Seeing You (The Donovans (Sweetbriar Ridge) #4)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Four a.m. came way too early every day.

Still, Billie Donovan shut off her alarm and, after a brief stretch, got out of bed. She didn’t like to linger because there was too much temptation to simply stay there and go back to sleep. That wasn’t an option for her. She had a ton of baking she needed to get done for another day at Books why don’t you start taking some time off and…having a life outside of this?”

He wasn’t saying anything she hadn’t told herself a million times, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear.

“Like I said, not trying to be a jerk,” he reiterated.

“You’re not, and…I get it. I know that I work too much, but this was my passion after years of staying in a job I hated.”

“You were brilliant at it, though. But I understand. And after the breakup…”

“Don’t,” she snapped. “Just don’t, okay? That is so not the thing I need to think about while we’re talking about weddings and babies and…”

She was crying again.

Levi’s arms went around her as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. “This is why I normally let Jade do all the talking. I’ll bet she never made you cry,” he said miserably.

“No, but…to be fair, she was really hormonal during the pregnancy and cried enough for all of us.” Pulling back, she tried to smile. “And then Calvin was born and she’s just always happy and glowing…”

“Maybe I should spend more time here,” he murmured. “When we’re home and he’s crying, she’s not so glowy.”

“Oh, stop.” She playfully smacked his chest before stepping away and grabbing some napkins for her face. “You guys are so freaking adorable and in love that sometimes I want to hate you, but I can’t because I love you both so much. Sometimes it really sucks to be me.”

“What can I do? Tell me what I can do to make things better? Do you want me to introduce you to some of my friends? I already said I’d talk to Mom, so…”

“I’ll definitely take you up on letting you talk to Mom, but…not…just…don’t introduce me to anyone. That’s always awkward and…I don’t know…I want it to happen organically. I want to meet someone on my own and see if there’s a spark and…take it from there.”

It had happened once; she just had no idea why it never happened again.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, but I hate to see you like this. For all you know, you might meet someone at Iris’s wedding. I mean…you never know when you’re going to meet your person. I walked in here late one night, and Jade literally fell into my arms. After that, I was hooked. And look where we are now!”

“Sickeningly in love. Yeah, we get it,” she mumbled.

“Billie…”

“What? I’m just trying to lighten the mood.” She let out a long breath. “I get what you’re saying, and I promise to think about it. And I’m sorry for getting so emotional on you. I think we both know that sort of thing never happens, so…sorry.”

“No apologies necessary. I just hate thinking of you feeling like this and being here all alone. I can stay until Cora…”

She held up her hand to stop him. “I’m fine. Really. The last of the muffins should be ready to come out, and then I have to get the case set up. I’m going to be too busy to be sad. Plus, Cora is always super chatty in the morning, so I’ll be too distracted to think about…stuff.”

And yet he still hesitated.

“Levi, go! Go take care of your family! I’ve got work to do, and you need to get Silas up for school. I love you, but…go!”

Grinning, he came over and gave her a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. “I’m just gonna grab a couple of muffins for me and Jade and then I swear I’ll leave.”

And he did.

Locking the door behind him, she went and pulled the last of the muffins out of the oven and set them aside to cool. Next, she began setting up the trays of all of today’s bakery items to place in the display case. Once it was done, she stepped around the counter to make sure everything looked okay.

Smiling, she nodded. “Damn, I’m good!”

By the time she stepped back around the counter, she could hear Cora at the door. Waving, Billie went back to the kitchen to clean up and moved the muffins onto racks now that they were cooler.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Cora called out as she came through the kitchen door. “Just tell me where you need me, and we’re good to go!”

“You are a lifesaver. Seriously. I hated the thought of Jade trying to come in when she hadn’t slept all night. Calvin’s usually fine to come with her, but it seems like the poor little guy’s having a rough time.”

“I know. It breaks my heart. I had already planned on staying and watching him after I got Silas off to school, but I think Levi’s going to work from home today. He called me on his way home, so you have me for as long as you need me. Are we calling anyone else in?”

“We’ve got Candis and Shawna coming in at eight, so I just figured I’d ask if either of them can stay longer today. If not, then I’ll make some calls.” Shrugging, she added, “And if we still can’t find anyone, I’ll stay.”

Cora was already shaking her head. “Absolutely not. You can’t spend your whole life here, Billie. We’ll figure something out.” Reaching for a clean apron, she put it on and tied it. “And…just a little FYI, I have a very handsome, very single nephew who’s about your age. If you’d like me to introduce you…”

She was going to strangle her brother.

“That’s very sweet of you, Cora, but…I’m good. Thanks. Let’s go turn on the lights and get the day started!”

