Chapter Seven #2
She liked him. The more she spent time with him, the more he appealed to her.
Garrick was a strong, steady guy. He got involved, he cared.
Even when Joylyn was throwing up roadblocks right and left, he was still trying to get close to her.
He hadn’t given up—not giving up was important to Wynn.
The fact that she liked how he looked was also interesting, but not as important as the rest of it.
The second time she found herself standing at her front window, gazing wistfully at his house, she mentally slapped herself upside the head and told herself to grow a pair. If she wanted to see him, then she should make it happen. She was capable of doing the asking.
Before she could question herself into indecision, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text.
Want to stop by for a quick decaf?
The answer came in seconds. Be right there.
Wynn stared at the words, telling herself not to get all fluttery.
It was coffee, nothing more. But she couldn’t help the quiver of anticipation that took up residence in her stomach.
And when her doorbell rang less than a minute later, she found herself wanting to giggle like some teenager, which was so embarrassing, but also fun.
She pulled open the door. “Hi.”
He smiled at her. “Hi, yourself.” He leaned in and brushed his mouth against hers before holding out a bottle of cognac. “In case you’d rather skip the decaf.”
“Interesting idea.” She stepped back to let him in, trying to quiet the tingles inside. “I’ll get glasses and join you in the living room. Hunter has the family room.”
“Game night?”
“His favorite. But I won’t complain. His grades are good, and he’s keeping his sassing to a minimum.”
“Hunter doesn’t strike me as a kid who sasses you much.”
“I know. I’m lucky.”
She collected two glasses and joined him.
Garrick had turned on a couple of lamps in the corner of the room but not the ones on the end table, giving the space a more intimate feel.
She set down the glasses and hesitated only a second as she tried to figure out where to sit on the sofa.
Not next to him—that would be weird. But not at the far end, either.
She settled about a cushion away, angling toward him as he poured cognac into each of their glasses.
“How’s it going with Joylyn?” she asked, touching her glass to his.
“Better.” He took a sip. “Maybe. I hope. I took her to The Boardroom last night, and she had a good time.”
“What was the game?”
“Chutes and Ladders. She laughed a lot. We sat with Jasper and Renee. They were both friendly, which helped. I think Joylyn forgot to be mad at me for at least a couple of hours. It was nice to have our relationship back.”
“Have you thought about asking her what happened to change things in the first place?”
“Yes.”
She looked at him. “And?”
“I’ve asked but she won’t give me a straight answer.”
“Did you do anything horrible to her?”
“What?” He blinked in surprise. “No. Of course not. I would never hurt her.”
“Exactly. So ask her why things are different. Maybe there’s no reason, but what if there is? Maybe it can be fixed and you can be close again.”
He looked doubtful. “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy, but I get your point.” He cradled his glass. “I’ve been trying to remember the exact sequence of events. It was six or seven years ago, right around the time Sandy and I separated and then divorced.”
He glanced at her. “I’d been starting my undercover work, so I was gone for days at a time. Sandy wasn’t a fan. She’d been okay when I’d talked about joining the unit, but when she found out what was entailed, she was pissed.”
“Didn’t she know that would happen?”
“Sure, but I think knowing and living were different. She wanted me to quit and go back to regular police work. I wanted to stay the year I’d committed to. She said she wasn’t going to have kids with me until I was done playing at being a bad guy.” He grimaced. “Those were her exact words.”
Without thinking, she reached out and took his hand. “That had to be tough for you.”
“It was.” He squeezed her fingers before releasing her. “Plus I couldn’t help thinking her complaints were all an excuse to end things. I started to wonder if she’d been looking for an out and my work gave her one.”
“Was she close to Joylyn?”
“No. They got along, but it wasn’t a great friendship. I don’t think that’s what set her off.”
“It doesn’t sound like it,” she said. “That’s when the DEA work started?”
He nodded. “The first time I went to Colombia, it was for three months. Joylyn had already started refusing to see me. I told her I had to be gone for work, and she said she didn’t care.”
Wynn heard the pain in his voice. “I know that was hard.”
He looked past her. “It sucked. I came back and tried to get her to hang out with me, but she continued to refuse. So I took another assignment. This one lasted over a year.”
“I didn’t know you were gone that long.”
