granite countertop. “I’m guessing it has to do with Callum and Parker.”
Her mother, a woman whose judgment Brynn trusted implicitly, didn’t immediately respond. Which only added to Brynn’s unease. Hadley Chapin would choose her words carefully but would definitely speak her truth.
“Parker isn’t your patient, Brynn.”
Here it was, what she’d known was coming. Her mother was forever telling her she needed to take off her psychologist hat when dealing with friends. While Brynn appreciated her mother’s concerns, she didn’t entirely agree in this instance.
Her father was an architect, and her mother was a master baker and business owner. Would they hold back if they could lend their expertise in their chosen field to a friend?
“I’m not sure where this is coming from. I understand that Parker isn’t my patient.” Brynn did her best not to let any irritation show. “But Callum is a new father. He has good instincts, but he doesn’t trust them yet. I’m merely being a supportive friend, not a therapist.”
“I’m sure Callum needs a friend now.” Hadley hesitated, then plunged ahead. “I just want you to be careful.”
“I don’t understand what you’re getting at.” Despite her attempt to force an easy tone, the stiffness in Brynn’s voice came through loud and clear.
“I realize the two of you never dated, and I’m sure you’ll deny it, but I always thought there was a spark, a connection, between you and Callum.” Hadley continued before Brynn could respond. “We both know Callum won’t be content with life in Good Hope. Which is why I’m concerned about you getting too attached to him and his son. ”
Brynn clutched her glass of iced tea so tightly her fingers turned white. Finally, she set the crystal tumbler on the counter.
“You know your dad and I adore Callum.” Her mom’s tone turned gentle. “But when did the two of you get so close?”
“It…it…just sort of happened.” Brynn lifted her hands and let them drop.
“Is it because his life has been turned upside down, and he needs help?”
“Callum is my friend.” With great effort, Brynn kept her voice light. “If there’s anything I can do to help him during this transition, I’ll do it.”
A soft look filled Hadley’s eyes. “You do have a habit of wanting to fix people, wanting to help even at your own expense.”
“That’s not what this is, Mom.”
Hadley placed a cookie on a plate and handed it to Brynn, then took one for herself. “Isn’t it?”
“No.” Brynn set the plate on the counter without touching the cookie. “It isn’t.”
“He’s staying with you,” her mother pointed out. “It’s been a few weeks now. You’re helping him raise his son.”
“I’m not helping him raise his son,” Brynn insisted, but by the look in her mother’s eyes, she might as well have been talking to the wind. “I’m helping a friend.”
“Brynn, let me give you some advice here. Walking away from a child is hard.” A look of pain crossed her mother’s face. “I’m worried because I can see problems in the future. You and Parker are getting connected. I know that you’re already connected to Callum. What I don’t understand is what makes you think the always adventurous Callum Brody could settle down in quiet, sedate little Good Hope”
“Well…” Brynn cleared her throat and pushed the words past suddenly frozen lips. “He seems really happy, and he loves…I know he loves Parker. ”
“All well and good. I guess what I’m saying is that old friends helping each other and ‘playing family’ leads to feelings.” Hadley’s voice took on a tender edge. “You need to consider whether you and Callum want the same things. Wanting to care for Parker—or needing help with him—isn’t enough to make a relationship. You must love one another for who you are, independent of Parker.”
The week sped by quickly. Although Callum had work to do, he tried to intersperse those times with activities that he and Parker could share. They went swimming at the beach one day and then kayaked the next.
Yesterday, they’d gone out to Cherry Acres, where Brynn’s aunt and uncle had shown the boy the trees that would bear fruit by the end of July and let him pick something from all the products in the store made from cherries.
Knowing his son’s love of sweets, Callum wasn’t surprised when he picked a cherry lollipop as big as a plate.
They capped off the day by climbing to the top of Eagle Tower. While overlooking Green Bay and parts of Upper Michigan, they munched on the sandwiches and chips he’d packed.
He’d found himself looking forward to Friday. Not only to a party at Rakes Farm, but spending time with Brynn. The parking lot, down the hill from the three-story Victorian, was nearly full when Callum parked.
Growing up, he’d been here often. For barbecues and Christmas parties, for weddings in the barn and for skating on the pond. But now, stepping from the vehicle and gazing up at the salmon and yellow Victorian, its stained-glass windows gleaming in the late-day sun, he found himself awed all over again. In all his travels, he’d never seen a more magnificent house.