“Great!” She was halfway out the door when she said, “Milo is forty and a pharmacist. Just think about it!”

Yeah. She was definitely going to strangle her brother.

“Sweetbriar Ridge town limits.”

Marcus Calloway muttered the words as he drove past the sign. He had avoided being back here for far too long—basically until he ran out of excuses.

Hell, he almost ran out of time.

But somehow…that really didn’t bother him.

“Because clearly I’m a callous bastard.” That was the general consensus about him from friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and family. It wasn’t something he was overly proud of, but it also wasn’t something he was going to change. Life had made him this way, and it was just who he was now.

Driving through the center of town, he was mildly surprised by all the changes. There were new shops and restaurants, and everything just looked brighter than it was when he was growing up. Slowing down, he spotted a nail salon, a craft store, a wine bar, and some sort of bougie little bath shop, and…

“Books he knew that. But when his brother called and told him how dire things were, there was a part of him that knew he had to see the old bastard’s face one last time. There weren’t going to be any apologies or reconnections. No, he was simply coming to help ease some of his brother’s burden. After all, it wasn’t Max’s fault that Marcus and his father hated each other.

Well…the hate was primarily on Marcus’s part, but it still wasn’t fair to his brother to bear the brunt of it.

“So maybe I’m not always a callous bastard.”

That was still up for debate, he was sure.

When he turned onto the block he’d grown up on, a wave of nostalgia hit him. How many times had he played basketball down at Danny Flanagan’s house? Or street hockey with pretty much every kid on the block? He remembered snowball fights, bicycle races, and kissing his first girl under the massive oak tree in Quinn Coppell’s backyard.

There were a lot of good memories of his life in Sweetbriar Ridge, but none of them were going to sway him to stay any longer than he absolutely needed.

Pulling up to his father’s house, Marcus let out a long sigh. It was in total disarray. The paint was peeling, the shrubs were overgrown, there was rotting wood on the trim, and the roof definitely needed to be replaced. Muttering a curse, he climbed from the car. If they were going to sell the place, they were going to have to hire a crew to come in and fix all of those things.

“And I’m not paying for it.”

Up on the porch, his brother stepped out of the shadows before meeting him in the driveway. They shared a brief hug and handshake before Max pulled back and grinned at him. “I really didn’t think you’d show up.”

“Yeah, well…you are the only person I’d do this for. I don’t mind being the bad guy with Dad, but after our conversation last week, I knew you didn’t want to do this alone. So…I’m here.”

His brother studied him hard for a moment. “Are you here to help me, or are you here so you can drop Dad off at the nursing home yourself? Because I have a feeling you’d take great joy in leaving him there.”

With a careless shrug, Marcus agreed. “You’re not wrong.” Sliding his hands into his trouser pockets, he looked over at the house. “Mom would hate this. It’s a damn disgrace that he let it get like this.”

“The last few years have been rough on him. Between the heart attack, the bypass, and the accident, he can’t really do anything around here for himself.”

“Boo-freaking-hoo. He could hire someone! It’s a damn embarrassment! The neighbors must cringe every time they drive by!”

Max looked completely unfazed. “Dad pays one of the local kids to mow the lawn, so there’s that. He’s just not interested in the rest. I taught him how to order his groceries online and I pay for a cleaning company to come in twice a month.” Pausing, he mimicked Marcus’s pose. “Look, I’m not trying to be a dick, but…I’ve been helping with a lot of stuff financially. I’m not trying to diminish your feelings or tell you you’re wrong, but I could really use a hand.”

“Helping you would be helping him,” he murmured. “And I don’t want to help him. Just like he didn’t want to help Mom.”

“Oh my God…not this again! You know that’s not true! That’s not what happened and you need to freaking realize that! He was respecting her wishes and…”

Everything in him tensed. “He let her die, Max!” he yelled. “She didn’t get the care she needed—the care that would have helped her! Instead, he kept her here in this house and just waited for her to die! What kind of monster does that?” Turning, he walked back to his car, raking a hand through his hair in frustration. “I can’t do this. I…this was a mistake.”

He had one hand on the door handle when Max grabbed him from behind and spun him around. “No! You are not running away! Not again!” He gave Marcus a hard shake. “You do not get to keep walking away!”

Everything inside of him wanted to rage and put his brother on blast. Trembling with frustration, he couldn’t keep having this conversation. For one thing, Max had no idea what he was talking about. He’d always been sympathetic toward their father, but Marcus knew better. Not only that, but he also wasn’t going to stand here and be bullied.

