Chapter 20
Twenty
It was no good. Miles had come dangerously close to kissing Annie. Lying under the stars, watching the meteors burn, their voices hushed against the rolling waves, he’d almost set fire to his life.
It was far too cold outside, and it had allowed them to get far too intimate. What was he thinking?
At least he hadn’t actually done it. He’d managed to stop himself, so that was good, right?
No. It wasn’t just the almost-kiss. Anyone could excuse a kiss. The real problem was he was dangerously close to falling in love with her, and that was the last thing either of them needed.
Bella was clearly going through the challenges of adolescence. She needed her father to be steadfast and stable, not losing his head over the pretty neighbor down the road.
That same evening, she came home from her evening with Noah floating on a cloud. She didn’t have much to share, but she was all smiles for the next week.
Miles was happy for her. Annie was right; it seemed innocent enough, and age-appropriate. Bella was the one who was supposed to be silly and getting pulled into puppy love. Not Miles.
Further, he knew how these things went. He had been a teenager once. On the horizon, on the other side of Bella’s whirlwind first romance, was the most devastating heartbreak Bella would ever suffer.
It may not be this week or even this year, but it was inevitable. That first heartbreak cut the deepest, and Miles needed to be there for her when it struck.
Thinking of it, maybe that was what Annie was going through. Roy had been her high school sweetheart, after all. She had made no allusions to being experienced in the art of dating and love, and it was all the more reason to leave her alone.
That didn’t mean avoiding her entirely, though. On Wednesday, he had the day off, and the subs for Bella’s school band fundraiser arrived. His plan was to spend the day delivering the sandwiches to everyone who had ordered them, something he did every year.
Annie’s order was last on his list. He figured she’d be at work, and he was right. When he knocked on the door, Clara appeared.
“Special delivery,” he said, holding up a bag.
“Miles! What a welcome surprise,” Clara said. She accepted the bag and peered inside. “Annie’s at work today, at the outpost site.”
He’d figured as much. It was for the best, despite the sinking in his chest. “I threw in an extra pepperoni roll. I wanted her to try it.”
“That’s sweet.” Clara paused, slowly raising her eyes. “Come to think of it, Annie forgot to pack a lunch this morning. Well, forgot isn’t the right word. She ran out of time, because Leon was running around yelling about using the potty before school.”
“He used the potty?” Miles asked. “And he said potty, too?”
“He did!”
“That’s amazing!” Miles said.
“Yeah.” Clara’s face spread into a warm smile. “Anyway, I won’t keep you, but if you wanted to bring one of these sandwiches out to her, I know she’d be appreciative.”
The load on his chest lightened. It wasn’t like he sought out these chances to see her. They appeared, and like an addict, he couldn’t resist them. It was chemical.
“I’d love to,” he said, unable to keep a smile off his face.
Clara gave him the directions to the lab outpost and he made his drive to the west side of the island.
He’d never seen the building before. It was old and drab, almost abandoned-looking, standing alone with the backdrop of the sea.
He pulled into a spot next to Annie’s car, the only one in the small gravel lot, and surveyed the building. It was three stories tall with ancient-looking windows and peeling eggshell paint. The roof was lopsided and the building itself looked misshapen.
Still, he liked it. It had that seaside charm that old buildings had, like it had been rocked by the waves but never knocked down.
Miles walked to the entrance and knocked on the door. Annie was already in the window, smiling at him.
“My mom texted to warn me you were coming,” she said, ushering him in. “You really didn’t have to do this.”
“It’s my pleasure. I’ve been delivering all over today, and when your mom said you were lunch-less because of a successful potty trip this morning, I thought we needed to celebrate.”
Annie let out a groan. “Yeah, I feel bad now that I rushed him and he actually had to use the potty.”
Her eyes were reddened, and her complexion was pale.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“That obvious, huh?” she asked, casting her eyes down.
“I just know you well,” he said, then immediately corrected himself. “I mean, I see you often and you don’t…” Miles frowned. “There’s no way to recover that statement, is there?”
Annie laughed. “I know what you mean. No offense taken. I know I’m a mess.”
He let out a breath. “What’s going on? Have you been feeling guilty about Leon all morning? I’m sure he’s not dwelling on it.”
“No, not that.” She took a seat on a nearby swivel chair. “It’s Roy.”
The muscles in his jaw tightened. “Roy,” he said in a low voice.
“All that stargazing went to my head. I got the idea I was shortchanging the twins by not expecting more from Roy, and that night I typed up an email telling him that I wanted him to regularly send money so they could have everything they need. I even attached a bunch of receipts from groceries, and diapers, doctors visit copays from being sick four times this winter already, and their winter coats I had to buy new because I couldn’t find any hand-me-downs in time… ”
Her voice trailed off. She buried her face in her hands.