Owned by Aunt Fin and Uncle Jeremy, this wasn’t just a showplace. It was a home. One that had been in Jeremy’s family for generations. His three cousins were all out of the house now, and none of them was currently living in Good Hope. Callum didn’t doubt for a minute that at least a couple of them would find their way back and settle here.
The boomerang lore said that while you might leave Good Hope, you would one day return, like a boomerang.
That hadn’t held for him or his brother, Callum thought. Except for right now, that was.
Callum rounded the front of the vehicle to open Parker’s door, but Brynn beat him to it. She looked lovely in her pink-and-white-striped dress, her hair reminding him of spun gold when the sunlight hit it.
As always, the familiar enticing scent of peaches wafted in the air around her. His body stirred as he recalled how that fragrance had surrounded him when he’d kissed her.
“Callum.” Her hand on his arm jerked him back to the present. “I think someone is eager to see Addie and your parents.”
She gestured to the little boy hopping from one foot to the other, his gaze fixed on the house as distant laughter floated down to where they stood.
As Callum’s gaze fell on Parker, love surged for this child, his son, who had been through so much.
“There will be lots of games to play.” Callum paused as a golf cart driven by his cousin Sarah Rose pulled up.
“Can I give you a ride?” she asked.
Callum nearly said no. The words were actually poised on his lips. After all, it was a beautiful evening, and the walk wasn’t far.
Then he saw Parker step close to the cart decorated with flowers, a look of longing in his eyes. The child wouldn’t ask. Sometime over the years, he’d learned not to make his feelings known, but if looks could talk, Parker wanted to ride.
“Sure.” Callum slanted a glance at Parker and Brynn. “A ride sounds like fun.”
The words had barely left his lips when Parker scrambled into the front next to Sarah Rose.
“I’ve never ridden in one of these before,” he told her.
“It’s pretty fun.” His cousin smiled. “Maybe later, once all the guests have arrived, I can show you how to drive it.”
“Really?” Parker’s eyes went wide. “You’d let me drive it?”
“There’s an area down by the barn that’s flat.” Sarah Rose cast a glance at Callum. “It’s safe.”
“If you want to do it, Parker, we’ll find time for Sarah Rose to show you,” Callum assured the boy.
“I w-want to do it.” Parker’s voice quivered with excitement.
“Sure.” Sarah Rose pressed the accelerator, and the cart headed smoothly up the hill. “We can make that happen.”
“Thanks, Sarah Rose,” Callum said when they got out. He gestured with his head to where Parker strolled beside Addie, talking a mile a minute and gesturing to the cart. “You made his day.”
“He’s a sweet kid.” Sarah Rose smiled. Then her sharp-eyed gaze shifted between him and Brynn. “How are things?”
“Good,” Callum said, knowing what she was after but refusing to play. “How about with you?”
“Excellent.” Sarah Rose waved a hand tipped with pink nails. “Time to get back to work.”
Callum turned toward Brynn. Casting a quick glance around, he saw that while he and Brynn weren’t exactly alone, no one else was close by.
Perhaps that added to his decision. But he had the feeling it had more to do with what stirred in him when Brynn gazed into his eyes. His gaze dropped to her lips, the color of cherry blossoms and so enticing .
He cupped her face, giving her a chance to step back or say that she didn’t want this as much as he did.
She stood her ground and smiled at him, her eyes suddenly as dark as Green Bay on a windswept day.
His mouth closed over hers. Need rose and threatened to engulf him, but Callum held on tight to control when he heard the sound of the golf cart returning with more guests.
Ending the kiss, he dropped his hands and stepped back, putting distance between him and Brynn. His heart continued to beat an erratic rhythm in his chest.
A smile tugged at the corners of Brynn’s lips. “What a nice way to start the evening.”
She didn’t have a chance to say more because Sarah Rose called out, “If you two lovebirds could quit kissing and move aside, I have passengers to unload.”
When Callum turned, he nearly groaned aloud when he saw his parents studying him and Brynn with undisguised interest.
Brynn and Callum spent the first hour at the party together, then split off to chat with friends. That suited Brynn just fine. She’d never been one of those women who had to be glued to the side of the man or woman she’d come with.
Wandering to where her dad flipped burgers, Brynn stepped to him and slid an arm around his waist. “I’ve heard only good things about the chef.”
David smiled. “I believe that’s more a function of the quality of the meat than my skills with the grill, but I’ll take the compliment.”
