8. His Mind Had Changed
8
HIS MIND HAD CHANGED
H is mother better behave today!
Two weeks later, Coy was driving to his parents’ house for dinner with them. Angel would be over shortly.
His mother was adamant she had to meet Spencer’s sister.
He found it hard to extend the invitation and not have it seem odd.
Something in his mind had changed in the past two weeks and he wasn’t sure what the hell it was.
Angel wasn’t just Spencer’s baby sister anymore.
She wasn’t only his employee either.
She was a combination of both and then something more he couldn’t put his finger on.
From the comfort he felt with her at night in his office talking, joking and laughing while they finished their notes.
The confidence she exhibited in her job just two weeks in.
Best hire of his life, he knew it hands down, and for some reason couldn’t figure out why his best friend had been so worried about it.
He was going to offer to pick her up but decided not to last minute. She’d talked about driving around the island and finding her way so he was going to let her do that.
Though Spencer wanted him to watch out for Angel, he wasn’t going to hold her hand. It wasn’t his way.
There was no reason for it either.
Angel was thriving on her own that he could see and maybe it was a joy to watch when he’d always been told things that made him wonder how Angel could get out of her own way at times.
To him, this was more over protectiveness from family members.
“Hi, Mom,” he yelled going in the door of his childhood home and walking to the back. “Your youngest son is home.”
Helena Bond came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her towel. “You are,” his mother said. “And alone. Why isn’t Angel with you? Don’t tell me she canceled.”
“She’ll be here soon,” he said. “I told her one.” He looked at his watch. “It’s only twelve thirty.”
His mother frowned. “And why didn’t you offer to pick her up?”
“Because it’s not a date,” he said. He was telling himself these things more and more in his head and couldn’t understand why.
No, he knew why.
He was feeling emotions for Angel that he knew weren’t right and had to cut the shit.
His mother rolled her eyes. “No one would think that.”
“What are you making? It smells good in here.”
“I just pulled the apple pie out of the oven.”
He ran his hand over his stomach. “Thank you,” he said, moving over to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I know you love me the most of the boys. I won’t tell Bode and Drew.”
His father walked out of his office and was laughing. “No comment,” Scott Bond said.
“If you got here earlier,” his mother said. “You could have helped me with the pie. I know how much you enjoy baking.”
He didn’t say that often. Coy did like it and his brothers busted his ass over it.
“But you’ll let me take some pie home anyway, right?”
“You know it,” his mother said. “How are things going with Angel? We haven’t had a chance to talk and now could be a good time before she gets here.”
“They are great,” he said. “I have more time than I know what to do with.”
“I doubt that,” his father said. “I still see you at the office later after it’s closed.”
“I’m finishing up my notes,” he said. “Angel too. I’m showing her things and teaching her about others. She’s doing great. I know the education she got which made her an easy hire.”
“Is that the only reason you hired her?” his father asked.
“No,” he said. “I don’t feel as if it’s a pity hire either, so don’t think that. I’m shocked she wanted to come to the island, but Spencer brought it up. I think it’s benefiting both of us. I’m not sure why everyone is so concerned or worried about her.”
His mother looked at his father. “Explain that.”
“You know about her heart condition and her surgery,” he said.
“We do,” his mother said. “But that was years ago. I thought she was perfectly fine.”
“She seems it to me. But everyone babies her. I don’t think her mother does as much, not from what I could see when they were at my house a few weeks ago.”
“I think a mother tends to ease things when she needs to,” his mother said.
His father snorted. “No. A father does with boys.”
“And a mother might with girls,” he said. “I understand what Mom is saying. I understand what Spencer is saying too, but I often wonder if the information he fed me for years was one-sided.”
“Of course it was,” his mother said. “Angel is his baby sister. Even if she hadn’t been born premature and had so many health issues early on and then again later as a child and teen, he’d still be protective of her. Just as I would have expected you and your brothers to be if your sister had survived.”
His mother rarely brought up the baby she’d lost prematurely.
“We would have been,” he said. “Which is why I understand too. My point is, she’s fine. It’s hard to draw that line between my new employee and my best friend’s sister.”
“Why do you have to draw a line?” his father asked. “Everyone knows who she is. There is no secret there, right?”