Miles set the bag down before taking a seat next to her and touching her shoulder. “Sounds reasonable to me.”
“Roy didn’t think so.” She looked up, biting her lip, measuring her words. “He said he’s not going to fund my lavish lifestyle on a remote island, so I either move to Seattle or find a way to fund it myself.”
The blood rose in Miles’s throat, heat pulsing in his ears. “Did you remind him that he’s the one who moved away?”
“I didn’t respond yet. He said he’s already paying for half of the daycare costs, and if I want child support, then I can take him to court. He said he’ll be filing for primary custody.” Her voice broke on the last word, a sob catching in her throat.
Miles dropped to his knees in front of her and took her hands in his. “Annie, listen to me. Please,” he said.
She looked down at him, tears rimming her eyes. “It was stupid of me. I never would have done it if…”
“This is a page from the deadbeat dad handbook,” Miles said. “Whenever they get called out about not wanting to pay to support their children, they always threaten to go for custody.” He softened his tone. “It’s not going to work.”
She didn’t respond, staring down and chewing her lip.
He spoke again. “How much did you ask for?”
“Three hundred dollars a month,” she said. “Just enough to cover diapers and a little bit of the grocery bill. They’re eating so much more now, and a lot gets wasted, but I still have to make the meals and – ”
“Are you kidding me?” Miles had to suppress a scoff. “That’s it?”
“I didn’t want to ask for too much.”
“That’s nothing. Literally nothing.” He shook his head. “How much does he make?”
“He was making two hundred and fifty thousand a year when we separated,” Annie said.
Miles looked around the lab. “I’m guessing you are not making that much.”
A weak smile formed on her lips. “I am not.”
“If he’s stupid enough to take you to court, he is going to owe you five times that. Easily.”
She sucked in a breath. “I don’t want the money. I’ll find another way. If he gets full custody...”
“They are not going to award an absent father full custody,” Miles said firmly.
“What if he can prove I’m not able to provide for them? Because I’m not.”
“You’ve been providing just fine from what I can see,” Miles said.
He squeezed her hands, ignoring the fact that he shouldn’t be holding them at all.
“I’m not an attorney, but I’ve been talking to a lot of them recently, and I can tell you it’s not going to look good that he left and hasn’t spent any time with his kids before suddenly expressing his interest in having full custody. ”
Annie sighed. “Maybe.”
If only he could sweep her up in his arms. If only he could convince her of how wonderful she was, how obvious it was to anyone who looked.
“No judge will take kindly the games he’s trying to play. They’ve seen it all before,” he said.
“I hope you’re right. I just wish…” A tear spilled out and slipped down her cheek.
He stood and grabbed a tissue from her desk.
Annie dabbed at her eyes before speaking again, her voice clear and firm. “I wish I was stronger. I wish I was strong enough to get through all of this.”
“You are strong enough, and you’re not doing it alone.”
Annie crumpled the tissue in her hand and peered up at him.
He went on. “You have all of us. Your mom, Margie, Sheila, Bella.” He leaned in, his head tilted to hers. Did he dare say it? “Me.”
“And Roy probably has a thousand-dollar-an-hour attorney.”
Miles frowned. He probably did, and that wouldn’t look good in front of the judge, either.
“You know, last year Bella got in trouble for egging a bunch of houses. I don’t condone that sort of behavior, but she was very good at it.
Excellent aim. I don’t mind sending her to the mainland, if you catch my drift. ”
The edge of her mouth tilted into a smile. “Eggs are too expensive. You can’t waste them like that.”
A laugh burst out of him. “You’re right. We’ll find something more economical.”
She smiled, shaking her head. “Yeah.”
His chest swelled. What he really wanted to do was offer to fly to the mainland, find Roy in his place of work, punch him in the face, and walk out.
He knew Annie wouldn’t agree to it; he’d have to figure out where Roy worked on his own. Shouldn’t be too hard…
“Thank you, Miles. It means a lot.”
“Any time.” He meant it.
She let out a breath and stood. “Would you like a tour of the lab? It’s not the most exciting place, but we’ve got microscopes.”
He smiled. There were a thousand things he wanted to do. Pull her close. Whisk her away. Hire an attorney for her. Pay for the winter coats himself.
But none of that was what Annie wanted. She didn’t want to be rescued. She wanted a friend.
A friend, not a guy who kept hitting on her, who couldn’t stop thinking about kissing her and taking her in his arms.
The last thing she wanted was another guy messing up her life. Miles was determined not to do that to her.
“I’d love a tour,” he said.