Brynn studied her father. Even now, as he neared sixty, he cut an imposing figure. He was tall and athletic, and the silver in his dark hair only added to his distinguished air.
He was also the kindest, most loving father any girl could ever want. He’d always been there for her. To Brynn, David Chapin epitomized everything a father should be.
“Prim mentioned you came with Callum.” Her father would never pry into her business, but the concern in his eyes had her coming clean.
“Then you probably also heard about the kiss.”
He flipped several burgers. “She may have mentioned something about that to your mother and me.”
“Callum gave me a ride to the party.” Brynn kept her tone deliberately easy.
“Are you saying it was simply a thank-you kiss?”
It would be easy to explain away the kiss as just that. But she didn’t lie to her father and didn’t plan to start now. “No. He wanted to kiss me, and I wanted him to.”
Her dad’s gaze turned thoughtful as he added a couple of burgers to the warming rack. “Your mom is worried. So am I.”
Even as the knowledge stabbed her heart, Brynn nodded. “I know.”
Her dad’s smoky gray eyes met hers. “I love you, Sweet Pea.”
The childhood nickname had tears stinging the backs of Brynn’s eyes. She rested a hand on her father’s arm. “I love you, too, Daddy.”
“Do me a favor,” he said unexpectedly.
“Anything.”
“Take care of that big heart of yours. I don’t want to see it broken.”
Brynn reunited with Callum when she found him standing by the horseshoe pitch. She punched his side. “Don’t tell me you’re going to play horseshoes.”
His mouth quirked upward. “When the other choices are badminton or croquet… ”
Brynn laughed. “You forgot the bounce house.”
He laughed. “I considered it, but then realized I’m over the weight limit.”
She glanced around. “Where’s Parker?”
“Last I saw him, he was at one of the badminton nets with Addie, trying to hit the birdie and failing miserably.”
“Last you saw him?” Brynn frowned. “Are you saying you’re not sure where he is?”
Surprise flickered in Callum’s eyes. It was as if the thought of keeping an eye on his son here had never occurred to him. “What kind of trouble could he possibly get into here?”
“He’s a little boy. Children need watching.”
Callum took a pull from the bottle of beer he held.
“There are plenty of people here watching out for him.” He slung an arm around Brynn’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze before taking a step back. “Chill out. Parker doesn’t need me breathing down his neck every minute.”
Brynn said nothing. Was she being overprotective? Overzealous? While it seemed to her that a six-year-old always needed supervision, this was a family event. Most everyone here was related to Parker in one way or another.
It was just that she remembered that when she was that age, her dad always made sure he knew where she was and what she was doing. Always made sure she was safe.
Callum’s parents had been the same, perhaps even more so because Callum and his brother had been the kind of kids who always got into things.
She opened her mouth to remind him of that fact, then recalled the time she and the boys had been at her grandmother’s house. They’d been outside playing by the pool when she’d fallen in, cracked her head and nearly drowned. No adult had been supervising them at that time. Callum had been the one to run for help .
Yes, she decided, she was carrying this supervising thing a bit too far.
“You want to toss some horseshoes?”
Callum’s question had Brynn pulling her focus back to the present.
She studied the horseshoe in his hand for a second but made no move to take it. “Do you even know how to play?”
He smiled at the skepticism in her voice.
“Of course I know how.” Callum scoffed. “Do you really think a sport exists that Connor and I haven’t played?”
“I’m just surprised,” Brynn took the horseshoe from him and let her hand feel the weight, “that you want to play with me.”
“I don’t mind playing with a beginner.”
“Oh, I’m not a beginner.” She flipped the horseshoe over and over in her hand. “Your grandfather taught me how to play. I’m quite proficient.”
Surprise blanketed Callum’s face. “Grandpa Steve taught you?”
She nodded. “And he’d be the first to say he did a bang-up job.”
Callum frowned. “I wonder why he didn’t teach Connor and me.”
“Probably because he knew you two would be tossing the horseshoes at each other rather than at the post.”
“Very likely.” He laughed. “So, you want to play?”
“Sure, but I think a friendly wager might make the game more interesting.”
His eyes took on a devilish gleam. “What do you have in mind?”
Brynn crooked a finger, and he leaned close enough for her to whisper the wager in his ear.
He grinned. “With that prize on the line, you might as well concede now, because I’m definitely going to win.”