“I can’t do this,” he said quietly, as he did his best to breathe. “I thought I could, Max, I really did. I drove four hours—I’ve got a bunch of my stuff packed up in the back of my car—so you know my intentions were good. I’ll help you in any way I can, but…not here. Just…not here.”

When he turned back to his car, he believed he’d made his point.

“Your mother used to hate it when the two of you fought.”

Everything in Marcus froze.

The voice wasn’t as robust as it used to be, but he’d still know it anywhere.

Slowly, he turned around and spotted his father standing on the front porch. He looked…old. Frail. The man staring back at him was a shadow of the man who’d raised him.

“You’re good at walking away,” Max said solemnly. “How about making an attempt at staying, even when things get hard?”

Marcus was about to respond when his brother gave him one last hit.

“Maybe if you had been man enough to understand someone else’s feelings so long ago, you wouldn’t be alone right now.”

Turning his head, he glared at Max. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll stay for the night. If things go as poorly as I can almost guarantee they will, I can leave in the morning and will handle whatever it is you need from my place back in D.C.”

“That’s fine. But you have to at least try. Don’t go in there with a shit attitude and then blame it on Dad. Look at him. Most days it takes everything he has just to get himself dressed.”

“You’re not going to make me feel sorry for him, okay? So don’t even try.” Straightening, he cleared his throat. “Let’s get this over with.”

Almost defiantly, he strode up the porch steps, briefly making eye contact with his father before walking into the house. And then…it was like stepping back in time. Everything was the same.

Every. Damn. Thing.

His father and Max walked in and walked right by him. “We’ve got dinner waiting in the kitchen,” his father said.

With no real choice, he followed and found the table set and waiting for them. “What the…?”

“You texted when you were leaving, so I kind of worked from there,” his brother said. “It’s nothing fancy, but I figured we couldn’t go wrong with ordering from the steakhouse. They’re under new management and have a chef who really made a tremendous difference.” He walked over to the oven and began pulling covered dishes out of it. “I just got back less than five minutes before you got here, so I’m hoping everything’s still hot.”

For a minute, he just stood there and waited for his father and Max to sit before joining them. It felt weird and yet familiar. As he sat down in the chair that had been his since he was a small boy, he got comfortable. He was about to make his plate, but his father bowed his head and began saying grace.

So, Marcus bowed his head and did the same.

“Amen,” the three of them said before they began passing the variety of dishes around. It was a pleasant surprise to see so many great options—baby back ribs, fried fish, pot roast, mashed potatoes, a fresh vegetable medley, mac and cheese, and a tossed salad.

“The only reason I didn’t get steaks was because I knew they’d get overcooked if you ran late,” Max explained. “We can maybe eat there one night and have them fresh, but for tonight, I thought this was a good option.”

Picking up a rib, Marcus took a bite and nodded. “Damn. These are fantastic. I can only imagine how wonderful everything would be when you dine in.”

“Like I said, one night this week. Right, Pop? Won’t that be fun?”

Looking over at his father, Marcus saw him shrug. He also noticed the way his hand shook as he tried to eat a spoonful of mashed potatoes. Casually, he looked over at Max, who gave him a small nod.

So things were worse than he thought.

Shit.

As he ate, he continued to look around the kitchen because it felt like he’d stepped into a time capsule. Nothing had changed. His mother’s collection of Disney mugs was displayed on a shelf. The bowl of fake fruit sat on the countertop. The only remotely new things were the pink bakery boxes.

Nodding toward them, he asked, “There’s a new bakery in town?”

“Oh, yeah,” Max said. “Books they were just testing the waters. But he also had to admit that it wasn’t as awful as he thought it would be. It might just be the first night, but he owed it to his brother to genuinely try to be…well…less hostile.

As soon as they were done eating, Max jumped up and grabbed one of the bakery boxes and brought it over to the table. “Try the brownie. Trust me.”

“Max…I just finished eating…”

“One bite. If you’re not loving it after one bite, then I’ll finish it.”

Shrugging, he picked up the brownie. “It’s just a brownie, dude. How good could it possibly be?”

Then he took a bite.

Flavor exploded on his tongue. It was rich and decadent, with the absolute perfect amount of sweetness. The moan of pleasure was out before he could stop it.

“I knew you’d love it!” Max said giddily.

“Love it? Hell, this is the best thing I’ve put in my mouth in years.” Shaking his head, he took another bite. “Whoever made this must be an angel. If I ever met her, I might just ask her to marry me.” Another bite. “Are they only here in Sweetbriar Ridge?”

Both his father and brother nodded.

“And you’re saying the coffee is fantastic too?”

More nodding.

“Then give me your orders tonight, gentlemen. Because first thing tomorrow morning, I’m going to this Books & Beans place and getting us breakfast!”