“I told a few people in the office, but they didn’t say anything,” he said. “I don’t want them to think she is getting special treatment.”
“Is she?” his mother asked.
“No,” he said. “I don’t think so. I’m paying her the same as I would have anyone else. What I have offered others. Even the fact that you found an apartment for her over other people waiting.”
“Exactly,” his father said. “So if you know the truth that nothing is different, then don’t let it get to you that others might think it.”
He frowned. He wasn’t sure why it was bothering him.
Maybe because he didn’t want Angel to think those things either.
He couldn’t control other people’s thoughts or opinions though and had to just move past it.
“I’m not going to,” he said. “What are you making for dinner? Anything I can do to help?”
“We’ve got it,” his mother said. “Your father is smoking ribs. He’s been up since early this morning playing with his new toy.”
He knew his father liked doing those things. “What new toy did you get?”
“Come look at my new smoker,” his father said.
He went out to the deck and saw the green porcelain egg-shaped dome in the corner. “You got a bigger one?” he asked, laughing. His father had one for years.
“I did,” his father said. “You know how much I love my smaller one, but why not go bigger? I’m breaking it in today.”
He saw the smaller one next to it that had many years of use and great meals.
“I’m sure the ribs will be awesome,” he said.
“I’ve got a roast beef going too,” his father said. “I like that I can do all sorts of meats at once. More room than the other one.”
“Sounds like a great feast,” he said. He’d asked Angel what she liked to eat so his mother knew.
Angel had said she wasn’t fussy in the least. One of the many conversations they’d had while they were working after the office closed was that she enjoyed ribs and barbeque and was going to miss that not being in North Carolina.
“I made potato salad and coleslaw along with mac and cheese,” his mother said. “Plenty of things for you to bring home. You said Angel liked those things.”
He smiled that his mother took it to heart, all the foods he’d mentioned when he was asked.
He didn’t expect her to make everything. Well, that wasn’t everything, but darn close to it.
“I’m going to get fat,” he said. “Then no woman would want me with a pot belly.”
His mother closed one eye at him. “You’ll work it off like you always do. Maybe now that you’ve got help at work you can spend some time out there trying to find a woman like your brothers have.”
She didn’t waste any time jumping on that horse and riding it into the conversation.
“We’ll see,” he said. The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.”
Coy moved through the house and opened the front door. There was Angel with a tray in front of her. She was wearing a pair of jeans, sandals on her feet letting him see the bright blue toenails, and a white retro T-shirt fitted to her body beneath a blue-and-white flannel open shirt.
It was funny that she was almost matching his exact outfit today minus the sandals, as he had sneakers on his feet.
“We are twinning,” she said. “Imagine that.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I was thinking the same thing.” He reached for the tray. “What do you have there?”
“Cookies,” she said. “I didn’t make them. I picked them up on my way. I’m not really good in the baking department.”
He saw the variety of massive jumbo-sized cookies. “Damn. I’m going to need a second workout later today. My mother made apple pie too.”
“Homemade apple pie?” she asked. Her hand was rubbing her flat stomach. He’d seen her put away large amounts of food and was shocked by how tiny she was. “That sounds awesome and puts these cookies to shame.”
“You got them at Hadley’s,” he said. “So they won’t go to waste. Not sure if you know that she’s married to a cousin of ours.”
“No clue,” she said. “I just looked up bakeries on the island and saw that one attached to the pub. I figured it had to be fresh baked stuff and it had great reviews. I put the order in yesterday to run down and grab it today.”
Which was about twenty minutes away from her apartment on the other side of the island.
He’d set his practice closer to the middle of the island, knowing it’d be more convenient for people as a whole. He lived more on the north side of the island closer to Boston and his siblings.
Angel’s apartment wasn’t that far from the office.
“Which was really nice of you. Come in and I’ll introduce you to my parents. They can’t wait to meet you.”
“This house is beautiful,” she said, looking up and around. “This is where you grew up?”
“Basically,” he said. “I guess I just take it for granted that we were on the water and I knew it’s where I wanted to be too.”
“It’s easy to take it for granted when you’ve known no differently. I suppose listening to your stories about this place is what made it so easy for me to dream about it too.”
It was the soft look in her eyes when she said that.
“Then I’m glad I was able to make that dream come true.”