“I didn’t mean to be. Things got complicated.”
She thought about the scars on his torso and wondered if they had anything to do with the “complications.”
“Does Joylyn know why you were gone for so long?”
“She knows it was work. Or at least she knows that’s what I told her. Based on a more recent conversation, I’m not sure she believed me.”
Men, Wynn thought with a sigh. “Were you more specific with her? Does she know you were undercover, working a dangerous assignment?”
His gray gaze settled on her face. “How do you know it was dangerous?”
“Oh, please. I watch TV. Drug cartels aren’t known for their philanthropy.”
“I’ve never talked about it with her.”
“Then maybe you should start there. If she knows what you were doing, she might be more forgiving of your absence. Assuming that’s what she’s upset about.”
“I don’t think it is. She was mad at me before I left.” He set down his glass. “No offense, but your gender is complicated.”
“Yes, we are, but we also smell nice.”
He chuckled. “You do.” He stretched his arm along the back of the sofa and rested his fingers on her shoulder. “Change of subject?”
She nodded, shifting closer.
“How are you doing on the Thanksgiving prep work? I’d like to help.”
“Thanks, but I’m in good shape. I did my last-minute shopping this morning before I went to work, the turkey is sitting in the refrigerator and I’ve already put out the Thanksgiving decorations.”
“You’re prepared. I’m going to make Waldorf salad. I hope that’s okay.”
“We can always use another side.”
“It’s a thing. I made it every year for Joylyn and brought it over to her mom’s for dinner.”
And there it was. Niceness. Genuine caring. Even if she didn’t think he was hot and a really great kisser, he was winning her over with stories like that.
“What did Sandy think of having Thanksgiving with her stepdaughter’s mother?”
“It wasn’t her favorite. She wanted her own traditions. To be fair, she was happy to include Joylyn, but I didn’t want to make Joylyn have to split her time between her mom and me. Not on Thanksgiving.” He drew in a breath. “I guess I wasn’t always a great husband.”
“Maybe not, but you were a terrific dad.”
“Thanks. Tell that to Joylyn.”
“I will.”
Instead of smiling, he grew more pensive. “She has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. I was thinking I’d take off work and go with her.” He held up a hand. “I’m not talking about going in the room or anything. I just want to be there because it’s a new doctor and she’s eight months pregnant.”
“That’s a great idea,” she told him, wondering how Joylyn would react.
“I’m sure she doesn’t want to go by herself.
” But having her dad along might be too much for her.
“Do you want me to go with her instead?” She shook her head.
“I’m not trying to butt in, I’m just wondering if having another woman there would be easier for her. ”
“I hadn’t thought of that, but you can’t take off work.”
“I can. We’re not very busy right now, and it’s only a couple of hours. I’m happy to do it.”
“Thank you. I think it might be easier for her to have you there rather than me. If we were tight again, it would be different.”
He looked so sad as he spoke that she reacted without thinking. She slid close and wrapped her arms around him.
“You two are going to figure this out.”
He hugged her back. “I hope so.”
“Don’t give up on her. She needs to know that you can’t be pushed away by her attitude.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
As he spoke, he leaned close and pressed his mouth to hers. She relaxed into the kiss, liking the feel of his lips on hers.
Wanting flickered to life, but she ignored the need. With Hunter playing video games just down the hall, nothing more was going to happen, but just kissing was nice.
He moved back and forth a little, but didn’t deepen the kiss, as if he, too, knew the limitations of the night. When he drew back, he smiled at her.
“I thought it was supposed to be easier when kids got older.”
“I wish.”
He stared into her eyes. “Me, too.”
And for now, that was enough.
***
Joylyn sat in the backyard watching butterflies drift from one flowering bush to another. She supposed that in other parts of the country, people were bracing to deal with subfreezing temperatures and snow, but in the desert southwest, there were still flowers and butterflies.
She told herself she had to get moving, that not showing up for her doctor’s appointment was a dumb move. And being scared because the doctor was new to her didn’t make any sense, either. She was eight months pregnant—she needed to be seen by a medical professional.
Brushing away tears, she stood and walked into the house. She peed, then got her handbag and was halfway to the front door when the doorbell rang.
“Oh, hi,” she said, surprised to see Wynn on the porch. “What’s up?”